Steven H Silver tells us of the death of screen and voice actor Dallas “Dal” McKennon on 14 July 2009 of old age. Born 19 July 1919 in La Grande, Oregon, he’ll be long remembered at Walt Disney theme parks, where it’s his voice that warns riders on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to hang on to their hats and glasses because “this here’s the wildest ride in the wilderness!” He also voices the animatronic Benjamin Franklin at Epcot Center, in the “American Adventure” exhibit. (Quotes from this Los Angeles Times obituary.)
McKennon got his acting start in a drama class in high school, and then started working at a local radio station, recording commercials. He served in the Army Signal Corps during World War II, and then returned to Oregon and hosted a live children’s show on Portland radio station KGW.
He got a bit part as an uncredited miner in the 1952 James Stewart film “Bend of the River,” which filmed near his home in Oregon. After that, he moved to Los Angeles, and found much (usually uncredited) voice acting work in the early 1950s. For instance, he was Woody Woodpecker’s nemesis Buzz Buzzard.
His genre roles (mostly voice-over) include appearances in: Gumby Adventures (1988), The Cat from Outer Space (1978), Sabrina, Super Witch (1977), Space Academy (1977), Journey Back to Oz (1974), Aesop’s Fables (1971), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies (1970), Sinbad Jr. (1965), Mary Poppins (1964), 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964), The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964), My Favorite Martian (1963), Son of Flubber (1963), House of the Damned (1963), Have Rocket, Will Travel (1959), The Tingler (1959), Sleeping Beauty (1959), and tom thumb (1958).
McKennon is survived by his wife Betty (they married in 1941 or 1942), their eight children, 21 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren.