TheMajor
2004-01-24 01:22:06 UTC
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,109332,00.html
Friday, January 23, 2004
MONTPELIER, Vt. - Bob Keeshan , who gently entertained generations of
youngsters as TV's walrus-mustachioed Captain Kangaroo and became an
outspoken advocate of less violence and more intelligence on children's
television, died Friday at 76.
Keeshan, who lived in Hartford, Vt., died of a long illness at a hospital in
Windsor, his family said.
"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 and three Peabody Awards.
Each day, the grandfatherly Captain Kangaroo - with his sugar-bowl haircut
and a uniform coat with big pouch pockets that inspired the character's
name - would wander through his Treasure House, chatting with his good
friend Mr. Green Jeans, played by Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum.
On the way, 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.
Psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers , who spent three seasons on the show,
called it "a wonderful service for children and parents."
"Parents could turn on the TV with complete security that what was shown
wouldn't be harmful in any way," Brothers said.
Keeshan, born in Lynbrook, N.Y., became a page at NBC while he was in high
school. 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.
"Captain Kangaroo" debuted on Oct. 3, 1955. After the PBS show ended in
1992, Keeshan continued to play the role for a time in videos and public
appearances.
"Bob Keeshan was was a true pioneer in children's television whose legacy
goes unmatched," CBS chairman Leslie Moonves said. "He was a great
entertainer, showman and innovator, and he will always hold a special place
in the history of CBS and the hearts of television viewers."
While the show felt like an impromptu walk through a child's ideal
playground, it was actually smartly scripted, said Peggy Charren, founder of
Action for Children's Television .
"He never did anything that would disappoint you," Charren said. "He was a
constant in lives that were not always full of constants."
Keeshan, who moved to Vermont in 1990, also remained active as a children's
advocate, writing books, lecturing and lobbying. He criticized today's TV
programs for children as 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.
As for "Barney and Friends," Keeshan found the popular 1990s show gentle but
boring - "what we used to call `a program in a telephone booth."'
"There's no room to stretch," Keeshan said in 1993. "They have to break out
and get away from that and build more characters and build other aspects to
the show."
In 1987, Keeshan and Lamar Alexander - former Tennessee governor and now a
U.S. senator - 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 argued for 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 is survived by a son, two daughters
and six grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.
Friday, January 23, 2004
MONTPELIER, Vt. - Bob Keeshan , who gently entertained generations of
youngsters as TV's walrus-mustachioed Captain Kangaroo and became an
outspoken advocate of less violence and more intelligence on children's
television, died Friday at 76.
Keeshan, who lived in Hartford, Vt., died of a long illness at a hospital in
Windsor, his family said.
"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 and three Peabody Awards.
Each day, the grandfatherly Captain Kangaroo - with his sugar-bowl haircut
and a uniform coat with big pouch pockets that inspired the character's
name - would wander through his Treasure House, chatting with his good
friend Mr. Green Jeans, played by Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum.
On the way, 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.
Psychologist Dr. Joyce Brothers , who spent three seasons on the show,
called it "a wonderful service for children and parents."
"Parents could turn on the TV with complete security that what was shown
wouldn't be harmful in any way," Brothers said.
Keeshan, born in Lynbrook, N.Y., became a page at NBC while he was in high
school. 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.
"Captain Kangaroo" debuted on Oct. 3, 1955. After the PBS show ended in
1992, Keeshan continued to play the role for a time in videos and public
appearances.
"Bob Keeshan was was a true pioneer in children's television whose legacy
goes unmatched," CBS chairman Leslie Moonves said. "He was a great
entertainer, showman and innovator, and he will always hold a special place
in the history of CBS and the hearts of television viewers."
While the show felt like an impromptu walk through a child's ideal
playground, it was actually smartly scripted, said Peggy Charren, founder of
Action for Children's Television .
"He never did anything that would disappoint you," Charren said. "He was a
constant in lives that were not always full of constants."
Keeshan, who moved to Vermont in 1990, also remained active as a children's
advocate, writing books, lecturing and lobbying. He criticized today's TV
programs for children as 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.
As for "Barney and Friends," Keeshan found the popular 1990s show gentle but
boring - "what we used to call `a program in a telephone booth."'
"There's no room to stretch," Keeshan said in 1993. "They have to break out
and get away from that and build more characters and build other aspects to
the show."
In 1987, Keeshan and Lamar Alexander - former Tennessee governor and now a
U.S. senator - 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 argued for 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 is survived by a son, two daughters
and six grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.