Captain Kangaroo 

Daily children's program hosted by Captain Kangaroo (Robert Keeshan).

Creator:

Bob Claver

Stars:

Robert Keeshan, Hugh Brannum, James E. Wall

Nominated for 6 Primetime Emmys. Another 8 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Robert Keeshan	...	Captain Kangaroo 1,112 episodes, 1955-1984

Storyline

In the annals of televison, few children's programs ever made as much impact as this show. Hosted by Robert Keeshan (at one time, he played Howdy Doody's friend, Clarabell) from the appropriately-named Captain's Place, the Captain was so named because he always wore an overcoat with large, kangaroo-like pouches. Each show featured stories, skits, vaudeville acts, songs, games, and other educational activities. Captain Kangaroo's friends were Mr. Green Jeans (who always brought an animal to the show); Dennis, an apprentice handyman and do-it-all person; and Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit. Bunny was always mute, but made his point ever-so-cleverly, while Mr. Moose always tricked the Captain into allowing him to stand under a shower of pingpong balls. As the show got on in years, new features were added, including Uncle Backwards (a tape of some simple action, such as peeling an orange or building a doghouse, shown in reverse); "Picture Pages", a matching activity hosted by Bill Cosby; and ...

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Plot Keywords:

captain kangaroo charactetr | cult favorite | educational | moose | captain | 

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Taglines:

Good news for parents! (and for children) Starting tomorrow at 8, CBS Television presents the gentlest children's show on the air as the kindly Captain Kangaroo recreates the private wonderland of childhood in his Treasure House. It is a "live" and enthralling hour-long program.

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Genres:

Family

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Certificate:

TV-G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several cartoon shorts were featured over the course of the series' run, including: A cartoon starring a funnel-capped shape-shifting boy named Tom Terrific was part of the show in the 1950s and 1960s. Tom had a sidekick named Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog, and a nemesis, Crabby Appleton ("Rotten to the core!"). Other cartoons included Lariat Sam, which was developed by veteran game show announcer Gene Wood, then a show staffer (who also sang the cartoon's theme song). The British cartoon Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings appeared in the 1970s, featuring a child with magic chalk who could create all sorts of short-lived creations in short adventures. (The original version featured a British narrator, Bernard Cribbins, but Keeshan's voice was dubbed onto the cartoons for their U.S. airing). Another British-produced cartoon, Ludwig, about a magical egg-shaped robot, was also included around the same time as Simon. The cartoon's musical score consisted of selections from the works of Beethoven. Also appearing in the 1970s was The Most Important Person, a series of five-minute segments on the importance of life, and The Kingdom of Could Be You, a series of five-minute segments on the importance of careers and the work world. The cartoon series called The Toothbrush Family was based on an extended family of hygiene utensils, as the name suggests; they would embark on adventures based in the bathroom, like water skiing in the tub, or rescuing friends caught in the drain. Episodes were generally a few minutes each and basically revolved around teaching children the importance of dental care. A silent cartoon in the 1970s named Crystal Tipps featured the adventures of a young girl. Later reruns were narrated by the voice of Mr. Moose. Another British favorite, The Wombles, was also featured. The Red & Blue shorts from Italy were also shown. The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo, featuring a family of sea explorers, was featured, as well.

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Alternate Versions

When the series was cancelled from CBS in 1984, the show found a new home on Public Television. From September, 1986 to November, 1992, 65 episodes from the 70's and 80's of the show played on PBS in severely altered re-runs. Altered in the sense that everything except the running storyline of the episode was cut, resulting in the running time dropping from one hour to 12 to 17 minutes. To fill the running time, elements from the 1981-1982 "Wake up" version (none of which were made into PBS versions), and other late episodes, such as Bill Cosby's "Picture Pages" segments, and scenes with Kevin Clash's troupe of puppets, making each episode around 28 minutes on PBS. These versions also featured a new theme song (the much more upbeat "Here Comes Captain Kangaroo!" theme replaced the CBS "Good Morning, Captain" opening) and opening credit segment, showing clips from the series rather than the previous, partly animated opening. One of the many hour-long videos released in 1984-1986 (when the show was between homes) was "Captain Kangaroo and His Friends". This tape featured PBS-like versions of the episodes featuring Joan Rivers, Phil Donahue, and Dolly Parton, as well as scenes with Town Clown and the Bananna Man. New intro's with the Captain were also inserted. Reportedly, this has been aired as a special on PBS during pledge drives while the show was on the air.

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Connections

Referenced in Get Smart: The Mysterious Dr. T (1967)

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Soundtracks

Puffin' Billy (The Captain Kangaroo theme)
by Edward White

User Reviews

What was it like being a child in the 1950's......

If you were a child during the 50's,60's,and 70's,and part of the early 80's there was one show in particular that had children waking up before going to school at 8:00am to catch the continuing escapades of the Captain,Mister Moose(my all time favorite),Bunny Rabbit,and of course good ole Mr. GreenJeans.

What can I say about Captain Kangaroo? I was one of those kids that caught one the episodes before heading off to school and in the process humming the theme song along the way. Arguably,it will be one of the best children shows of all-time and it was one of the best shows ever! By the way,who can remember Mr. Moose playing tricks on the Captain with a batch of ping-pong balls,and Grandfather Clock,and everyone participating with The Dancing Bear,and those short cartoons they used to have....

In the world of what's on TV today that destroys kids' minds and their ideas of creativity,wouldn't be really nice if they brought back the Captain to take us into a magical land where we can relive our fantasies and our wildest dreams to come true.

It would be really nice. Kudos to the father of children's TV for making my childhood a magical place and putting a special place in my heart----Here's to you---Mr. Bob Keeshan!!!! For allowing us and millions of children into your homes each morning!

This was a show that ran for an impressive five decades on television. CBS ran "Captain Kangaroo" from 1955 until 1984. Then the show went into public television from 1984 until 1990,ending an impressive run on children's television. However,after the sudden death of actor Bob Keeshan,they(the producers) decided to bring out a new version of "Captain Kangaroo"(with the same lovable characters and a new actor in the Bob Keeshan who didn't have his heart into it like the original) that was on CBS for one season(on Saturday Mornings),and the next season went into syndication.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

Captain Kangaroo

Filming Locations:

CBS-TV, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Keeshan-Miller Enterprises, Robert Keeshan Associates, CBS Television Network

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (1981-1982 and 1984) 45 min (1957-1961) 60 min (1955-1957, 1961-1981, 1982-1984)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (1955-1967) Color (1967-1993)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1