05/06/06 Captain Ernie fan Patty Gomez asks;

Hi Captain Ernie,

I watched your show from the mid 60's until about 1968. My little brother started taking an interest in your show about 1968 and I could not stand the thought of us both liking the same program. I was way too cool for that. So, I gave up the Showboat experience and started the chasing boys experience. LOL!

Here is what I was wondering - - - On your very last Captain Ernie Show, what exactly did WOC do? Did you have guest celebrities? Did WOC present you with a Rolex, a Mercedes, and a vacation home in the islands? How much longer did you work for WOC after your show went off the air? What job(s) did you do at WOC after that? Was there a tear in your eye at the end of that last show?

My cousin told me about your site and that you really respond to questions from your fans. Well Ernie, you never had a bigger fan than me!

I still love you in a Captain, First Mate sorta way. I feel like we navigated the Mississippi River together for years. And I loved every minute of it! You will always be one of my fondest childhood memories. Not only are you a local legend, it feels as if you are part of my family. I cannot begin to imagine how many children, now grown ups, feel the very same way.

Love, Patty - - - Toot! Toot!!

Hi Patty... Ernie said that it was not his choice to take The Showboat off the air and he would have continued it. However, it was a management decision and at the time most similar children's programming was being taken off the air and being replaced by syndicated television shows.

Ernie tearfully said goodbye to the showboat and continued on with his career at WOC. This included his WOC radio d.j. show as well as other assignments. Most notably, PM Magazine with co-host Paula Sands! PM Magazine was interesting because every episode was done live on location. If the national feed sent a story on someone who was a baker, for example, Ernie and Paula would do their segment live at a bakery! He spent the last five years of his career in sales, retiring in 1994.

Yes, he was given a beautiful watch and it is inscribed "WOC 12/15/60 to 10/28/94" and was given to him by Vickie Anne Palmer at his retirement. He never really received a television send-off and his WOC retirement party was held at the old Beaver's East with some of the regulars such as news anchor Don Ryan in attendance as well as behind the scenes WOC employees.

Ernie does not recall the happenings of the final episode of The Cartoon Showboat, however, stay tuned, someone may know!
Someone does know! That someone is WOC Radio 1420's Jon Book! Jon worked various duties behind the scene on the showboat and reveals that Ernie's last words were "we are sailing away....." followed by something like we'll see ya. They knew that for the forseeable future that this was the last show but it was taken in stride with no fanfair and thus ended The Showboat's 17 year span on WOC along with 25 years of legendary live children's programming.

05/07/06 Captain Ernie fan Tom Bletcher asks;

Hi Ernie, I have two questions. #1 What did you do off camera when the cartoons were playing? #2 Were you a Three Stooges Fan?

Ernie remembers that during the breaks, when the cameras were playing cartoons, he was doing one of three things; 1) setting up the next live segment 2) talking with the kids, keeping them entertained 3) watching cartoons with the kids! Sometimes they didn't want to be interrupted while watching their favorite cartoons!

Ernie is a Three Stooges fan. When asked which was his favorite Stooge, he responded that it wasn't Larry because he did not seem to have as much going on as the other two, he just seemed amazed at the chaos that was going around him. It wasn't Moe because of all of the violence involved. It was no question, CURLY!

You may recall being frustrated as a child watching The Showboat because parts of The Three Stooges 20 minute shorts were missing when they were played. It is now revealed by WOC's Jon Book, Showboat Alumni, that The Three Stooges films were trimmed to meet the need of the show, to fit within what time was allowed. Therefore even endings were cut! You may have watched a partial Three Stooges only to watch the same film later in the year 100% complete!

Another piece of Showboat trivia involves The Three Stooges as well. Jon reveals that during the mid 1960's, The Three Stooges films were pulled from The Showboat due to pressure from the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). Parents during this time period and on into the 70's were putting pressure on television to provide education and to ban violence which resulted in Larry, Moe and Curly banished from the show!

05/10/06 First Mate Jack Jarmine wants to know;

Hi Captain Ernie, As a youngster my favorite TV shows were Captain Ernie's Showboat, My Favorite Martian and Mr. Ed. What were your favorite shows of the late 60's? ______________________________________________ Your First Mate JJ

Jack... Ernie said that like you, he liked watching My Favorite Martian and he also watched and enjoyed every episode of Gilligan's Island.

05/10/06 Uncle Ernie fan Jorge Gomez asks;

Hola UNCLE Ernie, My younger cousin told me about your website. Here is a question I have> When I first started watching you on WOC you were Uncle Ernie on Sunday mornings. Your show was in black and white. When did your show go color? I can only remember Captain Ernie being in color.

Jorge... Ernie said that he only recalls The Showboat in color and he only remembers Uncle Ernie in black and white. According to KWQC's webpage; In 1964 film programs that were available in color were broadcast in color and two inch video tape machines were part of broadcast plant. By 1967 all locally originated programming was in full color.

Ernie said that the people who would know would be the directors, producers and behind the scene workers during the mid 1960s. Perhaps if they visit this site, they could provide the history of the switch-over and how The Showboat and Uncle Ernie fit into the mix. Ernie does recall that in the beginning of color television they were not to wear solid white shirts. They had to be off-white or blue or some off shade. The reason was white would burn and smear in appearance on the screne. Of course today the technology allows for any color with no problems.

Don McGonegle who was a producer/diretor for Uncle and Captain Ernie said.... Don McGonegle said that Uncle Ernie was in black and white from the start to the end of the show. Captain Ernies Showboat, however, started out in black and white and switched to color in 1967. Broadcast color tape and slides and the national feed were in color but the studio shows were in black & white.

In black and white television you never wore white shirts, it was either silver grey or light blue due to the fact that white would burn on the screen. The same was true in the early years of color television. The Showboat set itself had no changes related to the change to color on WOC, however the makeup that the actors would wear did have to change as it was much more critical in color than it was in black and white.

05/10/06 Captain Ernie fan Harold Cantlin asks;

Hi Ernie,

I was just reading your biography on the first page of your website. I see that you played trumpet in the Air Force Band. I know you have to be REALLY good to make it in the Air Force Band. Do you still play the trumpet and where could I go to see you perform? How old were you when you first started playing the trumpet? Why did you choose the trumpet? Were there others in your family with musical talent? Was there any particular reason you did not pursue a career as a musician like your buddy Tommy Newsom? Speaking of Tommy Newsom, do you still stay in touch with him?

Your trumpet totin' friend, Harold

Harold, Ernie said to tell you that he still plays the trumpet on a daily basis. He started playing at age 12 when he fell in love with Be-Bop and the Harry James Band. He still plays in the public on occasion but things have to line up right for it to happen. Someone like Manny Lopez will give him a call and say "hey Ernie, lets play" and it will just happen. If this website finds out one such occasion, it will be posted here.

Ernie is the only one in his family with musical talent and he did not pursue it due to insecurity regarding job security as a musician. He needed a steady job. He has not seen Tommy Newsom in years mainly because Tommy is more of a studio session player.

Thanks for the question & for visiting the site. If you would like to know a little more, click here!

