Bottom of His Pool - The Life and Sad Ending® of Joe Flynn

#thelifeandsadending #disney #sitcom
A mini bio on the life and career of actor Joe Flynn. He was most famous for appearing on the 60's tv sitcom "McHale's Navy".

[@bobbylee2853]

His voice was his bread and butter.

[@don66hotrod94]

Joe played the inept and overbearing Captain Binghamton to perfection on McHales Navy. What a character that was. Thanks for remembering him.

[@marchelleharris4842]

He was hilarious in Mchale’s Navy. I loved him in that.😊

[@garypayne2157]

He was great in McHale's Navy. Scenes with he and Tim Conway were histerical!

[@jesavino1255]

They were a great comedy team.

[@Fat12219]

Very funny 😂

[@georgealexander7976]

He seemed to be just right for the parts he played!!

[@dottiegillespie8067]

Right!!!! I grew up watching him in everything. He was always on tv.

[@dennisbrown6885]

I agree!

[@jackbarrett7835]

I think he played the parts he was given to perfection

[@ksw501]

Joe Flynn was great as "Lead Bottom" in McHale's Navy. I enjoyed his work in Disney films as well. "Whaaah...whaaah...whaah" was one of his trademarks in McHale's Navy. Keep up the great work Steve.

[@shirleylackey801]

Joe and I were door gunners on a B 52 when we were in the Coast guard !! 😂

[@fazole]

B-52s don't have door guns or fly in the coast guard.

[@richardsylvanus2717]

RIP old Leadbottom

[@thisisme3238]

Hi Steve! I remember Joe from "McHale's Navy," sitcom. Gone too soon...may he rest in peace. 🕊️

[@alvincash3230]

He was one of my favorites in many movies & shows, especially on McHales Navy. When I watch him still, he is hilarious.

[@gioscott2363]

Ol led bottom himself, I enjoyed him in the Disney films, that was when Disney made good film without an agenda.

[@malibustacy3606]

Dean Eugene Higgins

[@FYMASMD]

Go have a good cry

[@petesmith9472]

What agenda? Surely you don’t believe in the Desantis crap?

[@invisibleman1028]

@@petesmith9472 The agenda that they admitted to on a Zoom call . Look at more news than CNN or CNBC

[@georgelevin6134]

@@petesmith9472you can’t be that damm ignorant. Wise up.

[@robingrant4903]

Joe flynn was brilliant as capt. binghamton in Mchales navy, he had a knack in being funny, a natural.

[@user-xy6el5yj6c]

He was murdered! He was the 1st to speak out about the lousy residual contracts of that tv era. Only paid 4 residuals per episode of any tv show. After that nothing! Just ask the cast of Gilligan. At 1 time the most watched tv reruns in history next to Lucy and the cast got nothing! Most of the cast died broke but not Sherwood Swartz. He sold Gilligan for 90 million and gave the cast nothing!!! What would it have taken to have kept half and given the cast the other 45 million split evenly. Greed that's what. Flynn died trying to right a WRONG. Today the actors are paid in perpetuity but not then. Friends actors make 20 million a year. Big bang close to the same. But not then. Flynn gave his life to right a WRONG. All the actors making millions today from residuals OWE him large but they have no idea that he gave his life to change the status quo.

[@MG-es2no]

Before this video, I read he was found at the bottom of his pool, WITH HIS LEG IN A CAST! I found it suspicious then. After reading your comment, I'm even MORE so. I figure he was smart enough NOT to even get in the pool witrh that thing on his leg. Much less attempt to sawim. I mean, REALLY, SWIM WITH A CAST! I'm sure his doctor told him to keep it dry. So why would he attempt to swim in it? Sounds fishy to me. Maybe the heart attack came on cause he was trying to swim to safety, in a now water logged cast.🤔

[@SMtWalkerS]

Wow! This would make a good movie.

[@thomasdonlin5456]

I agree with your assessment.

[@burtonfiles8654]

I believe you are correct! He was murdered ... the industry is full of devils.

[@majkdigitalmedia7530]

I remember hearing back in the day that indeed Joe was floating on a raft having a drink when he had a heart attack. The scenes with he and Kurt Russel in all of the Dexter Riley/Dean Higgins films were wonderful.

[@ozzpockettriesbassguitar5647]

I always thought he played his parts perfectly....his voice and everything was "just right" for his character. I didn't realize he passed so young.

