Joe Flynn

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Joseph Flynn (born November 8, 1924 in Youngstown , Ohio - † July 19, 1974 in Beverly Hills , California ) was an American actor and comedian . He became internationally known through a number of Disney film comedies from the late 1960s, especially with his portrayal of the idiot dean Eugene Higgins .

Life

Joseph Flynn was born the son of a prominent doctor in Youngstown, Ohio, a town near the Pennsylvania border . After graduating from high school, he studied at Northwestern University . During World War II , he served in the Army Medical Corps for three years and, as a member of the “Hank's Yank's” group, also worked as a troop entertainer : as a ventriloquist, he fooled around with a doll named MacGreggor .

Flynn's goal was to become an actor. His interest in the theater was awakened in Ohio before the war. He made a name for himself there early on as a radio host and ventriloquist. After the war and the completion of his studies, he moved to California, where he in 1954 his Hollywood debut in the C-movie The Big Chase gave (1954), followed in 1955 by the small role of a priest in comedians Children ( The Seven Little Foys ). In the course of his career he worked in around 30 other movies.

He became a cult figure, especially in a number of Disney comedies, in which he had the laughs on his side with his portrayal of idiotic authority figures - one of his specialties. He made his first appearance in a Disney film - as yet unnamed - as a TV commercial announcer in Der Pauker can't help it ( Son of Flubber , 1963). In total, he was in eleven Disney productions, including two television films, to see or hear. In five of which he played alongside Kurt Russell , including no fewer than three times the Eugene Higgins , the idiotic dean of the financially stricken Medfield College , in the anti- establishment comedies of the studio: The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes ( The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes , 1969 ), It cracks, it hisses, there's nothing to see ( Now You See Him, Now You Don't , 1972) and Der Retort-Goliath ( The Strongest Man in the World , 1975). Flynn also lent his voice to the Disney cartoon character Mr. Snoops in Bernard and Bianca - Die Mäusepolizei ( The Rescuers , 1977).

His actual field of activity, however, was television, where he played in numerous series. After his first two movies, however, he initially played small supporting roles in film and television for years, mostly without being named in the credits. The George Gobel Show , in which he played in 1958 and 1959 , made him better known. In 1961 he was part of the regular cast of the first season of The Joey Bishop Show as Frank , but left it again soon - allegedly because he had stolen too many punchlines from Bishop. From 1962 to 1966 he played the irascible Captain Wallace Burton "Leadbottom" Binghamton in the hugely successful TV comedy series McHale's Navy on the side of Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway and two films developed from it. This role represented his real breakthrough in show business and ultimately helped him to the roles in the Disney films. Flynn also starred in the short-lived The Tim Conway Show (1970).

In the early 1970s, Joe Flynn was a driving force within the Screen Actors Guild when it came to getting actors to get a fairer share of the proceeds from re-productions, especially TV productions.

Joe Flynn was attached to his hometown throughout his life. He often returned to Youngstown to visit the family who were still living there. Shortly after completing his voice recordings for Bernard and Bianca - The Mouse Police , the 49-year-old was found dead by family members in the swimming pool of his Beverly Hills home on July 19, 1974 . Despite a broken leg, he had stepped into the water with his plaster cast, had suffered a heart attack in it and drowned when the plaster of paris soaked with water pulled him down. Joe Flynn is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City (Section B, L320, # 10).

Filmography (selection)

cinemamovies

Television appearances

  • 1958–1959: The George Gobel Show (TV series)
  • 1961–1962: The Joey Bishop Show (TV series)
  • 1962–1966: McHale's Navy (TV series)
  • 1966: Batman ( TV series, two episodes)
  • 1969: My Dog, the Thief (TV movie)
  • 1970: Wacky Zoo of Morgan City (TV movie)
  • 1970: The Tim Conway Show (TV series)
  • 1971: Alias ​​Smith and Jones (Alias ​​Smith and Jones) (TV series, an episode)
  • 1973: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (multiple episodes)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Flynn, Joe
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Flynn, Joseph
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor and comedian
DATE OF BIRTH November 8, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Youngstown , Ohio , United States
DATE OF DEATH July 19, 1974
Place of death Beverly Hills , California , United States