Patrick McGeehan

Patrick McGeehan (March 4, 1907 – January 3, 1988) was an American actor.

Patrick McGeehan
(from back to front) Patrick McGeehan, The Four Knights, David Rose, Verna Felton, Rod O'Connor, Lurene Tuttle, and Red Skelton
Born(1907-03-04)March 4, 1907
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 3, 1988(1988-01-03) (aged 80)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1935–1988
Known forAnnouncer on The Red Skelton Show
Bear on Rock-a-Bye Bear
Doggone Tired
The Cat That Hated People
SpouseBernice McGeehan
Children2, including Mary Keegan
Not to be confused with Pat McGeehan.

Early life

Patrick Joseph McGeehan was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on March 4, 1907. He left home at age 14 when he went to sea, later working in vaudeville, and was a tightrope walker's assistant with the Barnum & Bailey Circus.[1]

Career

McGeehan began his career in 1935 on radio.

He played Ben Calvert on the NBC radio soap, Aunt Mary (1942-1951). He was the narrator for Ceiling Unlimited on CBS (1942-1943). He played Detective Bill Lance on The Adventures of Bill Lance on CBS (1945). He was a comic foil for Red Skelton and the announcer for The Red Skelton Show on NBC (1951-1965).

For many years, McGeehan was one of a series of announcers who were the brunt of some of Skelton’s best known-lines. He was also an actor on The Adventures of Maisie (as Eddie Jordan) on the Mutual Radio Network (1949-1952), Stars over Hollywood on CBS (1941-1954), The Jack Benny Program (1932-1955) and Fibber McGee and Molly (1959). At his peak, McGeehan did more than 40 shows a week. He was the voice of The Hour of St. Francis, a Catholic radio show, where he gained worldwide recognition for his recitation of the peace prayer of St. Francis.[2]

Throughout the 1940s and early 1950s, he had roles in many cartoons at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio; the Jimmy Durante Vulture in What's Buzzin' Buzzard (1943, Tex Avery), Butch, Meathead and Topsy in Baby Puss (1943, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera), the Wolf in The Screwy Truant (1945, Avery), the Piano Player in The Shooting of Dan McGoo (1945, Avery), Joe Wolf and the Bar Patrons in Wild and Woolfy (1945, Avery), the Cat in The Cat That Hated People (1948, Avery) and Bad Luck Blackie (1949, Avery), the Hunter in Doggone Tired (1949, Avery), the Lawyer and Dogcatcher in Wags to Riches (1949, Avery), and the Pound Worker and Joe Bear in Rock-a-Bye Bear (1952, Avery).[3][4]

Personal life

He was married to Bernice McGeehan. They had two children, including actress Mary Kate McGeehan.

Death

McGeehan died at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage on January 3, 1988. He was 80.[2]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes Ref(s).
1941 Hoola Boola Jim Dandy Voice
1943 What's Buzzin' Buzzard Jimmy Durante Vulture Voice, uncredited [3]
Baby Puss Butch, Meathead, Topsy Voice, uncredited
1945 The Screwy Truant Wolf Voice, uncredited [3]
The Shooting of Dan McGoo Piano Player Voice, uncredited
Jerky Turkey Indians Voice, uncredited
Wild and Woolfy Joe Wolf, Bar Patrons Voice, uncredited
1946 Screen Snapshots No. 1: Radio Characters Announcer - The Red Skelton Show Voice, uncredited
1948 The Cat That Hated People Cat Voice, uncredited [4]
The Dark Past Commentator Voice, uncredited
1949 Bad Luck Blackie Cat Voice, uncredited [3]
Doggone Tired Hunter Voice, uncredited [4]
Wags to Riches Lawyer, Dogcatcher Voice, uncredited [3]
1952 Rock-a-Bye Bear Pound Worker, Joe Bear Voice, uncredited
1953 The Fossil Story Narrator Voice
Son of the Renegade Narrator Voice
1954 Challenge the Wild [5]
1956 Millionaire Droopy Lawyer, Dogcatcher Voice, uncredited
1959 Okefenokee Narrator Voice

Television
Year Title Role Notes Ref(s).
1950 NBC Comics
1951–1965 The Red Skelton Show Self - Announcer 42 episodes
1953–1954 The Bob Hope Show Self - Announcer 7 episodes
1955–1958 People Are Funny Self - Announcer 2 episodes
1958–1959 The Loretta Young Show Narrator Voice 3 episodes
1959 Fibber McGee and Molly Self - Announcer 17 episodes
1960 Mel-O-Toons Self - Announcer 3 episodes
1960–1963 Insight Narrator Voice 7 episodes
1961 The Law and Mr. Jones Episode: "Exit"

Radio
Year Title Role Notes Ref(s).
1942–1943 Ceiling Unlimited Narrator
1942–1951 Aunt Mary Ben Calvert
1945 The Adventures of Bill Lance Bill Lance
1948 The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show Guest "Thanksgiving Program" [6]
1949–1952 The Adventures of Maisie Eddie Jordan [7]

References
  1. "Happy Birthday, Pat McGeehan!". Radio Spirits. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  2. "Obituaries : P. McGeehan; Radio Performer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  3. ""Hello All You Happy Tax Payers": Tex Avery's Voice Stock Company". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  4. "AVERY…. Vol. 2??? WELL, IMAGINE THAT!". cartoonresearch.com. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  5. Kear, Lynn; Rossman, John (30 March 2016). The Complete Kay Francis Career Record: All Film, Stage, Radio and Television Appearances. McFarland. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-4766-0287-5. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  6. rusc.com
  7. Terrace, Vincent (2 September 2015). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0528-9. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
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