05/10/06 Captain Ernie fan Audrey Durst asks;

Dear Captain Ernie, I work in the media, but nothing as high profile as what you did in your days at WOC. I know we have some people who are 'famous' come through here every so often. Some are more famous than others and some only wish they were as famous as they think they are. I have to believe that in your days at WOC you must have met some really famous people. Could you give us a list of maybe the 5 most famous people you met during your career? And, of all the famous people you met, who was your favorite? By the way, I want to be sure and let you know how much I appreciated your show when I was growing up. Like someone said below, or at least in similar words, we turned on the TV, invited you into our homes, and thought of you as family. If there ever were a 'Mr. Quad Cities,' it is you! Your shipmate, Audrey

Thanks for the questions Audrey! Ernie said to tell you that he met more famous people on The Showboat in particular than he could possibly recall. However, here are some of them; Lorne Greene {Ernie told him "Hey even though you are over six foot tall, you look smaller on t.v." to which Lorne replied "That's because you see me on Bonanza standing next to Hoss!" (Dan Blocker)}, Jimmy Dean, Clue Gulliger (famous actor), Leif Erickson (High Chaparral), John Raitt, Kirby Grant (Sky King), Tim Matheson (Animal House), Martin Milner and George Maharis (Route 66 tv show) and Ed McMahon (while Ernie was working Noon Edition on Channel 6.. during the Captain Ernie years). Again, this list is a drop in the bucket compared to whom he has met but these are the ones who come to mind. They all appeared on Captain Ernie's Showboat for the same reason.... they were promoting something on NBC such as a tv show and WOC was the NBC affiliate!

Ed McMahon was from Lowel, Massachusettes which is 14 miles from Nashua, New Hampshire where Ernie grew up so they instantly had a bond. Ernie told Ed that they had something else in common, they both knew Tommy Newsom! So Ernie gave a picture to Ed. Mr. McMahon also took a message reading "Tommy, great seeing you on the tube but you are still as quiet now as you were back then!" (written by Ernie) back to Tommy who proclaimed "Hey! I know this guy!"

Ernie as Captain Ernie in full costume also performed one time locally with the ice-capades. He also met Theodore Bikel who played the lead in "Fiddler on the Roof". Ernie is of Greek heritage which makes his vocal sound similar to Yiddish so Ernie and Theodore ended up singing a great duet of "If I Were a Rich Man" together!

So, again, Ernie has met many many stars and every one has been just great. His favorite would have to be Jimmy Dean due to Jimmy's affable easy and pleasant to speak to presence.

05/11/06 Captain Ernie fan Norma Gladstone writes;

Dear Captain Ernie, My little boy (now 52) just showed me your website. I am dictating this message to you while he types it. Computers and I do not get along.

You were the best babysitter in the world for this mother of four. I looked forward to your show every day because it was the one time in the day where the kids were entertained and not causing a commotion. All four of them would sit spellbound in front of the TV. I don't think I could have survived their childhood without you.

05/15/06 1st Mate Ronnie Gordman asks;

Hello Captain Ernie, I have two questions for you; 1 - From your show, what was your favorite cartoon character? 2 - How do you think the cartoons today compare to the cartoons you were showing? - 1st Mate RG

Ronnie... Ernie said that his favorite cartoon character is Bugs Bunny. He said that as violent as some of the cartoons were on The Showboat in a slapstick way, he feels that some of the cartoons today have really become violent and that is probably the biggest change that he has seen. Thanks for the great question and for visiting Captain Ernie's site!

05/16/06 Captain Ernie fan Carol emailed;

I just want to share a story about Captain Ernie. He lived not far from my grade school, Johnson Elementary, now closed (sigh). And one time he was at the school watching Showtime Pal with his kids. Once the rest of us realized it really was him, we all clamoured around him.

Looking back I would have expected him not to be very happy that he couldn't just watch the show in peace. But Captain Ernie really seemed to like us, he didn't seem the least bothered by all of us kids hanging all over him. Captain Ernie, er, I mean Ernie Mims, was/is a truly Nice Guy and I hope he knows how much he contributed to happy memories for all of us in the Five Point area of Davenport. - Carol

05/18/06 First Mate Connie Regis wrote;

Ahoy Captain Ernie from your First Mate Connie!

After all of these years, I FOUND YOU! What a surprise it was when I typed in Captain Ernie's Showboat and you popped right up. I almost fell out of my chair.

You may not remember me but I was on your show when I was about 8 years old. My 7 year old sister was on that day too. You came over and spoke to me and from that day on I had a huge crush on you. You were my handsome Prince errrrr Captain!

You may find this funny but when I was in third grade, my friends and I used to pretend on the playground who the famous person was that we were going to be married to when we grew up. Guess what? Yippers! I always picked you. So even to this day I feel like we have a special relationship.

The day we were on your show we all got a free Super Ball. These were not the little ones you get out of the gum machine today. These were fist size Super Balls! They were not the colorful ones you see today either. They were solid black. I remember bouncing it rather hard on the floor and it came back up and gave me a little bit of a black eye. Ouch! Well, you know what they always said - keep your eye on the ball. Well I did!

Anyway Captain Ernie, I have a special place in my heart for you. And reading the comments below I see I am not alone. I wish my grandchildren had a Captain Ernie on the television to watch. Every child could use a Captain Ernie in their life.

Sent with love and admiration, Connie

05/18/06 Ships Engineer Roger Gilford wrote;

Ships Engineer Roger Gilford reporting for duty, Captain Ernie, SIR!

As a young child I was convinced you really were on a boat navigating the Mississippi. I used to ask my dad to drive slowly over the twin bridges (now I-74 bridge) so I could look for the Dixie Belle. That was way back when they were charging a 10 cent toll to cross the bridge. My dad would play along and for years I was convinced somewhere out there you were transversing the great Mississippi.

Best wishes Captain Ernie and watch out for those sand bars!

05/18/06 Dixie Belle Senior Lieutenant and chief nose honker Bob Hansen wrote;

Hello Captain Ernie, I wanted to let you know I really enjoyed reading your site. One of my friends at work told me about it. It sure does bring back memories. Did all of the Captains of the good ship Dixie Belle play The Three Stooges? How did that get started? That was always my favorite part of the show. At school, every kid knew every Three Stooges sound effect.

I remember one year we had an epidemic of kids going around putting their fist up to some other kids nose and smacking it a good one and making a Three Stooges honking sound. I also remember walking by the Principal's office and seeing about 20 nose honkers waiting in line for their private conference. The nose horn honking stopped really quick after that!

Yours truly, Dixie Belle Senior Lieutenant and chief nose honker Robert M. Hansen

D.B.S.L.& C.N.H. Robert Hansen, you are getting a two for one special. Legendary WOC engineer Jon Book was with Captain Ernie when he read his fan mail and this is what Ernie and Jon had to say regarding The Three Stooges and the cartoons on The Showboat!

Jon Book: The Three Stooges packages was separate from the Bugs Bunny Cartoon package which WOC had picked up. I know this because someone at WOC was cleaning up and during this cleaning, I ran across the promotional pack which Columbia had sent the station for WOC to sign them up to play on the air. WOC would purchase a particular package and agree that it would be played for a season or a year.

Ernie: When The Three Stooges originally started airing on The Showboat, I do not know. I do know that Captain Vern said that he was playing them which means that they had already been running no later than 1963. This means that Captain Vern, Don and I all played them. Interestingly, they were pulled from The Showboat in the mid-1960's for about a year due to parental groups complaining about violence on children's television. Now with the cartoons, there were something like 500 total with WOC having 250 of them and WHO having 250. 1/2 way thru the year WOC and WHO swapped their own 250 to make them fresh again to the viewers. That is why you saw so many of the cartoons over and over again in a certain period of time but then did not see them for awhile and the process would continue.

