HOWDY DOODY

HOWDY DOODY

(NBC, December 27, 1947-September 24, 1960)

National Broadcasting Company

MAIN CAST:

Buffalo Bob Smith – Himself, Howdy Doody (1947-54), Phineas T. Bluster, Dilly Dally, Inspector John J. Fadoozle, Flubadub

Allen Swift – Howdy Doody, Phineas T. Bluster, Dilly Dally, Inspector John J. Fadoozle, Flubadub (all 1954-60)

Bob Keeshan – Clarabell the Clown (until 1952), various

Lew Anderson – Clarabell the Clown (1955-60)

Bill LeCornec (until 1952) – Chief Thunderthud, Dilly Dally, various

Dayton Allen (until 1952) – Sir Archibald, Clarabell (Keeshan’s stand-in), various

Bobby “Nick” Nicholson – J. Cornelius Cobb (1952, 1955-60), Clarabell the Clown (1953-54)

Rufus Rose – J. Cornelius Cobb (1953-54), Sandra the Witch

            Bob Smith got his start working in radio in his hometown of Buffalo, New York at WGR before moving to WBEN; where he managed to help the network beat WGR’s #1 morning program in the ratings. After gaining the attention of NBC, he was brought to New York City to serve as the early morning host on WNBC where he became known as Buffalo Bob (a double reference to his home and the frontier hero Buffalo Bill). While there, Smith performed a voice for a character whose trademark was opening show by saying “Howwwwwdy Doody.”

The original Howdy Doody.

            NBC’s television division was looking to expand their roster of children’s programs at about the time Smith was contemplating a move to television. Executive E. Roger Muir noticed the popularity of Smith’s show and decided to bring Smith’s voices to life via puppetry. Christened “Howdy Doody”, the initial marionet was designed by Frank Paris featuring a large chin and a crop of wild hair. Smith continued to provide the voice for Howdy, but he wasn’t a ventriloquist. A system was set up where typically after a verbal cue, the director would cut to a shot of Howdy that Smith could see on a screen past the puppet which would signal him to deliver Howdy’s lines. As Smith also voiced several other puppet characters, cue cards used on the set we rendered in different colors to tell Smith which character he was supposed to be providing the dialogue for at a given time. By 1949, the puppets’ dialogue was pre-recorded and played during the live broadcasts.

Buffalo Bob in front of the Peanut Gallery.

            Howdy Doody debuted on NBC on December 27, 1947 under the name Puppet Playhouse Presents before it was changed within a week. It became the first nationally-televised children’s program, as well as one of the first to air in color (one episode in 1953, and a full week in 1954, mostly as a way to help push the sales of color televisions). Initially, the show was given a circus setting but was quickly changed to the western town of “Doodyville”. A group of kids were on hand in the studio audience called The Peanut Gallery. Each show was opened with Smith asking “Say, kids, what time is it?” to which the kids replied in unison “It’s Howdy Doody Time!” The kids would then proceed to sing the show’s theme song set to the tune of “Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay”. The kids would also sing the jingles of the various sponsors for the commercial breaks under the leadership of Smith or Howdy. Howdy Doody was one of the first television programs with audience participation as a major feature. The Peanut Gallery inspired the executives at United Features Syndicate to name Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip Peanuts, much to his chagrin.

Clarabell the Clown.

To help keep the kids on their best behavior and to quiet the anxious ones, the character of Clarabell the Clown was introduced. Clarabell was mute and communicated in mime, by honking a horn on his belt, and squirting seltzer (usually on Smith). Clarabell was portrayed by Bob Keeshan or several stand-ins when Keeshan was needed for another function on the show. In 1952, Keeshan left and became the host of his own successful children’s show, Captain Kangaroo. Clarabell was then played by Bobby “Nick” Nicholson and finally Lew Anderson for the remainder of the show’s run. Other puppet characters included Heidi Doody, a stranger who saved Smith’s life and was adopted as Howdy’s sister; Phineas T. Bluster (Smith), skinflint and mayor of Doodyville; Phineas’ brothers Hector Hamhock and Don Jose and nephew Petey; Princess SummerFallWinterSpring (began as a puppet until she was taken over by Judy Tyler, then returned to puppet form upon Tyler’s death in 1953 voiced by Linda Marsh); Dilly Dally (Smith), Howdy’s boyhood friend; Inspector John J. Fadoozle (Smith), a private eye; Flub-a-Dub (Smith), a mixture of 8 different animals; and shopkeeper J. Cornelius Cobb (Nicholson), who had a strong dislike for clowns. Other human characters included Native Americans Chief Thunderthud (Bill LeCornec) and Chief Featherman, used to emphasize the show’s western theme.

