Actor who voiced Bunny Rabbit and Mr. Moose on 'Captain Kangaroo' dies at 86

Today ^ | Gael Fashingbauer Cooper

[Morgana]

Character actor and puppeteer Gus "Cosmo" Allegretti, who voiced such "Captain Kangaroo" characters as Bunny Rabbit, Mr. Moose, Grandfather Clock, and Dancing Bear, has died, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Allegretti died of emphysema on July 26, though his death wasn't publicized until Wednesday.

Allegretti played numerous characters on the long-running Emmy-winning children's show, which featured the late Bob Keeshan as Captain Kangaroo. Allegretti himself created Bunny Rabbit, a bespectacled bunny who tricked the Captain into giving up his carrots, and Mr. Moose, whose corny jokes resulted in a shower of ping-pong balls falling on the Captain's head. He also played Dennis the Apprentice, Dancing Bear, Grandfather Clock, Miss Frog, TV Fred and other characters.

[Fiji Hill]

Here are some of the songs I remember from "Captain Kangaroo":

Posin'

Big D

(The Railroad Comes Through) The Middle of the House

[GeronL]

Just a local thing I guess. Weird how they had local talent in those days when they can’t find talent around the world now.

[Paleo Conservative]

Ping!

[Secret Agent Man]

many male dancers are, so you’re probably right. :-)

[Charles Martel]

All he did was drop ping pong balls.

Nope, that was Mr. Moose. Bunny Rabbit just tricked the Captain out of carrots.

[Othniel]

I remember Uncle Orrie! I got to go on that show with my brother's Cub Scout group. They had that bit where they panned through the kids, and we were all waving like crazy people. Wow. Takes me back.

[Jack Hammer]

Tom Terrific... Rocky and Bullwinkle... Somebody or other whose name eludes me at the moment and his pet boy Sherman...

Great stuff, long before - and much better than - the crap on Sesame Street.

[ShasheMac]

Mr. Peabody & Sherman.

[Jack Hammer]

Thank you!!!

[Kickass Conservative]

In Los Angeles we had Sheriff John and Engineer Bill.

When I was a Kid, they opened a new Shopping Bag Grocery Store where we lived and Engineer Bill was there IN PERSON!
He had a Train Whistle Prize Machine. If you pulled the right handle and the Whistle went off, you won a prize. My buddy won the big prize, a scooter, and I won a Frisbee.

Those were the days, Children's innocence is a lost art nowadays.

Hobo Kelly was on Local TV as well but I never watched her.
I guess that makes me Misogynist.

[Lancey Howard]

That's Mr. Green Jeans (Hugh Brannum) with Dancing Bear (Cosmo Allegretti) in 1960. I grew up on Captain Kangaroo, as well as Sally Starr, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Brutus (Bluto), the Three Stooges, Gene London, Mickey Mouse, Bertie the Bunyip (with Sir Guy de Guy), Clutch Cargo, Tom Terrific, Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog, Wee Willie Weber, Clyde Crashcup, Crabby Appleton, Poindexter and Mr. Peabody, Pete Boyle, and the Little Rascals.

I'm guessing most of the above are dead except for the cartoons. Heck, even Pete Boyles son (who played the Dad on 'Everybody Loves Raymond') is dead.
Yikes, I'm old.

[Lancey Howard]

Oops. That was Mister Peabody and Sherman. Poindexter was in the Felix the Cat cartoons. I also forgot to mention Caspar the Friendly Ghost, Johnny Quest, and Rocky & Bullwinkle in my list. And probably a handful more that will come to mind after I hit 'post'.

[Morgana]

Aaaww Yes Mr. Peabody and Sherman! Those two cracked me up!!

[Lancey Howard]

I think they had a “wayback machine”.

[Morgana]

“Each episode of “Peabody’s Improbable History” begins with the dog’s greeting, “Peabody here.” The premise each week was to introduce Sherman to real history. For that purpose, Peabody has constructed the WABAC (pronounced “wayback”) machine. The WABAC is a take-off on early computer acronyms such as UNIVAC and ENIAC.[2] The WABAC is a time machine used by Peabody and Sherman to travel back in time and witness various historical events.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Peabody

I loved that show!!

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[Morgana]

Don’t know if you have ever seen the show “Mystery Science Theatre 3000” but they did a parody of the ping pong balls once.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFj7lE8yZTA

[motor_racer]

Remember Gerald McBoingBoing?

[dmcnash]

But Bunny Rabbit did make carrot crunching sounds.

[Arm_Bears]

Neither did Dancing Bear.