Hugh Brannum (January 5, 1910 – April 19, 1987) was an American vocalist, arranger, composer, and actor known for his role as Mr. Green Jeans on the children's television show ''

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television progra ...

''. During his days with

Fred Waring Fredrick Malcolm Waring Sr. (June 9, 1900 – July 29, 1984) was an American musician, bandleader, and radio and television personality, sometimes referred to as "America's Singing Master" and "The Man Who Taught America How to Sing". He was also ...

and his Pennsylvanians, Brannum used his childhood nickname "Lumpy".

Early years

Brannum was born in

Sandwich, Illinois Sandwich is a city in DeKalb and Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 7,421 at the 2010 census and 7,221 at the 2020 census. History The town's history is tied to politician "Long John" Wentworth and his efforts t ...

, in 1910 to a Methodist minister. He attended Maine Township High School in suburban Chicago, where he played

sousaphone The sousaphone ( ) is a brass instrument in the tuba family. Created around 1893 by J. W. Pepper at the direction of American bandleader John Philip Sousa (after whom the instrument was then named), it was designed to be easier to play than ...

in the school's marching band, later learning the

bass violin Bass violin is the modern term for various 16th- and 17th-century bass instruments of the violin (i.e. ''viola da braccio'') family. They were the direct ancestor of the modern cello. Bass violins were usually somewhat larger than the modern cell ...

. Brannum went to college at

University of Redlands The University of Redlands is a private university headquartered in Redlands, California. The university's main, residential campus is situated on 160 acres (65 ha) near downtown Redlands. An additional eight regional locations throughout Califo ...

, where he became interested in jazz; after graduation in 1931, he played bass in various bands.

Career

Captain Kangaroo promotional postcard 1961

During World War II, Brannum enlisted in the

US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

and joined a Marine band led by

Bob Crosby George Robert Crosby (August 23, 1913 – March 9, 1993) was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the young ...

. After the war, he joined the Four Squires, and later moved to

Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians Fredrick Malcolm Waring Sr. (June 9, 1900 – July 29, 1984) was an American musician, bandleader, and radio and television personality, sometimes referred to as "America's Singing Master" and "The Man Who Taught America How to Sing". He was also ...

; Waring's group had a regular radio show on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

, where Brannum met fellow Marine

Bob Keeshan Robert James Keeshan (June 27, 1927 – January 23, 2004) was an American television producer and actor. He created and played the title role in the children's television program '' Captain Kangaroo'', which ran from 1955 to 1984, the longes ...

, who was working at the network, and who later hired Brannum for ''Captain Kangaroo''. Before his time on ''Captain Kangaroo'', Brannum hosted a local children's TV series called ''Uncle Lumpy's Cabin'', seen weekday afternoons at 5 on WJZ-TV, (now

WABC-TV WABC-TV (channel 7) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios in the Lincoln Square neig ...

) in New York City during the 1951 season. Mr. Green Jeans earned his moniker from his distinctive apparel, a pair of farmer's

overalls Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers". Overalls were ...

(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 A handyman, also known as a fixer, handyperson or handyworker, is a person skilled at a wide range of repairs, typically around the home. These tasks include trade skills, repair work, maintenance work, are both interior and exterior, and are so ...

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 A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

"Uncle Lumpy". According to Bob Keeshan, Mr. Green Jeans was an extension of Brannum's real personality. 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.

Death

Brannum died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg is a borough in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Poconos region of the state. Originally known as "Dansbury", East Stroudsburg was renamed for geographic reasons when the Delaware, Lackawanna, and ...

, in 1987.

In popular culture

*A long-running but incorrect

rumor A rumor (American English), or rumour (British English; see spelling differences; derived from Latin:rumorem - noise), is "a tall tale of explanations of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in p ...

claims Brannum was the father of musician Frank Zappa, apparently because of a Zappa composition titled "Son of Mr. Green Genes" on his 1969 album, '' Hot Rats.'' *Along with Bob Keeshan, he is mentioned in the

Jim Lehrer James Charles Lehrer (; May 19, 1934 – January 23, 2020) was an American journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. Lehrer was the executive editor and a news anchor for the ''PBS NewsHour'' on PBS and was known for his role as a de ...

novel ''The Phony Marine''.

Discography

Soloist and/or composer and/or arranger, as Hugh (Lumpy) Brannum, on the following Fred Waring recordings: *Get Well *Little Orley and His Coonskin Cap *Little Orley and His Fly-Frog-Fish Orchestra *Little Orley and the Cricket *Little Orley and the Happy Bird *Little Orley and the Haunted House *Little Orley and the Little Engine *Little Orley's Barn Dance *Little Orley's Big Concert *Little Orley–His Adventures as a Worm *Little Orley–His Adventures with Dr. Feather *Little Orley–His Adventures with the Cloud *Little Orley–His Adventures with the Parade *Little Rhumba Numba, The *Orley and the Bubble Gum *Orley and the Bull Fiddle *Orley and the Ivy *Orley and the Moon *Orley and the Pancake

References

External links

*
"Son of Mr. Greenjeans?"
��

Snopes ''Snopes'' , formerly known as the ''Urban Legends Reference Pages'', is a fact-checking website. It has been described as a "well-regarded reference for sorting out myths and rumors" on the Internet. The site has also been seen as a source f ...

Hugh Brannum biography
on TVacres.com

on LittleOrley.com *

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brannum, Hugh 1910 births 1987 deaths 20th-century American male actors Actors from Park Ridge, Illinois American male television actors Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania People from Sandwich, Illinois United States Marines United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II