Remember when afternoon TV belonged to children? Tony Ducklow does. Join him as he turns back the clock with "Captain McCool and Friends," and get ready for delightful puppet sidekicks, groan-inducing puns and, of course, silly knock-knock jokes.

St. Paul teacher Tony Ducklow grew up with the old kids shows that once filled the afternoons on television before Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Springer, and Maury Povich. Such shows as "Clancy the Cop" or "Axel and His Dog" were familiar and warm favorites for Twin Cities kids during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.

This month, Ducklow introduces a new generation to the sweet goofiness of those old variety shows with a new locally produced cable access show he calls "Captain McCool and Friends." "I wanted to bring back the fun and innocence that I grew up with," said Ducklow, who teaches at Daytons Bluff Elementary School. "I'm trying to rekindle some of that with this show. I think there is a desire and even a need for that type of programming." Ducklow is the star of "Captain McCool." He's also the writer, editor, director, and producer. His wife, Linda, and friends work the cameras and the puppet characters that perform with Ducklow on the show. A son's Cub Scouts troop served as the studio audience for one taping.

The idea behind the show is that McCool is in a spaceship orbiting the Twin Cities. The ship is inhabited by puppet stowaways with whom Ducklow interacts. During one skit, a puppet teaches the children sign language. Other skits feature guest appearances from a local police officer or dentist. All of the skits keep a light attitude with frequent groan-inducing puns or silly knock-knock jokes.

One character named Moondoggy is only seen as blue fuzzy paws, with the rest of the character not shown by the camera. It was a device used to great effect by Clellan Card, the star of "Axel and his Dog." "I remember when I was a kid and you only saw the hands and you wondered what they looked like," Ducklow said. "I always loved that gimmick."

Ducklow said he got the idea for the show after asking a classroom of sixth-graders what they watched on television. "When they said 'Jerry Springer,' I thought something was wrong," he said. "It made me sad that there was nothing for the kids to connect to. I wanted the kids to have some good clean fun that they could enjoy watching." New to acting, video and cable access production, the teacher quickly became the student to find out how to turn an idea for a kids show into reality.

The show will be on cable in St. Paul and the 12 communities in Ramsey and Washington counties served by Suburban Community Channels. But Ducklow hopes to market "Captain McCool" to cable access channels across the metro area. Ted Arbeiter, the public access coordinator for the White Bear Lake-based Suburban Community Channels, said Ducklow has nice combination of professional teaching experience and genuine enthusiasm that could bring back to television a taste of a bygone era. "This show could not exist in the commercial world," Arbeiter said. "But his head is in the right place, and his heart is in the right place, too."

article courtesy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch
February 7, 2000