Captain Fortune Show

The Captain Fortune Show

Industry	Television
Founded	1957
Headquarters	Australia
Products	Children's television programming

The Captain Fortune Show, also recognized as Captain Fortune's Saturday Party, was a well-loved Australian children's television series that first aired on ATN-7 in 1957. The program starred Alan Herbert portraying Captain Fortune and was broadcast live without scripts, incorporating puppetry, clown performances, and a variety of segments designed for a young audience.

During its height, the show was scheduled for three weekday episodes along with a Saturday morning broadcast. Memorable features included guest appearances by Uncle Monty and Roy Kinghorn. The series is particularly remembered for its introduction where children would enter Captain Fortune’s home to sit around a barrel containing a puppet figure named "Short John O'Copper." Captain Fortune would then sing the phrase "Who's that kno-o-cking on my barrel?" before the puppet emerged, leading into a puppet performance.

Frequent contributors encompassed performers like Les Foxcroft, Chris Beard, Clifford Warne (accompanied by his puppet Gus), and Reg Quartly, who played "Uncle Reg." Alan Herbert donned a naval-style uniform as Captain Fortune and initially used a fake beard, which he later replaced with his natural beard. After four years, Herbert departed from the program due to health concerns and was also recognized for his philanthropic efforts benefiting children.

Since the show was aired live prior to the availability of personal video recorders or VCR technology, no known recordings have survived.

In 1962, The Town of Make Believe, which evolved from Captain Fortune’s original concept, premiered on ATN-7. Hosted by Arch McKirdy ("Uncle Mac") with support from Reg Quartly, it was broadcast on Saturdays. The program was renamed Fun Fair in 1966 and moved to a 2 pm Saturday timeslot, with Quartly taking the lead role.

San Francisco version

A comparable edition aired on KPIX Channel 5 in San Francisco beginning around September 1950. The host was Peter Abenheim, an English-born local artist, who took on the persona "Cap'n Pete." He shared maritime tales illustrated by his own artwork. The show opened with children gathered around a barrel containing "Short John O'Copper," a hand puppet pirate who performed the "Who's that knocking?" song in an Irish pirate accent. By the mid-1950s, "Cap'n Pete" transformed into Captain Fortune, while Short John continued as his companion.