Princess SummerWinterFallSpring in live and puppet forms.

Howdy Doody began on Saturday nights as an hour live program and quickly rose in popularity. NBC expanded the show with two additional airings during the week, and soon to a daily half-hour program. Each new market NBC began broadcasting to became enamored with the show, increasing its viewership tremendously. Pregnant women would often write in for an attempt to get a seat in The Peanut Gallery for their children by the time they were four (only 40 kids were allowed by fire department regulations, and no one got in without a ticket). NBC was sure to suitably market the show with lunch boxes, shirts, cereal premiums, and home versions of Howdy. Head writer Edward Kean wrote many of the comics published by Dell from 1950-56, as well as the Sunday-only comic strip from United Features Syndicate (with additional writing by Stan Lee). UPA was even commissioned to produce an animated special, Howdy Doody and his Magic Hat, marking the directorial debut of Gene Deitch, and international versions of the program aired in Mexico and Canada.

Buffalo Bob with the revised Howdy Doody.

This success came with a cost. Paris felt that since he created the puppet, he was due a larger portion of the profits, and often got into heated arguments with Smith and the producers about it. In 1948, he walked off the show with the puppet. While a new one was being fabricated, the show used the storyline it established about Howdy running for President to explain his absence by saying he was out campaigning. Further, it was said that in order for Howdy to beat his rival, Mr. X (revealed to be the Inspector), he had to become more handsome and got plastic surgery. Howdy’s new head was designed by Disney artist Thelma Thomas and built by Velma Dawson. He now had big ears, a goofy smile, a solid head of red wooden hair and 48 freckles (representing the number of American states at the time). Rhoda Mann took over controlling Howdy. Paris attempted to put an injunction on NBC to stop them from using the name “Howdy Doody”, but the courts sided with NBC and Smith. Paris was also unable to use the original puppet in another production. Further, Keeshan, Allen, LeCornec and Mann all left the show in 1952 over a salary dispute.

Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney stop by Howdy Doody while Gabby Hayes hosts.

Smith kept himself busy. In 1948, NBC gave him another show, The Bob Smith Show, to try and work his charms on the parents as he had their kids. Smith continued hosting his radio show on WNBC, and in 1952 added a radio version of Howdy Doody that allowed him to be more innovative with the concept. Guitarist Tony Mottola and organist Doc Whipple played on the show with Howdy’s washboard band. In 1954, Smith took on another show from 10-11 AM to compete with Arthur Godfrey and a midday local TV program. It turned out to be a little too much as Smith suffered a heart attack that year and was ordered to remain home for recovery. Smith’s absence from the show was explained that he was vacationing at Pioneer Village while actor Gabby Hayes and disc jockey Ted Brown filled in for him. NBC was willing to give Smith the time to recover, but sponsors were getting anxious; they wanted him to sell their wares. A temporary studio was set up in Smith’s home so that he could make appearances on the program. Allen Swift took over voicing Howdy and Smith’s other puppet roles, and kept on doing them for the remainder of the program even after Smith’s eventual return.

Buffalo Bob with Howdy and Flubadub.

            By 1956, Howdy Doody was losing favor with the network. While his original audience was outgrowing him and a new audience moved in to take their places, the fact was the show was taking up a good chunk of NBC’s schedule that could be used for more profitable adult programming. The weekday versions were dropped in favor of a Saturday morning version, replacing The Pinky Lee Show. To further cut costs associated with Howdy Doody, the program was no longer broadcast live. Five weeks of shows were filmed at a time to be broadcast later; after which the sets would be struck and the studio space used for other programs.