Jon Book: With the Popeye cartoons which were part of the mix, there were older ones and newer ones. I liked the older ones. The newer ones had a fixed animated background and the old Popeye cartoons had original animated backgrounds which they only used like once. Newer Popeyes were similar to Wally Gator in that they would take the same background for seven minutes to strech it out.

Ernie: Do you know how they explained the same cartoons over and over again for years and years? They said that there is always another audience that you are picking up every two years. Kids are getting older and you are getting a whole new group coming in. Even with the same cartoon over and over again, kids like repetition and they would say "Oh! I like this part right here!"

Thanks for the great question Bob and for visiting Captain Ernie's site!

05/20/06 Bucking for promotion First Officer Wayne Cooper wrote;

Hi Captain Ernie, First Officer Wayne 'Coop' Cooper requesting permission to board the Dixie Belle, I just spent a good three hours reading all of your site. Once I started I couldn't stop. I am nothing short of amazed. Yours is one of the best internet sites I have ever seen.

I see all of the great questions here on your message board and wish I had a really good one for you. I am drawing a blank. How about this - did you know each of the prior Dixie Belle Captains? Did any of them give you pointers? What was the best piece of advice they gave you? Was there an on air hand-off from the former Captain when you became the new Captain? Were you nervous on your first Captain Ernie show?

Hey, that was pretty good for a guy who was having trouble coming up with a question. Do I get promoted to a higher rank for that? Coop

Thanks for the questions Wayne! Ernie said....

I did not know Ken Wagner, I never met him, he was long gone before I got there. I knew Vern quite well. Don Warren took over the show next and I knew him too. He was not the Captain for very long, he was kind of a transitional figure.

Vern was in essence my boss. While he was doing Captain Vern, he would go back to his office and be the program director. We had to confer with other things that I was doing on tv.

I can not recall any baton type thing like "Well, I am leaving now.... and here is the new guy!" It seems to me that I just went in there cold and introduced myself like "Hi! I am the new Captain of the Dixie Belle" or something like that.

They already knew me from Uncle Ernie and I may have gone in there and said "Hey, look! I am not a janitor anymore, they made me Captain of The Showboat!", I seem to recall.

Many people tried out for the job as Captain when it was open. This included our own local guys at the station. Jim Boyd, for example, was a weatherman and he came up with some kind of ventriloquist act or something. I think that it was Ray Guth, the station manager, who eventually said, "Hey listen, the best guy for the position is a guy who the kids already know" or something like that. He liked something about me, perhaps the way that I ad libbed and that is how I was promoted to Captain!

I was not nervous and I enjoyed the leap from janitor to Captain!

For these questions, yes you are promoted! Give yourself another star!

05/23/06....Captain Ernie fan Nancy McNealy wrote;

My Dear Captain Ernie,

Here I am at age 53 feeling like I am 10 years old again. The sound of the Dixie Belle whistle almost gave me a heart attack. The last thing I was expecting was that whistle to blast. The whistle also brought back some wonderful memories.

I see that you answer questions. Here goes...

#1 Do you still have the Captain Ernie uniform (and does it still fit)

#2 Do you still have your captains hat

#3 Was the uniform and hat handed down to you from the former captains

#4 If you were to pick one thing as the 'highlight of your career' what would it be

Well, I have to fess up - I had a crush on you too! I swear every little girl in the Quad Cities was in love with you. My friends and I would play 'house' when we were little and you were always the husband. I remember some times we would pretend we were on the Dixie Belle. I am blushing here telling you this.

You were, and always will be, a true Quad City treasure. You deserve a bigger than life statue somewhere on the Mississippi river front.

Love, Nancy

Nancy....no to # 1, no to # 2, no to # 3!

The highlight of my career was working as Captain Ernie on the Showboat and the thing which stood out to me in that role was interviewing the celebrities, meeting the really big names who occasionally appeared on The Showboat!

05/25/06 .... First Lady of the Showboat Dixie Belle, Debbie Jones wrote;

Dear Captain Ernie,

My sister told me about your wonderful internet site. I am totally enjoying it. When I looked at your fan mail, I had to laugh at all of the women who had crushes on you when they were children. I can relate to that! I used to sleep at night holding my Captain Ernie picture card that I got when I was on your show. I had to give up my Captain Ernie photo when you lost your head. Yep, I kissed it so much that you became the headless Captain. Quite a sight I must say.

So, I see that I get to ask a question. Hmmmmmmmmm! When your show was running and you were at the absolute height of your popularity, did you ever go out in public dressed incognito? And, if so, what did you use for a disguise? First Lady of the Showboat Dixie Belle, Debbie Jones P.S. Looking at your guest book, I can see you are just as popular as ever!

Debbie.... I never went around dressed like Captain Ernie on my own time. I have always gone out casually, just being myself and was usually recognized. I dressed like everyone else and enjoyed the recognition!

05/27/06 ... Captain Ernie fan Claire Brooks wrote;

Dear Showbiz Kid, Did you ever consider making the leap to network tv?

- Claire

Claire...

I was never good enough. That would be my answer. I had some offers from some bigger stations. I did not feel, however, the itch, the need to go beyond. Family was established here. Money is not always everything.

One reason why I did not make any drastic leaps is that you are dealing with ratings all of the time. You never know, you might go somewhere and the ratings flop and you are out in less than six months but here I felt secure.

05/31/06 ... Captain Ernie fan Cathy Blithe - Fletcher asks;

Dear Captain Ernie, I hope you do not mind me writing to you again. I wanted to congratulate on how your website has developed over the last several months. And I cannot stop checking your message board to see the new posts and answers. I have been telling all of my friends about your website and I see several of them have written to you. Other than Grandpa Happy, were there any other shows over the years that you competed against on channel 4 or 8 that were really tough competition? Did your show always have the largest audience in its time slot? This so much fun getting to ask you questions. I know many of the questions before mine were much better but I just had to ask something! I can't stand by and let my friends have all of the fun! When I come up with some really good ones I will write you again, if that is okay with you. We adore you Captain Ernie. Cathy P.S. Your horn blast really got me. Here I am on your website minding my own business when out of nowhere - HONK! HONK! It never did that before and that is what really caught me off guard. Is it safe to come out from under the table now?

Cathy... Jungle Jay and Aunt Polly were competition to The Showboat. Jay was on Channel 8 and Polly took over for Grandpa Happy for a bit before Grandpa Happy came back to the show. Neither were competition for The Showboat, our show was always heads and shoulders over those two. Jungle Jay may have actually been during the Captain Vern and Captain Don years.

The Showboat was always number one in the ratings, not because of me but because of the overall product that it was including the quality of cartoons as well as the excellent give-aways on the show. Thanks again for the questions and feel free to ask more, its great to hear from you!

06/01/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan John Toot Toot Haggle & his wife, peeking over his shoulder, wrote;

Hi Captain Ernie, My 2nd grade class was on your show years ago. Miss Johnston our teacher arranged it. Her popularity with the students really went up! Now that I read your guestbook entries and read the comments of all of your female admireres, I have to wonder if Miss Johnston might of had a thing for you. Miss Johnston, if you happen to read this I was only kidding! Miss Johnston also took us to the Wonder Bread factory for a tour. In second grade I was more into Deputy Dog, Popeye and Wally Gator. As I got older I was into the Three Stooges. That was a great marketing ploy you had to keep the older children interested in your show.

