Like most kids, I loved the daily kid shows that were on in my pre-school days. Local show Uncle Al was probably my favorite with a close second by nationally syndicated Captain Kangaroo. His real name was Bob Keeshan and he had a show from 1955-84 on the CBS network. That’s quite a long haul. I remember Mr. Greenjeans and that bizarre moose that hung out with him.
I had purchased the photo below probably ten years before ever actually mailing it off to him, finding it a stack of stills at some film memorabila show or other. I’m not sure what the occasion was for Captain Kangaroo to be hanging around with Edith Bunker…er, Jean Stapleton, but for years I hung onto this photograph. Finally, during my huge autograph collecting kick of 1997-98, I mailed it out to Bob Keeshan around August 7, 1997. It came back signed on September 29 and he signed both his real and stage name.
I toyed with the idea of sending it off to Jean Stapleton, but then thought against it, not wanting to risk my only signature of my childhood icon.
Autographs of 1997 will continue…
Captain Kangaroo was great! This show holds a special feeling in my heart. I remember being a new mommy and each morning I would sit in my wooden rocking chair holding Susan and we watched Captain Kangaroo and rocked for the whole hour. Loved this special time we spent together!
Bev
April 14th, 2008
Your still of Bob Keeshan and Jean Stapleton is probably from “Good Evening, Captain,” a prime-time tribute that CBS aired on August 21, 1981. What do you think the odds would be that *today’s* CBS would actually run an uplifting program for children in the lucrative slot opposite “Today”? Although, given the fact that CBS’s morning show is perennially in third place or worse against NBC and ABC, maybe something like “Captain Kangaroo” would be a good idea.
Randy Skretvedt
April 15th, 2008