Captain Kangaroo

Did You Know?

• Bob Keeshan had portrayed the original Clarabell the Clown on NBC's The Howdy Doody Show.
• The Schwinn Bicycle Company was an early sponsor from 1958, and Bob Keeshan would intune 'Schwinn bikes—the quality bikes—are best!' during promotions.
• Captain Kangaroo is still the longest-running children's TV series by episode count, with 6,090 episodes as of October 2024.

Format

The show takes place in and around the Treasure House, later called the Captain's Place, where the Captain would interact with puppets, guests, and other cast members. Each episode began with theme music, then the Captain entered by unlocking and opening the Treasure House doors from inside, after which he placed the keys on a nail and the music ended. If the keys fell off, the theme song played again. At certain times of year, such as Christmas, paper cutout versions of stories like The Littlest Snowman were shown. Several cartoon shorts were featured over the series' run. In the 1950s and 1960s, a cartoon starring a funnel-capped shapeshifting boy named Tom Terrific appeared, with sidekick Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog and archenemy Crabby Appleton. Other cartoons included Lariat Sam, who confronted his nemesis Badlands Meanie with his horse Tippytoes; this was developed by game show announcer Gene Wood, who also sang the theme. The British cartoon Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings aired in the 1970s, featuring a child with magic chalk; Bernard Cribbins narrated the original, but Bob Keeshan's voice was dubbed for U.S. airings. Another British cartoon, Ludwig, about a magical egg-shaped robot, used musical selections from Beethoven. Also in the 1970s were The Most Important Person, five-minute segments on life's importance, and The Kingdom of Could Be You, five-minute segments on careers and the work world.

Theme song

The first theme song, titled 'Puffin' Billy', was used from the show's debut in 1955 until 1974. It was an instrumental piece by Edward G. White, recorded by the Melodi Light Orchestra, from a British stock music library sold through Emil Ascher in New York. The tune originally referred to a British steam locomotive and had been used on various programs, including the BBC radio program Children's Favourites from 1952 to 1966. The 'Puffin' Billy' theme played as the opening, continuing until the Captain hung his keys on a nail, which ended the music abruptly; if the keys slipped off, the music played again. In 1957, lyricist Mary Rogers wrote lyrics to the tune, creating a newly titled Captain Kangaroo song. In 1974, a new theme titled 'Good Morning, Captain' was composed by Robert L. Brush, incorporating melodic elements from the original, so Edward G. White's name was added to the credits. Due to copyright issues, the song was re-recorded in 1979 without the 'Puffin' Billy' portion. During the brief Wake Up With the Captain era, a theme titled 'Wake Up' was used but dropped after the program moved to weekends. For later seasons from 1982 to 1984 and the subsequent PBS run, Lynn Ahrens wrote a new theme, 'Here Comes Captain Kangaroo'. The All New Captain Kangaroo used the opening notes and part of the original theme's melody as its introduction.

Schedule history

While Captain Kangaroo was in planning, CBS executives considered hiring Al Lewis, who hosted a kids' show at WCPO-TV in Cincinnati, but station management refused to release him, so Bob Keeshan was selected. CBS aired the program on weekday mornings, initially live in Eastern and Central time zones at 8:00 am ET/7:00 am CT for its first four years; same-day episodes were broadcast on kinescope for Western audiences. For the first three months, it was only on weekday mornings; from December 1955 until 1968, it also aired Saturday mornings, except in 1964–1965 when replaced by Mr. Mayor. Except for pre-emptions by news or special events, notably the four-day coverage after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the show aired a full 60 minutes on weekday mornings until 1981. In fall 1981, to make room for The CBS Morning News, the show moved to 7:00 am, was cut to 30 minutes, and retitled Wake Up with the Captain. In spring 1982, it moved to 6:30 am; in fall 1982, it returned to an hour format but moved to Saturday mornings at 7:00 am ET. Reruns were offered to affiliates for Sunday morning, but most declined; one-third of affiliates no longer ran the show after 1982. It was reduced to a half-hour in fall 1984, and Keeshan stepped down at the end of 1984 after his contract expired.

1997 reboot

From 1997 to 2000, a rebooted series titled The All New Captain Kangaroo was produced by Saban Entertainment in association with TLC Entertainment, with Eric S. Rollman as executive producer and George Taweel and Rob Loos producing. John McDonough played the Captain; the show was shot in Tampa, Florida, with animal segments at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and SeaWorld in Orlando. Bob Keeshan was invited to appear as 'The Admiral' but declined. Thirteen episodes were produced for syndication, with an additional twenty-seven episodes serving as the centerpiece of a programming block on Fox, Fox Kids Network, and The Family Channel called Captain Kangaroo's Treasure House, which also included reruns of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends and Magic Adventures of Mumfie, plus a spin-off, Mister Moose's Fun Time. When Disney bought Fox Family, the reboot and spin-off were shelved, allegedly because they advertised Busch Gardens and SeaWorld, rivals of Walt Disney World.