Robert M. Colleary (1929 – January 8, 2012) was a Peabody and Emmy Award-winning comedy writer and producer who was best known for his writing for more than two decades for Captain Kangaroo. He also wrote forM*A*S*H and Barney Miller, and was a producer for Benson and It's a Living.
Colleary grew up in Montclair, New Jersey and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, after which he served in the United States Army. In California, he found work flashing cue cards on the Hopalong Cassidy show and soon started writing for the program. He was hired as head writer for the Captain Kangaroo television show and spent 20 years there as head writer, which won two Peabody Awards during his tenure. He later wrote episodes of television shows, winning an Emmy Award for his work on Barney Miller.
A resident of Montecito, California, he died on January 8, 2012, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California.
References
- "Colleary, Robert M. (Bob)", Los Angeles Times, February 23, 2012. Accessed April 15, 2022.
- "Capt. Kangaroo Has Anniversary", Odessa American, September 29, 1974. Accessed April 15, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "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."
- ^ Staff. "Robert M. Colleary, 82", The Montclair Times, February 23, 2012. Accessed April 15, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "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."