http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1063803/posts?page=173#173
Actor who played Captain Kangaroo diesSeveral news organizations are reporting that Bob Keeshan has died. Keeshan delighted millions of TV viewers for 30 years as Captain Kangaroo.
Keeshan died in Vermont where he lived, according to Broadcast News Ltd. He was 76.
Keeshan was a television pioneer, who became the host of the longest-running TV children's show of all time.
He got into show business as an intern, getting tipped $5 a show to dress like a clown. He never spoke on the program, but Keeshan still captivated kids as the first Clarabell on The Howdy Doody Show.
In 1955, CBS hired Keeshan to star in a new children's show. Captain Kangaroo was a grandfatherly-type, who carried all kinds of interesting things in his pouch-like pockets.
The captain stayed on the air from 1955 to 1985, teaching and entertaining kids.
Once the captain ended his TV run he continued to speak out for children's programming.
"Television is a wonderful tool,” he said on at least one occasion. “It can teach, it can educate, it can be a great cultural influence on our young people."
Keeshan suffered from heart trouble later in life and spent his last years away from the TV camera with his own children and grandchildren. He was also the author of several children's books.
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Rest in peace, Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan) ...
