← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · weisbrot
Thread ID: 12039 | Posts: 15 | Started: 2004-01-26
2004-01-26 17:13 | User Profile
Man, I loved the Captain. I would get just a little slice of TV daily, and I would always tune in Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Green Jeans on the twelve-inch black and white with rabbit ears. Mom would usually sit down and we'd laugh at Mr. Moose and Bunny Rabbit.
But where is this Goodman coming from, advocating television for one year olds? What is this about kids "interacting" with Teletubbies, Blues Clues and Dora the Explorer? Every one of those shows have struck me as intentionally hypnotic; each of them is a marketing steamroller. Goodman seems to approve of kids glueing themselves to the screen, even before they've developed speech. This is insanity; and you have to wonder whose agenda Goodman is working.
Screw him. I'll feel all the nostalgia I want about the Captain (although I should state here that I'm not going to get too out of whack about it). The Goodmans of the world are advocating government indoctrination and television zombification; if his only option for rearing kids is to place them in front of the box watching rainbow-cultured Sesame Street for hours daily, then the proper response would be to kill the televitz- or at least the dangerously mind-numbing programming for kids.
Captain Kangaroo helped us grow up
Tim Goodman Monday, January 26, 2004 [url]http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/01/26/DDGMO4GV1T1.DTL[/url]
When Bob Keeshan, Captain Kangaroo, died Friday at age 76, it was almost too easy for obit writers to hark back to the good old days of children's television and, by bringing the recently deceased Fred Rogers into the equation, create an emotionally powerful bit of nostalgia about an emptiness in our hearts and, conversely, on the screen for the next generations of children.
Most of that is true, certainly. Keeshan's Captain Kangaroo held emotional sway over millions of children who have now grown up and have children of their own. His was a powerful effect, bringing the old, wise grandfather figure to little children, who have no age bias and, in fact, love the soothing comfort of someone who has a little experience in the kid game.
There were no hard edges on Captain Kangaroo. He shuffled around the Treasure House, happy to chat with his regulars. In his lumpy, frumpy coat and his simple, I'm-one-of-you bowl haircut, he was one of those safe people kids wanted to hug. He presided over a world where not much happened and when it did, it moseyed along at the same snail's pace as in "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."
But there's a terrible injustice in the easy nostalgia that contrasts the slow, old-school brilliance of Rogers and Keeshan with the present-day attention-deficit-fueled children's programming. Not only is it false, bordering on fictional, but it also doesn't take into consideration the evolution of the viewing habits of the very young.
Yes, both Rogers and Keeshan were quite troubled by "modern" television for kids. And they had every right to be. There have been hordes of lousy, noneducational television shows aimed at kids -- nobody is disputing that. And you have to understand that Rogers and Keeshan were unique. Even in their era, they stood out for their lack of bells and whistles and their reliance on the warm magic that was their gift. Given that, of course they didn't like the direction of newer kids' shows. They were a niche, the two of them, and even in their day the pace around them was quickening, the presentation becoming a tad more manic. Fast-forward to when real change occurred in the approach to children's television and they were dinosaurs. But just because both men grumbled publicly about certain TV trends, it doesn't mean they were right. What Keeshan seemed so well suited to -- guiding kids on oddly meandering, simplistic but endearing journeys with Mr. Moose, Bunny Rabbit and, of course, Mr. Green Jeans -- would never enrapture children the same way today.
"Captain Kangaroo" started on CBS in 1955 and ended on PBS in 1992. An unflinching argument could be made that in its latter stages, the show was decidedly retro, less effectively educating contemporary kids than those in an earlier time. And that's precisely the difference now in children's programming. You could learn something on "Captain Kangaroo," and certainly on "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," but these days the great bulk of programming aimed at kids 1-5 is brilliantly crafted to stimulate learning in a way that is tested and proven far beyond the hunches and old-fashioned kindness that fueled these series we remember so fondly.
