William L. Hendricks (May 3, 1904 - March 29, 1992) is a former USMCR Colonel who was a key figure in setting up the "Toy for Tots" program. Aside from his USMCR career, he also worked in the film industry for many years, initially as a documentary producer for the US Army, then as a production executive at Warner Bros., where he eventually became the latest producer of Looney Tunes > series.
In 1947 Hendricks, then a Major at USMCR, was asked by his wife Diane to donate some toys (including ones he made himself) to organizations that provide toys to needy children. However, his research found that there was no such organization, and he decided to start on his own. He leads a collection of toys in the Los Angeles area with several families and friends who eventually collect about 5,000 toys. This pilot program proved so successful that the Marine Corps adopted it as an official campaign the following year, and Hendricks helped make it more successful by using its contacts through Warner Bros. to persuade many celebrities to support the charity.
His career as documentary producer saw him win the Academy Honors Award in 1961 for his role in the Marine Corps documentary A Force in Readiness. In 1967 he was asked by Warner Bros. to take over as head of the newly reformed animation studio, and became the overall head of the Looney Tunes franchise. The new animation studio lasted only for two years and produced several cartoons of records before closing in 1969. However, Hendricks remained in a supervisory role, overseeing production on The Bugs Bunny Show and other television shows featuring > Looney Tunes cartoon. He remained in this role until 1977, when he eventually retired from the film industry at the age of 73 years.
Video William L. Hendricks
References
Maps William L. Hendricks
External links
- William L. Hendricks on IMDb
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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