The Magical Journey of Captain Penny’s Uniform

By Mike Olszewski

We’ve heard it many times. Pop culture, especially media, tends to be disposable. It’s there when we need it, and it’s gone when we don’t.

Few people have the foresight to recognize the importance of those cherished mementos that helped shape our lives. The guys who kept The Beatles’ and Elvis Presley’s demo discs, or Joe Shuster’s drawings of Superman, were visionaries. And, in his own way, so was Bob Seeley.

A Childhood Icon
Seeley spent his entire career at Cleveland’s WEWS-TV and worked alongside many of the greats: Dorothy Fuldheim, Bill Gordon, Paige Palmer and Ron Penfound, also known as Captain Penny.

Every kid who grew up in Cleveland in the mid-’50s and ‘60s remembers Captain Penny, who hosted a popular, locally produced children’s show. In his trademark railroad engineer uniform, Captain Penny introduced his young audience to classic comedy shows like The Three Stooges. Other regular features were an adoptable pet segment called “Pooch Parade,” Jungle Larry’s exotic animals, and conversations with Mister F.W. Nickelsworth. He encouraged picky eaters to join the Clean Plate Club. Mr. Jingeling stopped by at Christmastime. And who could forget his closing lines -paraphrased from a Little Rascals episode:

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool Mom. She’s pretty nice and she’s pretty smart. If you do what Mom says you won’t go far wrong.”

When Penfound left WEWS-TV in the early ‘70s, he gave his classic train uniform to Seeley, who recalls, “We knew the show was disappearing and I kept asking, ‘Can I have this?’ He probably got tired of me asking, but to me he was special. I used to watch him when I came home from school for lunch.”  

I’m not a fan of Facebook; I see it as a modern version of a citizen’s band radio, giving voice to people with nothing to say. But it’s an easy way to get family photos. A few months back, I was doing just that when I saw a message from Seeley saying it was time for Captain Penny’s uniform to find a new home. That choice seemed obvious. The uniform belonged with the Penfound family.

My wife Janice and I happen to be friends with the late Ron Penfound’s son, Matt Penfound, who lives near Columbus. There were emails and phone calls between Seeley and Matt and it was decided that Janice and I would deliver the iconic memento to the Penfounds. 

We met to pick it up from Seeley. There it was in a Higbee’s box with an autograph on the lid that read, “To Bobby, Keep Smiling! Captain Penny.” One of the “holy grails” of Cleveland TV history was on its way to the family that made it famous nearly 50 years earlier.

Janice and I get together with Matt and his family every time we visit Columbus, but this time it was really special. On a beautiful autumn Saturday, we met for coffee and Matt opened the box to get reacquainted with an important part of his family history. 

As Matt looked over the uniform, he said, “I’ve been thinking about it all day. It’s so amazing to see and to touch something that was such a big part of dad’s career as a Cleveland TV personality. I’m indebted to Bob Seeley for keeping it safe for so long and to you for seeing it made its way home. Our family will treasure it forever.”

Ron Penfound never got to meet his grandchildren, but in a way, they got to know him a little better. The uniform is back with the Penfounds, thanks in great part to Bob Seeley, a prescient caretaker of TV history.

If you find yourself longing for the golden days of Cleveland kids’ show hosts, you’re in luck. I’m working on a couple of projects that will debut early next year.

As they say in the TV business, stay tuned!

Mike Olszewski is a long-time fan of local TV shows and is Boomer’s pop-culture columnist.