Larry McCormick (TV): Difference between revisions

Larry McCormick
Larry McCormick
Born	Lawrence William McCormick; February 3, 1933; Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Died	August 27, 2004 (aged 71); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Occupation(s)	Television news reporter, news anchor, actor, voice actor
Years active	1964–2004
Employer	Tribune Broadcasting/KTLA
Known for	Longtime anchorman for KTLA-TV, Los Angeles

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Lawrence William McCormick (February 3, 1933 – August 27, 2004) was an American television actor, reporter and news anchor, most notably working for Los Angeles television station KTLA-TV.^[1]

Biography

McCormick was born in Kansas City, Missouri to Pastor L.W. McCormick and Laura McCormick (pianist and vocalist). He began his broadcasting career in the late 1950s as a disc jockey, upon graduating from University of Kansas City. He first came to Los Angeles in 1958, working at then-R&B radio station KGFJ, from 1958-63. He later moved across town to popular Top-40 music outlet KFWB-AM from 1964-1968 before they instituted an all-news format in the spring of 1968.^[2]

McCormick became one of the first African-American newscasters in the country, leaving his morning drive slot as disc jockey on radio, KGFJ Los Angeles, where he was also PD, Program Director, from 1968-1969, transitioning to KCOP-TV winter of 1969. Shortly thereafter, he moved across town to KTLA in May 1971, and worked there until his death in 2004.

At KTLA, he served as a features reporter (such as business and health & fitness) on the station's 10 pm weeknight newscasts, while serving as lead anchor on its weekend editions, and co-hosting Making It! Minority Success Stories, a program which profiled successful minority business people.^[2]^[3]

On August 27, 2004, McCormick died of a cancer-related illness at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, at the age of 71.^[4]

Community involvement

McCormick was known to be very involved in the Los Angeles community, participating in various charities and events, including hosting local editions of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, back when KTLA carried the telethon locally (the telethon has aired on KCAL-TV since 1996). Also, for a twelve-year span (1988–2000), he hosted the Los Angeles Unified School District Academic Decathlon, including two national academic decathlons.^[2]

Film, stage and television acting career

In addition to being a news reporter, McCormick appeared in numerous films and television series over the years, often playing himself as a reporter, but also portrayed other kinds of characters.

In 1968, he made his stage acting debut as Speed in The Odd Couple at the Ebony Showcase Theater in Los Angeles. The production starred Nick Stewart and Morris Erby and was directed by James Wheaton.^[5]^[6]

As an actor, McCormick usually appeared in guest spots on TV shows, mostly on TV dramas and sitcoms, such as That Girl; Barnaby Jones; The Jeffersons (in a memorable 1979 episode as Florence's strict and ultra-conservative born-again Christian beau); Murder, She Wrote; Beverly Hills, 90210; and Angel (1999). He also made appearances in such movies as The Punisher (1989) and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), which was his final film appearance. McCormick also did voice over work in such Saturday morning cartoon series as The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour and Dynomutt, Dog Wonder.

Awards and honors

In 1994, McCormick was honored with the Governors Award, a high, prestigious honor given annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. In June 2001, KTLA honored McCormick by renaming one of its soundstages at Tribune Studios in his name.^[7]^[8] He was also awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in Television.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1960	Please Don't Eat the Daisies	Elevator Operator	Uncredited
1967	A Guide for the Married Man	Maitre D'	Uncredited
1969	The Love God?	Rich
1971	The Love Machine	Reporter	Uncredited
1976	Gus	N.Y. Broadcaster
1978	Death Drug	Newscaster
1987	Throw Momma from the Train	Announcer
1989	The Punisher	TV Newsreader
1991	The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear	TV Reporter
1996	Fly Away Home	TV Anchor
2001	A Song for Honest Abe	Bill Simmons	Short film
2003	S.W.A.T.	Himself
2003	Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines	KTLA Anchorman	(final film role)

Television work (as actor)

