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Topic: My Wife has never heard of Captain Kangaroo!
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted October 14, 2009 12:41 PM
We were in the local thrift store, (always on the prowl for an old standard 8mm projector!), and I mentioned Captain Kangaroo ...
My wife has never heard of him!
She was born in 1984, granted, but I would have thought that she would have at least heard of the Captain.
It made me feel a little old, being a child of the 70's, but it also reminded me of how much has changed. The Captain used to look at the kids at home, (happily wolfing down Captain Crunch, in this kids case!) and he would say ...
" Hey Kids! Do you want to see what is in my pocket? "
(NOTE: his name was Captain Kangaroo because his costume had an enormous number of pockets on it, filled with all sorts of neat things!)
... and then he would beckon the at home audience to come close to find out what was in the pocket.
Of course, today, any TV personality that would do the same would be instantly labeled a pervert and the show cancelled.
It shows just how we have truly lost our "innocence", so to speak, as a society.
Sure, every generation says that "nothing has changed", but it really has.
Anyhow, I then happily filled her head with many memories of the different characters that I saw on the show ...
The Captain, of course ...
Mr. Green Jeans
Mr. Moose ... ever in search of a way to drop ping pong balls on
the captain.
Bunny Rabbit, who, if he wasn't trying to bilk the Captain out of carrots, was playing the piano.
The "Dancing Bear" (basically, a giant Teddy Bear outfit with a dancer in it, soft shoeing to whatever song was playing.
The grandfather clock, with a talking face.
and then there was the cartoon segments ...
Simon, in the land of Chalk Drawings
The toothbrush Family
... I always loved the original theme, but they replaced this in the late seventies/early 80's with a more pop music theme, which lasted for the last few years of the show.
I was so sad when the Captain was canceled. I was in high school by the early 80's, but I would still sit down, watching my little sister and brothers, and watch it with them.
What memories!
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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James N. Savage 3
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1375
From: Washington, DC
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted October 15, 2009 05:48 AM
Hi guys-
Mr. Roger's was definately a good hearted man. He always had children's best interest in mind. I was sad when he died.
As for the "Captain"- no day was complete, back in the 70's, if I didn't watch Captain Kangaroo in the mornings. I only watched it in the summertime though, since it came on after 8AM.
And I remember when they changed the opening in the late 70's, and added that animation, and the new song...'Good mornin, Captain...bla bla. It was kind of neat at first, but grew old quickly, and soon I longed for the old opening music, the one I had known and loved for years. The new opening sequence was one step towards the future of "flashier" programing for kids, that would eventualy take us to where we are today, in so-called "children's programs" (Nicklodeon, Disney Channel, etc.). Don't even get me started.
But, great memories from the past!
James.
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted October 15, 2009 08:16 AM
Hey Steve ...
Were we speaking of good ole "Uncle Don" ?
Mr. Rogers was a truly a good man; his demeanor just made me edgy. I reality, the dude was an ordained minister.
Though I was never a fan of Mr. Rogers, I thought it was truly cute when, a short time after he went off the air, Fred Rogers went on the tonights show and brought many of the puppets that were on the show. Good King Friday, Lady Elaine. My favorite was the little cat that lived in the merry go round, (I think).
I wonder if Fred was a lover of trains as many are on this forum, with that trolley through his "house", which led to the land of make believe. I bet there were a lot of kids that wished they could have a train set like that winding through they're houses.
I gotta admit, I was one. I wanted a whole tier section on the upper parts of the wall with holes to each room!
OK, so there were some parts of Mr. Rogers I liked, just not the guy.
Back to the Captain. I remember of very funny editorial cartoon which showed Mr. Green Jeans being hauled away in handcuffs by narcotics officers, with the Captain asking, "Mr. Green Jeans, WHY?" ... to which Mr. Green Jeans was answering, "Hey, you try to make a living just raising alfalfa!"
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Steve Klare
Film Guy
Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted October 15, 2009 12:40 PM
Yes Osi,
It was a reference to the Uncle Don...thing.
The really fascinating part of that entire phenomenon is that it probably never happened. The story goes that "Uncle Don" thought his mic. was off and said "That oughta hold the little bastards!", when it actually was still on, and he was disgraced and fired soon after that. People who have looked into it have found no valid evidence it happened.
Now don't get me wrong: there is plenty of evidence and many eyewitnesses (earwitnesses?) but there's trouble with all of it. For one thing, a great many people "remember" hearing that particular broadcast, but when you get down to when they heard it, there is a spectacular spread in the range of years and the real record shows that Uncle Don was not fired during any of them (or later either). The theory is that people have heard the story so many times it became "truth", and even became "memory".
There is even a recording of the broadcast that most of us have heard, but it is actually a fake. Years ago people compiled LPs of radio and TV bloopers. Naturally they had to have Uncle Don's infamous "Bastards" incident, but try as they could, they couldn't find the studio recording, so they made their own. This recording probably helped a great many people "remember" hearing it live.
The best explanation that's been proposed is that the quote is actually genuine, but was made originally by some obscure children's radio host. It became an urban legend and gradually attached itself to the most famous children's radio host of the day: Uncle Don. As long as he lived he couldn't shake it, and now it's all he's known for.
-Fame can be cruel!
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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...
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