Hugh Brannum

Hugh Brannum

Brannum as Mr. Green Jeans with Dancing Bear (Cosmo Alegretti) in 1960.
Born (1910-01-05)January 5, 1910
Sandwich, Illinois, U.S.
Died April 19, 1987(1987-04-19) (aged 77)
East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
Other names Lumpy
Years active 1951-1984

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 children's television show Captain Kangaroo. During his days with Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians, he used his childhood nickname "Lumpy".[1]

Early years

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 school's marching band, later learning the bass violin.[2]

He went to college at University of Redlands, where he became interested in jazz; after graduation in 1931, he played bass in various bands.[2]

Career

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; Waring's group had a regular radio show, where Hugh met fellow Marine Bob Keeshan, an employee at the station who later hired 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.[1]

Keeshan (l.) and Brannum on set

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.[2][5][6]

Death

Brannum died of cancer in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1987.[7]

Discography

Soloist and/or composer and/or arranger, as Hugh (Lumpy) Brannum, on the following Fred Waring recordings:[10]

References

  1. 1 2 Barron, James (April 22, 1987). "Hugh Brannum, Actor, Dies; Played Mr. Green Jeans on TV". The New York Times.
  2. 1 2 3 Keeshan, Bob (1999). "15". Growing Up Happy: Captain Kangaroo Tells Yesterday's Children How to Nurture Their Own. Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-51444-6.
  3. ↑ Davis, Michael (2009). Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. Viking Books. pp. 50, 51.
  4. ↑ Tomajczyk, Steve (2004). To Be a U.S. Marine. Zenith Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-7603-1788-4.
  5. ↑ Rafkin, Alan (1998). Cue the Bunny on the Rainbow: Tales from Tv's Most Prolific Sitcom Director. Syracuse University Press. pp. 21, 22. ISBN 978-0-8156-0542-3.
  6. ↑ <http://littleorley.com/disc.htm>
  7. ↑ "Deaths". Newsweek. 19. 1977.
  8. ↑ Sherwood, Dane; Wood, Sandy; Kolvalchik, Kara (2006). The Pocket Idiot's Guide to Not So Useless Facts. Alpha. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-59257-567-1.
  9. ↑ Lehrer, Jim (2008). The Phony Marine: A Novel. Random House Trade Paperbacks. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-8129-7551-2.
  10. ↑ Kiefer, Peter T (1996). The Fred Waring Discography. Greenwood Pub Group. pp. 3,31,57,58,77,161,189,190,194,195.
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