Career
During World War II, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps and joined a Marine band led by Bob Crosby. After the war, he joined the Four Squires, later moving to Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians; Waring's group had a regular radio show, where Hugh met 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 children's TV series called Uncle Lumpy's 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 farmer's 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 Brannum's real personality. The shows were performed before a live audience. During one episode of Captain Kangaroo, a lion cub bit Brannum's finger and drew blood. Brannum stuck his bleeding hand into his pocket and never broke character for the remainder of the episode.
Brannum died of cancer in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania in 1987.
Read more about this topic: Hugh Brannum
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