If you lump commercial junk and toy-driven marketing into the overall view of modern children's television, it's easy to craft an argument against it or manage some easy scorn. But concerned children's television producers, educators and even TV channels dedicated to that audience have passionately guarded the most impressionable ages -- 1 to 5. In recent years, we have seen a renaissance in that sort of programming, easily one of the most compelling stories in television.
What Keeshan accomplished with his simplistic set -- the slow beauty of discovery, of funny jokes and sage friends -- is not something to diminish, just as kids' TV today shouldn't be dismissed because of its bells and whistles that "Captain Kangaroo" didn't seem to need.
The difference is merely the expected change in four decades. This whole notion of children growing up faster and the pace of life quickening is true, it's not something we're dreaming up. Children are becoming screen savvy at an earlier age. There are more televisions (in more places -- even the car) and more programming options (several TV channels geared strictly to children, entire programming blocks on PBS, countless DVD movies directed at the very young). How could their pulses not quicken?
Even the venerable "Sesame Street," the gold standard of understanding children and effectively mixing education and entertainment, rejiggered its approach because younger kids were tuning in. And "Teletubbies," the latter- day breakout hit on PBS, was the first-ever children's series directed at 1- year-olds (now, not so uncommon).
The 1-5 crowd likes to be more involved, talking to the TV in the kind of education-oriented call-and-response segments popularized on "Blues Clues" and "Dora the Explorer." They like multimedia, particularly computer animation. They like layered stories, learning lessons, playing games that end with a purpose, etc. They interact more with shows than they ever could with "Captain Kangaroo" and "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."
With Keeshan's death, it's easy to reflect fondly on simpler times, to praise the icons of our TV youth. He deserves all the nostalgic acclaim he's getting, just as Fred Rogers did. Those shows, those people -- we probably won't see them again. But there's no reason to use the passing of Keeshan and, certainly, a generational moment, to dismiss modern children's television as some kind of MTV-paced corporate evil. That's just a lie, and neither the good captain nor Mister Rogers liked a lie.
E-mail Tim Goodman at [email]tgoodman@sfchronicle.com[/email]. He can be heard at 8:30 a.m. every Monday on the "KFOG Morning Show," 104.5 FM.
2004-01-28 02:51 | User Profile
I can remember watching "Captain Kangaroo" on Ch. 2 in the morning back in the '70s in N.Y., along with "Romper Room" and reruns of "Bewitched" and "I Dream Of Jeannie". Yes, I remember it well...
2004-01-29 15:24 | User Profile
Same here. Captain Kangaroo and Romper Room every morning before school. Stuff like the Brady Bunch, the Munsters & the Partridge Family after(that Shirley Jones.....). As for Goodman, he's just another Tikkuning zhid.
A heartfelt plea to Shirley: For the love of Gawd, take your son's sage advice and ditch that hideously obnoxious jeww hairball Ingels once & for all, willya?
2004-01-30 00:12 | User Profile
[QUOTE=N.B. Forrest]Same here. Captain Kangaroo and Romper Room every morning before school. Stuff like the Brady Bunch, the Munsters & the Partridge Family after(that Shirley Jones.....). As for Goodman, he's just another Tikkuning zhid.
A heartfelt plea to Shirley: For the love of Gawd, take your son's sage advice and ditch that hideously obnoxious jeww hairball Ingels once & for all, willya?[/QUOTE]
N.B.--Which son was it who said that--Shawn!!?? I know it couldn't be David because Shirley's not his natural mother. Yes, "The Partridge Family", "The Brady Bunch" and "The Munsters" were the other shows I watched as well. They also used to be on when I'd be home from school, before dinnertime.
What does Shirley see in that man? I remember seeing an episode of the game show "Win, Lose or Draw" from the late '80s on Game Show Network a while back when they had a special "celebrity couples" week. This was the first time I had seen Shirley's husband. I didn't even know she had remarried after Jack Cassidy. I thought she would have better taste in men.
