Tom Hatten Dies: Former ‘Popeye and Friends’ & ‘Family Film Festival’ Host Was 92
He was a big part of everyone's childhood who grew up in Los Angeles...
Tom Hatten, a former actor, announcer and KTLA host died Saturday at age 92, the Los Angeles television station reported. The station said it learned of Hatten’s passing from his longtime friend and former KTLA producer, Joe Quasarano.
Hatten joined the station as an announcer in 1952. He went on to host the children’s show Popeye and Friends from 1976 to 1988, and KTLA’s Family Film Festival from 1978 to 1992.
The longtime broadcaster also kept local residents informed about Hollywood, as an entertainment editor at KNX 1070 News Radio from 1978 to 2007.
Born on Nov. 14, 1926 in Jamestown, North Dakota, Hatten served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and used benefits from the G.I. Bill to attend the Pasadena Playhouse.
In addition to his broadcast career, Hatten appeared on six episodes of Gomer Pyle: USMC in the 1960s, according to his IMDb page. He played a military officer in the television series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Hogan’s Heroes, and had roles in the 1985 film Spies Like Us and Sweet Charity in 1969.
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | March 19, 2019 3:19 AM
|
Aww, this makes me sad. I grew up watching Tom Hatten on Channel 5, and, as a gayling in training, I was more fascinated with his nice, round butt than the Popeye cartoons. RIP, Tom . You provided lots of masturbatory fantasies for me. I always wondered if you might be gay, but wasn’t holding my breath.
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | March 17, 2019 6:06 AM
|
Wow! I'd forgotten all about him and Family Film Festival until I saw that familiar picute in the OP!
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | March 17, 2019 6:39 AM
|
What a bummer! I loved watching the Popeye show on Sunday mornings as a kid. It also showed those wacky cartoons like George of the Jungle, Super Chicken, and Tom Slick. Hatten was so likable chit-chatting and doing his doodles. DL was where I learned he was gay, on some thread years ago.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | March 17, 2019 6:55 AM
|
Tom was gay. He gave me his number at a Blockbuster video at Studio City years ago. Too old for me, but he was very nice.
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | March 18, 2019 2:57 PM
|
I thought he had died already. Moved to LA in the early 80's and watching him on KTLA was a weekend ritual, especially as we didn't have cable. We also only had a BW TV so it was definitely old school tv viewing. I remember a lot of of the Bing Crosby/Bob Hope/Dorothy Lamour Road movies.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | March 18, 2019 3:04 PM
|
Didn't he read the Herald Examiner's Sunday comics aloud every week?
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | March 19, 2019 3:19 AM
|
