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New Captain Kangaroo has big pockets to fill

 
Published Sept. 10, 1997|Updated Oct. 1, 2005

He hasn't even hit the airwaves yet, but the new Captain Kangaroo has already figured out how to deal with baby boomer skeptics casting a wary eye toward his efforts to re-create the essence of their childhood hero.

He gets them to watch the children.

"When I've done personal appearances, occasionally an adult _ usually someone without a child _ will come by and cast a cold eye on the proceedings," says beefy John McDonough, introduced to the world in May as the brand-new Captain K.

"I know the bottom line for them was, "I'm not convinced, but let's see what these kids are going to do,' " he adds, calling from his home near Hartford, Conn. "They usually watch the kids' reaction as they come up to meet us. Usually, these skeptics wind up getting in line to ask for an autographed picture."

The laughter that follows feels warm and genuine; the sort of kind-hearted belly laugh you'd expect from a guy hoping to fill the Captain's considerable shoes.

Come Saturday, we'll all learn whether this 43-year-old amateur beekeeper fits the bill, when McDonough debuts in The All-New Captain Kangaroo _ already syndicated to 90 percent of the nation's TV markets (it airs at 7:30 a.m. Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Mondays on WTTA-Ch. 38).

McDonough himself comes to town Thursday, hosting a kickoff premiere event at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at Busch Gardens _ reading a story to more than 100 children, just before screening the first new Captain Kangaroo episode.

Besides offering a chance for some much-needed publicity just before the big debut, this event puts the new Captain squarely in front of the constituency he needs to reach for success: America's children.

Today, kids reared on the Power Rangers and X-Men _ two other youth-oriented shows produced by Saban Entertainment, the same folks now bringing us Captain Kangroo _ likely have little clue who the Captain is. After all, Bob Keeshan's venerated Captain Kangaroo last aired on CBS in 1984. That may add an extra challenge to McDonough's already daunting task.

"It's a process of enlightening these kids as to what is special about this program," says McDonough. "I think they will see that here is an unusual family that gets along in many of the same ways as their own family. We are learning things together that are F-U-N, with capital letters."

The show's first two episodes retains lots of elements from the old, with the Captain lugging around his familiar set of keys, sporting his traditionally oversized pockets (where do you think the name came from, anyway?) and carrying on with Mr. Green Jeans (played by Clearwater resident George Cahill), Mr. Moose, Bunny Rabbit and Grandfather Clock.

The traditional knock-knock jokes and tumbling pingpong balls remain a part of the show, along with a gentle camaraderie between the cast and with animal trainers at Busch Gardens and Sea World Florida in Orlando _ where the show's animal segments are filmed.

Filmed at WEDU-Ch. 3 in Tampa, the show often centers around a theme _ manners, dealing with anger and following directions _ with characters acting out vignettes that dramatize the lesson of the day.

About half of the season's 26 episodes are in the can, with cast and crew returning from vacation this week to finish the season. During the filming of the new episodes _ McDonough found himself trying to get comfortable with his co-stars and his own character, while addressing the concerns of an eight-member advisory board created to help keep the show's educational content on track.

"Sometimes, when you're doing a show for kids, you forget that anything you do can be imitated by them," he says, recalling a scene from the first episode where they had to decide whether to light a birthday cake candle onscreen. "We decided to bring the candle in already lit ... You don't want kids to get the wrong impression of what they can and can't do."

Born and raised in Connecticut, McDonough balances a beekeeping hobby inherited from his father, with work reading children's books on tape, presenting family friendly stories with symphony orchestra backing and occasional children's theater work.

McDonough seems innately suited to the task of reaching the nation's children and their parents in the latest incarnation of a 40-year-old TV legend.

"This is what I've done for a long time, (but) I'm sure that I'm more confident ... now that I know what they want from me," he says.

"It's easier to connect with the kids at home, because I'm learning what the advisory board expects, what the producers want, and what brings the best response from the characters you're working with," McDonough adds. "It's like cousins getting together after a long absence ... after you share experiences, the family becomes whole again and everything works."

There's some modern touches, as well. References to renting videotapes and the Internet are sprinkled through the first two episodes and one character _ computerized pal Copernicus P. Digit _ is wired directly into the World Wide Web.

"Well, over 35 years have passed since the first show debuted (Keeshan's Kangaroo first aired nationally in October 1955), so we're talking about a new show coming along after 40 years of technological advances," McDonough says. "We'll have some modern things in the show that will be no surprise to today's child ... and they may be of interest to older viewers who don't have an Internet connection."

To be sure, that's the formula Saban hopes will lead to long-term success for Captain Kangaroo; hooking kids with a flashy, friendly show while hooking their parents with the name and reputation of a program they were raised on.

"I can remember when I was a child watching the show, and my favorite (episode) was the Saturday program, because there was the possibility my mother or father might watch with me," McDonough says. "I was sharing something that was important to me with them ... a wonderful kind of bonding. And it's great to be a catalyst for something like that again."