1. Tom Hatten was an American radio, film and television personality and actor, known as the long-time host of The Popeye Show and Family Film Festival on KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles from the 1960s until the 1980s.
14 Facts About Tom Hatten
1. 2.
Tom Hatten appeared in dozens of musicals, films and television shows.
3.
Tom Hatten served in the United States Navy during World War II and used the GI Bill to study acting at the Pasadena Playhouse.
4.
In 1952, Tom Hatten started working as a broadcaster at KTLA in Hollywood.
5.
Tom Hatten was a newscaster and announcer when the station launched the afternoon children's show, The Pier 5 Club, with Hatten as Skipper Tom in September 1956.
6.
The Family Film Festival was a weekend-afternoon feature on KTLA 5 between 1978 and 1992, with Tom Hatten screening a classic film, often from the 1940s, 1950s or 1960s.
7.
Tom Hatten's acting credits include portraying a corrupt US Army general in the comedy film Spies Like Us, with Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase.
8.
Tom Hatten appeared as Captain Murdock in several episodes of the television show Gomer Pyle, USM.
9.
Tom Hatten provided the voice of the character Farmer Fitzgibbons in the animated film The Secret of NIMH.
10.
On stage, in 1959, Tom Hatten performed in a Los Angeles production of The Billy Barnes Revue concurrently with hosting the Popeye TV show.
11.
Tom Hatten appeared in a touring production of the musical Annie as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
12.
For nearly 20 years, Tom Hatten worked as an award-winning entertainment reporter for KNX 1070 News radio in Los Angeles, filing regular reports on the movie industry, new films, and celebrity news.
13.
Tom Hatten served on the board of the National Student Film Institute and was a frequent presenter at its annual film festival.
14.
Tom Hatten was in a relationship with costume and set designer Peter Menefee for over fifty years.