Robert M. Colleary (1929 – January 8, 2012) was a Peabody and

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

-winning comedy writer and producer who was best known for his writing for more than two decades for ''

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program ...

''. He also wrote for''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richa ...

'' and ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th Street in Greenwich Village (Lower Manhattan). The series was broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Janu ...

'', and was a producer for '' Benson'' and ''

It's a Living ''It's a Living'' (renamed ''Making a Living'' for Season 2) is an American Ensemble cast, ensemble sitcom television series set in a restaurant at the top of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. The show aired on Ame ...

''. Colleary grew up in

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...

and attended the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...

, after which he served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. In California, he found work flashing

cue card Cue cards, also known as note cards, are cards with words written on them that help actors and speakers remember what they have to say. They are typically used in television productions where they can be held off-camera and are unseen by the a ...

s on the ''

Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He wa ...

'' show and soon started writing for the program. He was hired as head writer for the ''

'' television show and spent 20 years there as head writer, which won two Peabody Awards during his tenure."Capt. Kangaroo Has Anniversary"
''

Odessa American The ''Odessa American'' is a newspaper based in Odessa, Texas, that serves Odessa and the rest of Ector County. The paper is particularly notable for its Pulitzer Prize-winning picture of Baby Jessica McClure when she was rescued from her well ...

'', September 29, 1974. Accessed April 15, 2022, via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

. "It has received virtually every award available to programs in its category, including two Peabody Awards. Producer of the series is Jimmy Hirschfeld. The director of ''Captain Kangaroo'' is Peter Birch, and the head writer is Bob Colleary." He later wrote episodes of television shows, winning an Emmy Award for his work on ''

''.Staff
"Robert M. Colleary, 82"
''The Montclair Times'', February 23, 2012. Accessed April 15, 2022, via

. "Robert M. 'Bob' Colleary, 82, of Santa Barbara, Calif., formerly of Montclair, died on Sunday, Jan. 8, in Cottage Hospital, Santa Barbara, after a brief illness. Born and raised in Montclair, Mr. Colleary graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City." A resident of

Montecito, California Montecito (archaic use of Spanish for woodland or countryside) is an unincorporated town in Santa Barbara County, California, United States.McCormack, Don (1999). ''McCormack's Guides Santa Barbara and Ventura 2000''. Mccormacks Guides. p. 58. ...

, he died on January 8, 2012, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colleary Robert M. 1929 births 2012 deaths American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni American comedy writers American television producers Writers from Montclair, New Jersey People from Montecito, California