A jolly, happy soul — with a complicated past.
Jackie Vernon, the beloved voice behind the 1969 holiday classic “Frosty the Snowman,” allegedly fathered multiple families before ultimately settling down with his wife, Hazel, with whom he remained until his death.
The revelation came from David Vernon, one of the couple’s three children, who shared the surprising details while reflecting on his late father during a Nov. 30 episode of the “Nostalgia Tonight With Joe Sibilia” radio show.
A still from the 1969 holiday classic “Frosty the Snowman.”
David said he discovered his father had “at least three” secret families after a woman and her teenage son unexpectedly arrived at the Vernon home sometime before Jackie’s death at age 63 in November 1987.
“There was a woman there with a kid who was older than I was,” David recalled. “He was probably in his late teens and looked a little rough around the edges.”
“When she asked to speak with my dad, I told her he was on the road and not home,” he continued. “Then she insisted, ‘Well, I want to speak to your mother.’”
Jackie Vernon voiced Frosty in both “Frosty the Snowman” and its 1976 sequel “Frosty’s Winter Wonderland.”
According to David, once Hazel answered the door, the visiting woman revealed the truth about Jackie’s other marriages and families.
“My mom came and immediately seemed to understand what was going on,” he recalled. “She told me to go upstairs, and they talked. I could hear a heated conversation happening, and a few minutes later, the woman and her son left.”
“I needed to know what had just happened,” he continued. “When I asked my mom, she finally told me that before our family, my dad had been married at least three other times. I was shocked.”
Jackie Vernon appears on “The Dean Martin Show” during the roast of Ed McMahon in 1973.
David said that wasn’t the last surprise. He later learned his father had multiple sons before marrying Hazel — and astonishingly, they all shared the same name.
“From these marriages, he had sons, and he named them all Ralph — after himself, from his original name, Ralph Verrone,” David explained. “But he left all those families behind and moved on.”
“My mom wasn’t even sure if he divorced one of the women or if he was still married when he married her,” he added. “But when my parents got together, they had an agreement.”
Jackie Vernon on the set of “A Touch of Grace” in 1973.
David explained that his parents had a unique agreement: Hazel would name any boys, while Jackie could choose the names for the girls.
“She had this idea that a ‘Ralph’ was an unloved kid, a child who was left behind,” David said. “She wanted to make sure I would never be a Ralph. That’s when I realized my mom had a plan to keep Dad with our family and make sure we weren’t abandoned.”
Jackie Vernon in 1965.
During his interview with Sibilia, David also opened up about his father’s struggles with depression and addiction.
“His addiction was mostly to tranquilizers, Quaaludes, and Valium,” David said. “It really took a toll on him, and he had to work very hard to break free from that depression.”
“It was a hard struggle for him,” he added, “and it was hard for us to watch him go through it.”
Despite these personal battles, Jackie reportedly came to embrace his fame as the voice of Frosty in both “Frosty the Snowman” and its 1976 sequel, “Frosty’s Winter Wonderland.”
“One of the last Christmases my dad was around, we all watched it together,” David recalled. “He was so proud, he laughed and enjoyed it. It became a very warm spot in his heart … I loved seeing that for him.”
“Even though Dad did so many other things — working with Judy Garland, Bette Midler, Frank Sinatra — it was Frosty that people remembered him for,” David said. “Newer generations discovered it, and he really embraced it. He accepted that this was what he would be remembered for, and he loved it.”
