Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

I haven't seen this show for many years, but I remember it vividly. My favourite skit was the Captain's and the Town Clown's retelling of Jack in the Beanstalk, with the silent Clown in charge of the sound effects. As I recall, there were different bits of dialogue for each of the characters ("Hello, my name is Jack!" for Jack, which the clown repeats throughout Captain Kangaroo's retelling of the story, and "Fee Fi Fo Fum" for the giant, and something like "Hello, who's there?" for the Giant's wife and Jack's mother)which appear to come out of the three cups on the table that the clown is using. As usual with the Town Clown, everything went wrong at the end, probably because Keeshan and the shows producers realized that Jack would never say "Hello, my name is Jack!" to his own mother.

I can recall a set of characters on Captain Kangaroo, and I wonder if anyone else does and remembers their names, since I can't find any reference to them. I remember CK moving books on his shelf and a family of mini people who lived in soup cans behind them. Does anyone else remember this or am I confusing my shows. I loved CK as a kid and I remember wishing he was still around for my kids when they were small. I remember pretty clearly all the other characters that are highlighted on the web sites and thought they were all pretty magical. Actually loved being sick as a kid so I could stay home and watch the line up of shows, Captain Kangaroo, Mr Dressup, Leave it to Beaver, The Flintstones and Bewitched and I Dream of Jeanie. It was a perfect day if Tomato soup and grilled cheese were on the menu! Anyhow if anyone else recalls the above I would be most grateful to hear it. Its funny how out of all the great characters, the soup people held my attention. I dismantled my mothers book case a couple of times hoping to find my own mini family somewhere behind all the books!

When oh when is the complete Captain Kangaroo series going to be available on DVD? The series spanned nearly 30 years and is a treasure trove of positive family values programming. Long before Sesame Street was even a glimmer in Jim Henson's eye, the Captain was entertaining young children with a world filled with healthy family values, imagination and creativity. We are what we eat, what we watch, who we surround ourselves with, and what we aspire to be. Captain Kangaroo is, in my opinion, the finest young children's' television programming EVER to grace the television screen. Bob Keeshan, a hero of WWII, is my hero as well. Do yourself a favor and introduce a child to the wonderful world of Captain Kangaroo.

The passing of Robert (Bob) Keeshan , is another Hallmark of a distant memory... The legacy of Captain Kangaroo, cannot be measured in time, but by Love... of the many Children he has touched, with his honesty, and self-sacrificing humor...There are not enough words that can express, the heartfelt appreciation, to this Gentle Giant , of the airwaves... He saw the world for what is was, and tried to make it better, by developing a program designed to reach the HEARTS of Children, as well as their minds, something , politically developed programs , miss by a mile..So go in peace Captain, Know that your touch was not in vain, for you changed the World , more than you can imgine....