As the decade was coming to a close, the landscape for children’s television began to change and NBC no longer had a place for Howdy. After 2,343 episodes, the show was cancelled on September 24, 1960. The final episode was an hour-long retrospective of the entire program. The stand-out moment was that Clarabell finally spoke, saying a somber “Goodbye, kids.” “Auld Lang Syne”, the song most would recognize from New Year’s celebrations, played as the credits rolled over the empty, darkened set, followed by the announcement that The Shari Lewis Show would replace it the following week. The main Howdy puppet currently resides in the Detroit Institute of Arts following a custody battle between the museum and the family of Rose, who wanted to sell it at auction.

Buffalo Bob on the set with the star of Happy Days, Ron Howard.

The 1970s brought a wave of nostalgia for the 1950s, capped off with the successful film American Graffiti and the show Happy Days. Smith and Howdy returned for an episode of Happy Days entitled “The Howdy Doody Show”. Shortly after, Nicholson-Muir Productions, owned by Nicholson and Muir, secured the rights from NBC to produce a new version of the program. The New Howdy Doody Show was filmed out of Miami and aired in syndication. LeCornec returned to play the fictional producer of the show, Nicholson Muir, and Nicholson and Anderson returned to their roles of J. Cornelius Cobb and Clarabell, respectively. Howdy was redesigned and given a mop of real hair. Unfortunately, it was hard to recapture the magic of the original program; especially as networks were pressed to schedule the show and rarely did so on a consistent basis. They tried to play things towards the returning fans instead of just focusing on the current children, and the audience (now numbering 400, a mix of children and adults) was only used for certain parts to make it easier to film. The show only lasted six months, from August 1976 until January 1977.

The 40-episode collection DVD.

In 2001, NBC Home Video licensed Image Entertainment to release four VHS tapes and four discs collecting four episodes each from between 1957 and 1960; with one episode from 1953 also included. In 2008, Mill Creek Entertainment was licensed to release Howdy Doody Show: 40 Episodes 1949-1954 comprised of fan-selected episodes and the finale, as well as a 20 episode collection. The earliest episodes of Howdy Doody have fallen into the pubic domain and have been made available online.

EPISODE GUIDE:

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LUNCH WITH SOUPY SALES

LUNCH WITH SOUPY SALES

(ABC, Syndication, October 3, 1959-January, 1962)

ABC Television Network

MAIN CAST:

Soupy Sales – Host

Clyde Adler – Puppeteer, various

        Milton Soupman was a comedian, actor and media personality probably best known by his stage name: Soupy Sales. Initially interested in journalism, Soupy became a writer and disc jockey at radio station WHTN (now WVHU) in West Virginia, while also performing comedy in clubs. He then became a morning DJ in Cincinnati. Initially, he adopted the stage name Soupy Hines from his childhood nickname of Soup Bone. After he became established, it was decided that his name seemed too similar to the Heinz soup company, so he changed it to Sales after vaudeville comedian Chic Sale.

Soupy in his signature "costume".

            Soupy’s television career began in 1950 as the host of Soupy’s Soda Shop, TV’s first teenage dance television program, followed by Club Nothing, a talk show that incorporated Soupy’s zany brand of comedy. In 1953, Soupy joined Detroit’s WXYZ-TV, an ABC affiliate, where he began doing The Soupy Sales Show. Soupy opted not to don some kind of silly costume for the show, convinced by a colleague who dressed as a clown that in sacrificing his anonymity off the air, he also couldn’t be easily replaced by putting someone else in the suit. Soupy chose to wear a large polka-dot bowtie, a disheveled top hat, and a sweater that became his signature outfit (the tie would shrink over the years). 

Soupy enjoying his lunch with the audience.

ABC gained interest in the local program and slated it as the summer replacement for Kukla, Fran and Ollie in 1955. Although hopes were dashed at the network picking up the show on a permanent basis, Soupy found more work at WXYZ in the form of 12 O’Clock Comics (soon renamed Lunch with Soupy Sales since he always ate his lunch with his audience), a daily daytime kids’ show that consistently outperformed the network offerings, and the late-night show Soupy’s On which often featured jazz musicians whose venues would often sell out after an appearance. ABC took another look at Soupy and offered him a Saturday slot for Lunch.

