Bob Keeshan

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9.0 Superb
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Biography

Recent Role:
Aesop on Disney's Hercules
Gender:
 
Born:
6-27-1927
Died:
1-23-2004 (Old Age (Windsor, Vermont, USA))
Birthplace:
Lynbrook,Long Island New York
Birth Name:
Robert James Keeshan
Television producer, host; born Robert James Keeshan in Lynbrook, Long Island, New York on June 27, 1927. As a young man he served in the reserves of the United States Marine Corps. Starting as a page at the National Broadcasting Company, Robert Keeshan later began his on-air career as the original "Clarabell the Clown" for the NBC "Howdy Doody Show". Mister Keeshan was then the first host/performer of WJZ/WABC TV Ch. 7 NYC's "Time For Fun" / "The Johnny Jellybean Show". Keeshan emceed the show as "Corny The Clown" weekdays at noon from Monday, September 21, 1953 to Friday, July 29, 1955. HeMore co-created, co-produced and hosted "Tinker's Workshop" with Jack Miller on WJZ/WABC TV Ch. 7 in New York City weekday mornings from Monday, November 15, 1954 to Friday, September 9, 1955. The show continued without Robert until Friday August 22, 1958. The later hosts of the show were Henry Burbig, Gene London & Dom DeLuise.

When asked to put together a children show he leaped at the chance. On October third 1955, "Captain Kangaroo" began its near thirty-year run on CBS television, till it moved to public television in the eighties. There was a lot of fun in the "Treasure House", with Bunny Rabbit swindling carrots before lunch from The Captain or Mister Moose finding yet another way to get the Captain to stand still long enough to drop dozens of ping-pong balls down on the ever-unsuspecting Captain's head. Dennis (Cosmo "Gus" Allegretti) asking so many questions that Mister Bainter would almost always lose his cool. All the while during this, Captain Kangaroo taught us values and gave those with busy or absent fathers a gentle and caring male role model to learn good behavior and manners from. A love of reading was encouraged and the animals that Mister Green Jeans (Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum) showed allowed children who had never seen a particular animal to experience it though his fascination with it. During its run in 1964 Bob Keeshan also took on a Saturday morning persona as "Mister Mayor" for a year, but remained the Captain until the end of its run on PBS in 1993. Over the years, He and his show won six Emmys and three Peabody Awards, he was also elected to the Clown Hall of Fame.

In 1989 he published Growing Up Happy and then in October of 1996 he published "Good Morning Captain: 50 Wonderful Years with Bob Keeshan, TV's Captain Kangaroo. Mister Keeshan is also the author of the "Itty Bitty Kitty" children's book series. Widowed in the nineties, he died in Vermont in 2004. He was 77.

From the Forums

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  • Welcome all Fans of Bob Keeshan!

    I'm sure this site is one of the most active on TV.com, haha. That's okay, if anyone out there loved Bob Keeshan, or if you knew him personally, please share the stories, memories, etc. I justread his autobiography, and the respect I have for this man continues to grow.

    4 comments, last one Sep 1, 2010
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  •  
    9.9 Superb
    Warm Memories of The Captain's Grandfatherly Wisdom hide show

    As a kid, I thought I knew Captain Kangaroo personally. Every morning I would wake up and quietly slip downstairs to watch Captain Kangaroo while the rest of the house slept. (If I turned on the station too early, the prism of colors and high-pitched beep indicated dead-air time, and how relieved I remember being when the familiar station identification was finally announced). Each morning, Bob Keeshan as Captain Kangaroo brought his own gentle humor and vignettes of wisdom to little kids across America. He did so with the help of a cast of characters, including Mr. Green Jeans, Dennis, Bunny Rabbit, and (my favorite) Mr. Moose. I remember being "read to" by Captain Kangaroo, and I recall learning about nutrition and exercise by Slim Goodbody, whose exo-circular system suit I always envied. Bob Keeshan as a man was an advocate of wholesome and quality television programming for children. He was a contemporary and friend of Fred Rogers, and encouraged responsible parenting. Although he passed away nearly three years ago, he will forever stand out in my mind as one of television's greatest, and a rare individual whom you could admire off-screen as well.

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