First Mister Rogers, now Captain Kangaroo...
Bob Keeshan, who played children's show entertainer Captain Kangaroo for 30 years, died this morning at age 76.
I can safely say that Captain Kangaroo played a part in making me the person I am today (for better or worse). I watched the Captain every morning when I was a little kid, with his whole cast of characters - Mr. Green Jeans, Mr. Moose, Dancing Bear, the Grandfather Clock and that damned Bunny Rabbit, who always used to dump the ping pong balls on the Captain's head. (I was always waiting for the Captain to snap and go off on the rabbit when that happened, and maybe tear Bunny Rabbit's ears off or something...)
Sigh...another part of my childhood, forever gone...
BUMMER! Captain Kangaroo R.I.P.
------->JMS
I am at an ABATE (biker) conference in Harrisburg. I am drinking my thirtheen beer. I am looking out of my room at woman in bikini's (indoor pool).
And still, this news depresses me!!
RIP
And still, this news depresses me!!
RIP
A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man; a debt he proposes to pay off with your money. -G Gordon Liddy
I think what would have been cool is, while they were still alive, McMahon would have signed Mr. Rodgers and Captain Kangaroo for a match at a Wrestlemania. I can see it now...Fred pulls off his "spiked" slipper and rakes it across Kangaroo's forehead. The blood flows and in a last ditch move, Mr. Greenjeans throws the Capt. a set of brass knucks from ringside. He plants Mr. Rodgers for the three count and...and...I really don't have much to do.
I think Second City Television (SCTV) did a skit based on that premise a few years ago when they had their late night TV show on. Only I think it was Mr. Rogers taking on the French Chef, Julia Child. (I think the theme was what would happen if PBS took another programming approach during their annual fundraising campaign.) Mr. Rogers won the match after using the Good King Friday as an illegal object to the back of Child's head, rolling her up for the pin.
-
Peltsinger
Yet another one of our heroes is fallen......
Yeah, this news has hit me hard...gawd, last year Mr. Rogers and now this. I think the saddest parts are:
1. We grew up with these great, caring people, and we don't really appreciate them until they're gone.
2. There's nobody to take their place for the kids coming up now.
Every day, the good Captain brought fun, non-offensive entertainment onto our cathode ray tubes and we were engrossed! We laughed and we even learned something along the way about how to treat other people. There were no toy tie-ins or (gasp) creepy dwarves with televisions in their abdomines....just a guy who cared about kids selling values through cheesie puppets and dancing bears (admittedly, the bear was a little strange).
Man, I love violent movies, anime, and television, but thank God that I had the chance to spend my childhood mornings learning something other than how to hit my brother with a plastic sword!
Long live the Captain!
Peace,
Kent
Yeah, this news has hit me hard...gawd, last year Mr. Rogers and now this. I think the saddest parts are:
1. We grew up with these great, caring people, and we don't really appreciate them until they're gone.
2. There's nobody to take their place for the kids coming up now.
Every day, the good Captain brought fun, non-offensive entertainment onto our cathode ray tubes and we were engrossed! We laughed and we even learned something along the way about how to treat other people. There were no toy tie-ins or (gasp) creepy dwarves with televisions in their abdomines....just a guy who cared about kids selling values through cheesie puppets and dancing bears (admittedly, the bear was a little strange).
Man, I love violent movies, anime, and television, but thank God that I had the chance to spend my childhood mornings learning something other than how to hit my brother with a plastic sword!
Long live the Captain!
Peace,
Kent
Kent, Bass, The Grimm, Lies Inc. The British Invasion
grimmbass@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/liesinc
www.myspace.com/thegrimmband
grimmbass@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/liesinc
www.myspace.com/thegrimmband
...And just so everybody doesn't think I'm an insensitive lout, I,too watched The Captain with bated breath, waiting for the ping-pong balls. As an adult, I can appreciate that there were no toy tie-ins, no Mega-Zords, and no MTV-style handheld camera angles. And he never referrred to us as kids... always "children." The bear still creeped me out though.--->JMS
I think the only commercial tie-in the Captain ever had was Kelloggs, who was the show's big sponsor back then. Once in a while the Captain would tell kids to eat their cereal, and then a Kelloggs commercial would come on. Leading kids like me into a childhood of Sugar Smacks and Cocoa Krispies addiction...
Some people have been a bit offended that the actor, Lee Marvin, is
buried
> in a grave alongside 3 and 4 star generals at Arlington National
Cemetery.
>
> His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). Nothing
else.
>
> Here's a guy who was only a famous movie star who served his time,
why
the
> heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the
amazing
> answer: I always liked Lee Marvin, but did not know the extent of
his
Corps
> experiences. In a time when many Hollywood stars served their
country in
> the armed forces often in rear-echelon posts where they were
carefully
> protected, only to be trotted out to perform for the cameras in war
bond
> promotions, Lee Marvin was a genuine hero. He won the Navy Cross at
Iwo
> Jima. There is only one higher Naval award... the Medal Of Honor.
>
> If that is a surprising comment on the true character of the man, he
> credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery.
>
> Dialog from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson: His guest was Lee
Marvin.
> Johnny said: "Lee, I'll bet a lot of people are unaware that you
were a
> Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima... and that during the
course
of
> that action you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded."
"Yeah,
> yeah... I got shot square in the ass and they gave me the Cross for
> securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi...bad thing about
getting
> shot up on a mountain is guys gettin' shot hauling you down. But,
Johnny,
> at Iwo I served under the bravest man I ever knew... We both got the
cross
> the same day, but what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in
> comparison. The dumb bastard actually stood up on Red beach and
directed
his
> troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach. Bullets
flying by
and
> mortar rounds landing every where and he stood there as the main
target of
> gun fire so that he could get his men to safety. He did this on more
than
> one occasion because his men's safety was more important than his
own
life.