Pookie drops by the window for a visit.

Lunch with Soupy Sales debuted on ABC on October 3, 1959. Airing at noon (traditionally considered lunchtime), Lunch was an unscripted variety show aimed at children. While they had a general idea of where an episode would go and what would happen, improvisation was their key to success. The setting of the show was Soupy’s kitchen (as opposed to his living room in other versions of the show) where he would interact with a host of puppet co-stars: White Fang, the country’s biggest and meanest dog (carried over from Soupy’s radio days, seen only as a white and black furred clawed arm that came in from off-camera); Black Tooth, a sweet dog with an incoherent growl (created to be White Fang’s opposite); Pookie, a happy-go-lucky lion that initially was mute, but eventually gained a voice and a hipster personality and often lip synched to novelty records and pre-recorded bits (the puppet was found in a prop box at the studio); and Willie the Worm, a latex accordion worm that lived in an apple, always had a sneezing cold, and read birthday greetings to local kids. All of the puppets were performed by Clyde Adler, who also filled in any other role as needed; especially the “man at the door”, whose arms were the only thing visible on camera when Soupy answered the door. 

Soupy being berated by the "man at the door".

Soupy’s comedic styling was slapstick in nature, which often meant his shows involved pratfalls or his being hit by some kind of object—most notably a cream pie, especially when he answered the door. In fact, the pie was his signature gag in all of his programs, and it was estimated that he had been hit with tens of thousands in his career. Celebrity guests who appeared on the show also never left without getting one slapped into their own faces. These routines would inspire Fred Rogers to get into television in order to provide more educational content to children. Other recurring bits were his signature dance, the Soupy Shuffle, and “Words of Wisdom”, whereby Soupy would impart smart-sounding nonsense. Soupy also incorporated his love of jazz into the program whenever possible.

Soupy and friend thoroughly creamed.

            After the first season, production of the show moved to Hollywood. It remained on ABC until March of 1961 when the network cancelled it; however, it continued on as a local show until January of 1962. ABC wasn’t done with Soupy, recognizing his immense popularity in the area. Immediately following the cancellation, they gave him a new Friday night version of The Soupy Sales Show to replace The Steve Allen Show. Eventually, The Soupy Sales Show moved production to New York City where it lasted until 1966. Soupy would go on to have a career appearing on and hosting game shows, as well as one final revival of The Soupy Sales Show in 1979. Because of the lack of archival practices of the time, and the fact that the earlier shows were done live, the majority of Lunch with Soupy Sales had either been destroyed or erased. 

EPISODE GUIDE:

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CAPTAIN KANGAROO

CAPTAIN KANGAROO

(CBS, October 3, 1955-December 8, 1984)

Keeshan-Miller Enterprises, Robert Keeshan Associates, CBS Television Network

MAIN CAST:

Bob Keeshan – Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Pennywhistle, Mr. Doodle, Wally, Town Clown

Hugh “Lumpy” Brannum – Mr. Green Jeans, the New Old Folk Singer, Percy, Uncle Backwards, Mr. McGregor, Mr. Bainter the Painter

Cosmo Allegretti – Mr. Bunny Rabbit, Mr. Moose, Dennis the Apprentice, Willy, Miss Frog, Mr. Whispers, Dancing Bear, Grandfather Clock, Uncle Ralph, TV Fred

Sam Levine (1955-74) – The Banana Man

Bill McCutcheon (1965-68) – Mr. Homan

Jane Connell (1965-68) – Mrs. Homan

James Wall – Mr. Baxter (1968-78)

Debbie Weems (1973-78) – Debbie, Baby Duck

John Burstein (1978-81) – Slim Goodbody

Bill Cosby (1980-84) – Himself

Kevin Clash (1980-84) – Artie, various

Carolyn Mignini (1981-83) – Kathy, various

          Conceived by star Bob Keeshan based on the “warm relationship between grandparents and children”, Captain Kangaroo became the longest-running national network children’s show (and the longest-running overall until it was passed by Sesame Street in 1999, where many people who worked on Kangaroo went to work following its conclusion).

