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 […]
The city of Seattle renamed a section of 34th Street as as J.P. Patches Place in a ceremony on June 1, 2013, honoring Chris Wedes, who portrayed J.P Patches for over 50 years. The street sign was unveiled by Wedes’ granddaughter, Christina. Chris Wedes’s wife Joan, along with Robert Newman, who was J.P. Patches long […]
Chris Wedes played J.P. Patches on WTCN in the late 1950’s before taking the character to Seattle where he was on the air for over 20 years. In 2006, J.P Patches and Stan Boreson, another Seattle kids show host presented this 90 minute holiday retrospective featuring episodes of their shows. The first part is a […]
Given that we will be voting for President in a few days, I thought it would be fund to revisit this picture. I’m pretty sure it dates to 1956, which had Dwight Eisenhower running for a second term against Adlai Stevenson. The folks at channel 11 felt that Joe the Cook would make a good […]
Here’s an interview with Chris Wedes from January 2008.
Here’s a few clips of Chris Wedes as J.P. Patches from broadcasts in Seattle, WA. Chris first portrayed J.P. Patches on WTCN in 1955, before moving to the West Coast in 1958.
Broadcasting legend Chris Wedes has passed away at the age of 84. Twin Cities television viewers best remember him as Joe the Cook on the Lunch with Casey show during the early years of the program. He took over the character of J.P. Patches on WTCN and moved to Seattle where J.P Patches entertained children […]
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 […]
Wrangler Steve was one of the early WMIN, channel 11, childern’s programs, debuting in late 1953 or early 1954, along with Casey Jones Noontime Express, and Captain 11. It featured a young Steve Cannon, years before he became known for his radio show on WCCO. The program aired old western movies on Saturdays. The show […]