What it Was Like to Work for the Beloved Captain Kangaroo

How the Captain, Mr. Moose and Mr. Green Jeans changed my life.

By

Sandy Travis Bildahl

 
Published September 26, 2024
Still from Captain Kangaroo Show with Mr. Green Jeans and Captain Kangaroo
CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

I used to work for Captain Kangaroo!

It’s a showstopper kind of sentence that always gets attention. And yes, I say it all the time when I’m introducing myself. Can I admit I feel empowered, knowing my words ignite a magic energy that turns on lightbulbs of memories as a cascade of “Ohhhs," smiles and maybe a few giggles ripple around the room?

Awakening a 4-year-old’s memories is not something that’s usually a collective, vibrant experience. But when enthusiastic requests to hear about Dancing Bear, Grandfather Clock, Bunny Rabbit, Mr. Green Jeans and Mr. Moose come your way, you know everyone has time traveled a long way back.

Think 1955 when the show made its 8 a.m. ET debut (on the same day as the Mickey Mouse Club) and became one of the longest-running children's shows in history. Four decades and almost 10,000 shows later, the show impacted generations that began with us and ended with its final airing in 1984.

Looking back to the 1950s, I can barely remember myself, but I can conjure the influence of a time that seemed innocent, sweet and kind. The golden age of television was in full gear along with poodle skirts, cat eyeglasses and Betty Crocker's Good and Easy cookbook. And Captain Kangaroo was right by our sides as the world was spinning into a new era.

At age 28, the Captain, portrayed by Bob Keeshan, became a grandfatherly character determined to nurture young minds by creating a magical treasure house where curiosity and intelligence could thrive. Remember Tom Terrific? Live animals on the set? Story hours? Ping pong balls and morning poems from Grandfather Clock? The Pie Machine and Hat Tree? Bobo the orangutan? How about the Puffin Billy theme song? Can you still hear it, activating a deep nostalgic longing you can’t put into words?

I want to raise my hand, like a passionate 4-year-old and acknowledge that impact. I felt it. And it lasted.

I was startled by that truth, the day I started my job with the Captain and heard his voice for the first time in years. Could I be transported back to the blissful state of my young self? Clearly yes. That grandfather figure, who spoke directly and compassionately to his young audiences, was talking to me now.

I was about to become a Captain Kangaroo insider!

I had landed a dream job working on the TV show that led to being a producer and lead writer on “The Captain’s” CBS Radio Network show, The Subject Is Young People. 

My days held a New York City “if you can make it there” energy, hailing taxis and interviewing experts and stars like James Michener, Joe Namath, Debbie Reynolds, Buckminster Fuller, Olivia DeHavilland, Judy Blume and Jamie Lee Curtis to name a few. (An episode I wrote titled Grandparents won a 1982 Gabriel Award.)

If I planned everything right, I could schedule my interviews, grab a cab and make it to Jack LaLanne’s on 5th Avenue before it was crowded. I would still have plenty of time to go home, play Scrabble, have a glass of wine and share that I’d interviewed Jimmy Olson from Superman (Jack Larsen) at the Algonquin Hotel.

Adding to that, sharing space with 60-Minute stars Dan Rather, Harry Reasoner and Mike Wallace, who got off the elevator on the same floor as our 57th Street offices in Manhattan, was like being part of television history. “Can you push the button for floor 7?” “Sure, Mike. No problem Harry.” A highlight? Dan Rather told me he liked my cowboy boots.

Of course, daily interaction with Bob Keeshan, who died at 76 in 2004, made me feel lucky and grateful as I listened to his favorite Swan Lake songs streaming from his office. Knowing his passion for M&Ms added to my “in the know” status.

This was no ordinary job. Working with writers, producers, staff and stars like Cosmo Allegretti (1927-2013), the puppeteer who brought life to our friends, Mr. Moose and the gang, Hugh Brannun (1910-1987), the famous Mr. Green Jeans, who also performed as Percy, Mr. Backwards and Bainter the Painter was thrilling. They woke up the creativity and imagination in kids for generations — including this kid.

As for working with The Captain, I was changed by being in the presence of what I carefully say was perfection. Bob Keeshan made it clear that young people deserved the same respect and consideration as adults. Advocating for families and honoring the differences that make us all unique was his primary focus. Over time he would win 17 honorary degrees, six Emmys, three Peabody Awards, three Gabriel Awards and was once named Television Father of the Year.

Did you know he also has a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame?

So what is that warm rumbling of sentiment mingled with a longing joy? It’s nostalgia and it has the power to remind us all that we are more than who we see in the mirror every morning.

It’s what activates my Captain Kangaroo “used to work at” intro, a lovely, feel-good reminder of that anxious spark of new beginnings long ago. Opportunity was something I could touch and hope it would belong to you. And it did. My time in my 20s with Captain Kangaroo was the ultimate jumpstart to my life and career. No work transformed who I am with such emotional intensity.

But is nostalgia good? Can looking back keep you stuck?

No question, remembering is fun, but it can bring up thoughts about regrets and aging. What I often call dreaming backward holds the threads of live stories, and there’s great value in that.

The child that liked Captain Kangaroo didn’t go away. She turned into you and me.

My suggestion is that you cultivate and wake up your memories. Remember who you were and how that reflects and influences who you are now. What were your favorite books, teachers, jobs, places to live and travel? First jobs? (Mine was digging dandelions.) There’s something to learn from everything in the past.

What do you remember about Captain Kangaroo? Who was your favorite character? Close your eyes, listen to the theme song and indulge in daydreaming.

Today we may have the Internet, social media and a different pop culture, but WE have Captain Kangaroo. It’s something that connects us with nostalgia, as we remember the wonder we experienced, and how that forms the backbone of who we still are.

Like I have done, savor and remember the history of you. And if you want to dive deeper into those childhood days with the Captain in his Treasure House? Read Bob Keeshan’s book: Good Morning, Captain: Fifty Wonderful Years with Bob Keeshan, TV's Captain Kangaroo.

Do any of you remember watching Captain Kangaroo? Let us know in the comments below.

 

Sandy Travis Bildahl is a certified emotional intelligence and business coach, author of the best seller Bravery Becomes You: On the Road to Fearless and Free, and creator of the company Bravery Becomes You. Her love of story began at Captain Kangaroo and as a producer for the CBS Radio Network show The Subject Is Young People (host Bob Keeshan, The Captain). She has written for The Washington Post, People, and contributed to several books. She loves the wonder of adventure, being scared, and living brave.