Joe Flynn

Joseph Anthony Flynn III was born on November 8, 1924, in Youngstown, Ohio, the son of a physician. He attended The Rayen School in Youngstown before enrolling at Northwestern University. During World War II, Flynn served in the Army Special Services Branch, entertaining troops. After the war, he relocated to California in 1946 to pursue acting and completed his education at the University of Southern California, where he majored in political science.

Before leaving northeastern Ohio, Flynn had developed an interest in theater and established himself locally as a ventriloquist and radio disc jockey. He directed the Canfield Players in productions including Harvey, Antigone, and Pursuit of Happiness. In 1948, he starred in his own local situation comedy, Yer Old Buddy, produced and broadcast by KTLA in Los Angeles. In 1950, Flynn returned to Youngstown and ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Ohio Senate as a Republican.

Flynn brought his stage experience to Broadway, where he appeared between 1954 and 1958 in Wonderful Town, Damn Yankees, and Seventh Heaven. In 1955, he married Shirley Haskin, daughter of director Byron Haskin; the couple had two children.

His film work during the 1950s included a role in the 1956 horror film Indestructible Man, starring Lon Chaney Jr. Although Flynn played a serious part, audience laughter at his performance led him to conclude that comedy was his strongest suit. He went on to appear in nearly 30 films over the course of his career. His television work in the 1950s included a 1956 episode of Highway Patrol and multiple episodes of the syndicated 1957–1958 series The Silent Service. He played Mr. Kelley in 15 episodes of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and was a regular on William Bendix's The Life of Riley. He also appeared on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, Gunsmoke, The Twilight Zone, and Make Room for Daddy, among other series. In 1961, Flynn appeared in season one of The Joey Bishop Show, guest starred on The Real McCoys and The Tab Hunter Show, and appeared on NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford, including a March 30, 1961, patriotic program filmed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown to mark the 50th anniversary of naval aviation.

From 1962 to 1966, Flynn played Captain Wallace "Wally" Burton Binghamton — also known as "Old Leadbottom" — on ABC's McHale's Navy, appearing in all but one episode of the series. The character became associated with catch phrases including "What is it, What, WHAT, WHAT!?", "What in the name of the Blue Pacific/Halsey/Nimitz," and "I could just scream!" Flynn also starred in two 1964 theatrical films spun off from the series, McHale's Navy and McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force. He had previously appeared in a small role as a television announcer in the 1963 Disney comedy Son of Flubber. Flynn later became a recurring presence in Disney Studio productions, starring as Dean Higgins of Medfield College in The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1969), Now You See Him, Now You Don't (1972), and The Strongest Man in the World (1975). His other film credits included Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady? (1968), The Love Bug (1968), The Barefoot Executive (1971), The Million Dollar Duck (1971), How to Frame a Figg (1971) with Don Knotts, Superdad (1973) with Bob Crane, and the television film The Girl Most Likely To... (1973), written by Joan Rivers. Flynn also appeared as a guest star on Batman and other 1960s television series.

In the spring of 1970, Flynn co-starred with Tim Conway in the situation comedy The Tim Conway Show, in which the two played inept operators of a single-plane charter airline called Triple A Airlines. The series ran for 12 episodes. Flynn made a dozen appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1972 and 1973, hosted a revised edition of It Pays to Be Ignorant, and appeared as a guest panelist on Match Game '74 on January 17, 1974, his final game show appearance. Throughout his life he maintained ties to Youngstown, and from 1969 to 1974 he was involved with northeastern Ohio's Kenley Players. In recognition of his contributions to broadcasting, he became the ninth recipient of the Ohio Association of Broadcasters Award. In the early 1970s, Flynn led an effort through the Screen Actors Guild to achieve more equitable distribution of television residual payments.

Flynn completed voice-over work as Mr. Snoops for Walt Disney's animated feature The Rescuers, which was released in June 1977 and served as his final film. On July 19, 1974, his body was discovered by family members in the swimming pool of his Beverly Hills home; he apparently suffered a heart attack while swimming. A taping of The Merv Griffin Show recorded on June 13, 1974, had been scheduled for broadcast that same day, making it his final television appearance. Flynn is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. He was 49 years old at the time of his death.