Da Goddess

Waving Goodbye

The last of my early childhood idols is gone.

It's official. My childhood is officially over. It's almost as though I'm waving goodbye to my best friend out the back window of my parents' old station wagon.

This isn't supposed to happen. It is. But, it isn't. I don't want to let go. I don't want to say goodbye to those who created such wonderful memories of my youth.

I want to be a little kid forever. Even if it's only in some remote corner of my mind. I want to cling to the pantlegs of Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Greenjeans, and Mr. Rogers. I want the Dancing Bear to do a little shuffle just before all those ping pong balls drop on the head of the Captain.

Mr. Greenjeans left us in 1997. Mr. Rogers - last year. And, now, the final one...The Captain. Bob Keeshan 1927 to 2004. Not quite 77 years old.

Captain Kangaroo was from the start an island of serenity, imagination and gentle humor. Aired live for the first four years, then on tape, five days a week (sometimes six), it offered kids a warm welcome to the Treasure House, and they responded eagerly.

With that in mind, the show created an inviting style that remained remarkably stable throughout its long run. The Captain's most constant pals included the affable Mr. Green Jeans (played by Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum) and all the puppets created and operated by Cosmo "Gus" Allegretti: silent trickster Bunny Rabbit, joker Mr. Moose, soft-shoe sweetie Dancing Bear.

To the millions of baby boomers who watched the show in the early years, the Captain indeed looked and sounded like someone's reassuring grandfather. But when Keeshan began playing the role at 28, a gray wig, makeup and considerable padding under that big-pocketed jacket were required to create the image.

The image was so convincing, he writes in Good Morning Captain, that his youngest daughter, Maeve, visited the set early on and sat in the Captain's lap for a chat. When Keeshan returned to the set out of costume, Maeve told him, "Daddy, Daddy, you just missed Captain Kangaroo!"

He had time to grow into the role over the decades. Captain Kangaroo ran on CBS for 30 years. Keeshan maintained close control over all its aspects, including what products were advertised during the show. After CBS canceled it (to make room for CBS Morning News), it ran on PBS for another six years, going off the air in 1993.*

Morning television hasn't been the same since Captain Kangaroo - the original - was taken off the air. Bob Keeshan had an uncanny sense of what children needed and wanted. He was a grandparent for those who didn't have one. He was the next door neighbor we all wanted to have. He was whimsical and wonderful. And, he will never be forgotten.

1927-2004 ~ The keys jingle no more, but I'll always remember.

*From the St. Petersburg Times, 2002.