Category: Captain 11

Meeting Captain 11

This week, I was fortunate to meet up with Jim Lange, the first Captain 11 on WMIN.   We sat down at the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting for an interview about the early days of the Twin Cities kids shows.   Jim, Julian West and myself also went to dinner to celebrate Jim’s birthday this week.   Of […]

The Captain 11 Mystery!

I had previously identified this photo as Jim Lange, but it is not!   Jim Lange originated the role of Captain 11 on WMIN in late 1953.   He played Captain 11 until November 1954.    Eventually Chris Wedes took over as Captain 11.  But between Jim Lange and Chris Wedes, another actor played Captain 11.   At this […]

Captain 11 Rocket Ranger Kit

In 1955, Jim Lange was Captain 11 on Channel 11 in the Twin Cities.   This is a very rare premium from that show.   Apparently it was a “Rocket Ranger Kit” that you could send away for.  This small envelope was packed full of all sorts of cool things You got an official photo of Captain […]

Captain 11

The early days of WMIN, channel 11, featured a number of children’s programs.  One of the first, starting in 1954 was Captain 11, which aired on weekday afternoons and featured old movie serials such as Buck Rogers and The Lost Jungle.   According to channel 11 director Al DeRusha, the set was made of parts from old pinball machines […]