Captain Kangaroo dies
George Hiebert
Combat (going back to episode 2).
Good bye Captain, you were part of my morning tv line up.
Kaylum
>Combat (going back to episode 2).
Watching a clip of an interview with the good Captain conducted after his
retirement, I was struck by the similarity in his and Dave's voices.
Kay
Beaver Lad
sketch.
=======================================
In article <20040123204201...@mb-m13.aol.com>, Kaylum
Jim Bennie
> Well it's sort of SCTV related, as Dave kind of portrayed him as Captain
> Combat (going back to episode 2).
I was thinking the same thing, George. I wondered if someone would
post a note here on it. When you think of it, Captain Combat was
pretty subversive humour for that era.. making a beloved children's
show host a warmonger. It's something MAD TV might try now, and never
pull off as well as Dave Thomas, Harold Ramis and a $1.49 set.
> Good bye Captain, you were part of my morning tv line up.
When you think about it, George, the Captain's show was something you'd
never see on TV now. A children's educational show that was neither
condescending nor didactically shoving stuff down your throat. Education
mixed with silliness (ping-pong balls descending upon Mr. Moose) and
probably the best really limited animation series (Tom Terrific) in
television. And, in the cruel world of TV, he got shoved aside because
CBS thought it could make more corporate profits in the time slot with
some 6th-rate happy-talk morning show that didn't work.
Bob Keeshan was really the last of the national children's show hosts
from that era who was still alive. Locally, we still have Chris Wedes
(J.P. Patches) whose show was really smart and stupid at the same time,
and thus better than a lot of crap on TV now, in any time period.
Jim
DrMabuse
"> Bob Keeshan was really the last of the national children's show hosts
> from that era who was still alive. Locally, we still have Chris Wedes
> (J.P. Patches) whose show was really smart and stupid at the same time,
> and thus better than a lot of crap on TV now, in any time period.
>
the Friendly Giant died a few years ago, too. All my childhood landmarks
are vanishing. Friendly Giant, Romper Room, Mr. Dressup and Chez Helene -
what Canadian childhood wasn't built around these stalwarts? And Captain
Kangaroo and J.P. Patches later on, when we'd moved from Edmonton to
Vancouver and I could watch the Seattle channels. Sigh...
Wanda
Justin Pate
"DrMabuse" <wsherr...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:oVuQb.116183$nl2....@news01.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com...
>
> "> Bob Keeshan was really the last of the national children's show hosts
> > from that era who was still alive. Locally, we still have Chris Wedes
> > (J.P. Patches) whose show was really smart and stupid at the same time,
instead of Bob Keeshan.
George Hiebert
"Jim Bennie" <jgbe...@vcn.bc.ca> wrote
> When you think about it, George, the Captain's show was something you'd
> never see on TV now. A children's educational show that was neither
> condescending nor didactically shoving stuff down your throat. Education
> mixed with silliness (ping-pong balls descending upon Mr. Moose) and
> probably the best really limited animation series (Tom Terrific) in
> television.
I couldn't agree more. I feel fortunate that I got to experience that era
of children's programming, before the politically correct do-gooders shot it
all to hell. It was a great era.
> Bob Keeshan was really the last of the national children's show hosts
> from that era who was still alive. Locally, we still have Chris Wedes
> (J.P. Patches) whose show was really smart and stupid at the same time,
> and thus better than a lot of crap on TV now, in any time period.
Ah yes, J.P. was also part of my daily line up. I have to say, my taste for
wacky, offbeat humour was probably due in large part to watching JP Patches
during those formative years.
He's still kicking alright. Saw him on KSTW 11 a few weeks ago. It was on
that Sat. afternoon show where they show really bad B- movies (mostly movies
you've seen on MST3K).
Dale
from the sky during the eulogy.
And, the weird thing is, I think Bob would have probably liked that.
--Dale
T&L
> Bob Keeshan was really the last of the national children's show hosts
> from that era who was still alive. Locally, we still have Chris Wedes
> (J.P. Patches) whose show was really smart and stupid at the same time,
> and thus better than a lot of crap on TV now, in any time period.
>
> Jim
Hey, I remember J.P. Patches! I had to watch it full of lines and interference
because all we had
were rabbit ears for the TV, plus it was a Seattle channel and I lived just
inside the BC border. Most
people look at me like I'm nuts (they're probably not far off) when I mention the
show, so it's really
cool for me to see that someone else knows of it.
Tim
T&L
shows too.
Where in Vancouver did you move to?
Tim
DrMabuse
house in North Vancouver (Lynn Valley) and that's where I grew up.
