George O'Hanlon
Encyclopedia
George O'Hanlon was an American
screen actor, comedian
, and voice actor
.
Movie fans know O'Hanlon best as the star of Warner Bros.
' live-action Joe McDoakes
short subject
s from 1942 to 1956. Television viewers recognize him as the voice of George Jetson
in Hanna-Barbera
's 1962 prime-time animated television series The Jetsons
and its 1985 revival (incidentally, WB is the current owner of the Hanna-Barbera properties today).
From the early 1940s, O'Hanlon was a character comedian in feature films, usually playing the hero's streetwise, cynical friend. He appeared in features for various studios while continuing the Joe McDoakes role for Warners. After the McDoakes series lapsed in 1956, O'Hanlon returned to character work, mostly in television (two rare post-McDoakes movie appearances are in Bop Girl Goes Calypso and Kronos, both from 1957).
's The Dennis Day Show
. In 1957, he played Charlie Appleby on an I Love Lucy
episode, "Lucy and Superman
." In 1958, George O'Hanlon played a New York publicist for a fashion model, Loco Jones (Barbara Eden
) in her the sitcom, the syndicated romantic comedy, How to Marry a Millionaire
. In the autumn of 1964, he appeared as a cab driver in the thirteen-episode CBS drama The Reporter
starring Harry Guardino
. In 1966, O'Hanlon appeared opposite Jackie Gleason
as Ralph Kramden's loudmouthed "bum brother-in-law", on Gleason's first TV show of the 1966-67 season
. He also made various appearances on ABC's Love, American Style
, a series for which he wrote the screenplays and also directed several episodes.
In 1971, O'Hanlon appeared as a bear trainer on The Partridge Family
, Season 2, episode 206, "Whatever Happened to Moby Dick?"
, 77 Sunset Strip
and even wrote episodes for HB's The Flintstones
. It is interesting to note that he also auditioned for the role of Fred Flintstone
but lost to Alan Reed
, however he was remembered when it was time to cast The Jetsons. He once said: "George Jetson is an average man, he has trouble with his boss, he has problems with his kids, and so on. The only difference is that he lives in the next century."
George O'Hanlon died of a stroke
on February 11, 1989. A few moments before his death, he completed his role as George Jetson in Jetsons: The Movie
. According to voice director Andrea Romano
, O'Hanlon had suffered a second stroke and found it difficult to read and hear and in the end he died in the recording studio doing what he loved.
At the time of making this movie and the 1980s TV episodes, George O'Hanlon had to record his lines separately, because at the time he'd suffered a big stroke leaving him practically blind and with very short term memory, so he had to have each line spoken to him so he could repeat it back. The film was finished in time to dedicate the film to O'Hanlon, along with Jetsons co-star Mel Blanc
, who died later the same year. His interment was located in Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Cemetery in Westlake Village, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screen actor, comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, and voice actor
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
.
Early life and career
George O'Hanlon was born in Brooklyn, New York City on November 23, 1912.Movie fans know O'Hanlon best as the star of Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
' live-action Joe McDoakes
Joe McDoakes
Joe McDoakes is the protagonist of a series of 63 black and white live action comedy one reel short subjects released between 1942 and 1956. The Joe McDoakes shorts are also known as the Behind the Eight Ball series or the So You Want... series...
short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
s from 1942 to 1956. Television viewers recognize him as the voice of George Jetson
George Jetson
The following is a list of major characters in The Jetsons. The Jetsons is an animated television comedy produced by Hanna-Barbera and first broadcast in prime-time on ABC as part of the 1962–63 United States network television schedule. Additional episodes were produced from 1985–1987, with the...
in Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
's 1962 prime-time animated television series The Jetsons
The Jetsons
The Jetsons is a animated American sitcom that was produced by Hanna-Barbera, originally airing in prime-time from 1962–1963 and again from 1985–1987...
and its 1985 revival (incidentally, WB is the current owner of the Hanna-Barbera properties today).
From the early 1940s, O'Hanlon was a character comedian in feature films, usually playing the hero's streetwise, cynical friend. He appeared in features for various studios while continuing the Joe McDoakes role for Warners. After the McDoakes series lapsed in 1956, O'Hanlon returned to character work, mostly in television (two rare post-McDoakes movie appearances are in Bop Girl Goes Calypso and Kronos, both from 1957).
Television
In the 1953-1954 season, O'Hanlon appeared several times on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's The Dennis Day Show
The Dennis Day Show
The Dennis Day Show was a half-hour 1953–1954 NBC comedy/variety show starring Irish singer and radio and television personality Dennis Day , whose career otherwise was rooted as a supporting cast member of the long-running The Jack Benny Program on CBS and later NBC.From 1952 to 1953, Day hosted...