[@Dwayne-mb2uj]

I When I was 9 an 11 year old pulled my limp body from the bottom of a church school pool in Garden Grove Ca .It was the week they set foot on the moon . I am thank full for every day since then .It is too bad he was alone with no one to help him.

[@ralphromeo7066]

Joe did a great deal for actors everywhere when he started the movement with SAG. For that, I'm eternally grateful to "old lead bottom."

[@robertchambliss8630]

Flynn was hilarious. I remember when he died and couldn’t believe it. Flynn and Conway were comedy gold.

[@tomyanno972]

Loved Joe in McHale’s Navy…wouldn’t have been the same without him. Lost him way too soon, though…RIP.

[@jamesdavis6036]

I've been watching reruns of McHales Navy that I haven't seen since I was a kid. When Captain Bingamton comes on, belly busting laughs. He made the show, What What What?

[@RjBenjamin353]

His double takes were legendary

[@redskinjeff]

No one in the history of comedy ever did a double-take better than Joe Flynn. The writers on McHales Navy got to where they'd build one into every scene he was in for just that reason. Speaking of which, I don't think they knew what they had when the show started out. McHales Navy was conceived as a knockoff of Sgt. Bilko, and in the first few episodes Flynn was playing essentially the same befuddled nebbish Paul Ford did in Bilko. But as the show developed, the Capt. Binghamton character evolved. Rather than making him a passive victim of the PT 73 crew's antics, the writers discovered how funny Flynn was when he went manic. Eventually, most of the situations were the result of Binghamton's malevolence rather than McHale's schemes. The sad thing to me is that, once the show was canceled, he went back to playing nebbishes because casting directors wouldn't let him play over-the-top comic villains again. For my money, he was the most underrated comic in TV history. Timing like this is genius. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIDKdGSmndqGl8k

[@PatrickDoran2319]

His last film role and most nostalgic is him as the voice of Mr. Snoops in The Rescuers (1977) Snoops was the henchman of Madame Medusa.

[@billl1127]

He died in 1974. Must have taken them a long time to complete production.

[@PatrickDoran2319]

@@billl1127 It’s possible but Joe Flynn may have already completed his lines before his death and the films release

[@stevebreeden582]

IMO, Flynn’s acting in McHale’s Navy holds up well, and to me, if even funnier today.

[@johammond9359]

I like that you tell us ALL the movies and sitcoms, etc. that he was in. I'm sure I didn't realize I was watching him on many of them. I never saw the Tim Conway show and only heard about it when I saw him on Johnny Carson...here on KZbin. Thanks again.

[@davidpruiksma8014]

I thought when Flynn and Conway were paired up they were often hilarious!

[@Luvoldmovies-Kat.St.Aug.]

Seen him in a movie yesterday!🎥📺 “FUNNY “ for me 😄 Enjoy the Disney ones, McHales Navy for sure . Guest appearances on Tv Shows . Man that’s a sad ending, only 49 yrs .❤👍😇

[@albertwells8503]

The story I always heard was he was lounging near his swimming pool when the heart attack came on. He got up to get help, lost consciousness, and tumbled into the pool.

[@temims]

Very funny man. He played "That Guy"....so well!. He was a part of my growing up and in all the shows of my youth. "Fair winds and Following Seas Captain Binghamton"

[@m.f.m.67]

I always thought he was hilarious. I never found his over-the-top anger anything but funny. His Dean Higgins was great. I remember seeing him once on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He was very witty. He left us far too soon.

[@ohmeowzer1]

Loved him he knew my grandfather very well .my grandfather was also good friends with John Wayne and Mike Muzurki. Joe was a nice man .

[@graemesmith2742]

I enjoyed Joe Flynn in all of the movies and tv shows, l think that l saw most of them. A very underrated actor, hello from Melbourne Australia

[@susangreene9662]

No one could have played Binghamton better!! Loved him. You mention the Disney movies he was in. Those were great years.

[@colderbeer]

Flynn was HILARIOUS.

[@thomasmoshier3920]

I remember him from those Disney movies as a kid as well as TV. He always played the same character. I liked him……

[@melaniexoxo]

You’re uploading a lot lately. Good to see it!

[@1linkbelt]

I agree with that!!

[@x-man5056]

He was perfect as Capt. Binghamton. Loved that show as a kid.

[@Collector261]

Take Note" Although Captain Binghamton hated Ensign Parker, in real life Joe Flyn and Tim Conway were the best of best fronds. In 1962 it was Joe Flyn in Los Angeles who contacted Tim Conway who was playing at the time on local TV in Cleveland, to come out west to join the cast on a new show ''McHale's Navy''.