Wanda
"T&L" <letkema...@bwsys.net> wrote in message
news:4012E3C5...@bwsys.net...
T&L
mistaken. I'm originally from Aldergrove; it's one of the "border crossing"
towns about 15 mintues east of White Rock. I usually just say Vancouver too
when I talk about "home" because it's a lot easier. Nice to "meet you"! :)
Tim
eyir
And with his passing, there's a little piece of ourselves that has gone with
him.
"DrMabuse" <wsherr...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:oVuQb.116183$nl2....@news01.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com...
>
Jim Bennie
> Hey, I remember J.P. Patches! I had to watch it full of lines and
> interference because all we had
> were rabbit ears for the TV, plus it was a Seattle channel and I lived just
> inside the BC border. Most
> people look at me like I'm nuts (they're probably not far off) when I
> mention the show, so it's really cool for me to see that someone else
> knows of it.
People these days will think you're nuts when you mention rabbit ears.
We had a special antennae pointed south which could pick up the Tacoma
stations (11 and 13), which is more than they could get in Vancouver
(I grew up in Abbotsford).
I think there's a comment in the Dave Thomas book about how he came
to realise he had a lots of anti-establishment material in his comedy
and Captain Combat would probably fall under this category.
Jim
Mpoconnor7
>
>When you think about it, George, the Captain's show was something you'd
>never see on TV now. A children's educational show that was neither
>condescending nor didactically shoving stuff down your throat. Education
>mixed with silliness (ping-pong balls descending upon Mr. Moose) and
>probably the best really limited animation series (Tom Terrific) in
>television. And, in the cruel world of TV, he got shoved aside because
>CBS thought it could make more corporate profits in the time slot with
>some 6th-rate happy-talk morning show that didn't work.
>
>Bob Keeshan was really the last of the national children's show hosts
>from that era who was still alive. Locally, we still have Chris Wedes
>(J.P. Patches) whose show was really smart and stupid at the same time,
>and thus better than a lot of crap on TV now, in any time period.
>
>Jim
The thing I always most admired about Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Rogers is that
they turned down possibly hundreds of millions of dollars by not making their
shows opportunities to sell their own lines of children's toys based on the
show. In this way they were the last of a dying breed; both were classy guys
who were more interested in entertaining and teaching children than lining
their pockets and selling out.
We were not inundated with Mr. Moose dolls and King Friday dolls and crap like
that; this changed with Sesame Street, and since then every childrens
educational show has been created as a means to sell kids toys. Does anybody
really think a show like Barney would have been put on TV if there wasn't any
toys sold from the show?
I remember back in the mid 90's when they tried to resurrect Captain Kangaroo
with a different guy in the role, but it didn't last long. In this era, when
hiring a male host for a children's TV show, the object is to hire a guy who
least looks like some sort of child molester. If a guy like Keeshan or Fred
Rogers came along today and tried to start a kids show without wishing to make
their show some sort of infomercial, they'd be laughed out of any meeting with
TV execs..
Michael O'Connor - Modern Renaissance Man
"The likelihood of one individual being correct increases in a direct
proportion to the intensity with which others try to prove him wrong"
James Mason from the movie "Heaven Can Wait".
George Hiebert
> Just curious...Lynn Valley is a nice area....near Capilano if I'm not
> mistaken. I'm originally from Aldergrove; it's one of the "border
crossing"
> towns about 15 mintues east of White Rock. I usually just say Vancouver
too
> when I talk about "home" because it's a lot easier. Nice to "meet you"! :)
Hey Aldergrove, nice to meet you. I grew up in Abbotsford. Whereabouts in
Aldergrove did you live?
George Hiebert
"Jim Bennie" <jgbe...@vcn.bc.ca>
> People these days will think you're nuts when you mention rabbit ears.
> We had a special antennae pointed south which could pick up the Tacoma
> stations (11 and 13), which is more than they could get in Vancouver
> (I grew up in Abbotsford).
I hear ya Jim. For a time we literally lived right on the border, on
Boundary Rd. You just had to jump over a ditch and you were in WA. Anyways,
KVOS 12 always came in very clear, and Kiro 7 came in pretty good. 11 and 13
came in pretty good too. Remember when Walter Kronkite was on channel 12?
I also remember watching Fun-o-rama every day on KVOS. Ah, those good old
cartoons.
T&L
always think it's cool
when I meet someone that knows "home".
T&L
remember how to spell that) road or 280th if you go by numbered roads. Looks
like there's a few of us from the same corner of the planet, whereabouts in Abby
did you grow up? Your name is actually familiar, did you go to school at Abby
senior or CJ?