2004-01-30 12:50 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Robbie]I can remember watching "Captain Kangaroo" on Ch. 2 in the morning back in the '70s in N.Y., along with "Romper Room" and reruns of "Bewitched" and "I Dream Of Jeannie". Yes, I remember it well...[/QUOTE]
My mom wouldn't let me watch "I Dream of Jeanie" as I apparently showed an altogether too healthy interest in Barbara Eden's exposed abdomen.
I remember being totally aroused by her in that little harem suit calling what's-his-name "master." I didn't understand it at the time, but man that show was actually kinky, and I'm sure my mom made the right decision, which is why I'm approaching beatification during my lifetime.
Not!
Anyway, I was a major Captain Kangaroo fan. I loved Mr. Moose. I hated Bunny Rabbit, because he could always trick the good Captain out of the carrots. I couldn't understand why Captain Kangaroo couldn't see through his Bunny Rabbit's transparent cons.
Bob Keeshan will be terribly missed.
Walter
2004-01-30 16:52 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Walter Yannis]
I remember being totally aroused by her in that little harem suit calling what's-his-name "master." [/QUOTE]
What's-his-name was Major Anthony Nelson.
2004-01-30 17:55 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Robbie]What's-his-name was Major Anthony Nelson.[/QUOTE]
Thanks.
You can tell my mind wasn't at all on the good Major!
Say, when was that, exactly?
Mid-sixties, sometime. 1966 I'd guess.
2004-01-31 04:12 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Robbie]N.B.--Which son was it who said that--Shawn!!?? I know it couldn't be David because Shirley's not his natural mother. Yes, "The Partridge Family", "The Brady Bunch" and "The Munsters" were the other shows I watched as well. They also used to be on when I'd be home from school, before dinnertime.
What does Shirley see in that man? I remember seeing an episode of the game show "Win, Lose or Draw" from the late '80s on Game Show Network a while back when they had a special "celebrity couples" week. This was the first time I had seen Shirley's husband. I didn't even know she had remarried after Jack Cassidy. I thought she would have better taste in men.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, it was Shaun - he cannot stand Ingels. Just imagine seeing your lovely mother miserably yoked with that zhid buffoon after years with your father, one of the most handsome, dashing Aryan men in the history of Hollywitz. Ingels is a real piece of kosher work: after one of their many separations, he dragged her stuff out onto the lawn and had an impromptu yard sale for the tourists - while wearing his flea-ridden bathrobe, no less. All with the cameras rolling, of course.
As for her part, she simply says "he makes me laugh". Hell, even I could do that - and as an added bonus, I've got a foreskin......
To see Shirley at her juiciest, check out The Cheyenne Social Club with Jimmy Stewart & Henry Fonda.
I also used to feel massive adolescent hormone surges at the sight of Barbara Eden. A very pretty lady with a great figure. She's aged well, as has Shirley.
Another '60s sitcom doll was Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann in Gilligan's Island. Absolutely adorable - and when she showed off her gorgeous little legs in those short-shorts......
2004-02-01 02:41 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Walter Yannis]Thanks.
You can tell my mind wasn't at all on the good Major!
Say, when was that, exactly?
Mid-sixties, sometime. 1966 I'd guess.[/QUOTE]
"I Dream Of Jeannie" ran from September 1965 to September 1970 on NBC. I started watching IDoJ in reruns beginning in the late '70s, and I have always loved the show. I am also a fan of Barbara Eden; I remember her in "Harper Valley P.T.A." (in both the movie and TV show versions).
2004-02-01 15:00 | User Profile
Likewise carrying a lifelong tumescence for Barbara Eden. I thought she was even hotter in her mid-forties/early-fifties than she was in her 20s/30s(the dividing line separating the truly Great Beauties of this world from the Young 'n' Nubiles who sadly grow old like the rest of us...)