Adam-12 (1969) as Wesley
That Girl (1969) as Reporter
The Brady Bunch (1969) as TV Announcer
Assault on the Wayne (1971) as Radio Operator
McMillan & Wife (1971) as Announcer
The Doris Day Show (1971-1972) as Jim
Murdock's Gang (1973) as TV Reporter
The Dream Makers (1975) as TV Commentator
The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour (1976) as Mayor Gaunt (voice)
The Last Hurrah (1977) as Election announcer
Dynomutt, Dog Wonder (1978) as Mayor Gaunt (voice)
The Rockford Files (1978) as Newscaster
The Jeffersons (1979) as Buzz Thatcher
Barnaby Jones (3 episodes, 1973–1979) as TV Announcer
Blind Ambition (1979, TV miniseries) as TV Commentator
Act of Violence (1979) as Sportscaster
240-Robert (1981) as Newscaster
Between Two Brothers (1982) as Reporter
Shooting Stars (1983) (TV) as T.V. Newsman
Murder, She Wrote (1984) as TV Reporter
Matt Houston (1984) as Newsman
The Fall Guy (1984)
Streets of Justice (1985) as TV Reporter #1
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1985) as TV Anchorman
Cagney & Lacey (1985) as Reporter #1
The Case of the Hillside Stranglers (1989) as Newscaster
Dear John (1989) as The Reporter
Mathnet (1990) as Anchorman
Knots Landing (1989–1990) as Reporter / TV Announcer / Presenter
Columbo: Columbo Goes to College (1990) as News Anchor
Midnight Run for Your Life (1994) as Newscaster
Sliders (1999) as Weatherman
Beverly Hills, 90210 (1999) as Reporter
Angel (2003) as Himself

References

^ Larry McCormick (I)
^ ^a ^b ^c KTLA The CW | Celebrating 60 Years Archived 2007-10-15 at the Wayback Machine
^ Larry McCormick Photos – Larry McCormick News – Larry McCormick Information
^ Larry Mccormick Biography (1933(?)-)
^ Harford, Margaret (17 Jun 1968). "'The Odd Couple' at Ebony Showcase". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p. 82. Retrieved 11 Sep 2017. The squabbling poker pals are Earl Watkins as Murray the cop, Douglass Brown who goes on vacations with his wife because he cannot drive a car, Larry McCormick and James Goodwin.
^ "Negro version of 'Odd Couple' set". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. 21 May 1968. p. 64. Retrieved 11 Sep 2017. Larry McCormick, KGFJ disc jockey, will make his acting debut in the show.
^ KTLA Historical Timeline | About the Station | KTLA The CW | Where Los Angeles Lives Archived 2007-10-24 at the Wayback Machine
^ Los Angeles Television Station Honors Black Newsman Larry McCormick - KTLA-TV - Brief Article | Jet | Find Articles at BNET.com Archived 2007-05-27 at the Wayback Machine

External links

[1] Larry McCormick (I)

[60th-2] KTLA The CW | Celebrating 60 Years Archived 2007-10-15 at the Wayback Machine

[3] Larry McCormick Photos – Larry McCormick News – Larry McCormick Information

[4] Larry Mccormick Biography (1933(?)-)

[LAT-17Jun1968-5] Harford, Margaret (17 Jun 1968). "'The Odd Couple' at Ebony Showcase". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. p. 82. Retrieved 11 Sep 2017. The squabbling poker pals are Earl Watkins as Murray the cop, Douglass Brown who goes on vacations with his wife because he cannot drive a car, Larry McCormick and James Goodwin.

[LAT-21May1968-6] "Negro version of 'Odd Couple' set". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. 21 May 1968. p. 64. Retrieved 11 Sep 2017. Larry McCormick, KGFJ disc jockey, will make his acting debut in the show.

