Post by LS on Jan 23, 2004 16:02:25 GMT -5
'Captain Kangaroo' Dies
Montpelier, Vt. -- Long Island native 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., and was born in Lynbrook, 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.
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."
Born in Lynbrook on June 27, 1927, to a grocery store manager and a housewife, Keeshan was educated in the New York City public school system. At Forest Hills High School, teachers recognized in his voice a nascent talent for broadcasting, and pushed him toward a radio career.
He joined the Marine Corps in 1945.
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 the author of nine books and the recipient of 17 honorary university degrees, Keeshan, moved to Vermont in his retirement and had three children and six grandchildren.
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.
His legacy lived on long after the show ended, and people who had worked around him were instrumental in furthering his philosophy about children's TV programming. . Longtime "Kangaroo" producer David Connell assisted the 1960s creation of "Sesame Street." And from his puppet work with Keeshan in the '80s, Kevin Clash moved on to The Muppets, where he has created Elmo and other beloved characters.
He also was a tireless advocate for changes in what the TV networks were aiming at children.
"I think people today probably need more of this kind of programing than they did years ago," Keeshan insisted in 1987 in discussing shows like his. "Children have become our principal underclass. We're doing less for them than we should be."
In 1986, he even testified before Congress in support of a bill that aimed to limit the exposure of children to television.
He warned that television programers might be sowing "the seeds of a bitter harvest" with the shows that were making it into the nation's living rooms That fall, he returned to television with another children's show that was produced in New York City, but on tape, unlike the live broadcasts from his days as Captain Kangaroo.
The bill would grant TV broadcasters an exemption from antitrust laws so they could jointly discuss and implement industrywide standards on TV violence or take other action concerning TV violence seen by children.
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.
Montpelier, Vt. -- Long Island native 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., and was born in Lynbrook, 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.
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."
Born in Lynbrook on June 27, 1927, to a grocery store manager and a housewife, Keeshan was educated in the New York City public school system. At Forest Hills High School, teachers recognized in his voice a nascent talent for broadcasting, and pushed him toward a radio career.
He joined the Marine Corps in 1945.
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 the author of nine books and the recipient of 17 honorary university degrees, Keeshan, moved to Vermont in his retirement and had three children and six grandchildren.
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.
His legacy lived on long after the show ended, and people who had worked around him were instrumental in furthering his philosophy about children's TV programming. . Longtime "Kangaroo" producer David Connell assisted the 1960s creation of "Sesame Street." And from his puppet work with Keeshan in the '80s, Kevin Clash moved on to The Muppets, where he has created Elmo and other beloved characters.
He also was a tireless advocate for changes in what the TV networks were aiming at children.
"I think people today probably need more of this kind of programing than they did years ago," Keeshan insisted in 1987 in discussing shows like his. "Children have become our principal underclass. We're doing less for them than we should be."
In 1986, he even testified before Congress in support of a bill that aimed to limit the exposure of children to television.
He warned that television programers might be sowing "the seeds of a bitter harvest" with the shows that were making it into the nation's living rooms That fall, he returned to television with another children's show that was produced in New York City, but on tape, unlike the live broadcasts from his days as Captain Kangaroo.
The bill would grant TV broadcasters an exemption from antitrust laws so they could jointly discuss and implement industrywide standards on TV violence or take other action concerning TV violence seen by children.
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.