My wife is reading over my shoulder and she says I am supposed to ask a question. I am a marketing guy so I will ask a marketing question; What was the target age group of your viewers? Were your viewers split evenly boys to girls? Were you making a conscious effort to appeal to both girls and boys?

John Toot Toot Haggle

I wont haggle with you Mr. Haggle, I later went into tv sales for Channel 6 and here is the way that it worked... The demographic was from the age of awareness, one and one/half to two years old - you tell me, up to the late teens. That did not count out other age groups. We actually had a college group come to an airing of The Showboat for example. A lot of college kids told me along the way that they were watching The Showboat for the cartoons and Three Stooges to sit and chill out and to overcome the stress of a busy day studying at school. Mothers and adults as well enjoyed the show but we did not focus on them. The main focus was on young people and items on The Showboat covered a broad range. Ho Hos and Ding Dongs for example appeal to nearly everyone. The show was geared for both boys and girls equally.

P.S.... Regarding Miss Johnston, I had a thing for her! The lovely Miss J. did not escape my eye!

06/01/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Nancy Where's the $!&#*@& boat Debonet wrote;

Dear Captain Ernie; I was on your show some time around 1968. I do not remember the exact date. I have to tell you that I was a bit disappointed. The set was pretty sparse. For a child expecting a ride on the good ship Dixie Belle it was a real letdown. I could not figure out where the rest of the boat was. My friends were all saying the same thing. I remember we were given Ho Ho's on the way out. I kept looking back over my shoulder trying to find the stupid boat. I just knew it had to be back there somewhere. I have to wonder how many other kids who were on your show also had a problem with the boat not meeting their expectations. Oh well, I am almost over it. Nancy "Where's the $!&#*@& boat?"

Nancy, it is pretty hard to have a real boat in the studio so we did what we could with the set that we had. Yes, others did express disappointment as well. During the years of the show, the real Dixie Belle was sailing up and down the river and continued to do so for many years. It is now on dry dock.

06/02/2006... Ernie really is his Uncle, Captain Ernie fan Jeff Carrico wrote;

My brother turned me on to this website and I am flat amazed. It's terrific and you couldn't honor a nicer guy.

I was on the show before, I think I got to be a deckhand or something--we had a little skit. It was great fun and it makes me smile to think about it till this very day. My brothers and sister agree.

Captain Ernie, you will always be Uncle Ernie to me. Drop me a line.

06/02/2006 .... Ernie really is his Uncle too, Captain Ernie fan Kent Carrico wrote;

Dear Uncle Ernie,

You were always my favorite Uncle and an incredible influence on my life.

Your talent, sense of humor, charm, and kindness to everyone comes from an amazing place deep in your heart, which is why this brilliant Website is evoking so many warm remembrances from so many 50-something people.

I can’t imagine a kinder, more loving, funnier man alive than Uncle Ernie Memos…and folks, could he wail on trumpet!

Love,

Kent

06/02/2006 .... Captain Ernie fan Chuck Sanderson wrote;

Dear Captain Ernie,

I am enthralled reading your website and revisiting my childhood with every word and picture. What a wonderful tribute to a wonderful and deserving man.

I know the Dixie Belle was a real boat. My dad pointed it out to me and my brother every time we crossed the Mississippi at night on I-74. We used to listen for the famous horn to honk. My dad always pretended he heard it. What wonderful childhood memories those are and they all can be attributed to you.

I heard about your website at work. I know my friends at work are all reading this and I hope they will contribute their memories to your guest book as well. I had a great time reading everyone's memories. I could relate to each and every one.

Thank you so much, Captain Ernie! The Quad Cities is a much better place because of you. We all share a common bond in having grown up with you.

Chuck

06/02/2006 ... She really was his first mate Patty Ann Memos(Carrico) wrote;

I was Capt Ernie's first mate for 23 years. It was a blast! Love you Ern!

06/02/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Sue Gretchum wrote;

Dear Captain Ernie, What a joy it is to find your website! This is the Quad City memory lane. You deserve a street named after you. How about we turn Brady street into Captain Ernie Street? You are the Quad Cities walking talking living icon! I watched your show every week day as a child. It was always a fun time in the afternoon when you came on. Love, Sue

06/02/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Don Gretchum wrote;

Hi Captain Ernie, My wife Sue is thinking way too small. We need to rename the Quad City Airport CAPTAIN ERNIE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT! Now there is a landmark worthy of your greatness Captain Ernie. I remember having your show pretty much timed when I was in high school so I could turn it on just in time for the Three Stooges. DG

06/03/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Jason Gretchum wrote;

Hi Mr. Ernie, My Dad was trying to explain your show to me. We concluded that you were the Pee Wee Herman of his generation. My Dad says that may not be the best comparison but it was the best we could come up with. I say forget the street and airport name and just rename Davenport CAPTAIN ERNIEVILLE and get it over with! Sorry I never saw your show. I wasn't born yet. Jason

06/06/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Donna Schmeck wrote;

Dear Captain Ernie,

I must be having a mid-life crises brain block. For the life of me I can't remember who filled in for you when you were on vacation or were sick or whatever. I think I might remember Don Wooten hosting the show for you. Is that correct and were there any other guest hosts? Was there ever a guest hostess? I never missed your show no matter what. I should know this. I hope this is just a brain cramp and not a sign of things to come!!!

I think it is really cool that you and the other WOC celebrities of the 1960's and 1970's chose to make the Quad Cities their home after they retired!

I love your website. The horn blast is great! My cat is still hiding under the bed trying to figure out what that noise was.

Love ya' Ernie!!!

Donna

Donna, Charles King would fill in on some occasions. Robert Gann was a chiropractor who was also a WOC dj and worked behind the scenes at WOC, he also filled in. Those are the only two that I can come up with but the WOC alumni who frequent this site could probably come up with some more! If I recall correctly, Gann would come on the show as Cousin Bob which would explain why he was on the show when I was absent. Another who may have filled in would be WOC personality Doug Dahlgren. He was a guy who made it big in his career, if he was not on the show, he most certainly would have done an excellent job on it.

06/09/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Sally Scholl is the daughter of Hank Nicoll who was an engineer at WOC and worked there for 27 years. Sally said;

I truly love this sight! Can't believe I found it! I use to be on the Captain Ernie Show all the time!

I was just a young girl, but knew my dad's job was stressful! The hours were long & swing shift weeks. I remember some years having to get up at 3 a.m. to celebrate Christmas before my Dad had to work.

It took many people to keep that place running. Many names are missing and have probably been forgotten. I remember an Al Otting, my middle name comes from his wife's name Joann. She was a teacher with a wonderful passion for kids and endless energy. She taught my 6th grade. I remember the WOC Christmas parties, and how beautiful my Mom always looked in her long sparkling gowns. I remember a basement of Televisions and TV tubes, my Dad would fix up TV's for others as a hobby.

Mom died in 1979 when I was 17, so if I recall my Dad retired in the early to mid 70's. Which would make him one of the early pioneers of WOC Broadcasting. He was a WOC Engineer for 27 years and received a gold watch at his retirement.

Sally Scholl (Nicoll)

Florida

Sally, Ernie received a watch at his retirement too. He also had this to say...

Sally, you might get a kick out of this... unfortunately I contributed to the stress of your dad, Hank Nicoll because he was riding on audio control during my show! I had a terrible habit of not riding on the same voice level. Everytime I got through a show, he would say #$)%! Mimms, I am always having to ride that pot (potentiameter). He would always have to ride that thing because during the show I was always yelling something like "HEY LOOK OVER THERE!!!" just trying to be natural. I used to fight with all of those guys telling them to use a boom mike and they wouldn't have to sit there and ride the controls.

