Hugh Brannum (January 5, 1910 – April 19, 1987) was an American vocalist, arranger, composer and actor best known for his role as Mr. Green Jeans on the childrens television show Captain Kangaroo. During his days with Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians, he used his childhood nickname Lumpy Brannum was born in Sandwich, Illinois in 1910 to a Methodist minister. He attended Maine Township High School in suburban Chicago where he played sousaphone in the schools marching band, later learning the bass violin.[2] He went to college at University of Redlands, where he became interested in jazz; after graduation, he played bass in various bands During World War II, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps and joined a Marine band led by Bob Crosby.[3][4] After the war, he joined the Four Squires, later moving to Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians; Warings group had a regular radio show, where Hugh met fellow Marine Bob Keeshan, an employee at the station who would later hire Brannum for Captain Kangaroo. Before his time on Captain Kangaroo, he hosted a local childrens TV series called Uncle Lumpys Cabin, seen weekday mornings on WABC-TV in New York City during the 1951 season Mr. Green Jeans earned his moniker from his distinctive apparel, a pair of farmers overalls (later, jeans and a denim jacket) in his signature green (although, since the show was broadcast in black-and-white for much of its run, this was lost on viewers). He was a talented and inquisitive handyman who provided assistance at the Treasure House. He frequently visited the Captain with the latest addition to his menagerie of zoo animals. Aside from Mr. Green Jeans, Brannum played a number of characters on Captain Kangaroo from 1955 to 1984, including The Professor, Greeno The Clown, The New Old Folk Singer, and Mr. Bainter the Painter. His role as Mr. Green Jeans was partly based on stories about a farm kid named Little Orley that he told with the Fred Waring orchestra, on the radio and on 78-rpm records under the pseudonym Uncle Lumpy. According to Bob Keeshan, Mr. Green Jeans was an extension of Brannums real personality. The shows were performed before a live audience. During one episode of Captain Kangaroo, a lion cub bit Brannums finger and drew blood. Brannum stuck his bleeding hand into his pocket and never broke character for the remainder of the episode.[2][5][6] Brannum died of cancer in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania in 1987 A long-running but incorrect rumor claims Brannum was the father of musician Frank Zappa, apparently because of a Zappa composition titled Son of Mr. Green Genes on his 1969 album, Hot Rats.[8] Mentioned, along with Bob Keeshan, in the Jim Lehrer novel The Phony Marine.[9] Briefly mentioned in Sam Kinisons bit Execution For Pee Wee/Captain Kangaroo on his Live From Hell album. Mentioned in the television series Archer, during the season 3 episode The Limited
Posted on: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:34:10 +0000
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