''Captain Chesapeake'' was a morning and afternoon children's show on

WBFF WBFF (channel 45) is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, affiliated with Fox and MyNetworkTV. It is one of two flagship stations of Sinclair Broadcast Group (based in nearby Hunt Valley), alongside ABC affiliate WJLA-T ...

(channel 45) in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

hosted by George A. Lewis (November 24, 1926 – December 18, 2000 at Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland) who portrayed "Captain Chesapeake". The show aired from April 1971 until 1990. Lewis hosted a similar show, ''Captain Pitt'' on WPTT (channel 22) in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

(which is now WPNT and is owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., the same group that owns and operates Baltimore's WBFF). Lewis began his career as the children's host of the ''Steamboat Bill'' and ''Mr. Cartoon'' shows on

WSAZ-TV WSAZ-TV (channel 3) is a television station licensed to Huntington, West Virginia, United States, affiliated with NBC. It serves the Charleston–Huntington market, the second-largest television market (in terms of geographical area) east of t ...

in Huntington, West Virginia, from 1957 until 1970. Lewis also acted as "Ghost Host" on WBFF's late night horror movie show, and did news on WBFF prior to 1988. Children in Baltimore could become "crew members" on the show. The Captain Chesapeake show began with the poem: ''"A shipwrecked sailor found himself in a plight. Lost at sea he was really a sight. He swam and swam 'til he thought he'd die, when a wondrous sight appeared to his eye. A derelict boat that saved his life and put an end to his watery strife."'' The theme song was the

Zez Confrey Edward Elzear "Zez" Confrey (3 April 1895 – 22 November 1971)
- accessed August 2011 was an American composer and perfo ...

tune "Stumbling", as recorded by

The Three Suns The Three Suns was an American pop group, most popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Career history The group was formed in 1939 by brothers Al Nevins (guitar) and Morty Nevins (accordion) and their cousin, radio and vaudeville veteran Artie Dunn (v ...

. This theme was played from a 33 rpm at 45 rpm speed. Captain Chesapeake signed off each show with important advice for his young viewers, “Be somebody important, Be yourself!”

Characters on the Captain Chesapeake show

* Captain Chesapeake * Mondy (pronounced Moan-dee) the Sea Monster, a local version of the

Loch Ness Monster The Loch Ness Monster ( gd, Uilebheist Loch Nis), affectionately known as Nessie, is a creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or mor ...

, not to be confused with Chessie, a legendary sea monster of

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

. Mondy was played by longtime WBFF employee Jimmy Uhrin. During the early 1980s, Mondy was played by WBFF employee Anna Cosby. She also was the voice of Andrew Claws the Lion (''Androcles and the Lion''). * Bruce the Bird * Andrew Claws the Lion * Little Mo' * Missy the Mermaid * Mandy the Mermaid

Cartoon Character Segments

References

{{Reflist

External links

WBFF FAQ

A Few Minutes With Captain Chesapeake (Video)

"Ghost Host" close and partial sign-off 1980s (Video)
Local children's television programming in the United States Culture of Baltimore Huntington, West Virginia 1971 American television series debuts 1990 American television series endings 1970s American children's television series 1980s American children's television series 1990s American children's television series American television shows featuring puppetry

Characters on the Captain Chesapeake show

Cartoon Character Segments

See also

References

External links