You can't effect natural honesty and believability if everything is one level. I can't be humble just say "Oh look at that, there is a big explosion". You say "LOOK AT THAT.... ITS AN EXPLOSION!!!!". I would say something like "HEY LOOK AT THAT A BIG CATFISH!!!" and the needle would jump and he would have to back off of it or whatever he did.

I think that you, Sally, will be amused that we have that direct connection - that Captain Ernie remembers that unfortunately he contributed to Hank's stress because he could not maintain voice level while dad Hank was riding audio control!

He worked most all of the shows. He was in the control room and was always the audio guy. They would switch around sometimes but he was pretty much the regular audio guy and will always be considered a dear friend to me.

06/09/2006 ... Donna Schmeck, I am happy to let you know that WOC alumni Doug Dahlgren has added a response to your question. Mr. Dahlgren is a nationally known air personality who was at WOC early in his career and was one of the guys who "made it big!". Mr. Dahlgren has worked at stations in Iowa, Chicago, Miami and Indianapolis, among others, including WCFL in Chicago! Thank you Mr. Dahlgren for helping out on Ernie's site & for the terrific pictures you have shared as well!

Great website and very accurate. It brought back some very pleasant memories. I had no idea Ernie did the show for so long.

I did the show a couple of times but remember very little about it. I was at WOC from ’64 through ’68, doing afternoon drive radio, noon TV weather and Saturday night weather. I even got to fill in for Don Wooten on HBF a couple of times. He was a great (bright) guy but I’ve lost track of him.

Mimms, Big Band leader Si Zentner and Dahlgren. Special thanks to Doug Dahlgren for this picture.

Ernie and I had a blast together. He and I were both jazz freaks and we’d go to all the big band and jazz concerts at the Celebrity Club in Moline. We saw Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Si Zentner, Woody Herman, Al Jerreau (h*ll, even Martin Denny). I’ve attached some pictures of that era. One of which, you might be able to use. Somewhere there’s a shot I took of Ernie on his kid’s trike in his driveway but I’ll be darned if I can find it.

It was sure fun looking at your pages!

All the best,

Doug Dahlgren

Click the banner below and then scroll down to go to Doug Dahlgren's terrific pictures!

06/10/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Charlene Hamilton wrote;

Dear Captain Ernie, Your site has brought a smile to this 52 year old little girl's face! It is like going back in time, to a very good and special time. Time that my friends and I shared with you and you with us. One of my friends named her boy Ernie after you. I am not sure how much he knows about you and your show. I am going to make sure he sees this website so he can understand who his namesake is and how huge an influence you had on the children of the Quad Cities.

How did your parents react when they found out you wanted to make a career out of show business? They must have been so thrilled and proud the first time they saw you on television. I am certain the other boats and barges must give way out of respect when they see you and the beautiful Dixie Belle coming down the Mississippi.

With love, Charlene

Charlene.... Yes, my parents were pleased with my career choice beginning back to my time in the high school marching band and into the times that they did get to see me on tv when they came to visit. When they came, they would bring my neice and nephew and I would put the kids on the show while my parents were watching. I would occasionally drop in a few secret words to them in my ethnic heritage language that my dad would know during the show. I don't recall them ever being on the set of the show as they preferred to watch while sitting back at home while their grandkids, my kids and niece and nephews, were on the air. On one visit to the Quad Cities, I was able to teach my nephew David how to ride a bike which is a great memory!

Regarding the Dixie Belle, if she were still afloat today, the local gambling boats might be a little concerned because she would give them a ride for their money!

06/10/2006 .... Captain Ernie fan Don Franklin reporting for duty asks;

Helllllllllo Captain Ernie, Don Franklin here reporting for duty on the good ship Dixie Belle. I was on your show twice. I think I was 6 the first time and maybe 8 the second time. It was a thrill for me and looking back on it a bigger thrill for my mom. You would've thought my mom had just met Elvis!

How many Captain Ernie uniforms did you have? I saw the one with the groovy striped jacket. It looked like you had a navy one in the other pictures. My favorite part of your show was when you would have the cats and dogs from the humane society on for adoption. And of course, like every other boy in the area, The Three Stooges were my kind of guys. Thanks for so many years of fun! - Don

Don.... I think that there were three changes. There was that striped one and the blazer. Then I switched to turtlenecks to make myself more seaworthy and to establish my own identity on The Showboat! So all three apparel changes that I can remember are shown on the site.

06/10/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Linda Davis wrote;

Dear Captain Ernie, What a wonderful tribute to the Quad Cities favorite Captain! This is so much fun getting to send off a note to a living legend! I am almost speechless...almost. Did you ever play your trumpet at the Col Ballroom? I remember they used to have a big band night there in the early to mid seventies. I saw a couple of bands there. One in particular that I remember was Stan Kenton.

Q1) Who was the best trumpet player you ever saw?

Q2) Who was the best trumpet player you ever got to play with?

If you ever need a jazz piano player, look me up! Yours very truly, Linda Davis

Linda, I would give it a tie to Maynard Ferguson and Smokey Stover. More recently, I would give it to Manny Lopez. He and I belong to a mutual admiration society. If I ever get a gig going, I hope you know all of the changes (chord progressions). If not, get youself a fake book & away we go! By the way, I play better impromtu than just straight music!

06/11/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Peggy Ostemeyer asks;

Dear Captain Ernie, I noticed in your pictures that in your early days you did not wear glasses. Did you start wearing glasses because you needed them or to add to the persona of the Captain Ernie character? I think you look so much sexier with the glasses! Love, Peggy

Peggy, I started wearing glasses out of necessity. My eyes were getting old and I simply needed them. Thanks to your comment, I will keep them as part of the act!

06/13/2006 .... Riser wigglin' Captain Ernie fan Glenda Robertson asks;

Dear Captain Ernie, I was on your show with my little sister in 1970. You had quite a crowd that day. I remember that if anyone wiggled, the girl on the end of the risers would fall off the edge. There was a whole lot of wiggling going on that day. It was a better show than the cartoons. Your TV audience at home must have heard the thump every time she fell off. That poor girl probably has a complex to this day. The fun was over when the bouncer, our teacher, came over during the commercial and removed a couple of the boys. Were all of the kids on your show well behaved, with the exception of us of course? Did you ever have to have anyone removed? Is there one really bad kid you could tell us about that sticks in your mind? I am hoping this leads to a funny story. Love ya' Captain Ernie! - Glenda

Glenda -The kids were absolutely always well behaved! There was never a problem with any child who appeared on the show.

Had I known that there was wiggling on the risers, I would have encouraged the camera to focus on it so we could all enjoy the fun!

Again, they were all angels!

06/14/2006 ... Dixie Belle Senior Lieutenant Commander Steven 'Showboat' Handley asks;

Hi Captain, Your site is the best. I really enjoyed reading all of the comments on your guestbook. It all brings back such good memories. When I grew up all we had were the two TV local stations. WQAD had not been born yet. By the time I had outgrown your show and moved on to cars and girls, my little sister had taken my spot in front of the TV. And while she watched your show just as I had, she also had a new choice that she watched every day. She had Sesame Street on KIIN. Was there any change in your viewership when KIIN took the air? Did you consider Sesame Street to be competition? Dixie Belle Senior Lieutenant Commander Steven 'Showboat' Handley -----------------PS we had some very accomplished "nose honkers" in our school too! I can't tell you how hard I laughed when I read that story in your guest book.

