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

Reading Stories

A popular feature on “Captain Kangaroo” would be the Captain’s “Reading Stories” sessions. He would excite child audiences with the likes of stories such as Curious George, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Make Way for Ducklings, and the Sweet Pickles series. The segment was probably geared at promoting child literacy.

The Banana Man

The Banana Man was performed by actor Sam Levine for “Captain Kangaroo” and “The Ed Sullivan Show.” The vaudeville character was originally created by Adolf Proper, whose act consisted of a clown-like character who would produce random props, including copious amounts of bananas, from various locations on his costume.