Joseph Anthony "Joe" Flynn III was an American character actor and voice actor. His Disney roles included Mr. Snoops in The Rescuers, Dean Higgins in The Strongest Man in the World, Now You See Him, Now You Don't, and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, Cyrus Hershberger in Superdad, Finley Hooper in The Million Dollar Duck, Francis X. Wilbanks in The Barefoot Executive, P.J. Applegate and Major Philbrick in the Wonderful World of Disney episodes "My Dog, the Thief" and "The Wacky Zoo of Morgan City", Havershaw in The Love Bug, Rex Williams and TV Commercial Announcer in Son of Flubber, and the host of the The Mouse Factory episode "Water Sports".
Flynn was born in Youngstown, Ohio and graduated from Rayen High School before attending Northwestern University. During World War II, he left school to serve in the Army Special Services Branch entertaining the troops before moving west in 1946 to pursue acting and complete his education at the University of Southern California.
He established himself early as a ventriloquist, radio disc jockey, and stage actor before he broke into television in pre-network days in Los Angeles with his own local situation comedy, Yer Old Buddy, produced and broadcast by pioneering television station KTLA. Flynn later landed spots on other television shows, like The Silent Service, Wagon Train, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Twilight Zone, Make Room for Daddy, The Ford Show, The Real McCoys, The Tab Hunter Show, The Hathaways, The Joey Bishop Show, I Dream of Jeanie, and McHale's Navy, where he played the Captain Wallace "Wally" Burton Binghamton. He also reprised the role in two theatrical films.
His other film credits included The Indestructible Man, Did You Hear the One About the Traveling Saleslady?, How to Frame a Figg, Panama Sal, Go, Johnny, Go!, -30-, The Last Time I Saw Archie, and The Girl Most Likely To...
On July 19, 1974, shortly after completing voice-over work for The Rescuers, Flynn's body was discovered by family members in the swimming pool of his Beverly Hills home, the victim of an apparent heart attack while swimming. He is interred in Culver City's Holy Cross Cemetery.
Filmography[]
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Son of Flubber | Rex Williams - uncredited |
| 1969 | The Love Bug | Havershaw |
| 1969 | The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes | Dean Higgins |
| 1969-1970 | The Wonderful World of Disney | P.J. Applegate ("My Dog, the Thief") Mayor Philbrick ("The Wacky Zoo of Morgan City") |
| 1971 | The Barefoot Executive | Francis X. Wilbanks |
| 1971 | The Million Dollar Duck | Finley Hooper |
| 1972 | Now You See Him, Now You Don't | Dean Higgins |
| 1973 | Superdad | Cyrus Hershberger |
| 1975 | The Strongest Man in the World | Dean Higgins - Posthumous release |
| 1977 | The Rescuers | Mr. Snoops - Posthumous release |
Roles[]
Son of Flubber
(The Love Bug)
(The Barefoot Executive)
(My Dog, the Thief)
(The Wacky Zoo of Morgan City)
(The Million Dollar Duck)
(The Mouse Factory)
(Superdad)
