Cpt. Kangaroo dead

[DMZ-LT]

Bob Keeshan dies at 76. He joined the Marines in 1945. First TV appearance was in 1948 when he played Clarabell the Clown on the Howdy Doody Show Cpt. Kangaroo premired in 1955 on CBS and ran for 30 years, then ran on public TV for 6 more years. I remember sitting on the floor watching his show on an old black and white TV. Thank you Cpt. Kangaroo , wish my grandson could have met you but you can bet I'll be telling him what I was watching when I was his age. Salute. Ask for Sgt Skokan when you get there , he'll show you around

[39mto39g]

Mr. Green jeans, Clarabell, What a great show for kids.

Ron

[MORTARDUDE]

Mr Rogers, Captain Kangaroo, Buffalo Bob ( Howdy Doody ), Pinky Lee, and Soupy Sales..... A big part of my childhood and my children's. Rest In Peace.

Bob Keeshan, Captain Kangaroo, Dies at 76


(AP) Bob Keeshan appears in character as Captain Kangaroo on the television show's set at CBS in New...


Bob Keeshan, who gently entertained and educated generations of children as television's walrus-mustachioed Captain Kangaroo, died Friday at 76.

Keeshan, who lived in Hartford, Vt., died of a long illness, his family said in a statement.

Keeshan's "Captain Kangaroo" premiered on CBS in 1955 and ran for 30 years before moving to public television for six more. It was wildly popular among children and won six Emmy Awards, three Gabriels and three Peabody Awards.

The format was simple: Each day, Captain Kangaroo, with his sugar-bowl haircut and uniform coat, would wander through his Treasure House, chatting with his good friend Mr. Green Jeans, played by Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum.


(AP) Bob Keeshan, a.k.a. Captain Kangaroo, gestures during his keynote address to the 5th annual Early...
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He would visit with puppet animals, like Bunny Rabbit, who was scolded for eating too many carrots, and Mr. Moose, who loved to tell knock-knock jokes.

But the show revolved about the grandfatherly Captain Kangaroo, whose name was inspired by the kangaroo pouch-like pockets of the coat Keeshan wore.

"I was impressed with the potential positive relationship between grandparents and grandchildren, so I chose an elderly character," Keeshan said.

In a statement issued by his son Michael, Keeshan's family said: "Our father, grandfather and friend was as passionate for his family as he was for America's children. He was largely a private man living an often public life as an advocate for all that our nation's children deserve."

Keeshan, born in Lynbrook, N.Y., became a page at NBC while he was in high school. He joined the Marine Corps in 1945.


(AP) Bob Keeshan, best known as Captain Kangaroo, reacts as he gets teary eyed after being inducted into...
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His first television appearance came in 1948, when he played the voiceless, horn-honking Clarabell the Clown on the "Howdy Doody Show," a role he created and played for five years.

Later he played Corny the clown, the host of a noontime cartoon program in New York City.

"Captain Kangaroo" debuted on Oct. 3, 1955, and Keeshan remained in that role until 1993.

Keeshan, who moved to Vermont in 1990, remained active as a children's advocate, writing books, lecturing and lobbying on behalf of children's issues.

He was critical of today's TV programs for children, saying they were too full of violence. And he spoke wherever he went about the importance of good parenting.

"Parents are the ultimate role models for children," he said. "Every word, movement and action has an effect. No other person or outside force has a greater influence on a child than the parent."

When Fred Rogers, the gentle host of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," died last year, Keeshan recalled how they often spoke about the state of children's programming.

"I don't think it's any secret that Fred and I were not very happy with the way children's television had gone," Keeshan said.

In 1987, Keeshan and former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander co-founded Corporate Family Solutions, an organization that provided day-care programs to businesses around the country.

Keeshan believed children learn more in the first six years of life than at any other time and was a strong advocate of day care that provides emotional, physical and intellectual development for children.

"Play is the work of children. It's very serious stuff. And if it's properly structured in a developmental program, children can blossom," he said.

Keeshan's wife, Jeanne, died in 1990. He had three children.

[thedrifter]

BOB KEESHAN ? TV Personality

Keeshan was the creator and star of the long-running children's morning show Captain Kangaroo. Gentle and reassuring, with a bright red jacket and crown of silver hair, Captain Kangaroo read books, visited with animals, and cavorted with a cast of regulars including the folksy handyman Mr. Greenjeans and the puppets Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit. (Mr. Moose's knock-knock jokes ended with ping-pong balls falling from the ceiling; Bunny Rabbit invariably tricked the Captain out of bunches of carrots.) The show ran in various forms on the CBS network from 1955-1984; its heyday was the 1960s and 1970s, when it ran for an hour every weekday morning. Keeshan had earlier played Clarabell the Clown on the popular Howdy Doody TV show from 1947-52. After Captain Kangaroo ended, Keeshan continued to be an eager and outspoken advocate for quality children's programming.

Extra credit: Keeshan's 1995 memoirs were titled Good Morning, Captain... Mr. Greenjeans was played by veteran actor Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum... Clarabell the Clown didn't speak, honking a horn instead... Actor John McDonough played Captain Kangaroo in a short-lived 1990s revival of the show, The All-New Captain Kangaroo... Keeshan was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Hall of Fame in 1998... Keeshan's long early-morning run coincided roughly with the long late-night run of Johnny Carson.

Keeshan joined the Marine Corps in 1945 but did not see action in World War II; the popular Internet rumor that he fought on Iwo Jima alongside actor Lee Marvin is not true. For details, see our loop Legends of E-Mail.


http://www.who2.com/bobkeeshan.html

Another Marine at the Gates......

May He Rest In Peace


Sempers,

Roger

[BLUEHAWK]

Glad you posted this... I shall miss him.

[Boats]

I thought it was Ray Rainer!! WGN He was on a long time ago and I have to admit I watched him. The old Captain I thought he died sometime ago?

Maybe I'm wrong.

[Jerry D]

God bless and Rest In Peace.

Bob Keeshan, Captain Kangaroo

you will be missed .......