[@daphne1079]

Loved his voice. What a talent.

[@bernie472]

I remember him in a few Disney movies. The Love Bug, was one of my favorites as a kid. He must have passed away sometime during filming of Disney's The Strongest Man In The World which was released in Feb 1975.

[@georgemorgan5906]

Joe Flynn was great in all he did! Thank you for being Captain of our funny bones!

[@Doug41160]

I loved watching and laughing at Joe Flynn in McHale's Navy and the Disney movies where has was the sorehead college dean. Nobody could play a better hothead than joe.

[@MikeGrant-zt7uo]

Hard to believe that Capt. Binghamton was younger than I am now

[@henrybrowne7248]

I could just scream . . .

[@kduffy760]

My dad looked just like him. We lived in LA and people would ask him for his autograph.

[@garywest8705]

RIP Joe. You made McHale Navy become what it is.

[@largedoglover99]

When characters annoy me, I realize that nowadays, the writers are responsible for the dialogue

[@user-sq4jz9up6g]

Joe and Tim Conway were great together he was a little over the top at times but very funny such a tragic way to go😮

[@Terry-hm4bs]

He also played the devil in The Ghost And Mrs. Muir as well hosted a game show called, "It Pays To Be Ignorant." May he rest in peace.

[@williamwelch7]

Thanks Steve. Loved him in the Disney movies.

[@sallykohorst8803]

He was just so wonderful on mchales navy with Conway sorry you did not care for his comedy but he was so funny. I really loved him in the movie McHales Navy Joins the Airforce, which i have on dvd. HE and Conway were amazing. So sad he left so soon. But people have the right to love what they want too. Also have the 4 seasons of McHales Navy on dvd. Glad you told his story.

[@KillrMillr7]

I loved that guy, he was the funniest one on McHale’s navy imo. What what what now… lol. May he rest in peace.

[@gonavy1]

Boy, a lot of these actors seemed really old when I was a kid. Although now that they've passed, they seemed young. I wonder how that happened?

[@TheLifeandSadEnding]

Oh, you know.

[@gonavy1]

@@TheLifeandSadEnding Steve, yes I do know that's for sure.

[@bloqk16]

I've found that 60 years later when watching the episodes of the "McHale's Navy" TV series, the real star of the show was Joe Flynn, even though Ernest Borgnine got top-billing. The persona of Captain Binghamton that Flynn brought to the character, and especially the physical comedy for the countless pratfalls Flynn performed . . . _all marvelously brilliant!_

[@dottiegillespie8067]

He was very funny. I enjoyed all he did. Thank you sir, i love your content.

[@pattyheitzman8635]

He did the voice of one of the bad guys(overweight guy)on the cartoon movie The Rescuers and King Vitamin in the King Vitamin cereal commercials. And he was in an S&H green stamps commercial where he played a father who's daughter is getting married.

[@douglasjacobberger7663]

I think he was funny and good actor. I owned a pool for 8 years. I would never go swimming by myself. I never had problems, but having others around while swimming is always safe. One of the reasons I never went ingo the pool without someone around was due to the memory of Mr., Flynn's accident.

[@cynthiamclellan6745]

I thought Flynn was hilarious "wa, wa, wa"🤣

[@joycampi7233]

McHales Navy. Classic

[@Sandra-cm1du]

Flynn was a great character actor.

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

Thanks. He was great as the dour funeral director in a "night gallery" episode, ("the funeral"), Hilarious. ❤

[@chrisnewman7281]

It takes from mcHale’s Navy very funny and Joe Flynn is particularly so

[@raystevens1458]

Thanks for running this, was something that I didn't know, how sad, he lived up to his nickname, "lead bottom" sorry, couldn't help that.

[@Arthur5260]

He was great in the Disney movies

[@CherylthePearl]

Loved to watch him in everything he was in. He was even funnier then the stars of McHale's Navy.

[@baymaxc1647]

Loved this Man!

[@pannamal5182]

He was soooooo funny. Grew up with Joe.

[@DanMitchel-dp8ul]

I liked Joe with Werner Klemperer in the Night Gallery plus he and Tim Conway were a great duo

[@JohnLancaster-fh3oc]

He was great in the Disney movies.

[@robertjolly3021]

A funny guy, Great in McHale's Navy, RIP MR. FLYNN. 🙏🙏

[@christopherthorkon3997]

He was funny. Loved his expressive voice.