[7] KTLA Historical Timeline | About the Station | KTLA The CW | Where Los Angeles Lives Archived 2007-10-24 at the Wayback Machine

[8] Los Angeles Television Station Honors Black Newsman Larry McCormick - KTLA-TV - Brief Article | Jet | Find Articles at BNET.com Archived 2007-05-27 at the Wayback Machine

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[2]

[3]

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|American journalist}}
 {{Infobox person
 | name         = Larry McCormick
@@ Line 11: / Line 13: @@
 | resting_place  = [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)]]
 | occupation   = Television news reporter, news anchor, actor, voice actor
-| years_active  = 1964–2003
+| years_active  = 1964–2004
 | known_for    = Longtime anchorman for [[KTLA]]-TV, Los Angeles
 | employer     = [[Tribune Broadcasting]]/[[KTLA]]
 }}
-'''Lawrence William "Larry" McCormick''' (February 3, 1933 – August 27, 2004) was an American television actor, reporter and news anchor, most notably working for [[Los Angeles]] television station [[KTLA-TV]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0566560/ Larry McCormick (I)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
+'''Lawrence William McCormick''' (February 3, 1933 – August 27, 2004) was an American television actor, reporter and news anchor, most notably working for [[Los Angeles]] television station [[KTLA-TV]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0566560/ Larry McCormick (I)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
 ==Biography==
-McCormick was born in [[Kansas City, Missouri]] to Pastor L.W. McCormick and Laura McCormick (pianist and vocalist). He began his broadcasting career in the late 1950s as a [[disc jockey]], upon graduating from [[University of Kansas City]]. He first came to Los Angeles in 1958, working at then-[[R&B]] radio station [[KYPA|KGFJ]]. He later moved across town to popular [[Top-40]] music outlet [[KFWB|KFWB-AM]] from 1964-1968 before they instituted an all-news format in the spring of 1968.<ref name="60th">[http://ktla.trb.com/extras/ktla/60th/larry.html KTLA The CW | Celebrating 60 Years<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015225048/http://ktla.trb.com/extras/ktla/60th/larry.html |date=2007-10-15 }}</ref>
+McCormick was born in [[Kansas City, Missouri]] to Pastor L.W. McCormick and Laura McCormick (pianist and vocalist). He began his broadcasting career in the late 1950s as a [[disc jockey]], upon graduating from [[University of Kansas City]]. He first came to Los Angeles in 1958, working at then-[[R&B]] radio station [[KYPA|KGFJ]], from 1958-63. He later moved across town to popular [[Top-40]] music outlet [[KFWB|KFWB-AM]] from 1964-1968 before they instituted an all-news format in the spring of 1968.<ref name="60th">[http://ktla.trb.com/extras/ktla/60th/larry.html KTLA The CW | Celebrating 60 Years<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015225048/http://ktla.trb.com/extras/ktla/60th/larry.html |date=2007-10-15 }}</ref>
-McCormick became one of the first African-American newscasters in the country, leaving his morning drive slot as [[disc jockey]] on radio [[KYPA|KGFJ]] Los Angeles, transitioning to [[KCOP-TV]] winter of 1969. Shortly thereafter, he moved across town to KTLA in May 1971, and worked there until his death in 2004.
+McCormick became one of the first African-American newscasters in the country, leaving his morning drive slot as [[disc jockey]] on radio, [[KYPA|KGFJ]] Los Angeles, where he was also PD, Program Director, from 1968-1969, transitioning to [[KCOP-TV]] winter of 1969. Shortly thereafter, he moved across town to KTLA in May 1971, and worked there until his death in 2004.
-At KTLA, he served as a features reporter (such as business and health & fitness) on the station's 10 pm weeknight newscasts, while serving as lead anchor on its weekend editions, and co-hosting ''Making It: Minority Success Stories'', a program which profiled successful minority business people.<ref name="60th"/><ref>[http://www.tv.com/larry-mccormick/person/4947/summary.html Larry McCormick Photos - Larry McCormick News - Larry McCormick Information<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>  During the early 1990's, Larry's wife was running a counterfeit handbag operation in small shop in downtown Los Angeles. Her store was raided by police but because of Larry's status in the community, she spent only one night in jail and the city dropped all charges.
