Bob Keeshan
Bob Keeshan | |
---|---|
Born | Robert James Keeshan June 27, 1927 Lynbrook, New York, U.S. |
Died | January 23, 2004 Windsor, Vermont, U.S. | (aged 76)
Alma mater | Fordham University |
Occupation(s) | Television host, producer, actor |
Years active | 1947–2004 |
Spouse |
Anne Laurie
(m. 1950; died 1996) |
Children | 3 |
Robert James Keeshan (June 27, 1927 – January 23, 2004) was an American
Early life
Bob Keeshan was born to Irish parents
An urban legend claims that actor Lee Marvin said on The Tonight Show that he had fought alongside Keeshan at the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. Over time, this legend has been published verbatim.[6][7] Other legends had compounded on it, such that Keeshan was a trained killer,[8] that he was awarded the Navy Cross,[9][10] that he was a tough sergeant who saved the lives of dozens of men and women in the war,[11] and that he destroyed a German tank in action in North Africa (an apparent confusion with a similarly named British soldier).[12] However, Marvin never made the statement (he never served in Iwo Jima, but was wounded during the Battle of Saipan).[13] Keeshan never saw combat in Europe or Japan, having enlisted too late to serve overseas.[6][14] The Naval Historical Center in Washington, D.C, still receives calls asking for verification of Keeshan's "heroic" war service.[15][9] Keeshan continuously dispelled the rumors.[9]
Television career
Network
By September 21, 1953, Keeshan came back to local TV on WABC-TV, Channel 7 in New York City, in a new children's show, Time for Fun. He played Corny the Clown, and this time he spoke.[18] Later that same year, in addition to Time for Fun, he began Tinker's Workshop, a program aimed at preschoolers, where he played the grandfather-like Tinker.[19]
Developing ideas from Tinker's Workshop, Keeshan and his long-time friend Jack Miller submitted the concept of
Recurring characters included his sidekick (and fan favorite)
The New York Times commented: "Captain Kangaroo, a round-faced, pleasant, mustachioed man possessed of an unshakable calm ... was one of the most enduring characters television ever produced."[16]
Keeshan also had a Saturday morning show called Mister Mayor during the 1964–65 season. Keeshan, in his role as the central characters in both Captain Kangaroo and Mister Mayor, heavily promoted the products of the
Keeshan had a longtime close friendship with Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Each paid visits to the other's show in 1970, and they appeared together on the PBS special Springtime with Mister Rogers in 1980. The following year, Rogers appeared briefly in Keeshan's TV special Good Evening, Captain (following Keeshan's 1981 heart attack); Rogers and Dick Clark presented Keeshan with flowers at the end of the show.
Keeshan did voice recordings for a number of albums for
Heart attack and retirement
Keeshan suffered a severe heart attack just moments after stepping off a plane at Toronto Pearson International Airport on July 11, 1981, which pushed the start of a revamped version of his show back to at least mid-August.[22] He had come to the city to accept a children's service award.[23]
Keeshan underwent triple-bypass surgery and received an estimated 5,000 get-well wishes from fans during his hospitalization.[24][25]
Following the heart attack, Keeshan received three
Tired of CBS's constant reductions of his show, Keeshan left Captain Kangaroo when his contract with the network ended in December 1984, just nine months shy of the show's 30th anniversary. By 1987, repeats of the show were airing daily on many PBS stations.
Keeshan's show was given a farewell of sorts with Captain Kangaroo and Friends, a primetime network TV special that aired in 1985.
Later life
After Captain Kangaroo ended, Keeshan hosted 1985's
He was a strong advocate against video game violence and took part in congressional hearings in 1993.[29][30] He also joined with parents' groups in the 1980s who protested children's TV shows based on toys like He-Man and Transformers, feeling that toys turned into TV shows did not teach children anything about the real world. He also made a rare film appearance in The Stupids in 1996.[31]
In 1997, he starred as the Wizard in the St. Louis Muny outdoor theater production of The Wizard of Oz.[32]
In the 1990s, Keeshan expressed an interest in bringing back a new version of Captain Kangaroo as a gentler and kinder answer to the violent cartoons on children's television. Despite having sponsors and television stations lined up, he was unable to obtain permission from ICM, the company that owned the rights to Captain Kangaroo at that time.[33] In 1994, Keeshan was featured as a semi-regular on the FX daytime talk show Breakfast Time.[34]
Personal life
Keeshan was married to Anne Jeanne Laurie Keeshan for 45 years, until her death February 25, 1996.[16] They had three children: Michael Derek, Laurie Margaret, and Maeve Jeanne.
