Don Kennedy
Encyclopedia
Donald Kennedy, (aka Derrick Slaugenhaupt), (born June 8, 1920 in Beaver, Pennsylvania
), is a radio, film and television actor whose career began in the late 1940s with a radio announcer spot on PA station WPIC
.
In the mid-1950s Don was a contributor to NBC's Monitor
radio show where he developed several characters, including one named Goat-man.
He is remembered as Officer Don, the host of the long-running Atlanta children's TV show The Popeye Club (1956 to 1970).
During his time at the Popeye Club, Don established WKLS, an FM Atlanta radio station, serving as station President and General Manager. It's rumored that the K in the call letters was for his last name.
He is recently known for his voicework playing Tansit in Space Ghost Coast to Coast
, and several characters on The Brak Show
and Aqua Teen Hunger Force
. He currently hosts Big Band Jump, an internationally-syndicated radio show devoted to music from the Big Band era.
Don is the recipient of several awards including the Silver Circle Award, two Emmys, awards from Pioneer Broadcaster and Georgia Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame, and honorary membership in the Di Gamma Kappa Broadcast Fraternity at the University of Georgia.
Adding to all of his achievements, Don continues to support causes including President of the Georgia Chapter of Muscular Dystrophy, treasurer of the Atlanta Humane Society, board member of the Atlanta Cancer Society, as well as volunteering as a reader for the Georgia Radio Reading Service for the Blind.
Beaver, Pennsylvania
Beaver is a borough in and the county seat of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, at the confluence of the Beaver and Ohio Rivers. As of the 2000 census, the borough population was 4,775, having dropped from 5,641 in 1940....
), is a radio, film and television actor whose career began in the late 1940s with a radio announcer spot on PA station WPIC
WPIC
WPIC is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Sharon, Pennsylvania, USA, the station serves Mercer County, Pennsylvania, though its signal covers much of the Youngstown radio market from its facility on North Stateline Road in Masury, Ohio...
.
In the mid-1950s Don was a contributor to NBC's Monitor
Monitor (NBC Radio)
NBC Monitor was an American weekend radio program broadcast from June 12, 1955, until January 26, 1975. Airing live and nationwide on the NBC Radio Network, it originally aired beginning Saturday morning at 8am and continuing through the weekend until 12 midnight on Sunday...
radio show where he developed several characters, including one named Goat-man.
He is remembered as Officer Don, the host of the long-running Atlanta children's TV show The Popeye Club (1956 to 1970).
During his time at the Popeye Club, Don established WKLS, an FM Atlanta radio station, serving as station President and General Manager. It's rumored that the K in the call letters was for his last name.
He is recently known for his voicework playing Tansit in Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast
Space Ghost Coast to Coast is an American animated parody talk show hosted by the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. The show premiered on April 15, 1994 on Cartoon Network...
, and several characters on The Brak Show
The Brak Show
The Brak Show is an animated television series that aired on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. The Brak Show is a spin-off of the animated television series, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and featured recurring characters from Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Cartoon Planet...
and Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Aqua Teen Hunger Force , retitled Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 in 2011, is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network late night programing block, Adult Swim, as well as Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block and later G4 Canada's ADd block in Canada...
. He currently hosts Big Band Jump, an internationally-syndicated radio show devoted to music from the Big Band era.
Don is the recipient of several awards including the Silver Circle Award, two Emmys, awards from Pioneer Broadcaster and Georgia Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame, and honorary membership in the Di Gamma Kappa Broadcast Fraternity at the University of Georgia.
Adding to all of his achievements, Don continues to support causes including President of the Georgia Chapter of Muscular Dystrophy, treasurer of the Atlanta Humane Society, board member of the Atlanta Cancer Society, as well as volunteering as a reader for the Georgia Radio Reading Service for the Blind.
Partial filmography
- Aqua Teen Hunger ForceAqua Teen Hunger ForceAqua Teen Hunger Force , retitled Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 in 2011, is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network late night programing block, Adult Swim, as well as Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block and later G4 Canada's ADd block in Canada...
