Charles John Thomas McCann (September 2, 1934 â€" April 8, 2018) was
an American actor, voice artist, comedian, puppeteer, commercial
presenter and television host. He was best known for his work in
presenting children's television programming and animation, as well as
his own program The Chuck McCann Show and he also recorded comedy
parody style albums.McCann worked his way up to regional star status
by apprenticing on a number of other children's shows, such as Captain
Kangaroo in the 1960s. The best-selling The First Family, an early
1960s LP record album which lampooned the newly elected United States
President John F. Kennedy and his family, included McCann among its
voices.Until 1975, McCann hosted comedy/variety TV puppet shows in the
New York area with Paul Ashley, featuring the Paul Ashley Puppets.
Together, they did The Puppet Hotel for WNTA-TV, Channel 13; then
Laurel & Hardy & Chuck, Let's Have Fun, and The Chuck McCann Show for
WPIX, Channel 11; and finally, The Chuck McCann Show, The Great
Bombo's Magic Cartoon Circus Lunchtime Show, and Chuck McCann's Laurel
and Hardy Show for WNEW-TV, Channel 5. In addition, Chuck was the
comedy sidekick on WPIX's long-running rock music showcase, The Clay
Cole Show. During this time, McCann appeared at many New York area
venues, including Palisades Amusement Park and Freedomland U.S.A., to
meet and entertain children. At Freedomland, McCann hosted a yo-yo
contest, filmed several Halloween specials, filmed a WPIX Freedomland
special with other children's show hosts and appeared with Clay Cole
at the park's Moon Bowl entertainment venue that featured celebrity
singers and other performers. McCann's ties to Freedomland are
featured in the book Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History (Theme
Park Press, 2019).By the end of the 1960s, he had appeared in the 1968
film The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and performed regularly on CBS's The
Garry Moore Show.
an American actor, voice artist, comedian, puppeteer, commercial
presenter and television host. He was best known for his work in
presenting children's television programming and animation, as well as
his own program The Chuck McCann Show and he also recorded comedy
parody style albums.McCann worked his way up to regional star status
by apprenticing on a number of other children's shows, such as Captain
Kangaroo in the 1960s. The best-selling The First Family, an early
1960s LP record album which lampooned the newly elected United States
President John F. Kennedy and his family, included McCann among its
voices.Until 1975, McCann hosted comedy/variety TV puppet shows in the
New York area with Paul Ashley, featuring the Paul Ashley Puppets.
Together, they did The Puppet Hotel for WNTA-TV, Channel 13; then
Laurel & Hardy & Chuck, Let's Have Fun, and The Chuck McCann Show for
WPIX, Channel 11; and finally, The Chuck McCann Show, The Great
Bombo's Magic Cartoon Circus Lunchtime Show, and Chuck McCann's Laurel
and Hardy Show for WNEW-TV, Channel 5. In addition, Chuck was the
comedy sidekick on WPIX's long-running rock music showcase, The Clay
Cole Show. During this time, McCann appeared at many New York area
venues, including Palisades Amusement Park and Freedomland U.S.A., to
meet and entertain children. At Freedomland, McCann hosted a yo-yo
contest, filmed several Halloween specials, filmed a WPIX Freedomland
special with other children's show hosts and appeared with Clay Cole
at the park's Moon Bowl entertainment venue that featured celebrity
singers and other performers. McCann's ties to Freedomland are
featured in the book Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History (Theme
Park Press, 2019).By the end of the 1960s, he had appeared in the 1968
film The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and performed regularly on CBS's The
Garry Moore Show.
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