> That Sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. When they brought me
off
> Suribachi we passed the Sergeant and he lit a smoke and passed it to
me,
> lying on my belly on the litter and said, where'd they get you Lee?'
"Well
> Bob... if you make it home before me, tell Mom to sell the
outhouse!"
> Johnny, I'm not lying...Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man I ever
> knew..... The Sergeant's name is Bob Keeshan... You and the world
know
him
> as "Captain Kangaroo."
>
> On another note, there was this wimpy little man (who just passed
away)
on
> PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another of those you would
least
> suspect of being anything but what he now portrays to our youth. But
Mr.
> Rogers was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat proven in Vietnam with over
twenty-five
> confirmed kills to his name.
>
> He wore a long sleeve sweater on his show to cover the many tattoos
on
his
> forearm and biceps. A master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat,
able
to
> disarm or kill in a heartbeat.
>
> After the war Mr. Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister
and
> therefore a pacifist. Vowing to never harm another human and also
> dedicating the rest of his life to trying to help lead children on
the
> right path in life. He hid the tattoos and his past life away and
won our
> hearts with his quiet wit and charm.
>
> America's real heroes don't flaunt what they did, they quietly go
about
> their day to day lives, doing what they do best. They earned our
respect
and
> the freedoms that we all enjoy.
>
> Look around and see if you can find one of those heroes in your
midst.
>
> Often, they are the ones you'd least suspect, but would most like to
have
> on your side if anything ever happened.
>
> Take the time to thank anyone that has fought for our freedom.
buried
> in a grave alongside 3 and 4 star generals at Arlington National
Cemetery.
>
> His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). Nothing
else.
>
> Here's a guy who was only a famous movie star who served his time,
why
the
> heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the
amazing
> answer: I always liked Lee Marvin, but did not know the extent of
his
Corps
> experiences. In a time when many Hollywood stars served their
country in
> the armed forces often in rear-echelon posts where they were
carefully
> protected, only to be trotted out to perform for the cameras in war
bond
> promotions, Lee Marvin was a genuine hero. He won the Navy Cross at
Iwo
> Jima. There is only one higher Naval award... the Medal Of Honor.
>
> If that is a surprising comment on the true character of the man, he
> credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery.
>
> Dialog from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson: His guest was Lee
Marvin.
> Johnny said: "Lee, I'll bet a lot of people are unaware that you
were a
> Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima... and that during the
course
of
> that action you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded."
"Yeah,
> yeah... I got shot square in the ass and they gave me the Cross for
> securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi...bad thing about
getting
> shot up on a mountain is guys gettin' shot hauling you down. But,
Johnny,
> at Iwo I served under the bravest man I ever knew... We both got the
cross
> the same day, but what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in
> comparison. The dumb bastard actually stood up on Red beach and
directed
his
> troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach. Bullets
flying by
and
> mortar rounds landing every where and he stood there as the main
target of
> gun fire so that he could get his men to safety. He did this on more
than
> one occasion because his men's safety was more important than his
own
life.
> That Sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. When they brought me
off
> Suribachi we passed the Sergeant and he lit a smoke and passed it to
me,
> lying on my belly on the litter and said, where'd they get you Lee?'
"Well
> Bob... if you make it home before me, tell Mom to sell the
outhouse!"
> Johnny, I'm not lying...Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man I ever
> knew..... The Sergeant's name is Bob Keeshan... You and the world
know
him
> as "Captain Kangaroo."
>
> On another note, there was this wimpy little man (who just passed
away)
on
> PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another of those you would
least
> suspect of being anything but what he now portrays to our youth. But
Mr.
> Rogers was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat proven in Vietnam with over
twenty-five
> confirmed kills to his name.
>
> He wore a long sleeve sweater on his show to cover the many tattoos
on
his
> forearm and biceps. A master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat,
able
to
> disarm or kill in a heartbeat.
>
> After the war Mr. Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister
and
> therefore a pacifist. Vowing to never harm another human and also
> dedicating the rest of his life to trying to help lead children on
the
> right path in life. He hid the tattoos and his past life away and
won our
> hearts with his quiet wit and charm.
>
> America's real heroes don't flaunt what they did, they quietly go
about
> their day to day lives, doing what they do best. They earned our
respect
and
> the freedoms that we all enjoy.
>
> Look around and see if you can find one of those heroes in your
midst.
>
> Often, they are the ones you'd least suspect, but would most like to
have
> on your side if anything ever happened.
>
> Take the time to thank anyone that has fought for our freedom.
Myth busted.
Bob Keeshan, later famous as television's "Captain Kangaroo," enlisted in the U.S. Marines, but too late to see any action during World War II. Keeshan was born on 27 June 1927 and enlisted two weeks before his 18th birthday, months too late to have taken part in the fighting at Iwo Jima. A 1997 interview with Keeshan noted that he "later enlisted in the U.S. Marines but saw no combat" because, as Keeshan said, he signed up "just before we dropped the atom bomb."
Bob Keeshan, later famous as television's "Captain Kangaroo," enlisted in the U.S. Marines, but too late to see any action during World War II. Keeshan was born on 27 June 1927 and enlisted two weeks before his 18th birthday, months too late to have taken part in the fighting at Iwo Jima. A 1997 interview with Keeshan noted that he "later enlisted in the U.S. Marines but saw no combat" because, as Keeshan said, he signed up "just before we dropped the atom bomb."
... and then the wheel fell off.