Richard Coogan, Star of 'Captain Video and His Video Rangers,' Dies at 99.

After quitting the live sci-fi series, a ratings sensation in the early days of television, he toplined “The Californians,” a Western on NBC.

Richard Coogan, who played Captain Video on the early TV sci-fi adventure series Captain Video and His Video Rangers, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 99.

Captain Video and His Video Rangers, which aired on the DuPont Television Network from 1949-55, was set in the distant future and revolved around a band of heroes fighting for truth and justice. The show was broadcast live five to six days a week, usually starting at 7 p.m., and was beloved by adults and children alike.

The show was a huge, an unexpected, hit.

“Captain Video and His Video Rangers started off from scratch, no advance notice or publicity. It caught on so rapidly that we caught up with Milton Berle’s rating, and he was Mr. Television!” Coogan exclaimed in a 2003 interview with the Archive of American Television. “He was at 37.6 [rating], and we got 37.4 or something … When word got back from the front office that Captain Video was even with Berle, it was unbelievable!”

Coogan starred as Captain Video until December 1950, when, unhappy with the show’s shoestring budget, he quit and was replaced by Al Hodge.

Folks today are perhaps aware of the nascent TV series from an episode of The Honeymooners; in a 1955 installment, Ed Norton (Art Carney) hogs a TV set shared by him and Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) in order to watch Captain Video, his favorite show.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/richard-coogan-star-captain-video-688192

:rip: Richard Coogan

A nice 'Honeymooners' tie-in [and tribute to a performer on a fascinating but now almost forgotten show]. However; I should point out that it was the DuMont rather than the DuPont Network "Captain Video" was originally broadcast on and, it was DuMont where the the 'Honeymooners' sketches originally debuted on "The Calvalcade of Stars" before CBS quadrupled Gleason's salary. Alas, DuMont itself soon faded away with 'The Honeymooners' being the only part of it still widely remembered.

I had no idea that the First Captain Video was still alive until recently, Amazing! One of the best in Honeymooners moments was when Ed donned the helmet and said the pledge!!