(various episodes, 2001–2010) (TV) as Assisted Living Dracula, Vegetable Man & Rubberman (Lance Potter) - The Brak ShowThe Brak ShowThe Brak Show is an animated television series that aired on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim. The Brak Show is a spin-off of the animated television series, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and featured recurring characters from Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Cartoon Planet...
(2001–2003) (TV) as Morlun, Poppy - Space Ghost Coast to CoastSpace Ghost Coast to CoastSpace Ghost Coast to Coast is an American animated parody talk show hosted by the 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Space Ghost. The show premiered on April 15, 1994 on Cartoon Network...
(various episodes, 1994–1999) (TV) as Tansit, Bill Manspeaker - Acme Radio Hour (1995) (TV)
- King Kong 60th Anniversary Special: 'It Was Beauty Killed the Beast' (19921992 in filmThe year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
) (V) - Messenger of DeathMessenger of DeathMessenger of Death is a 1988 film starring Charles Bronson about an attempt by a water company to start a family feud among fundamentalist Mormons to take the family's land for the company.This was one of the final films in the long career of J...
(19881988 in film-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
) - StarmanStarman (TV series)Starman is an American science fiction television series, starring Robert Hays and Christopher Daniel Barnes. The series ran on the ABC network from September 19, 1986 to May 2, 1987...
(1987) (TV) - Simon & SimonSimon & SimonSimon & Simon is an American detective television series starring Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker.-History:The original 1978 pilot called Pirate's Key was set in Florida...
1986) (TV) - The MonkeesThe Monkees (TV series)The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
(2 episodes, 1966–1968) (TV) - The Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
(1965) (TV) - Kraft Suspense TheatreKraft Suspense TheatreKraft Suspense Theatre, an anthology series, was telecast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall specials once monthly...
"2 episodes, 1964–1965) (TV) - The Baileys of BalboaThe Baileys of BalboaThe Baileys of Balboa is an American sitcom that appeared on CBS in the 1964-1965 season on Thursdays at 9:30pm ET. The series lasted only one 26-episode season...
(1964) (TV) - Breaking Point (1964) (TV)
- Temple HoustonTemple HoustonTemple Lea Houston was the last-born child of Texas Revolutionary Sam Houston.After traveling and working in the East, Houston returned to Texas in 1877, and graduated from Baylor University with honors in 1880....
(1964) (TV) - HudHud (film)Hud is a 1963 western film whose title character is an embittered and selfish modern-day cowboy. With screenplay by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank, Jr., based on Larry McMurtry's 1961 novel Horseman, Pass By, it was directed by Martin Ritt and stars Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal and...
(1963) .... Charlie Tucker - The DakotasThe DakotasThe Dakotas is a collective term that refers to the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota together. The term has been used historically to describe the Dakota Territory, and is continued to be used to describe the collective heritage, culture, geography, fauna, sociology, the economy, and...
(1963) (TV) - LaramieLaramie (TV series)Laramie is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1959 to 1963. Laramie was a Revue Studios production which originally starred John Smith as Slim Sherman, Robert Fuller as Jess Harper, Hoagy Carmichael as Jonesy and Robert Crawford, Jr...
(2 episodes, 1960–1963) (TV) - ShannonShannon (1961 TV series)Shannon is an American crime drama series that aired in syndication from September 1961 to June 1962. The series stars George Nader as the title character.-Synopsis:...
(1962) (TV) - BroncoBroncoBronco, or bronc is a term used in the United States, northern Mexico and Canada to refer to an untrained horse or one that habitually bucks. It may refer to a feral horse that has lived in the wild its entire life, but is also used to refer to domestic horses not yet fully trained to saddle, and...
(1962) (TV) - Tales of Wells FargoTales of Wells FargoTales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...