Keeshan resided on Melbury Road in
Keeshan's grandson, Britton Keeshan, became the youngest person at that time to have climbed the Seven Summits by climbing Mount Everest in May 2004. He carried photographs of his grandfather on that ascent, and he buried a photo of the two of them at the summit.[38]
Awards
Keeshan received many honors and awards, including:
- NATPE(1965)
- Adopted member of the Dartmouth College Class of 1942
- Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, Alfred University (1969)[39]
- Honorary Doctor of Pedagogy, Rhode Island College (1969)[40]
- Honorary doctorate, Dartmouth College (1975)
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Fordham University (1975), his alma mater
- Honorary Doctor of Literature, Indiana State University (1978)[40]
- Honorary Doctor of Laws, Elmira College, 1980[40]
- Honorary Doctor of Laws, Marquette University (1983)[40]
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Le Moyne College (1983)
- Honorary Doctor of Professional Studies, Central Michigan University (1984)[40]
- Honorary doctorate, College of New Rochelle (1985), after serving for several years on its board of trustees
- Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, St. Joseph College (1987)[40][41]
- Honorary doctorate, Middlebury College, the alma mater of his grandson Britton Keeshan, for his work in children's literacy
- Honorary Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics[40]
- Five Emmy Awards (1978, 1981–1984)[40]
- Three Peabody Awards (1958, 1972, 1979)[40]
- National Education Award (1982)[40]
- International Clown Hall of Fame (1990)[42]
- Distinguished Service award, American Medical Association (1991)
- National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame (1998)
References
- ^ "Bob Keeshan | American television producer and entertainer". Encyclopedia Britannica. August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Keeshan, Robert James". Encyclopedia.com.
- ^ "Bob Keeshan, Who Played Captain Kangaroo on TV, Is Dead". The New York Times. January 23, 2004.
They were Irish on both sides of the family
- ISBN 9780836851465. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
- ^ Fatama, Rahman. "Robert Keeshan". www.fordham.edu.
- ^ ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "Captain Kangaroo and Lee Marvin, War Heroes". ccvva.org. Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1122. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "12 People You Didn't Know Were U.S. Marines". Naval History Blog. March 9, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Officials Disclaim Myth of Capt. Kangaroos as War Hero". Sun Sentinel. February 5, 2004. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "Did Captain Kangaroo and Lee Marvin Fight at Iwo Jima?". Snopes.com. March 8, 2002. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "Quiet Giants and Unsung Heroes". GrowingLeaders.com. December 14, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "Robert Millar Keenan". WartimeNI.com. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ISBN 0-312-51780-7.
- ^ "FALSE: Captain Kangaroo and Lee Marvin". Snopes.com. February 22, 2016.
- ^ "The Debunker: Was Captain Kangaroo a War Hero?". Woot.com. August 28, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ a b c Severo, Richard (January 24, 2004). "Bob Keeshan, Creator and Star of TV's 'Captain Kangaroo,' Is Dead at 76". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ "Bob Keeshan, Captain Kangaroo, the original Clarabell the Clown". January 28, 2012.
- ^ a b "The Museum of Broadcast Communications – Encyclopedia of Television". Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. Retrieved October 7, 2007.
- ^ "Tinker's Workshop". tvparty.com. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ a b Petty, Ross D. (2007). "Pedaling Schwinn Bicycles: Lessons from the Leading Post-World War II U.S. Bicycle Brand" (PDF). Charm. Babson College, Massachusetts: 162–177. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "Bob Keeshan". Discogs.
- The Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. Associated Press. July 13, 1981. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- ^ Bird, David; Krebs, Albin (July 13, 1981). "Notes On People; Captain Kangaroo Suffers a Heart Attack". The New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ "'Capt. Kangaroo' Goes Home". Los Angeles Times. United Press International. August 3, 1987. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- ^ Sullivan, Patricia (January 24, 2004). "'Captain Kangaroo' Was Friend To Generations of Youngsters". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
- ISBN 978-1135194796.
- Washington Post.
- ^ Aldrich, Marta W. (January 27, 1997). "Corporate Family Solutions Fills Expanding Niche". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Ramirez, Deborah (December 2, 1993). "Video game labeling proposed". Times-Advocate. p. A3.
- ISBN 978-0-16-046563-5.
- ProQuest 1716967766.
Also playing Mr. Sender was Bob Keeshan, better known in America as the beloved Captain Kangaroo.
(subscription required) - ^ Lefkowitz, David (July 14, 1997). "Original Captain Kangaroo Opens July 14 as Wizard in Muny Oz". Playbill.
- ^ Walsh, Bill. "Corporations Buying and Selling Captain Kangaroo". Media Literacy Review. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
- ^ Rosenberg, Howard (August 14, 1995). "'Breakfast Time' Serves Up Funny Mornings". Los Angeles Times.
An exception is its "Thought of the Day" from legendary kids show icon Bob (Captain Kangaroo) Keeshan.
- ^ Bruni, Frank (February 9, 1997). "Are They Dead Yet? Well, Yes and No". The New York Times. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
- ISBN 978-1577490005.
- ISBN 9781476625997– via Google Books.
- ^ Ruibal, Sal (June 2, 2004). "Keeshan spans globe to honor famous 'Kangaroo'". USA Today. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
- ^ "Honorary Degrees, I-L". herrick.alfred.edu. Herrick Memorial Library, Alfred University. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Keeshan, Bob". Encyclopedia of Television. The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Archived from the original on June 25, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2022 – via museum.tv.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ "International Clown Hall of Fame inductees". FamousClowns.org. July 24, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
External links
- Bob Keeshan at IMDb
- Bob Keeshan at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television
- Bob Keeshan at Find a Grave
- Interview with Bob Keeshan about children's issues and advocacy, All About Kids! TV Series #187 (1994)