[@bloqk16]

In a print article I saw years ago, Ernest Borgnine said that a possible contributing factor for Joe Flynn's fatal heart attack was from the vigorous crusade Flynn did with getting the film/distribution industries to pay residuals on past TV shows that ran in syndication. I personally recall a TV Guide article from the early 1970s which quoted Flynn being furious when he saw a rerun of a McHale's Navy episode playing on local TV, as Flynn wasn't receiving any rerun residuals from that televised airing.

[@mariofilippi3539]

Enjoyed this video, thanks.

[@tomkoepke1627]

At the end of the day - Joe was a character actor, and like most actors he got what work he could to support himself and his family.

[@slidezone9056]

"McHale's Navy" was a childhood favorite of mine. And you mentioned irritating...As a kid, I also watched "Gilligan's Island". But Gilligan irritated the HECK outta' me. He was always the one who messed up their chances of getting off the island. But like everyone else, I forgave him and tuned in next week. Now, Mary Ann might have had something to do with that. 😉

[@overthehill1958]

He was great! He made McHales Navy.

[@JamesWilliams-js4fo]

McHale's Navy wouldn't have been the same without him. The whole thing with the cast on his leg truly is strange. He was probably walking alongside the pool and fell in and because of the cast went straight down.

[@desert.mantis]

I enjoyed seeing Joe in his various rolls.

[@rufust.firefly4890]

Sesame seed, cinnamon or Parker House?

[@eddylauterback1312]

What what what! Line from McHales

[@darylcumming7119]

Childhood memories .

[@neal5068]

So great in Disney movies

[@Porsche996driver]

Nice finish lol. But stick around a while ha. Yes on McHales Navy he was grating, but that set up the comedy scenes. Absurd but based on local officers for sure! One of my favorite shows as a kid during summers in Pittsburgh with my cousins. Great memories.

[@brianfergus839]

Those glasses! For some reason I’ll always remember a scene with him from McHale’s Navy where a parachute falls on his head and when the camera cuts to him, he’s covered by the parachute except his glasses are outside the parachute. So stupid and funny 🤦‍♂️

[@BBJohnny52]

I watched again. I can't get over how he passed. I never knew. He had to have fell in the pool. Surely not swimming with a leg cast right??

[@Janet-hs4wl]

Him and tim conway one of the funniest tv series id watched in black and white t.v.

[@wannabe41]

I think his character’s were often written as one note, one dimensional people. If viewers had been given just a glimpse into other aspects of his personality, maybe he would have been viewed more sympathetically.

[@robertgoss4842]

I thought Joe Flynn was an excellent comedic actor. I saw him only on TV, but now, I wish I had seen his movies. His death is rather mysterious, his leg in a cast and all. It seems like none of those Hollywood types ever just die quietly at home. And only 49.

[@channamation]

I always loved the work of Joe Flynn. I found him to be extremely funny. McHales Navy, that was my introduction to this wonderful talent. I too wonder why he was at the bottom of the pool. R.I.P Joe Flynn.

[@sloppydog4375]

I liked him he was a really good actor .

[@RichardHardy-ce1sw]

Thank-you!

[@jasemclamb1451]

I loved him in the Disney movies with Kurt Russell. They made great adversaries

[@czechmate6916]

I remember him well in all the movies and shows he played in and I thought he was very good and funny.

[@Fat12219]

He was a good actor 😮

[@jamesmurphy9346]

I remember a report that Joe was out in Public and was recognized. Apparently the guy wasn't a fan and thought Joe was really like some of his character portrayals and beat him to the point of Joe had to be Hospitalized.

[@thrashpondopons8348]

He was the man you love to hate!

[@FCSchaefer]

He knew his lane, and he knew what worked for him, and I would cut him some slack for those old shows because comedy in movies and on TV back in his heyday in the '60s often had a very frantic pace to it.

[@user-qy8ld8du1u]

Flynn was also in The Industructible Man, starring Lon Chaney Jr. He was also in one ep of I Love Jeanne.

[@norwoodwildlife9849]

Maybe he didn't realize how much water a cast can absorb and when it started weighing him down he panicked and that's when he had a heart attack.

[@jillmarshall4718]

I remember Joe Flynn in Mc Kale navy., And other film works. I read something about, He was in another town, Where he was beaten up. Now I don't know, If it had anything prior to his death. To be found on the bottom of the swimming pool, SEEMS Mysterious. The Autopsy said, that he had died of a heart attack. I just thought it was pretty strange, Even to be by a pool with a leg cast. He was very funny man, Rip Mr. Flynn🙏

[@dreinoehl4660]

Joe was great