In February 1954, Captain 11 debuted on WMIN, Channel 11, featuring a young Jim Lange as the host of the program. It was the beginning of a long career in television for Lange, who would gain greater fame as the host of The Dating Game on ABC. Jim Lange died on Tuesday, February 25 at […]
Category: Captain 11
Captain 11 Mystery Solved – Jack Rebney
Meeting Captain 11
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
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 […]
WMIN-TV Kids Day at Excelsior Amusement Park Aug 7, 1954
Jim Lange as Captain 11, Steve Cannon as Wrangler Steve and Roger Awsumb as Casey Jones are shown together here. The three of them appeared together at Excelsior Amusement Park on August 7, 1954. The heavily promoted event was called WMIN-TV Kids Day. The ad below was featured in the Minnesota edition of TV Guide. from […]