Captain Penny
Encyclopedia
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
on WEWS-TV
WEWS-TV
WEWS-TV, virtual channel 5 , is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio. WEWS has been owned by the E. W. Scripps Company since its inception, and is an affiliate of the ABC television network...
(Channel 5) in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
from 1955 to 1971. The show starred Ron Penfound
Ron Penfound
Ronald A. Penfound was a local television personality in the Cleveland, Ohio market, specifically on WEWS-TV channel 5 where from 1955 to 1971 he hosted an afternoon program for children...
as "Captain Penny" and was produced by Earl Keyes.
Captain Penny dressed as a railroad engineer
Railroad engineer
A railroad engineer, locomotive engineer, train operator, train driver or engine driver is a person who drives a train on a railroad...
and presented a variety of old cartoon
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
s, Little Rascals and Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
. The Captain Penny Show aired around noon in Cleveland from March 2, 1955 until September 4, 1971.
For many years, the show was sponsored by Bosco
Bosco
Bosco was an Irish children's television programme produced during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was produced by the Lambert Puppet Theatre. Designed by Jan Mitchell, Bosco was voiced by Miriam Lambert initially; in later years Paula Lambert took over the character...
chocolate syrup mix. During each show, Captain Penny would mix up a glass of Bosco and milk, then drink it down with an audible "gulp".
Captain Penny’s Pooch Parade segment featured pets that could be adopted from the Cuyahoga County animal shelter
Animal shelter
An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost, or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats.Parrots, for example, are the third most common pet owned by people...
. "Jungle Larry" would bring animals to the show from his "zoo-like" exhibit at Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. Mr. Nickelsworth (Earl Keyes) was Captain Penny's boom microphone that used to talk with him.
Before he became a sports cartoonist for the Cleveland The Plain Dealer, Dick Dugan would appear on the show to do cartoon drawings and make animal drawings from the initials that kids mailed in to the show.
Captain Penny encouraged kids to eat everything on their plate and join the Clean Plate Club
Clean Plate Club
The Clean Plate Club was the beginning of a campaign first established in 1917 when the United States Congress passed the Food and Fuel Control Act or Lever Act. This gave the President the power to "regulate the distribution, export, import, purchase and storage of food." President Woodrow Wilson...
. When measles were going around, he asked kids to join the "no scratch club". After showing episodes of the Three Stooges, he would remind kids not to try this at home.
Captain Penny would say at the end of every show, "You can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool Mom. She's pretty nice and she's pretty smart." (This is sometimes referred to as "Captain Penny's Rule").
In 1957, a second program was added in a late afternoon time slot Captain Penny's Fun House. The show featured Captain Penny (Ron Penfound), Wilbur Wiffenpoof (Earl Keyes) and other guests such as Bobo (an inflated clown). Captain Penny also hosted a 2 hour show Captain Penny's Fun Farm on Saturday mornings.
Mr. Jingeling
Mr. Jingeling
Mr. Jingeling is the "Keeper of the Keys" to Santa's workshop - a holiday tradition in the region around Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Jingeling was originally sponsored by Halle's, a local department store. He served as the store's holiday season spokesman on television and also acted as Santa's...
made yearly appearances between Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
and Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
beginning in 1957. He was "Keeper of the Keys" to Santa's workshop and he would tell stories about the North Pole. Mr. Jingeling was sponsored by Halle's, a local department store and also acted as Santa's representative in the store. Appropriately named Earl Keyes played the part from 1964 on even after Jingeling stopped appearing on TV.