June 27 |
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Robert James Keeshan's Birthday |
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Bob Keeshan and
publicist Andrea Foster |
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Bob Keeshan began his television career
playing the silent Clarabell the Clown on Howdy Doody. Clarabell
communicated by honking several horns attached to a belt around his waist.
One horns meant "yes"; the other meant "no". Keeshan gave up
the role in 1952 for a k on the air in a speaking role as Corny the Clown on
the WABC-TV (New York City) Time for Fun.
He then launched Captain Kangaroo on CBS on October 3, 1955 which he both produced and
stared in, and which he geared for preschool children. Keeshan won four
Emmys for this program which aired every weekday morning for thirty years. With his red jacket, his bushy mustache, Keeshan lured children into learning about literature, science, and music. He read books, visited with animals, and worked with his sidekick, Mr. Green Jeans. and his menagerie of puppets, incluuding with the poetry-creating Grandfather Clock, the greedy Bunny Rabbit, the punning trickster Mr. Moose, and the musically-inclined Dancing Bear, the Captain opened several generations of children to the pleasures of learning. Many children were introduced to knock-knock jokes from Mr. Moose which always ended ended with ping-pong balls falling from the ceiling. As his program's popularity grew, Keeshan took on an increasingly public role as an advocate for children, writing a regular column about children and television for McCall's and occasional articles for Good Housekeeping, Parade, and other publications. Keeshan wrote original children's books (as well as those tied to the Kangaroo program) and recorded a series of records designed to introduce children to classical and jazz music. Any kangaroo recipe would
be appropriate today. If you haven't tasted kangaroo, we recommend
kangaroo soup as an introduction to Aussie cuisine. It is similar to but a
little stronger than oxtail soup. Kangaroo tail is difficult to find in the
United States, so we suggest kangaroo loin which can be ordered from Marx Foods
in Atlantic Highlands, NJ (1-866-588-MARX (6279). They also have kangaroo
burgers if you are more adventurous in celebrating the Captain's
birthday. |
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Kangaroo Soup |
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Ingredients |
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Instructions |
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Serves 4 |
© 2011 Gordon Nary and Tyler Stokes