MY MEMORIES OF HANK

By Jimmy Weldon

June 18, 2009

"Won't You Ride In My Little Red Wagon" is a song I used to sing when I was much younger than I am now.  I met the performer of that song, and  can proudly state that he became one of the dearest friends I will ever have.         

I will be 86 on September 23rd of this year, 2009. I had the first TV show for children in 1950 in Dallas, Texas with my little duck, Webster Webfoot. Then Webster and I moved to Los Angeles television on channel 13 in 1952.

Hank Penny and I were NOT casual friends who happened to be in the entertainment business and saw one another occasionally.  We ran into each other at various personal appearances. We were often working on the same TV shows. We had backyard barbeques.

Yes, for many years, Hank was an important part of my life. In many ways ... he still is. The reason I bring this up is that we really never meet that many truly interesting people during our lives. As they say, when dealing with others, we are just "two ships passing in the night." Sometimes we just wave as our ships pass. Sometimes we find ourselves sailing in tandem for a while, until one slowly moves away. But, I can safely say that if I had to make a "short list" of the really fun, interesting people who had a positive impact on MY life and the lives of others, I would have to include Hank Penny.

Hank was a funny man who made me smile. I grinned like "a cat eating glue" each time he wore his famous cap on stage.  Why?  Because it had a little Webster Webfoot pin on the side.

Hank was the kind of guy who made everyone react in a positive way.  He had quite an impact on my life. And, people like Hank Penny have a greater impact on peoples' lives than we might think.

So often motivational speakers use the analogy of a rock being thrown into calm waters and the ripples created by the rock. To use that picture in our memories of Hank Penny is both fair and unfair.  Certainly, his life created great, overlapping, positive ripples of delight and motivation as they spread out to others around him. But he was not just a static "rock" being THROWN into the water. He was a vibrant, multi-talented, caring man who JUMPED into the waters of life. His impact was truly one of enlightenment and change.

Now, dear friends, you can see and understand how we shared the same love for our profession.  All of our performances were designed for THE WHOLE FAMILY!  Very little of that type is found in today's "wherever-you-find-performers" stage venues. Along the way, I watched his daughter, Sydney Margaret, grow from a cute, cuddly little baby girl into a beautiful, extremely talented actress.  I know you will read about her career on this Web site.  Oh, by the way ... Hank's widow, Sydney's mom, Shari, happens to possess a voice that my wife, Muriel, used to say was literally one of the most beautiful she ever heard. 

Yes, the trio of Hank, Shari and Sydney Penny entertained thousands of patrons in restaurants and piano bars over the years with their own brand of good, WHOLESOME fun.

Yes, it's strange. The vast majorities of people spends time on this earth and leave little, if any, impact. Certainly, they are remembered by friends and family ... but often,by few others. When Hank Penny died, not everyone even knew his name, but that doesn't matter. Not everyone knew his positive contributions to entertainment, but that doesn't matter either. What DOES matter is that he DID live. He lived among us. He made us smile. He CHANGED our lives. We are the better for his being on earth. It’s our privilege to preserve and perpetuate his memory.

Jimmy Weldon is one of the most talented entertainers you

will ever have the privilege to see.  It's our pleasure to

present his memories of Hank here.

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