T&L
George Hiebert wrote:
Fun-o-rama, man I haven't heard that name in YEARS! Except for 11 which we
didn't get and 7 which didn't come in hardly at all, we had the same channels. I
remember when UHF made it's big debut with "VU13". I thought it was really
something having a new channel in the line up that actually came in clear.
Jim Bennie
> I hear ya Jim. For a time we literally lived right on the border, on
> Boundary Rd. You just had to jump over a ditch and you were in WA.
Try jumping the ditch today and see what happens. World's longest
undefended border, indeed!
> KVOS 12 always came in very clear, and Kiro 7 came in pretty good. 11 and 13
> came in pretty good too. Remember when Walter Kronkite was on channel 12?
> I also remember watching Fun-o-rama every day on KVOS. Ah, those good old
> cartoons.
Yes, George, back before the politically-correct people sliced and
diced the cartoons to death, or simply hectored stations into banning
them from the airwaves.
Ever noticed how a world with uncut Bugs Bunny cartoons was a nicer place
then, and much worse after a generation of crappy Captain Planet "message"
cartoons? What does that tell you? Anyway....
In thinking about channel 12, perhaps that's why I'm not bothered, like
some, about the cheapness of the 1st season of SCTV. Stations like
channel 12 had no money, so they actually broadcast Driftwood Inn-like
spots and newscasts with someone narrating over a slide. SCTV's
production values compared favourably with some of the real stations on
the air (including CKVU, which ran the first Second City shows).
Jim
DrMabuse
> I remember back in the mid 90's when they tried to resurrect Captain
Kangaroo
> with a different guy in the role, but it didn't last long. In this era,
when
> hiring a male host for a children's TV show, the object is to hire a guy
who
> least looks like some sort of child molester. If a guy like Keeshan or
Fred
> Rogers came along today and tried to start a kids show without wishing to
make
> their show some sort of infomercial, they'd be laughed out of any meeting
with
> TV execs..
>
of hiring hosts based on the inoffensiveness of their looks. They went for
guys who could establish a believable rapport with kids. I guess Happy
Marsden is a bit in the same vein - not that Captain Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers
were oddballs like that, but Happy is so obviously unsuitable to entertain
children, based on modern TV sensibilities, and yet he's got his little
show, and he's just such a pure-hearted individual, you can easily see him
relating to kids.
Wanda
George Hiebert
> I lived near the border crossing just off of Lefuever (I can't believe I
can't
> remember how to spell that) road or 280th if you go by numbered roads.
Looks
> like there's a few of us from the same corner of the planet, whereabouts
in Abby
> did you grow up? Your name is actually familiar, did you go to school at
Abby
> senior or CJ?
Ok, I know exactly where you're talking about. There's a huge boulder off to
the side in the bush, we used to climb it. I wasn't too far from there. I
lived on Columbia Rd, off of Huntington, the border was at the end of the
street. When I was younger we lived right on 0 Ave, not far from Lefeuvre. I
went to Abby Sr, but lots of my friends went to CJ.
Wow, small world.
George Hiebert
"T&L" <letkema...@bwsys.net> wrote
> Fun-o-rama, man I haven't heard that name in YEARS! Except for 11 which we
> didn't get and 7 which didn't come in hardly at all, we had the same
channels. I
> remember when UHF made it's big debut with "VU13". I thought it was really
> something having a new channel in the line up that actually came in clear.
Ok we're on the same page here. Yep, it was Fun-o-rama in the afternoon and
Frisky Frolics in the morning. And yes I totally remember when VU13 first
hit the scene, the new UHF channel.
George Hiebert
"Jim Bennie" <jgbe...@vcn.bc.ca> wrote
> Ever noticed how a world with uncut Bugs Bunny cartoons was a nicer place
> then, and much worse after a generation of crappy Captain Planet "message"
> cartoons? What does that tell you? Anyway....
Couldn't have said it better Jim. And the kids who grew up on these crappy
cartoons are the ones who are watching all the crap shows of today. It all
makes sense.
> In thinking about channel 12, perhaps that's why I'm not bothered, like
> some, about the cheapness of the 1st season of SCTV. Stations like
> channel 12 had no money, so they actually broadcast Driftwood Inn-like
> spots and newscasts with someone narrating over a slide. SCTV's
> production values compared favourably with some of the real stations on
> the air (including CKVU, which ran the first Second City shows).
You've really hit on something here. You're absolutely right, we grew up
with these low budget stations, and that's why SCTV really clicked. I never
quite thought of it from that angle.
Good call.
