Whatever Happened To Mr. Green Jeans?
OK, before we really get into this, I need to send out a warning: You are about to have some of your belief's totally destroyed, obliterated, and ruined. I apologize in advance for what you are about to read.
Ahem, here we go...
Mr. Ed couldn't really talk.
Superman couldn't really fly or even leap a small building. And Jerry Van Dyke's mother wasn't really a car (OK, that's a tough one, you really have to know your classic TV for that one). And Mr. Green Jeans real name wasn't Green or Jeans.
There. Whew! Now that that;s out of the way.
If you are of a certain, well, advanced age, you watched Captain Kangaroo every day. Mr. Moose, Bunny Rabbit, Grandfather Clock and of course, the neighborly Mr. Green Jeans.
Mr. Green Jeans was actually Hugh Brannum and you may remember Mr. Green Jeans would often be playing a musical instrument of some sort. Well, he came to do that honestly, since he grew up learning to play the sousaphone and bass violin.
Following his service in the Marines during WWII, he had a very successful career playing with the legendary Fred Waring. In fact, it was at that time he met a guy named Bob Keeshan.
Another belief blown to smithereens: Captain Kangaroo wasn't really a Captain and his name wasn't Kangaroo, it was Bob Keeshan.
OK, anyway, the rest is, as they say, television history. From 1955 to 1984 Hugh Brannum portrayed, not only Mr. Green jeans, but various other characters on the show including clowns, singers and painters.
Hugh Brannum passed away from cancer in 1987 at the age of 77.
But my oh my, didn't he leave you and me with some very special, very warm memories.
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