(2 episodes, 1958–1962) (TV) - HazelHazelThe hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
(1962) (TV) - Adventures in ParadiseAdventures in ParadiseAdventures in Paradise is an American television series which ran on ABC from 1959 until 1962. It starred Gardner McKay as Adam Troy, the captain of the schooner Tiki III which sailed the South Pacific looking for passengers and adventure. The show was created by James Michener...
(1961) (TV) - The Tall ManThe Tall Man (TV series)The Tall Man is an American Western television series that aired on NBC from 1960 to 1962. The series was produced by Revue Productions.-Synopsis:...
(2 episodes, 1960–1961) (TV) - MaverickMaverick (TV series)Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother...
(2 episodes, 1960–1961) (TV) - The Dick Powell ShowThe Dick Powell ShowThe Dick Powell Show is an American anthology series that ran on NBC from 1961- 1963, primarily sponsored by the Reynolds Metals Company. It was hosted by longtime film star Dick Powell until his death from lymphatic cancer on January 2, 1963, then by a series of guest hosts until the series ended...
(1961) (TV) - Spring AffairSpring Affair"Spring Affair" is a song by Donna Summer from her 1976 album Four Seasons of Love. The song tells of the beginning of a new relationship. At the time of its release, Summer had already started to make her name as the leading female disco singer by releasing frankly sexual songs that were...
(19601960 in filmThe year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
) - Stagecoach WestStagecoach West (TV series)Stagecoach West is a highly-acclaimed Western drama television series which ran for thirty-eight episodes on the ABC network from October 4, 1960, until June 27, 1961. Characters Luke Perry and Simon Kane operate the Timberland Stage Line from Missouri to San Francisco...
(1960) (TV) - The Man and the ChallengeThe Man and the ChallengeThe Man and the Challenge is a 36-segment half-hour television adventure/science fiction series which ran new episodes on NBC from September 12, 1959, to June 11, 1960. It starred George Nader as Dr. Glenn Barton, a research scientist for the Institute of Human Factors, an agency that conducted...
(2 episodes, 1959–1960) (TV) - Wanted: Dead or Alive (1960) (TV)
- The Life and Legend of Wyatt EarpThe Life and Legend of Wyatt EarpThe Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is a Western television series loosely based on the adventures of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp. The half-hour black and white series ran on ABC-TV from 1955 to 1961 and featured Hugh O'Brian as Earp. An off-camera barbershop quartet sang the theme song and hummed...
(3 episodes, 1958–1959) (TV) - Bat MastersonBat MastersonWilliam Barclay "Bat" Masterson was a figure of the American Old West known as a buffalo hunter, U.S. Marshal and Army scout, avid fisherman, gambler, frontier lawman, and sports editor and columnist for the New York Morning Telegraph...
(2 episodes, 1959) (TV) - Tombstone TerritoryTombstone TerritoryTombstone Territory is an American Western series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The series' first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959...
(1959) (TV) - Men Into SpaceMen Into SpaceMen Into Space is an American sci-fi television series broadcast from September 30, 1959 to September 7, 1960 by CBS which depicted future efforts by the United States Air Force to explore and develop outer space. The black-and-white filmed show starred William Lundigan as Col...
(1959) (TV) - Wichita TownWichita TownWichita Town is a half-hour western television series starring Joel McCrea, Jody McCrea, Carlos Romero, and George Neise that aired on NBC from September 30, 1959, until April 6, 1960....
(1959) (TV) - Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond (1959) (TV)
- The CaliforniansThe CaliforniansThe Californians is a 2005 independent drama film from Hart Sharp Films starring Noah Wyle.-Cast:*Noah Wyle as Gavin Ransom*Illeana Douglas as Olive Ransom*Kate Mara as Zoe Tripp*Cloris Leachman as Eileen Boatwright*Joanne Whalley as Luna...
(1959) (TV) - The Restless GunThe Restless GunThe Restless Gun is a western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Civil War. A skilled gunfighter, Bonner is an idealistic person who prefers peaceful resolutions of conflict...