The Captain.

            Keeshan, along with long-time friend and director Jack Miller, had taken notice of the success of The Uncle Al Show—a local children’s show out of Cincinnati, Ohio—and approached the network they were currently working for, ABC, with the idea to produce one of their own. However, the network had previously attempted and failed at doing so before and passed on the idea. Pitching it again a year later, they were given the weekend to have the show ready for a pilot on Monday morning. Working with the station’s crew, they created a set and a costume, Keeshan dyed his hair gray after being unable to get a wig done, and used music from the station’s library to come up with Tinker’s Workshop. Debuting on November 15, 1954, the series centered on kindly toymaker Tinker (Keeshan) in his toyshop somewhere in a Swiss village, where he would use kids’ love of toys and play to impart important values, skills and other lessons to their audience in between reruns of old theatrical shorts.

Keeshan as the Tinker.

         CBS was on the constant lookout for innovative approaches to children’s television programming at this time. In the summer of 1955, they approached Keeshan and Miller about coming up with a similar show to Tinker for them. They decided to try and create a better format with a kindly old tour guide and captain of the guard of a children’s museum called “The Treasure House.” Keeshan got out of his contract with ABC and the network bought out the rights to Tinker, leaving Keeshan and Miller free to develop the new show for CBS. The result was Captain Kangarro.

Mr. Green Jeans and Dancing Bear prepare a cake for the Captain.

            Captain Kangaroo debuted on CBS on October 3, 1955. Keeshan played the title character The Captain, who was given the nickname “kangaroo” due to the large pockets on his trademark jacket (originally blue, but later red). Initially, CBS wanted Al Lewis to host, but he wouldn’t be released from his contractual obligations to host The Uncle Al Show.  The show didn’t have a strict format; the only constant was that the entirety of the action took place in or around The Captain’s house, known initially as The Treasure House and later The Captain’s Place. However, there were recurring segments and bits, such as “Reading Stories” sessions where The Captain would read a book to his audience, The Magic Drawing Board where he would interact with animated characters, and a running gag of his getting ping pong balls dumped on him. For the show’s introduction, The Captain would enter the House/Place and hang his keys on the hook, which would then cause the theme song to stop playing. However, sometimes The Captain would miss the hook or drop the keys, and the song would continue playing until they were finally hung. The Captain would end each the show encouraging parents to spend some time with their children, first directly to them and later more subtlety via a song listing activities to do outside instead of watching television. The first show of each month was also when The Captain would wish a happy birthday to every kid who celebrated that month.

The Captain with Mr. Green Jeans, Dancing Bear, Mr. Moose and Mr. Bunny.

The Captain would interact with a variety of characters. On the human side was farmer Mr. Green Jeans (Hugh “Lumpy” Brannum), the mute Town Clown (also Keeshan) and Sam Levine as The Banana Man. There were animals like the silent Dancing Bear, living appliances like the rhyming Grandfather Clock, and puppets like Mr. Bunny and Mr. Moose (all Cosmo Allegretti, who was the primary puppeteer for the show). Levine had purchased the props and gimmicks from musical comedian Adolf Proper’s estate and resurrected The Banana Man for the show. His gimmicks included communication through sounds and instruments, quick costume changes, and pulling an impossible number of props from his coat pockets. He played the role until his death in 1974.

The Captain and Mr. Green Jeans with Mr. Baxter, Debbie and Dennis the Apprentice.

             As the show went on, more cast and characters came and left. In 1965, Bill McCutcheon and Jane Connell joined as friends Mr. and Mrs. Homan. Stage manager James E. Wall talked his way into the audition to play Mr. Baxter in 1968, turning Captain Kangaroo into one of the first integrated children’s shows on television. Debbie Weems appeared as Debbie and provided the voice for the puppet character Baby Duck. A decade later, John Burstein joined as Slim Goodbody, who wore a suit displaying the parts of the human body and offered tips on nutrition and exercise (in compliance with the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare’s push for more educational content on television). Puppeteer Kevin Clash would not only control the puppet character Artie, but would appear as himself in many sketches. Carolyn Mignini was the last new cast member added, playing Kathy and a variety of other female roles.

