Julian Robert Huffman (March 31, 1924 – April 16, 2015) was an American weatherman, voice-over announcer, director and children's show host. He was most well known as the host of

WSAZ WSAZ-TV (channel 3) is a television station licensed to Huntington, West Virginia, United States, affiliated with NBC. It serves the Charleston, West Virginia, Charleston–Huntington media market, market, the second-largest television market (i ...

Mr. Cartoon ''Mr. Cartoon'', originally titled ''Steamboat Bill'', was a television program for children that aired for nearly 40 years on WSAZ-TV, the local NBC affiliate in Huntington, West Virginia. The show was hosted by George Lewis until 1969 and by Ju ...

from 1969 to 1995.

Early life

Jule Huffman was born in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, on March 31, 1924, to Leroy Huffman and Cecilia Silverman-Huffman.

Career

After his older brother was killed in the war, Huffman served in the US Army Air Corps during World War II. He worked as an aircraft repair and maintenance technician on a carrier in the South Pacific. Jule was hired by WSAZ in 1953 as a vocalist for the WSAZ variety daytime show ''Coffee Time''. He did commercials, and was a director, a voice-over announcer, and a weatherman. He starred in two kid shows (''Steamboat Bill'' as Merlin the Sea Monster, the early iteration of ''Mr. Cartoon'' and "Popeye and His Pals") prior to becoming Mr. Cartoon. He was a weatherman on WSAZ for four decades.

Mr. Cartoon

Huffman took over the reins of

in 1969 after the original actor,

George Lewis George Lewis may refer to: Entertainment and art * George B. W. Lewis (1818–1906), circus rider and theatre manager in Australia * George E. Lewis (born 1952), American composer and free jazz trombonist * George J. Lewis (1903–1995), Mexican ...

, left for a job in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The role made him a beloved and trusted icon in the Tri-State community. He played the role until his retirement in 1995. The series was cancelled after Huffman retired.

Personal life

Huffman married Gladys Huffman in 1949. The couple had 4 children (Nancy, Cindy, Marvin, Julie). They remained married for nearly 70 years, until her death on May 2, 2011, at the age of 84. His son, Marvin Huffman, was one of many performers who wore the Mr. Cartoon character ''Beeper'' costume during event appearances. As a native of Cincinnati, he was an avid Reds and Bengals fan, and sang the National Anthem at several Reds Games, as well as participating in many Red Caravans. He reportedly loved golf and gardening, and singing, often performing at notable events in West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky.

Death

Jule Huffman died in

Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and the largest city in the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A h ...

, on April 16, 2015, at the age of 91.Notice of death of Jule Huffman
, wsaz.com; accessed February 20, 2018. His funeral was held at the First Presbyterian Church in Huntington on April 23, 2015. He is interred near his wife, Gladys, at the White Chapel Memorial Gardens in Barboursville, West Virginia.

References

External links

* 1924 births 2015 deaths People from Cincinnati People from Huntington, West Virginia American television weather presenters American military personnel of World War II People from Ohio {{US-tv-bio-stub