. In 1957, he played Charlie Appleby on an I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
episode, "Lucy and Superman
Lucy and Superman
"Lucy and Superman" is an episode from the sitcom I Love Lucy, and was first broadcast on January 14, 1957 on CBS. The episode was written by Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf. Directed by James V. Kern, it is the 13th episode of the sixth season, and the 166th episode...
." In 1958, George O'Hanlon played a New York publicist for a fashion model, Loco Jones (Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden
Barbara Eden is an American film and television actress and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.-Early years:...
) in her the sitcom, the syndicated romantic comedy, How to Marry a Millionaire
How to Marry a Millionaire (TV series)
How to Marry a Millionaire is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from 1957 to 1959. The series was based on the 1953 film of the same name which starred Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, and Lauren Bacall.-Synopsis:...
. In the autumn of 1964, he appeared as a cab driver in the thirteen-episode CBS drama The Reporter
The Reporter (TV series)
The Reporter is an American drama series that aired on CBS from September 25 to December 18, 1964. The series was created by Jerome Weidman and developed by executive producers Keefe Brasselle and John Simon.-Synopsis:...
starring Harry Guardino
Harry Guardino
Harry Guardino was an American actor whose career spanned from the early 1950s to the early 1990s. In 1964, he was cast in a short-lived CBS series entitled The Reporter, a drama about a hard-hitting investigative journalist named Danny Taylor. His principal co-star was Gary Merrill as city...
. In 1966, O'Hanlon appeared opposite Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
as Ralph Kramden's loudmouthed "bum brother-in-law", on Gleason's first TV show of the 1966-67 season
The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show is the name of a series of popular American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970.-Cavalcade of Stars:...
. He also made various appearances on ABC's Love, American Style
Love, American Style
Love, American Style is an hour-long TV anthology produced by Paramount Television and originally aired between September 1969 and January 1974...
, a series for which he wrote the screenplays and also directed several episodes.
In 1971, O'Hanlon appeared as a bear trainer on The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family
The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
, Season 2, episode 206, "Whatever Happened to Moby Dick?"
Writer
Apart from acting the comedian wrote screenplays and also wrote the storyboard for nearly all of the Joe McDoakes shorts. He also wrote stories for television series in the 1960s such as Petticoat JunctionPetticoat Junction
Petticoat Junction is an American situation comedy produced by Filmways which originally aired on CBS from 1963 to 1970. The series is one of three interrelated shows about rural characters created by Paul Henning; the others are The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres.The setting for the series...
, 77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip
77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes....
and even wrote episodes for HB's The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
. It is interesting to note that he also auditioned for the role of Fred Flintstone
Fred Flintstone
Frederick Joseph “Fred” Flintstone, also known as Fred W. Flintstone or Frederick J. Flintstone, is the protagonist of the animated sitcom The Flintstones, which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960-66. He is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles...
but lost to Alan Reed
Alan Reed
Alan Reed was an American actor and voice actor, best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone on The Flintstones and various spinoff series...
, however he was remembered when it was time to cast The Jetsons. He once said: "George Jetson is an average man, he has trouble with his boss, he has problems with his kids, and so on. The only difference is that he lives in the next century."
Personal life and death
O'Hanlon married Nancy, a fellow actor, and they had two children (actor George O'Hanlon, Jr and daughter Laurie O'Hanlon, a registered nurse). They remained married until his death.George O'Hanlon died of a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
on February 11, 1989. A few moments before his death, he completed his role as George Jetson in Jetsons: The Movie
Jetsons: The Movie
Jetsons: The Movie is a 1990 animated science fiction film produced by Hanna-Barbera and released on July 6, 1990, by Universal Pictures based on the hit cartoon series, The Jetsons . The movie features the final voice roles of George O'Hanlon and Mel Blanc who both died during production of the film...
. According to voice director Andrea Romano
Andrea Romano
Andrea Romano is an American casting director, voice director, and voice actor, whose work includes casting, and voice directing Batman: The Animated Series, Tiny Toon Adventures, "Animaniacs", "Pinky and the Brain", Teen Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and multiple Warner Bros...
, O'Hanlon had suffered a second stroke and found it difficult to read and hear and in the end he died in the recording studio doing what he loved.
At the time of making this movie and the 1980s TV episodes, George O'Hanlon had to record his lines separately, because at the time he'd suffered a big stroke leaving him practically blind and with very short term memory, so he had to have each line spoken to him so he could repeat it back. The film was finished in time to dedicate the film to O'Hanlon, along with Jetsons co-star Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc
Melvin Jerome "Mel" Blanc was an American voice actor and comedian. Although he began his nearly six-decade-long career performing in radio commercials, Blanc is best remembered for his work with Warner Bros...
, who died later the same year. His interment was located in Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Cemetery in Westlake Village, California
Westlake Village, California
Westlake Village is a planned community that straddles the Los Angeles and Ventura county line. The eastern portion is the incorporated city Westlake Village, located on the western edge of Los Angeles County, California. The city, located in the region known as the Conejo Valley, encompasses half...
.