Steven, our viewership never changed. We maintained our ratings no matter who went against us including cable tv. Sesame Street was a different show with a different audience.

Incidentally, Commander Handley, on the radio side of WOC, one of my bosses was a Don Handley!

06/17/2006 ... Captain Ernie and Uncle Ernie fan Robin Myers asks;

Dear Captain Ernie, What a surprise it is to run across your website. I typed WOC Television into Google and your site was the 3rd one down. This site rivals some of the best on the internet. I did not know you played the trumpet. Did you ever play it on TV? I watched you as Uncle Ernie and as Captain Ernie and I can't remember you ever playing. By the way, I was totally confused as a child as to how you could go from being a janitor one week to a riverboat captain the next. Only in America! Best wishes, great health and prosperity be with you. - Robin

Hi Robin - I did play the horn on tv. I don't recall playing the horn on The Showboat or as Uncle Ernie although others who worked for me do recall that I did. I did play the trumpet for The Tree of Lights which aired live on WOC. The Tree of Lights raised funds for The Salvation Army.

I don't know what the circumstances would have been for myself to play on The Showboat. There is nothing worse in my opinion than a guy taking out a horn and just blowing it with no musical accompaniment such as a band or a rhythm section. Don McGonegle who worked with me on both The Showboat and Uncle Ernie does recall that I played it on at least one of the shows so we will have to run it by him at some point to see if he has any further details!

06/19/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Linda Thorpe writes;

My Dear Captain Ernie, After all of these years, I have to confess, I was one of those girls who had a huge crush on you. You were just so darn cute! _______________________________________ Kissy, kissy. Hugs, hugs. Smoochie, smoochie. Love you Captain Ernie, Linda

06/21/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Bill Stark asks;

Hi Captain Ernie, I miss your show and would still be watching it today if it were on the air. I would watch just so I could see the 3 Stooges. What happened to quality TV? Did you have a sit down meeting with the WOC station manager when the decision was made to take your show off the air? How did they tell you? I can't believe that there wasn't lots of phone calls complaining. Did you feel like your show had run its course? Were the ratings on the way down? Bring back Captain Ernies Showboat! - Bill

Bill - I do not recall that there was a meeting. I believe that it was just said "o.k. we are not going to be running with the show anymore." That may have come from Ray Guth who was WOC's station manager.

The Showboat ended at a time when nationally kiddie shows were being taken off the air. One explaination was that the parent groups were complaining due to the violence on the cartoons and The Three Stooges. I however believe that the ruling that children's shows were giving sponsors an unfair advantage by encouraging kids to buy items such as Twinkies, Ding Dongs, etc. lead to the ending of the show.

Regardless, I never wanted The Showboat to go off the air. If it was up to me, it would have gone on!

06/26/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Connie Roberts asks;

Dear Captain, I can remember your first Uncle Ernie show. I was about 10 years old at the time. You had me convinced that you were the janitor at WOC. I couldn't wait until the next week to see if you would show up again. Did you have formal training as an actor? You sure had me convinced. Love you always Captain Ernie! Connie Roberts

Hi Connie, thanks for the question! I never had formal training. I guess that my performance came from natural ability.

06/28/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Gina Blomberg writes;

What a site I found on accident. Of particular interests was the lyrics to the song "I love the moona and the Juna". I have actually sung those to my kids and tried to explain to the about your show. After I found this site, I called my sister and we fondly recalled getting Ding Dongs, Twinkies, and if I remember correctly, McDonald's hamburgers. Quite a big deal in the 60's.

06/30/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Kevin Sneed wrote;

I wanted to give my heartfelt thanks to all (especially to Mr. Jon Book, engineer extraordinaire!) for putting up a website to one of my greatest childhood icons, Captain Ernie! If you were a kid in the sixties like I was, you NEVER missed the Captain's show! What a great time that was!

If you read this e-mail, Mr. Mims, please accept my gratitude for putting on such a great show and making my childhood so special! God bless you!

-Kevin Sneed

07/02/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Deborah Yohn wrote;

I live across the street from Captain Ernie and was on his show several times!

07/05/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Jane Hoover asks;

Dear Captain Ernie, I found your website a day too late. We could have gotten you on a parade float in the Amvets 4th of July parade in East Moline. Would you be willing to ride in the Amvets parade next year? I know you would be a hit. - Jane Hoover

Hi Jane, thank you for the honor of asking me to be in the Amvets 4th of July Parade! So much time has gone by since I was on the air. When I think of a parade, I think of children. Today's children do not know who I am and would be saying "who is this guy?!" It is a year away and but I will give it some consideration!

07/05/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Doreen Lambert wrote;

Oh my GOSH! Here I am enjoying reading your website in the quiet of my study and out of nowhere comes this huge horn blast. It knocked me out of my chair! I need to catch my breath. It was a sneak attack! Everybody duck and cover!!! I recognize that honk. It was the Cartoon Showboat horn! Oh my Gosh. You got me Cap'n Ernie. Here I was thinking happy thoughts. I was feeling like I was ten years old again and you gave me a heart attack!

07/08/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Joe Baker wrote;

Ahoy Captain Ernie, My Cub Scout troupe was on your show. We were given Highland Potato Chips when the show was over. We all started singing the Highland Potato Chips song >Highland Potato Chips are the chippiest chips around.< You were also promoting the Shoop Shoop Hoola Hoop and some of the kids got to be on the air demonstrating their inability to do the hoola hoop. I remember Bobby Gorton got to draw the winning card out of the drum. Bobby was really digging in there. He looked like he was on a mission. We all thought he must be looking for the card he sent in. If I remember right, the winner got a case of Mountain Dew. I think the audience participation was one of the factors that made your show such a hit. It was fun to see your friends on tv and to know that some day you might get your turn to be on the show. You were every kids best buddy! JB

07/08/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Sherry Volkman wrote;

Dear Captain Ernie,

I love your website. My sister told me about it.

Luv ya! Sherry

07/11/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Samantha Frakes wrote;

Dear Captain Ernie, Your website was the topic of discussion at work today. We all love it! The guys at work are all practicing their Three Stooges sound effects. Everybody is really getting into this! Sorry, no smoochie, smoochie's from me. I am happily married. Love you anyway! Sam

07/12/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Jim Jenks wrote;

I think we should all get together and demand an official CAPTAIN ERNIE DAY in the Quad Cities complete with a CAPTAIN ERNIE DAY PARADE! JJ

07/20/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Mark wrote;

Lived in Davenport for a little less than a year but I never forgot Captain Ernie. Too bad the tradition of home grown programming has faded away. Thanks for keeping the memories alive!

07/21/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Randy Newman asks:

Captain Ernie, Are there any recordings of your trumpet playing available? Where could I get a CD? Could you maybe post a sample on your website? - Thanx, Randy

Hi Randy! I only have one cd of my playing and that was thanks to Manny Lopez. They told me that I sound great on it but I know that it was not one of my best performances. If I am able to make or receive a copy in the future while I am playing with a band, it will be placed on here for you to enjoy.

07/23/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Betty Jo Sanderson knows where the Showboat was docked!

