Michael Magee (1929-2011)

[jon]

Racing commentator Magee dies
By Bill Tallon
Daily Racing Form
July 19, 2011

A private family funeral service will be held this week for Michael Magee, a longtime racing commentator and author who died in Grand River Hospital last Saturday at age 81. Magee had been suffering from colitis, which led to internal bleeding and heart stoppage.

Born in Toronto, Magee was a nephew of E.P. Taylor, founder of the Ontario Jockey Club and of the famed Windfields Farm. Magee’s parents were members of the OJC, and his first job was working as a money runner for the mutuels department in 1948, a position that he also held for a time at Exhibition Park (now Hastings) in Vancouver.

He went on to work as a writer, producer, and commentator for the CBC racing telecasts from 1964 to 1986. The network won the Sovereign Award for outstanding film/video/broadcast in 1985.

An avid racing historian, Magee authored the book, “Champions,” in collaboration with Pat Bayes, which was published in 1980. He also was a renowned handicapper and one of his last official connections with racing was as the host of “Racing With Magee,” a daily radio show that aired in the mid-1990s.

Magee also was well known outside the racing world as an actor and satirist, with numerous television and radio credits. One of his most celebrated roles was as the voice of the villainous Cyril S. Sneer and his dog, Snag, on the popular animated series “The Raccoons.”

In the late 1970s, Magee created a famous alter ego, the crusty and outspoken Fred C. Dobbs. Magee played Dobbs, along with a number of other characters, on the one-man show “Magee and Company,” which aired in the mid-to-late 1970s.

Fred C. Dobbs, whose name came from a character in the American novel and film “The Treasure of the Sierra Madres,” inspired several equine namesakes. The best was the Ontario-bred Fred C. Dobbs, who was a stakes winner here during his 2-year-old campaign and placed in other added-money events at Woodbine and Stampede Park in 1985.

Magee had a tale to cover almost any occasion, including one in which he complained of another prominent Canadian comedian stealing one of his jokes.

‘The worst thing,” said Magee, “was that I’d gone to a lot of trouble to steal it myself.”

Magee had been living in nearby Caledon for many years with his partner, Sally Hamilton.

ref. - http://www.drf.com/news/woodbine-loisel ... -announcer

MICHAEL MAGEE
October 11, 1929 –
July 15th, 2011
Our beloved Michael was an actor, author, comedian, TV host and political satirist. The creator of many past Canadian comedic characters and television shows such as Magee & Company and the Real Magee's. He was the creator of his famous alter ego Fred C. Dobbs and the unforgettable voice of Cyril Sneer from the 1980's hit cartoon The Racoons. Michael was a Thoroughbred horse racing host for CBC for more than 2 decades and he was the author of two renowned Canadian political satires, The Golden Age of B.S. and the Platinum Age of B.S.. Michael made his family and millions of Canadians smile and laugh. We will miss his captivating storytelling and his incredible wit. Michael is survived by his beloved partner of 26 years, Sally Hamilton, his sister- in-law Maggie Magee and his step children Matthew, Kelly and her husband Stephen and their children Monet, Quincy, Madeleine, Samantha and Hannah. And of course his very special cat Annie. Rest in peace Michael, we love you and will miss you dearly. The memorial for Michael Magee will be private. In lieu of flowers, Michael wished for donations to be made to his grandson's care facility. Please send any donations to Quincy Clements, care of New Visions Toronto. Online condolences at
http://www.newediukfuneralhome.com
ref. - http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/s ... BDA/deaths

[jon]

I knew him as Fred C. Dobbs on CBC Radio, long before I realized that the name was a character that Humphrey Bogart had played in film.