“Captain Kangaroo:” Why Everyone Was Enchanted By This Show

Why it Went Off Air

After 25 successful years of directing “Captain Kangaroo,” Peter Birch suffered from a heart attack in 1980. Following his passing, new director Jim Hirschfield and producer continued to run the show until it was taken off the air in 1993. After its regularly scheduled time slot, CBS ruthlessly shoved Keeshan and his associates into a 6:30 AM time slot that was supposed to compete with ABC’s “Good Morning America” as well as NBC’s “Today Show.” After a solid attempt to make it work, Keeshan graciously eventually admitted defeat and closed up shop in 1993.