             In 1978, local Pittsburg children’s show Picture Pages was integrated into Captain Kangaroo. Created by Julius Oleinick in 1974, the show interacted with its audience via puzzle booklets given away at local supermarkets. The Captain would conduct a series of lessons on basic arithmetic, geometry and drawing on his magic drawing board. In 1980, Bill Cosby was brought on to take over the segment and drew with the aid of his character-topped magic marker named Mortimer Ichabod Marker, or M.I. for short. When Captain Kangaroo ended, the segment was adopted as part of Nickelodeon’s Pinwheel until that series was cancelled in 1989.

             Celebrities and fellow children’s show stars often made a habit of stopping by to visit The Captain; particularly beginning in 1974 when the show began with people (including non-celebrities) wishing The Captain a “good morning”. Among their number was Dr. Joyce Brothers, Shari Lewis, Dudley Moore, Carol Channing, Lorne Greene, Eli Wallach, Dolly Parton, Walter Cronkite, Marlo Thomas, Carrie Fisher, Danny Aiello, Anita Gillette, Andy Griffith, Doc Severinsen, Mae Questel, Emmett Kelly, Hank Aaron, Marty Brill, Stubby Kaye, Bob Denver, John Ritter, Jean Stapleton, Frank Gifford, Fred Rogers, Big Bird (Caroll Spinney), and William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy (in character as Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, respectively).

Mr. Rogers stops by The Treasure House.

             Along with the live-action routines, there were a number of cartoon shorts shown throughout the program. While two were created specifically for Captain Kangaroo, the majority of them were imported from other countries. They included:

             Tom Terrific, running from 1957-59 and rerun for years after. Created by Gene Deitch under the CBS-owned Terrytoons studio, the series focused on a boy hero who lived in a treehouse and could transform himself into anything via his magic “thinking cap”. Along with his lazy sidekick, Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog, he battled the evil forces of Crabby Appleton, Mr. Instant the Instant Thing King, Captain Kidney Bean, Sweet Tooth Sam the Candy Bandit and Isotope Feeney the Meany. The show was done in a simple style reminiscent of children’s drawings, and every character was voiced by Lionel Wilson. 26 episodes were produced and were aired in five parts across each episode of a given week. For the Saturday broadcast, the episodes were edited into a two-part adventure with all of the daily cliffhangers and recaps removed.

             Alternating with Tom Terrific every other week was The Adventures of Lariat Sam. Created by notable game show announcer Gene Wood, the cartoon was a western comedy centering on sheriff Sam, who protected the tiny town of Bent Saddle with his poetry-reading horse, Tippytoes. Their primary foe was the outlaw Badlands Meeney and his stooge, J. Skulking Bushwack. Sam often defeated them, as the title implied, by using his lasso and manipulating it in various physics-defying ways. Dayton Allen provided all the character voices, and Wood sang the theme song himself. Like Tom Terrific, the series was animated by Terrytoons.

            The Most Important Person was a mixed animated and live-action series of 60 shorts produced by Sutherland Learning Associates. They helped translate everyday things in the life of children so that they could be better understood and allow them to develop a strong sense of self-awareness and self-importance. A spin-off series, The Kingdom of Could Be You, explored various occupations and gave children an idea of what they could become when they grew up. Both series were made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Child Development, and were later syndicated individually or as part of other children’s programs.

         Produced for the BBC between 1971 and 1974, Crystal Tipps and Alistair followed the adventures of a young girl and her dog in a fanciful world. The 5-minute shorts were created by Hilary Hayton and Graham McCallum, who drew the artwork using felt markers and an airbrush. The series was produced and animated by Q3 of London, which was formed by former BBC executive Michael Grafton-Robinson specifically for these shorts and another series, Fingerbobs, instead of expanding the BBC’s Children’s Department of Graphics Unit into a full-blown animation studio. The shorts were silent except for the music accompaniment by Paul Reade. However, when aired on Captain Kangaroo, Allegretti added voice-over narration in his Mr. Moose voice.