Never saw the Keeshan show, though. It was run at [I]precisely [/I] that time of the morning when I'd have to be en route to school...and even during the summer, I'd already be out the door by 7.30 to play ball with the other neighborhood kids. And by the time I was ten or eleven or so, well, by then you're a little old for CAPT KANGEROO or MR ROGERS. In fact, I'm a little grateful that my childhood prededed most of that era of Peabody Award-winning, Children's Television Workshop-type socialist buttinskis who scaremongered young parents at the time into indoctrinating their kids with the 'right' type of shows featuring 'positive' messages like so many green leafy vegetables. These were the very same do-gooders who wanted toy soldiers removed from store shelves because they were "war toys", and who badgered the networks into yanking the Three Stooges off the air and censoring all the best bits out of the Looney Tunes cartoons out of concern that we'd all grow up into an army of Li'l Charles Whitmans otherwise.
(So what happened? Well, a decade or two of "wholesome" kidvid - such as SESAME STREET or ZOOM! or those cartoons where Yogi Bear fights pollution, or teaches Boo Boo religious tolerance, and we ended up with the most violent and anti-social brood of feral wolf-children [I]yet[/I].....)
2004-02-01 16:00 | User Profile
Barbara Eden was fine but is there no memory at all of the brilliant & beautiful Anne Francis who was the ditzy detective Honey West? I think it aired in 65 or 66 but it's been rerun tons of times since. I've heard of guys who played hooky to see it.
SESAME STREET was originally banned by the BBC in England for being totalitarian propaganda. They were wise once.
2004-02-02 07:07 | User Profile
[QUOTE=Ragnar]Barbara Eden was fine but is there no memory at all of the brilliant & beautiful Anne Francis who was the ditzy detective Honey West? I think it aired in 65 or 66 but it's been rerun tons of times since. I've heard of guys who played hooky to see it.
SESAME STREET was originally banned by the BBC in England for being totalitarian propaganda. They were wise once.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, she was great.
But she didn't dress up in a harem suit and call the guy "master," m'kah?
Walter
2004-02-03 23:31 | User Profile
Likewise carrying a lifelong tumescence for Barbara Eden. I thought she was even hotter in her mid-forties/early-fifties than she was in her 20s/30s(the dividing line separating the truly Great Beauties of this world from the Young 'n' Nubiles who sadly grow old like the rest of us...)
I'm with you, brother. Slightly faded roses are always the loveliest. Who wants to see the Parthenon restored to like-new condition, eh?
I remember an I Dream of Jeannie reunion movie they did about 15 years ago, when she was right in those Magic Years: there was an exercise scene in which Barbara was lying on a weight bench and she lifted those gorgeous thighs.....
Cough, cough.....
2004-02-04 00:19 | User Profile
Remember the dance number where the Master ripped the cummerbund off Jeanie, thereby exposing her bare navel? Said it was a wardrobe failure.
I'm betting the Captain is pointing you guys out to Saint Peter right this moment. Good luck at the Gates.
2004-02-04 11:53 | User Profile
[QUOTE]I'm with you, brother. Slightly faded roses are always the loveliest. Who wants to see the Parthenon restored to like-new condition, eh?[/QUOTE]
Oh, man, I get plenty of the "faded roses" routine at home. Speaking only for my own situation, I really wouldn't mind at all if Mrs. Yannis's Parthenon was restored to mint condition - say about where it was when she was 25 and first dating 20 years ago. Now that was a sight to behold!
Of course, I was a better Collosus of Rhodes back then, too, so there you have it.
No, give me the twenty year old Barbara Eden in her little blue harem suit any day.
That's an order! Now!!! Aaaaghhh!!! :twisted:
Just kidding. :closedeye
I have to say that the Arabs really knew what they were doing with that whole harem outfit and belly dancing thing. We have much to learn from them, may Allah be Praised!
Walter