(1958) (TV) - The RiflemanThe RiflemanThe Rifleman is an American Western television program that starred Chuck Connors as homesteader Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show, filmed in black-and-white with a half hour running time, ran...
(1958) (TV) - The Millionaire (1958) (TV)
- The Gale Storm ShowThe Gale Storm ShowThe Gale Storm Show is an American sitcom starring Gale Storm. The series premiered on September 29, 1956, and ran until 1960 for 143 half-hour black-and-white episodes, initially on CBS and in its last year on ABC...
(2 episodes, 1958) (TV) - Mickey Spillane's Mike HammerMickey Spillane's Mike HammerMickey Spillane's Mike Hammer is the title used for two syndicated television series that followed the adventures of fictional private detective Mike Hammer...
(1958) (TV) - Tales of the Texas RangersTales of the Texas RangersTales of the Texas Rangers, a western adventure old-time radio drama, premiered on July 8, 1950, on the US NBC radio network and remained on the air through September 14, 1952...
(1957) (TV) - M SquadM SquadM Squad is an American police drama television series that ran from 1957 to 1960 on NBC. Its format would later inspire the creation of spoof TV show Police Squad! Its sponsor was the Pall Mall cigarette brand; Lee Marvin, the program's star, appeared in its commercials during the...
(1957) (TV) - Zane Grey Theater (1957) (TV)
- The 20th Century-Fox Hour (1956) (TV)
- FrontierFrontierA frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
(1956) (TV) - My Friend FlickaMy Friend FlickaMy Friend Flicka is a 1941 novel by Mary O'Hara, about Ken McLaughlin, the son of a Wyoming rancher, and his horse Flicka. It was the first in a trilogy, followed by Thunderhead and Green Grass of Wyoming . The popular 1943 film version featured a young Roddy McDowall...
(1956) (YV) - The Loretta Young Show (1956) (TV)
- The Man Behind the BadgeThe Man Behind the BadgeThe Man Behind the Badge is the title of a half-hour American television police drama series which aired on the CBS from 1953-1955 starring and hosted by character actor Charles Bickford. Years later, Bickford appeared as one of the owners of Shiloh Ranch in the NBC western series, The Vrginian.In...
(1955) (TV) - An Annapolis Story (19551955 in filmThe year 1955 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.* June 27 - The last ever Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released....
) - Stories of the CenturyStories of the CenturyStories of the Century is a Western television series that ran in syndication through Republic Pictures between January 23, 1954, and March 11, 1955.-Synopsis:...
(2 episodes, 1954–1955) (TV) - Hallmark Hall of FameHallmark Hall of FameHallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
(5 episodes, 1952–1955) (TV) - Annie OakleyAnnie OakleyAnnie Oakley , born Phoebe Ann Mosey, was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Oakley's amazing talent and timely rise to fame led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which propelled her to become the first American female superstar.Oakley's most famous trick is perhaps...
" (1954) (TV) - Cavalcade of AmericaCavalcade of AmericaCavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on...
(1954) (TV) - Death Valley DaysDeath Valley DaysDeath Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
(1954) (TV) - Hopalong CassidyHopalong CassidyHopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of popular short stories and twenty-eight novels based on the character....
(1954) (TV) - You Are There (1953) (TV)
- Man Against CrimeMan Against CrimeMan Against Crime , one of the first television programs about private eyes, ran on CBS, the DuMont Television Network and NBC from October 7, 1949 to August 26, 1956. The show was created by Lawrence Klee and was broadcast live until 1952...
" (1952) (TV) - The Adventures of Ellery QueenThe Adventures of Ellery QueenThe Adventures of Ellery Queen is the title of a radio series and four separate television series made from the 1950s through the 1970s. They were based on the fictional character and pseudonymous writer Ellery Queen.-Radio:...
(1950) (TV)
External links
- Don Kennedy at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Don's syndicated radio show Big Band Jump