             The Wombles was a stop-motion British cartoon made from 1973-75 by FilmFair Productions. It was based on a series of children’s novels created by Elisabeth Beresford about fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures that lived in burrows and helped the environment by collecting and creatively recycling trash. Two seasons of 30 five-minute episodes were produced, with Bernard Cribbins supplying all of the voices and Barry Leith crafting all the sets and models.

             Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings was another British animated series from 1974 created by Edward McLachlan and produced by FilmFair. Young Simon had a magic chalkboard on which things he drew came to life in the Land of Chalk Drawings that Simon could enter by climbing over a fence near his home. The 5-minute episodes dealt with the unintended consequences Simon’s drawings had over the Land. Originally narrated by Cribbins, Keeshan dubbed over it with a new narration when it aired on his show.

             Ludwig was another British import about a magical egg-shaped gemstone that lived in a forest and often came to the rescue of the animals that dwelled there. Ludwig possessed facets that could open up to reveal arms, legs, or various gadgets whenever he needed them. A human birdwatcher (Jon Glover) constantly watched Ludwig and served as the viewer’s point of view and narrator. The 25 five-minute episodes were produced by Mirek and Peter Lang, who wrote them with Jane Tann and also animated them. The music was arranged and played by Reade and was comprised of the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, for whom the central character was named. The series would begin an end with a small section of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 1”.

          Coming from Australia in 1974 was The Toothbrush Family, which centered on a group of anthropomorphic toiletry items conceived by Marcia Hatfield as a way to get kids to focus on their hygiene when her son refused to brush his teeth. The main characters were father Tom, mother Tess, kids Tina and Toby, and Gramps, along with toothpaste Flash Fluoride, electric toothbrush Hot Rod Harry, hairbrush Bert Brush, Cecily Comb, Nev Nailbrush, Susie Sponge, Shaggy Dog, Callie Conditioner and Sally Shampoo, who all came to life at night in the light of the moon. Hatfield wrote the episodes with Al Guest and Jean Mathieson providing the screenplays, which were then produced by Rainbow Animation. Len Carlson and Billie Mae Richards provided all of the character voices. A revival was made in 1998 focusing on some new characters.

             The Red and the Blue was another stop-motion series, this time hailing from Italy’s Misseri Studios and created by Francesco Misseri. It centered on two Claymation shapeshifting characters—one red, one blue—on a white plane in which they interacted. They often try to outdo each other by assuming various forms that would one-up the other. For instance, if Blue became a boat, Red would become an island.

             Another Rainbow Animation production from Canada, The Undersea Adventures of Captain Nemo was a reimagining of the Jules Verne book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Guest and Mathieson. The show followed ocean researcher Captain Mark Nemo (Carlson) and his kid assistants, Christine and Robbie (both Richards), as they went on adventures in their nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus. The 5-minute episodes attempted to teach children about oceanography and marine biology.

CB Bears and Undercover Elephant coloring book.

            During the 1980s, two segments from the Hanna-Barbera series CB Bears would be integrated into Captain Kangaroo’s line-up. The titular CB Bears segment followed a trio of crime-solving bears posing as garbage men in a pastiche of Charlie’s Angels. Undercover Elephant was a send-up of the spy genre where the titular elephant (Daws Butler) received exploding assignments from his Chief (Michael Bell) and used poor disguises during his missions (largely because, well, he was an elephant). 

The Captain chatting with Grandfather Clock.

             Captain Kangaroo was initially broadcast live daily on weekday mornings. For the first four years, it was performed twice a day for the Eastern and Central time zones, and recorded on kinescope for the Western as Keeshan refused to perform three times a day. Eventually, it would be scheduled for the same time in all time zones. It was also given a 6^th Saturday morning broadcast until 1968; replaced briefly in the 1964-65 season by Keeshan’s other short-lived show, Mr. Mayor. The Mayor character was Kangaroo in everything but name and look. It was a gambit by Keeshan to show he was willing to abandon The Captain if he couldn’t acquire the full rights from the unwanted partner he was saddled with due to The Captain’s evolution out of the Tinker character from their previous series. The gambit paid off, and the Mayor was retired for The Captain full time.

