Captain Kangaroo actually launched in 1955, so, during the 1980-1 season, CBS decided to honor the Captain (Bob Keeshan) with a primetime special, Good Evening, Captain, to mark 25 years on the air. Oh, if only viewers knew what would soon happen.
In the fall of 1981, Captain Kangaroo was shrunk to a half-hour show, retitled, Wake Up With The Captain, in order to make room for an expanded morning news program. In effect, CBS suits were slowly phasing out Keeshan, moving his show into earlier, less desirable time slots until the series was cancelled in 1985. Keeshan would also host CBS Storybreak until he left the network.
For Good Evening, Keeshan himself was credited as executive producer, with the show directed by TV veteran Bob Henry. Series regulars Hugh "Lumpy" Brannum and Cosmo Allegretti were also given their due. The guest list included:
Ted Lange (The Love Boat).
Mike Farrell (M*A*S*H).
Jean Stapleton (ex-All in The Family).
Kim Fields (The Facts of Life).
LaWanda Page (ex-Sanford & Son).
Gary Collins (Hour Magazine).
Barbara Mandrell.
Todd Bridges (Diff'rent Strokes)
Plus cameos by other stars, either in new clips or archived bits. Dick Tufeld, at the time a studio announcer for Ruby-Spears and/or ABC, was the announcer.
The video opens with a bumper from Incredible Hulk star Bill Bixby explaining that this airing was shown in place of a Hulk rerun.
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