Jimmy Weldon

Jimmy Weldon (September 23, 1923 - July 6, 2023) was an American voice actor, ventriloquist, and television host.

He was best known as the voice of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Yakky Doodle Duck and the host and ventriloquist in the locally-produced television series, "The Webster Webfoot Show". He also had a YouTube channel titled Jimmy's Lecture, where he documented stories of his time in World War II.

History
Born Ivy Laverne Shinn on September 23, 1923 in Dale, Texas, Weldon began his career as a disc jockey at KWCO, the radio station which began its operations shortly after he returned home following WWII. He was the first announcer hired at this new radio station.

Weldon moved to California in the early 1950s and continued to make television appearances while in Hollywood. In 1959, he and Webster Webfoot returned to the air again as the hosts of "HI, MOM" on NBC affiliate WRCA-TV after Shari Lewis left. They would continue performing their show on KJEO-TV in Fresno throughout the 1960s.

It was thanks to Weldon's "quacky" voice that he earned the voice-over for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character, Yakky Doodle Duck. Yakky Doodle made frequent appearances on the Yogi Bear cartoons, and then got his own show, "The Yakky Doodle Duck Show", from 1960 to 1962.

Weldon also made numerous television appearances in acting on shows such as Dragnet, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Waltons, Dallas, and Diff'rent Strokes. He also continued to do voice-overs for various television shows and cartoons.

Jimmy Weldon also played some supporting characters on the popular radio drama, Adventures in Odyssey.

Weldon died in Paso Robles, California on July 6, 2023, at the age of 99.