Robert Cottle

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Robert S. Cottle, (born August 7, 1920, Brockton, Massachusetts - died April 25, 1999 in San Mateo, California) son of Earle W. and Gladys E. (Pierce) Cottle. Mr Cottle grew up and attended local schools in Brockton, and during WWII, was a B-17 Flying Fortress flight instructor for the USAF at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas.

He married Bette Volpe, from Medford, Massachusetts, and later they had a son, Robert Cottle Jr. In the 1950's, Mr. Cottle began a career in television as a host for children's TV shows, and became known to many adoring fans as "Captain Bob." One of his first shows, "The Nature World of Captain Bob", began in Hartford, CT. Later, in 1953, it moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where it ran for another 14 years.[1]

In addition to hosting his own kids TV shows in the Boston area, Mr. Cottle took over the helm as host for the NBC TV show "Ruff and Reddy" in September, 1962. The show ran for another 2 years, at times beating out CBS-TV's "Captain Kangaroo" in the Nielsen ratings. Mr. Cottle appeared for the last time on national TV in the 1964 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which aired on NBC & CBS.[2]

In the late 1960's, Mr. Cottle and lifelong friend Robert Bourque created the Prophetron Zoltan Fortune Teller machine, to which Mr. Cottle lent his voice (this is not the same device featured in the popular Tom Hank's movie "Big").

Mr. Cottle continued to host local TV shows in Boston and in Hartford, Connecticut, including the show "The Magic Window", on WBZ-TV.

In 1987, his wife, Bette, died, and he later married his high school sweetheart, Beth (Willis) Johnson. They moved to Block Island, Rhode Island, and in 1997, they settled in California.

Mr. Cottle died on April 25, 1999, in San Mateo, California, as a result of a stroke.