Ernest Christopher Memos (born October 28, 1932) is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 broadcaster

Presenter

A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...

 known by his stage name

Stage name

A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...

 Ernie Mims. He hosted the WOC-TV children's show Cap'n Ernie's Show Boat from 1964 to 1974.

Life and career

Mims grew up in Nashua, New Hampshire

Nashua, New Hampshire

-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 86,494 people, 35,044 households, and 21,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.9 people per square mile . There were 37,168 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8 per square mile...

 and served as a trumpet player in the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 Band. His first broadcasting job was at WQUB

WQUB

WQUB is a 28,000-watt radio station in Quincy, Illinois, in western Illinois along the Mississippi River. This station provides primary coverage for nine counties in the western Illinois and northeastern Missouri region...

 radio in Galesburg, Illinois

Galesburg, Illinois

Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County....

, and he adopted his stage name there. He moved to WOC-TV and performed several on-air duties. His first cartoon show aired on Sundays, and he played Uncle Ernie, the station's janitor.

Mims took over the Showboat hosting duties following runs by Cap'n Ken Wagner, Cap'n Verne Gielow and Cap'n Don Warren. The show featured cartoons intercut with segments on his riverboat

Riverboat

A riverboat is a ship built boat designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for entertainment enterprises, such...

 the Dixie Belle, where Cap'n Ernie would chat with his puppet friend Sidney, would give away prizes from his treasure chest, or interact with the children in the audience. The show ran until August 1974. None of the 2,600 live episodes were archived.

External links

• Cap'n Ernie's Show Boat commemorative page
• Captain Ernie’s Showboat (March 14, 2010), on TV Iowans Grew Up On, Iowa Public Television
  Iowa Public Television
  Iowa Public Television is a state network of Public Broadcasting Service member non-commercial educational Public television stations in the state of Iowa. A member of the PBS, it is owned by the Iowa Public Broadcasting Board, an agency of the state education department which holds the licenses...