Robert Feder of the Chicago Sun-Times described him as "an avuncular Irishman with a jaunty bow tie [and] a twinkle in his eye".

[1] A six-time Emmy winner,[2] Flynn started his career in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in 1934.

[3] Flynn worked in Chicago from 1941 until his death at a hospital there from internal hemorrhaging in 1983 at age 67.

He then joined Joel Daly as co-anchor at WLS-TV, and by 1971 the pair had become Chicago's highest-rated broadcasting team,[1] retaining the lead in Chicago news ratings through 1979.

Flynn, a history and English major, graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh in 1939 and received the distinguished alumni award in 1978.