+At KTLA, he served as a features reporter (such as business and health & fitness) on the station's 10 pm weeknight newscasts, while serving as lead anchor on its weekend editions, and co-hosting ''[[Making It! Minority Success Stories]]'', a program which profiled successful minority business people.<ref name="60th"/><ref>[http://www.tv.com/larry-mccormick/person/4947/summary.html Larry McCormick Photos – Larry McCormick News – Larry McCormick Information<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
 On August 27, 2004, McCormick died of a cancer-related illness at [[Cedars-Sinai Medical Center]] in Los Angeles, at the age of 71.<ref>[http://www.filmreference.com/film/62/Larry-Mccormick.html Larry Mccormick Biography (1933(?)-)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
@@ Line 35: / Line 37: @@
 In addition to being a news reporter, McCormick appeared in numerous films and television series over the years, often playing himself as a reporter, but also portrayed other kinds of characters.
-In 1968, he made his stage acting debut as Speed in ''[[The Odd Couple (play)|The Odd Couple]]'' at the Ebony Showcase Theater in Los Angeles. The production starred [[Nick Stewart]] and Morris Erby and was directed by [[James Wheaton]].<ref name='LAT-17Jun1968'>{{cite news |last=Harford |first=Margaret |title='The Odd Couple' at Ebony Showcase |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/165124017/|work=Los Angeles Times |location=Los Angeles |date=17 Jun 1968 |page=82|access-date=11 Sep 2017 |quote=The squabbling poker pals are Earl Watkins as Murray the cop, Douglass Brown who goes on vacations with his wife because he cannot drive a car, Larry McCormick and James Goodwin.|subscription=Yes}}</ref><ref name='LAT-21May1968'>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Negro version of 'Odd Couple' set |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/164523009/ |work=Los Angeles Times |location=Los Angeles |date=21 May 1968 |page=64|access-date=11 Sep 2017 |quote=Larry McCormick, KGFJ disc jockey, will make his acting debut in the show.|subscription=Yes}}</ref>
+In 1968, he made his stage acting debut as Speed in ''[[The Odd Couple (play)|The Odd Couple]]'' at the Ebony Showcase Theater in Los Angeles. The production starred [[Nick Stewart]] and Morris Erby and was directed by [[James Wheaton]].<ref name='LAT-17Jun1968'>{{cite news |last=Harford |first=Margaret |title='The Odd Couple' at Ebony Showcase |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/165124017/|work=Los Angeles Times |location=Los Angeles |date=17 Jun 1968 |page=82|access-date=11 Sep 2017 |quote=The squabbling poker pals are Earl Watkins as Murray the cop, Douglass Brown who goes on vacations with his wife because he cannot drive a car, Larry McCormick and James Goodwin.|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name='LAT-21May1968'>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Negro version of 'Odd Couple' set |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/164523009/ |work=Los Angeles Times |location=Los Angeles |date=21 May 1968 |page=64|access-date=11 Sep 2017 |quote=Larry McCormick, KGFJ disc jockey, will make his acting debut in the show.|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
-As an actor, McCormick usually appeared in guest spots on TV shows, mostly on TV dramas and sitcoms, such as ''[[That Girl]]''; ''[[Barnaby Jones]]''; ''[[The Jeffersons]]'' (in a memorable 1979 episode as Florence's strict and ultra-conservative born-again [[Christian]] beau); ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''; ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]''; and ''[[Angel (1999 TV series)|Angel]]'' (1999). He also made appearances in such movies as ''[[The Punisher (1989 film)|The Punisher]]'' (1989) and ''[[Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines]]'' (2003), which was his final film appearance. McCormick also did voice over work in such Saturday morning cartoon series as ''[[The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour]]'' and ''[[Dynomutt, Dog Wonder]]''.
+As an actor, McCormick usually appeared in guest spots on TV shows, mostly on TV dramas and sitcoms, such as ''[[That Girl]]''; ''[[Barnaby Jones]]''; ''[[The Jeffersons]]'' (in a memorable 1979 episode as Florence's strict and ultra-conservative born-again [[Christians|Christian]] beau); ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''; ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]''; and ''[[Angel (1999 TV series)|Angel]]'' (1999). He also made appearances in such movies as ''[[The Punisher (1989 film)|The Punisher]]'' (1989) and ''[[Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines]]'' (2003), which was his final film appearance. McCormick also did voice over work in such Saturday morning cartoon series as ''[[The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour]]'' and ''[[Dynomutt, Dog Wonder]]''.
