Robert James Keeshan (June 27, 1927 – January 23, 2004) was an American television producer and actor. He is most famous as the title character of the children's television program Captain Kangaroo, which became an icon for millions of baby boomers during its 30-year run from 1955-1984.
Keeshan also played the original "Clarabell the Clown" on the Howdy Doody television program.
Youth, education, military
Keeshan was born in Lynbrook, NY. Following his service in the United States Marine Corps Reserve during World War II he attended Fordham University. An urban legend claims that actor Lee Marvin said on "The Tonight Show" that he had fought alongside Keeshan at the Battle of Iwo Jima. However, Marvin never said this, never served on Iwo Jima (having been invalided out after the Battle of Saipan many months before), and Keeshan himself never saw combat, having enlisted too late in the war to go overseas.[1]
Pioneering children's television
Network television programs began shortly after the end of the Second World War. Howdy Doody, an early show which premiered in 1947 on NBC, was one of the first. Debuting on January 3, 1948,[2] Keeshan played "Clarabell the Clown", a silent Auguste clown who communicated by honking several horns attached to a belt around his waist. One horn meant "yes"; another meant "no". Clarabell often sprayed Buffalo Bob Smith with a seltzer bottle and played practical jokes. Keeshan gave up the role in 1952, and was replaced.
By August 1953, Keeshan was back on the air on WABC-TV (New York City), in a new children’s show, Time for Fun. He played Corny the Clown, and this time he spoke.[3] Later that same year, in addition to Time for Fun, Keeshan began Tinker's Workshop, a program aimed at preschoolers, with him playing the grandfather-like Tinker.[4]
Developing ideas from Tinker's Workshop, Keeshan and his long-time friend Jack Miller submitted the concept of Captain Kangaroo to the CBS network, which was looking for innovative approaches to children's television programming. CBS approved the show, and Keeshan starred as the title character when it premiered on CBS on October 3, 1955.[3] Keeshan described his character as based on "the warm relationship between grandparents and children." The show was an immediate success, and he served as its host for nearly three decades. The show ran until 1984.
Recurring characters included Mr. Green Jeans, (played by Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum), and puppets such as "Bunny Rabbit" and "Mr. Moose."
The New York Times commented: "Captain Kangaroo, a round-faced, pleasant, mustachioed man possessed of an unshakable calm ... was one of the most enduring characters television ever produced."[2]
Keeshan also had a Saturday morning show called Mister Mayor during the 1964-65 season. Keeshan, in his role as the central character in both Captain Kangaroo and Mister Mayor, heavily promoted the products of the Schwinn Bicycle Co., a sponsor, directly on-air to his audience.[5] By 1972, Keeshan had introduced another character on Captain Kangaroo to recommend Schwinn products, Mr. Schwinn Dealer[6], due to the Federal Trade Commission ruling against children's show hosts directly endorsing their sponsor's products during their programs after 1969.
Heart Attack and Cancellation
Keeshan suffered a severe heart attack on July 13, 1981 [1], which pushed the start of a revamped version of his show back to at least mid-August. Keeshan suffered the heart attack just moments after stepping off a plane at Toronto International Airport. He had come to the city to accept a children's service award. It was said to be the beginning of the end of Keeshan's career as the captain.
Keeshan underwent triple-bypass surgery and received an estimated 5,000 get-well wishes from children whose lives he had touched over the years [2].
Following the heart attack, Keeshan received three Emmy awards for Outstanding Performer in 1982, 1983, and 1984 [3]. Despite these accolades, Keeshan's show was shortened from its hour-long format to a half hour in 1981, to make room for the expansion of the CBS Morning News lineup. The program was retitled "Wake Up with the Captain", and was moved to a new time slot, at 7 AM. At the start of 1982, the show relocated to an even earlier hour of 6:30 a.m. daily. In the fall of 1982, CBS installed it as a weekend only hour offering, and two years later, in the fall of 1984, the show became a Saturday half hour entry.
Tired of CBS's constant reductions of his show, Keeshan left "Captain Kangaroo" when his contract with the network ended in December 1984, just nine months shy of the show's 30th anniversary. By 1987, repeats of the show were airing daily on many PBS stations.
Keeshan's show was given a farewell of sorts with "Captain Kangaroo and Friends", a prime-time network TV special that aired in 1985.
After Captain Kangaroo
After Captain Kangaroo ended, Keeshan hosted 1985's CBS Storybreak, which featured animated versions of children's literature. Keeshan appeared in framing sequences for the animated stories, showcasing the book versions and suggesting similar books for the viewers to seek out. In 1987, Keeshan founded Corporate Family Solutions with former Tennessee Republican Governor Lamar Alexander. The company provided day-care programs to businesses.
Keeshan lived on Melbury Road in Babylon Village, Long Island, New York before moving to spend the last 14 years of his life in Vermont, where he became a children's advocate as well as an author. His memoirs, entitled Good Morning, Captain, were published in 1995 by Fairview Press. He was a strong advocate against video game violence and took part in congressional hearings in 1993. He also made a rare film appearance in The Stupids in 1996.
He later became an honorary member of Dartmouth College's Class of 1942.
Keeshan died in Windsor, Vermont, on January 23, 2004, at the age of 76. He was survived by three children. His wife of 40 years, Anne Jeanne Laurie Keeshan, had died in 1990. Keeshan's grandson, Britton Keeshan, became the youngest person at that time to have climbed the Seven Summits by climbing Mount Everest in May 2004. He carried photographs of his grandfather on that ascent, and buried a photo of the two of them at the summit.[7]
Keeshan was buried in Saint Joseph's Cemetery in Babylon, New York.
Awards
Keeshan received many awards, including:
Quotes
- "The responsibility of parents is to raise children who do not need parents."
- "Children don't drop out of high school when they are 16, they do so in the first grade and wait 10 years to make it official."[10]
Gallery
Bob Keeshan speaking for United Way at Bok Tower[where?]
See also
References
- ^ Urban Legends Reference Pages: Captain Kangaroo and Lee Marvin
- ^ a b Bob Keeshan, Creator and Star of TV's 'Captain Kangaroo,' Is Dead at 76 - New York Times.
- ^ a b Keeshan, Bob
- ^ Bob Keeshan; Captain Kangaroo, the first Clarabell the Clown.
- ^ Petty, Ross D., Pedaling Schwinn Bicycles: Lessons from the Leading Post-World War II U.S. Bicycle Brand, Babson College, MA (2007) Article
- ^ Petty, Ross D., Pedaling Schwinn Bicycles, p. 6.
- ^ "USATODAY.com - Keeshan spans globe to honor famous 'Kangaroo'". http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2004-06-02-climbing-keeshan_x.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
- ^ "Alfred University, Honorary Degrees, 1960-1969". http://www.herr.alfred.edu/special/archives/histories/honorary/1960.shtml.
- ^ http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/index.cfm
- ^ "KERA: Commentary: Pre-school Rankings (2007-09-06)". http://publicbroadcasting.net/kera/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1140255§ionID=1. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
External links
| Persondata |
| NAME |
Keeshan, Bob |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES |
|
| SHORT DESCRIPTION |
United States Marine |
| DATE OF BIRTH |
June 27, 1927 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH |
Lynbrook, New York |
| DATE OF DEATH |
January 23, 2004 |
| PLACE OF DEATH |
Windsor, Vermont |