             When many shows began broadcasting in color, CBS wouldn’t adopt a color format for Captain Kangaroo until late 1966. Throughout the show’s run, it was nominated for several Emmy Awards, winning three. It also won two Peabody Awards and a Young Artist Award. Although extremely popular, Captain Kangaroo’s ratings rarely eclipsed its network competition’s. In 1981, CBS moved the show early to 7:00 AM and cut it down to 30 minutes, retitling it Wake Up with The Captain, to make more room for the expanded CBS Morning News. In 1982, it was moved further back to 6:30 AM when very few people would be awake to see it. It was restored to an hour format that year, but remained in poor time slots in various time zones. Many CBS affiliates had also stopped carrying the show and declined a rerun package for Sunday mornings. When CBS decided to cut the show back down to a half hour again in 1984, Keeshan angrily decided to let the show end when his contract with the network expired. However, Keeshan would return to the network the following year to host CBS Storybreak, which was essentially inspired by his “Reading Stories” segment. A fond farewell to The Captain was given with the primetime special Captain Kangaroo and His Friends that same year.

             The original Captain Kangaroo theme song, “Puffin’ Billy” (about a steam locomotive), was used from 1955 until 1974. Written by Edward G. White and recorded by the Melodi Light Orchestra, it was from the Chappell Recorded Music Library; a British stock music production library. Mary Rodgers wrote lyrics for the song in 1957, making it the official Captain Kangaroo theme. In 1974, Robert L. Brush composed the new theme, “Good Morning, Captain”. Originally, it featured elements of “Puffin’ Billy”, resulting in White receiving credit on the song, but copyright issues caused the song to be rerecorded in 1979 with those elements removed. When the show was retitled, a new theme called “Wake Up” was used until the title, format and second theme were reinstated. Lynn Ahrens wrote a final theme, “Here Comes Captain Kangaroo”, which would be used from 1982-84 and subsequent reruns.

             On September 1, 1986, Captain Kangaroo returned in reruns on PBS with funding from public television stations, School Zone Publishing Company, and the John D. Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. New segments were filmed and inserted into the reruns, which ran until 1993. In 1997, Saban Entertainment produced a short-lived reboot called The All New Captain Kangaroo, with John McDonough as The Captain. Keeshan declined an invitation to appear as “The Admiral.” It ran for only one syndicated season, but produced a spin-off called Mister Moose’s Fun Time which was at the center of a programming block called Captain Kangaroo’s Treasure House that ran from 1997-2000. In 2011, professional clown Pat Cashin acquired The Captain Kangaroo trademark and began portraying The Captain. Cashin died in 2016, leaving the rights to his estate. In 2018, actor Mark Wahlberg announced his (as yet unrealized) desire to bring back The Captain as a scientist so that his own children would develop an interest in science, technology and engineering.

One of The Captain's albums.

             Keeshan’s estate owns the rights to all of Captain Kangaroo’s footage, and they have yet to put the show on DVD or make it available for streaming. There have been a number of VHS collections containing various episodes and related bits from the show’s run. A wide assortment of merchandise was released throughout the show’s 29-year career. These included coloring and activity books, story books, a card game featuring Mr. Green Jeans, frame tray puzzles, a mix and match pet building set, lunch boxes, various handheld games and more. A number of albums recorded by the cast and featuring the music of the show were produced; partly as an attempt to introduce children to various types of music. Captain Kangaroo and friends were featured in three issues of Dell Comics’ Four-Color Comics between 1956 and 1958. Beginning in 1957, Pines Comics published a 6-issue series based on Tom Terrific, who also appeared in a Wonder Book.

Keeshan's memoirs.

             Keeshan spent the remainder of his life in the service of children as an author and a speaker. He founded Corporate Family Solutions with Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander to provide day-care programs to businesses. In 1993, he participated in the congressional hearings against video game violence. In 1995, he published his memoirs, titled Good Morning, Captain, through Fairview Press. He also considered a revival of The Captain as an answer to increasingly violent cartoons on TV, but was unable to obtain permission from ICM, who held the rights to The Captain at the time. Ultimately, Keeshan died in 2004 before getting to bring The Captain back one last time.

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