 ==Awards and honors==
-In 1994, McCormick was honored with the [[Governor's Award]], a high, prestigious honor given annually by the [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].  In June 2001, KTLA honored McCormick by renaming one of its soundstages at [[Tribune Broadcasting|Tribune Studios]] in his name.<ref>[http://ktla.trb.com/about/station/ktla-about-history1,0,2611296.htmlstory?coll=ktla-footer&sitemap KTLA Historical Timeline | About the Station | KTLA The CW | Where Los Angeles Lives<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024042433/http://ktla.trb.com/about/station/ktla-about-history1%2C0%2C2611296.htmlstory?coll=ktla-footer&sitemap |date=2007-10-24 }}</ref><ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_6_100/ai_76800065 Los Angeles Television Station Honors Black Newsman Larry McCormick - KTLA-TV - Brief Article | Jet | Find Articles at BNET.com<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070527171809/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_6_100/ai_76800065 |date=2007-05-27 }}</ref>
+In 1994, McCormick was honored with the [[Governors Awards|Governors Award]], a high, prestigious honor given annually by the [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].  In June 2001, KTLA honored McCormick by renaming one of its soundstages at [[Tribune Broadcasting|Tribune Studios]] in his name.<ref>[http://ktla.trb.com/about/station/ktla-about-history1,0,2611296.htmlstory?coll=ktla-footer&sitemap KTLA Historical Timeline | About the Station | KTLA The CW | Where Los Angeles Lives<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024042433/http://ktla.trb.com/about/station/ktla-about-history1%2C0%2C2611296.htmlstory?coll=ktla-footer&sitemap |date=2007-10-24 }}</ref><ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_6_100/ai_76800065 Los Angeles Television Station Honors Black Newsman Larry McCormick - KTLA-TV - Brief Article | Jet | Find Articles at BNET.com<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070527171809/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_6_100/ai_76800065 |date=2007-05-27 }}</ref>  He was also awarded a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] for his work in Television. [[File:Larry_McCormick_Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame_Star.jpg|thumb|right|Larry McCormick Walk of Fame Star]]
 ==Filmography ==
@@ Line 107: / Line 109: @@
 |-
 | rowspan="2"|2003
-| ''[[S.W.A.T. (film)|S.W.A.T.]]''
+| ''[[S.W.A.T. (2003 film)|S.W.A.T.]]''
 | Himself
 |
@@ Line 136: / Line 138: @@
 * ''[[240-Robert]]'' (1981) as Newscaster
 * ''Between Two Brothers'' (1982) as Reporter
-* ''[[Shooting Stars (TV series)|Shooting Stars]]'' (1983) (TV) as T.V. Newsman
+* ''[[Shooting Stars (1983 film)|Shooting Stars]]'' (1983) (TV) as T.V. Newsman
 * ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' (1984) as TV Reporter
 * ''[[Matt Houston]]'' (1984) as Newsman
@@ Line 147: / Line 149: @@
 * ''[[Mathnet]]'' (1990) as Anchorman
 * ''[[Knots Landing]]'' (1989–1990) as Reporter / TV Announcer / Presenter
-* ''[[Columbo_(season_10)#ep56|Columbo: Columbo Goes to College]]'' (1990) as News Anchor
+* ''[[Columbo (season 10)#ep56|Columbo: Columbo Goes to College]]'' (1990) as News Anchor
 * ''[[Midnight Run for Your Life]]'' (1994) as Newscaster
-* ''[[Sliders]]'' (1999) as Weatherman
+* ''[[Sliders (TV series)|Sliders]]'' (1999) as Weatherman
 * ''[[Beverly Hills, 90210]]'' (1999) as Reporter
+* ''[[Angel (1999 TV series)|Angel]]'' (2003) as Himself
 {{div col end}}
@@ Line 169: / Line 172: @@
 [[Category:African-American television personalities]]
 [[Category:American male journalists]]
-[[Category:American journalists]]
+[[Category:20th-century American journalists]]
-[[Category:American television personalities]]
 [[Category:Television anchors from Los Angeles]]
 [[Category:American male television actors]]
@@ Line 177: / Line 179: @@
 [[Category:Deaths from cancer in California]]
 [[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)]]
+[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
+[[Category:20th-century African-American people]]
+[[Category:21st-century African-American people]]

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