Jim Bennie
> You've really hit on something here. You're absolutely right, we grew up
> with these low budget stations, and that's why SCTV really clicked. I never
> quite thought of it from that angle.
> Good call.
Conversely, I can understand where some SCTV writer/actor would want
their scene to look more effective and get upset that there wasn't the
budget to do it. But the season one stuff generally worked; when it
didn't, the problem wasn't the budget (wasn't the Gielgud stinker in
the first season?)
Wanda raised a really good point about Happy Marsden I never thought of.
My late father taught for 26 years at Abb. Junior, and we didn't live
far away. We moved in the late 50s to a house not far behind MSA
Hospital. Next to our backyard was a cow pasture (some of the barbed
wire fence may still be there). Between our street and the next, there
were two swamps, one of which you could skate on in the winter. There
were vacant lots to play baseball on. It's all houses and condos now.
I left for good in the late 70s.
Jim
George Hiebert
"Jim Bennie" <jgbe...@vcn.bc.ca> wrote
> My late father taught for 26 years at Abb. Junior, and we didn't live
> far away.
GET OUT!!!! Your dad was Mr Bennie the teacher? I can't quite remember which
class he taught but I'm pretty sure I had him for one year.
We moved in the late 50s to a house not far behind MSA
> Hospital. Next to our backyard was a cow pasture (some of the barbed
> wire fence may still be there). Between our street and the next, there
> were two swamps, one of which you could skate on in the winter. There
> were vacant lots to play baseball on. It's all houses and condos now.
> I left for good in the late 70s.
I know what you mean. For a few years we lived on Babich St in Abbotsford.
There were farms, fields, woods, swamps, ponds. Now it's all houses and
condos. Jeez, I remember when Abbotsford didn't even have a movie theatre.
Justin Pate
"George Hiebert" <ge...@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:JQdRb.293427$ts4.99708@pd7tw3no...
>
> "Jim Bennie" <jgbe...@vcn.bc.ca> wrote
>
> > My late father taught for 26 years at Abb. Junior, and we didn't live
> > far away.
>
> GET OUT!!!! Your dad was Mr Bennie the teacher? I can't quite remember
which
> class he taught but I'm pretty sure I had him for one year.
>
Lol, It's a small world.
Jim Bennie
> "Jim Bennie" <jgbe...@vcn.bc.ca> wrote
> > My late father taught for 26 years at Abb. Junior, and we didn't live
> > far away.
> GET OUT!!!! Your dad was Mr Bennie the teacher? I can't quite remember which
> class he taught but I'm pretty sure I had him for one year.
I think dad taught only French at the end. He had taught English and
Socials many years ago. He died 23 years ago this month.
> I know what you mean. For a few years we lived on Babich St in Abbotsford.
> There were farms, fields, woods, swamps, ponds. Now it's all houses and
> condos. Jeez, I remember when Abbotsford didn't even have a movie theatre.
Ah, the power of television!
The old theatre was where the F.V. Inn parking lot is now. It must have
been torn down in the mid-60s (I don't think I was living there when they
put up the multi one). I remember seeing a couple of Disney films there and
a really bad Woody Woodpecker cartoon (which goes without saying, being
produced in the mid-60s).
There's very little to tie this conversation to the topic or the
newsgroup, other than to point out the world is changed and what was
silly or innocuous then would raise hell on TV today. I'm sure you
could pick out SCTV bits which wouldn't make air today. And I suspect
40 or 50 years from now, someone will decry UPN's "urban comedies" as
being racist, instead of simply being humourless, contrived and tacky.
Jim
Jim Bennie
wrote:
> Lol, It's a small world.
No, it was a Pre-Teen World.
Jim
T&L
George Hiebert wrote:
I'll go alone with that too! Actually gives you a better perspective on life
issues by
not taking things too seriously and that "everyone has to start somewhere".
T&L
Like you said, that was back when the Abby theater didn't exist. When it finally
came into being, it was only a twin; now it's up to 9 or something isn't it?
DrMabuse
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/powell200401270842.asp
The middle part is about how TV programming in the morning has deteriorated
since the simple days of Captain Kangaroo, but the ending is touching - how
this guy managed to rescue one prop from the garbage when the set was being
dismantled.
Wanda
Telicalbook
lived about a mile away in a town called Babylon. He lived behind a tall
wooden fence, that was about all you could see. I don't remember anyone every
spotting him in public, perhaps I heard one story about that but not more.
--
Robert Pearson
http://www.rspearson.com/
ParaMind Brainstorming Software http://www.paramind.net
R.S. Pearson Music Page http://www.rspearson.com/rsmusic.html