Dear Captain Ernie, I was just wanting to let you know that we used to watch you in Clinton, Iowa everyday after school. For those who were wondering where the Dixie Bell Show Boat was docked, it was in Clinton kind of under the bridge. Everybody should know that! My Mother and Father would point it out to me everytime that we crossed the bridge. I can even remember me and my sister Holly waving to you. Love you Captain Ernie, Betty Jo.

07/24/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Mike Goodman remembers one of the terrific toys advertised on The Showboat and asks;

Hi Captain Ernie, I stumbled onto your website by accident. When I first saw it listed I thought I had read it wrong. What a surprise it's to find this! So my question is this - did you ever buy a Slippery Slide for your kids?

Let me tell you my story that still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it. I can't stop laughing. Here it goes --- I saw the Slippery Slide on your show and kept begging Mom for one. You used to advertise it in the summer. It was like an air matress but you filled it with water and it had holes in it that would make it a little bit wet and a whole lot slippery. The commercial showed kids running and diving on it head first smiling ear to ear and skidding about 50 mph. You just saw them whiz by the camera but you never saw them get off at the other end of it.

So it is my birthday on July 1st and guess what I got? I got my very own Slippery Slide! We set it up out back in the yard and I got to go first. Here I go running and I leap head first off the grass onto the slide just like the ad and I end up at the other end with a mouth full of grass and mud and a scraped chin. Next it was my older brother John's turn. John starts from running from the house next door, hits the slide face first and goes off the side and dislocates his shoulder. Next was the neighborhood bully who wasn't even invited. He takes off running and hits the mud puddle before you get to the slide goes airborne and goes about five feet and slides off the side and breaks his arm. This was a better show than the 3 Stooges!

Hilarious Mike! Thanks for the question too! Always terrific to bring up the baby boomer toys that were advertised on The Showboat! Especially the dangerous ones like slip and slide & klick-klacks! Ernie happened to have a microphone on him today and here is your answer! This will play on Windows Media Player. It is around 41 seconds long so you may only want to attempt this with a high speed connection.

Click on the start button to hear Captain Ernie!

Here is Ernie's answer in written form ... Hi Mike! This is your Captain speaking and yes indeed we did have a slippery slide at our home but we never had the problems that you developed. I guess our kids were more cautious or we got the "short" variety. It was nice to hear from you and I am sorry about your mishaps and I would say take it easy the next time around but NEVER GIVE UP! Its like a guy who crashes in an airplane and he goes right back up again. I want to hear that (1) you have done this and (2) you succeeded and that (3) I wasn't responsible for your injuries! Good Luck!

There were only four known pictures of Captain Ernie's Cartoon Showboat. Thanks to Del Keifer, the Quad Cities Ronald McDonald, there are now five. This is the first known picture in 32 years of a full shot of the kids on the risers with Ernie. It is in color. Absolutely outstanding. Ronald is holding his "pogo-cello" which had one string. While he keeps the beat, Ernie is ringing the bells! Someone was taking a few hundred pieces of an estate up to Wisconsin and Del was asked to come over and see if he wanted anything. There he found the pogochello, added a pie pan with a lid for the mid section and painted it Ronald McDonald colors! Absolutely outstanding. Can you imagine if these kids, now all 38 to 43 years old knew that this rarest of the rare pictures existed and that they were the ones in the picture?!! Can anyone think of a way to find out whom they are and let them know?! INCREDIBLE!!!!

This is the only known full shot picture of the kids on the risers with Captain Ernie. The risers actually extended quite farther than what is shown. There would have been another fifteen to twenty children sitting off to the left and right but these children are the ones that made it into the picture. The picture was shot in March 1970. These Quad City babyboomers today would be between 38 and 45 years old. Wouldn't it be incredible to find them as they have no idea that they are in the only known picture with Captain Ernie! Help spread the word!

07/26/2006 ... Zachary Memos is not only a Captain Ernie fan but he is also Captain Ernie's favorite son! Ernie's talented children include Zach who followed in his father's footsteps and made it big with his acting ability in the state of Florida. You may actually remember his appearing on WOC's PM Magazine as well as Romper Room and of course Captain Ernie's Showboat with his dad! Ernie can recall several times that Zach and he had a great time on The Showboat and at least one occasion where Zach performed a skit with him!

My Father, Captain Ernie, Ernie Mims, multi-talented, always the jokester. I love him dearly, and as fate would have it, I have replicated his life to some extent. I have been the host of a long running Infomercial style TV show in Gainesville, Florida, for over 11 years. In Gainesville, I am known as a "Captain Ernie," style TV celebrity! Thanks for this site; you have provided a legacy for a man who did and does bring much happiness to many! God Bless!

07/28/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Paul Henderson wrote;

Captain Ernie my good man! A friend at work told me about your website. I never would've guessed it would be this good! You have one of the best celebrity websites I've ever seen, including national celebrities. AND - WELL DESERVED! Thank you for all of the great childhood memories. Thank you for the great cartoons. Thank you most of all for THE THREE STOOGES!!! I learned everything I needed in life from your show. WOOB, WOOB, WOOB! NYUCK, NYUCK, NYUCK!!

07/29/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Todd Richadson posts the #100 message on Captain Ernie's extended messageboard (congratulations!) and asks;

Hey Cap'n Ernie, What song are you and Ronald McDonald playing in that picture on the 1st page of your website? It looks like you guys were singing too. I remember buying a Frisbee after seeing it advertised on your show. I took it to school with me on the first day of school to play with it on the playground and every kid there had brought their Frisbee too. And we all had our Ho-Ho's in our lunch. And we all had our P.F. Flyers tennis shoes. And we all drank Mountain Dew! What an influence you had on the kids of the Quad Cities! Your advertisers should still be sending you royalty checks! Say hi to Ronald for me. I still eat at McDonalds and I am sure your show taught me that too! You need to go back on the air and advertise a weight loss clinic for all of us baby boomers who listened to you! How did you stay so thin? Weren't you eating Ho-Ho's, Ding Dongs, Highland Potato Chips and McDonald's too???

Yes Todd, like you, I was pigging out at the time on the Ho-Hos, Ding Dongs and McDonalds. However, in the later years I got into "the good diet". !

07/30/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Laura Lippert also happens to be Ernie's daughter! Welcome aboard Laura!

Thank you for this wonderful website! I am the Captain's middle child, and there isn't a more deserving man than my father to pay tribute to. Growing up with Captain Ernie wasn't always easy (kids teased us quite a bit), but my father loved his job, and was as great a father as he was a Captain. I have countless, precious memories, but the times we share now are the most special. I think I might possibly be my dad's #1 fan! Thanks again for the wonderful tribute, and great memories!

Date: 07/30/06 ... Captain Ernie fan Steve Greene wrote;

Great site. I was one of the kids but I have trouble remembering the exact year. My main memory is the gift given to the studio audience. I do not remember what the other kids received, but it seemed it was usually a couple of interesting little things. When I was there, they just had little bags of potato chips. When Captain Ernie learned of this, he called out in front of the kids to someone off the set (this was not on the air) "Chips? Is that it? Cheap!" (or something to that effect). The kids got a kick out of that. I am glad to see the link to the Grandpa Happy show -- I was on that too. I think WQAD had Romper Room if I am not mistaken -- was that local? Thanks again for the site.

Hi Steve, thanks for visiting Captain Ernie's website & for your message! If Ernie has anything to add to your hilarious "Chips" story, it will be posted here. Romper Room was on WQAD, however, in a shock to the younger baby boomers, Romper Room started on WOC with Miss Barbara followed by Miss Gwen and then Miss Donna! If anyone is in touch with any of these three, please pass the word along for them to contact this site and a WOC section on Romper Room will be added!

