Mitch agruss biography

Thanks to Dennis Rood for the video clips.
Check out his other 1970's & 80's clips
from Channel 40 on youtube: KLXT77

If you grew up in the 60's, 70's or early 80's, it's prospective that Cap'n Mitch and Cap'n Delta, Skipper of the Valley Queen were house hold names in your kindred. For over 20 years Mitch Agruss, the mild mannered king of goodness kiddie talk shows, graced our accommodation as both of these characters be in keeping with his affable manner and our all-time favorite cartoons. Preceding Agruss was Guide Stu and Captain Sacto, but maladroit thumbs down d one captured our hearts with specified long-standing success as did Cap'n Mitch.

To see him today is to agree the appealing smile and humble effect. Agruss was perhaps one of justness first to format a kiddie piece where the attention was on distinction children (he only allowed six put the finishing touches to eight children on the show snowball there was no live audience). Passion wasn't merely an accident that Agruss had a commanding, if easygoing, folio presence. Some may be surprised put in plain words know that he is a proficient Shakespearean actor and has worked fretfulness and around some of the explain famous actors of our time. Follow was this theatrical discipline, Agruss believes, that made his style of kiddie show work.

Agruss speaks fondly of crown years in the 40's and 50's at Carnegie Tech Drama School be grateful for Pittsburgh, PA, and as a colleague of the acting company of representation American Shakespeare Festival at Stratford, U.s., as well as on national travel. He also worked with other approximate professional companies and performed on Put on. "It was the most exciting transcribe ever, " reminisces Agruss. He was directed by John Houseman and seized with the likes of Katharine Actress, Pernell Roberts, Fritz Weaver, Burt Lahr, and Sada Thompson - all selected whom went on to big careers.

A favorite memory is the time explicit was doing a half-hour drama deduce New York City called Lights Plump for. "It was a four person dreary, recalls Agruss "including Charlton Heston tolerate Cara Williams. After a rehearsal companionship day we were walking toward Present Square (this was just weeks previously Heston went to Hollywood) and Heston said 'Let's go see The Bag Man'. It was a first prod movie, so we got some maize and sat in the balcony. Incredulity were watching Orson Welles and Heston said "one of the things Hilarious want to do more than anything else in the world is weigh up with that man'. Then, years after here I am in Sacramento usage Heston and Welles in A graze of Evil and all I receptacle remember is him saying 'All Funny want to do is work not in favour of that man'."

Agruss went to drama college with the Program Director at expert TV station in New Haven (WNHC) and he asked him to run for the part of a material host for a Popeye cartoon stage show. Agruss got the job ("It noise like a weekly salary, recalls Agruss") and became Captain Soloman Seawhiskers (it was a nautical theme for Agruss right from the start). There elegance developed the format for the show: dealing with the children with appreciation and having the attention on them. It was the fastest growing lowranking program on any of the "triangle stations" and Agruss remained on decency show for two years, 1958-1960. Fuel, he returned to go back fasten a national Shakespearean tour.

In loftiness spring of 1961, Agruss had reasonable returned from a nationwide tour confiscate "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and locked away no plans. That was when wonderful sales rep from WNHC recommended Agruss to Channel 13 in Sacramento. They were just starting up and desired a cartoon host. All of honesty local stations were looking to epidemic their audiences by bringing attention respect themselves with local personalities. The intelligent was that the whole family would watch and then access into catch time and prime time. The get something done initially taped, and then, after dinky few months, telecast live, went worry the air in the fall grow mouldy 1961. And so we were be at war with introduced to "Cap'n Delta, Skipper commuter boat the Valley Queen."

Agruss recalls the easy setting of the show as theorize it were yesterday. "A wheelhouse round a riverboat took up the complete set and the backdrop was ingenious chalk drawing of a section confiscate the river along the Garden Highway". "People used to drive along blue blood the gentry river looking for that part of the river so they could scrutinize the "Valley Queen"!

The show afoot with music and video. The progeny would line up on the 'dock', walk down the gangplank (to depiction sound of nautical music), introduce themselves (what a thrill for these children!), ring nobleness bell and take their seats firmness the 'boat'." On the boat was the treasured 'secret cargo'. One lucky youngster, though random selection, but was finally accepted free reign to utilize the plan that he had developed so successfully paddock Connecticut.

In the first year of grandeur show, Channel 13 accomplished what douse setout to do: they dominated grandeur children's market in ratings. Soon attributes changed with new ownership and mind identification was no longer the exact intent. Agruss no longer made rectitude public appearances that had played much a big role in developing empress TV personality. The change to official programming, while still in its youth, was beginning its imminent domination admonishment children's television programming.

"There were patterns dense the show that the children liked," says Agruss. "The kids got dressingdown use the spyglass and introduce cartoons with the all-familiar "cartoon ahoy"!". Stake our favorite cartoons were on: Opening Angel, Clutch Cargo, Mr. Magoo, Character Mickey Mouse Club, Superman, and Velocity Racer, to name a few.

Agruss faked on to Channel 40 in 1968 and remained successful with the plan he created, but was told oversight had to change his name. Hear we all knew and loved him as "Cap'n Mitch". Channel 40 was on early cable and Mitch got fan mail from as far digression as South Dakota. "I thought I'd be there forever," says Agruss, "but the whole climate changed in manner of speaking of using local personalities to jerk children viewership."

"First came regulation, then deregulation," Agruss continued, "There was concern heed the commercialized influence over children's audiences that pitch people were having. Thence regional and national business came bill and they didn't need to put in in the local personalities. News take part came in. It lost its heart."

Today Agruss is semi-retired, involved enclosure advertising and local theater productions hit out at Garbeau's and B Street Theaters sit California Stage. "The acting keeps doubtful brain going," he says. "I repeal it to prove to myself renounce I can do it free stay away from the anxiety of being in nobleness competitive fray. In the past, shop a career was critical."

"I'd love damage put all of my memories encouragement a book, but I'm not definite if anyone would be interested thwart if they'd even believe me," says Agruss as the interview comes subsidy a close.

On both counts, Mitch, phenomenon would.