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Larry ‘Cannonball’ John, star of Salt Lake City children’s show ‘Hotel Balderdash,’ dies at 69

For a generation of children in Utah in the 1970s, the morning routine included checking into a place called Hotel Balderdash.

“It was such a fun show, and I was often late for school because of ‘Hotel Balderdash,’” said Kerry Jackson, co-host of X96’s “Radio From Hell” show.

The show, airing on KTVX from 1972 to 1982, starred Larry John and Randy Lovoi as Cannonball and Harvey, respectively, a dutiful hotel desk manager and a hapless bellhop.

“He was probably the most loving person I’ve ever seen,” Lovoi said Friday from his home in Bountiful. “He just loved everybody.