Legendary WOC engineer Jon Book adds.... Yes, Ernie indeed had some quips, Is that all we have for the kids today? Chips? Where's the Ho Ho's or Ding Dongs? As I said on another part of this website, we had to lock up the treats because the night crew had them for their dinner during their shift between 630 - 10pm. Yesiree, I was right after all and Steve's memory proves it! Most often the chips were high eating items and so were Ding Dongs, the Ho Ho's were so so!

A lot of the kids, if they only got one treat, really BOO'd a lot (off air) but kids thought it was ok if they only got a McDonald's hamburger card and 1 treat. Being on TV was really the best treat of all, that and a couple of V fingers, (like my favorite martian TV Show) behind their friends head while the camera panned the kids left to right, happened every once in a while. I dont remember that any kid (while I filled in for some staff) put any obscene gestures on the screen. I think they were too scared to see themselves on the black and white tv monitors located on either side of the bleechers (out of camera range)!

I do think the way the kids got back at the crew was to spill their cookies on the studio floor on the way out due to the heat the lights generated. I think i only had to clean up the floor once for that situation, but thank goodness for RED sawdust!

07/31/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Rod Smyth wrote;

Ahoy Captain Ernie, Do you remember when you advertised the musical spoons? I think you even had a guy on your show demonstrating them. Well check this out - I wanted spoons too! But my Dad was a cheapskate and would not buy me some musical spoons. He was a welder at IH and he took two spoons and welded them together for me at work. I had the industrial strength spoons and all of the kids at school were jealous. The only bad thing was if you did like the guy on your show and tapped them on your knee a few times and then a couple of times on your head, you got a concussion. These were some serious spoons!

My favorite food that you advertised was Bonomos Turkish Taffy. Not sure if I spelled that right. It came in sticks about the size of a cigarette.

I am telling my friends about your site. I spent hours reading it and still have pages I haven't read. You really are Mr. Quad Cities! And to set the record straight once and for all the Dixie Belle Showboat was docked under the twin bridges which is now known as the I-74 bridge. That boat the chick saw in Clinton was some dumb gambling boat. Duh!

Hi Rod! I do remember the musical spoons and that they actually were not musical, they were rythmical! They just created a beat as if you were tap dancing. There is no way that I know of to put two spoons together like that and get a tone! It is more of a click-clack sound. You could play it along with a song and keep the beat!

As far as the song we were singing, I can not recall but I was playing the bells like they were moraccas.

08/02/2006 ... Kenner Super Give A Show Projector Queen Gayle Foster asks;

Dear Captain Ernie; There must be thousands of your fans just like me that got the Kenner Super Give A Show Projector that you advertised. I got the big set for Christmas. It has about 100 slides with 8 frames each on them. It would bore everybody to tears to watch me give a show. But my parents were always good sports about it and forced my little brother to sit through it. I have slides for Superman, Batman, Popeye, Wally Gator etc. Even I was bored with it but it sure was fun to get everybody in the room and get to be the projector queen.

Did the advertising rates go up at Christmas time when the parents were all wondering what toys to get us kids for Christmas? I remember at Christmas season you used to advertise more high priced items like this. Gotta go, it is time to sit my grandkids down and give them a give a show slide show! They only tolerate it because I give them cokes, cookies and popcorn before we start. You see I am still the projector queen.

Hi Gayle! I remember the Kenner Give A Show Projector! I would not know if the items advertised were more expensive at Christmas time as I was unaware if they were. However, I do know that the advertising for toys at Christmas definitely increased since it was a seasonal thing. You had a lot more sponsors that wanted to be on the show but there was not a lot of room on the show for them because it was so popular. We had quite a few national accounts advertising with us. I am sure the word got out when the product's sales team called the national office and said this show ranks #1 here with so many viewers and they wanted to get their product on.

08/03/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Milinda Hopkins wrote;

Hi, great website! I just wanted you to know that I grew up watching the Captain Ernie Show and it was fun seeing the website, it brings back great memories for me!

08/03/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Jodie Stewart asks;

In one word - WOW! Captain Ernie your website is the best! It's like going into a time warp. This is so much fun! I love it! I saw on the first page your hippie striped jacket. Where are the pictures of you with your hippie hair cut? Did you do the hippie thing? I always thought you looked a little bit like Ringo Starr. I am dying laughing about all of the Dixie Belle sightings. My parents did the same thing! I think we even saw it one time when we were visiting my cousins in St. Louis! That must've been the biggest joke our parents played on us since Santa Claus. I was totally convinced!

Hi Jodie! I think that if you look at my pictures on the site, yes I did change with the times! You can see the longer sideburns and my hair was combed over my forehead. It was kind of a look like The Beatles. My sideburns were not exactly lambchops but I certainly was wearing them long in the early 70's compared to the 1960's photos!

As far as spotting the Dixie Belle, that was the message I tried to convey to a lot of the children who were confused or disappointed when appearing on the show. I told them that when they were coming across the bridge, take a look and it will be coming down the river! I told this to the kids who would say "look at this, the Dixie Belle is only cardboard!"

08/04/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan John Healy wrote;

Captain Ernie Sir, How about going on one of those public access cable channels and doing a show for us one more time?

Thanks for the question John and for visiting Captain Ernie's site. Ernie was too modest to answer your question but if enough people demanded a reunion show it is safe to guess that the answer is yes!

08/04/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Chad Hudson wrote;

This site is the bomb. Keep up the good work. I think we should annoint Captain Ernie the king of the Quad Cities. Long live the king!

08/10/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Marty Chambers wrote;

Whose idea was it to kick the show off with the mighty blast from the horn of a Mississippi River Valley showboat? Captain Ernie is the greatest!

Hi Marty, I honestly dont know! Probably one of the production people like Don McGonegle were behind it. They most likely thought that they needed something like this to be a show opener to make it seem more authentic, to have the sound of a boat horn!

It would take someone like WOC alumni and now Circa 21's Ed Jones to find out the answer. If anyone is swinging by Circa 21, please ask Ed and let us know what he has to say!

08/12/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan John Monroe wrote;

Dear Captain Ernie, You brought happiness to so many children. The pages of your readers website comments attest to that. The love from your heart radiated through the television screen every afternoon. God Bless Captain Ernie.

08/12/2006 ... Captain Ernie fan Carl Johnson wrote;

Your site got me thinking about all of the toys you sold us kids. Come on over and I'll make you a batch of Creepy Crawlers or cookies in my sisters Easy Bake Oven. Did your own kids have most of the toys that were advertised on your show? Did the toy companies ever give you sample toys to take home? CJ

Hi Carl! We never had any toys or products from the companies to take home. That would have been like payola. We had the same toys that you had because our kids wanted the same stuff that you had but I had to go out and buy it. My daughters had the easy bake oven. My wife and I had to stay up real late one Chrismas Eve well into the wee hours of the morning putting it together because Santa Claus was bringing it. When we were done we realized that there were parts left over. I said "forget this because I don't know where the parts go! It seems to work so we just wont worry about these parts." My kids had spirograph and duncan yo-yos and just about anything that was popular at the time.

08/13/2006 ... Captain Ernie Secret Admirer Sandra Wells asks;

Dear Captain Ernie, So, after all of these years we meet again! It's a great surprise to find you've got y