Philly TV legend 'Captain Noah' dies
W. Carter Merbreier, better known to a generation of Philadelphians as "Captain Noah", died Tuesday at his home in Audubon after a brief illness, according to his former TV station. He was 90.
Bernie Prazenica, WPVI president and general manager, said in a statement Tuesday that Merbreier "helped shape the foundation of what Channel 6 is today."
"What we remember about Carter was he loved to make children smile, and he maintained a deep faith in the human spirit," Prazenica said. "Our condolences go out to the Merbreier family, his Channel 6 family, and all fans of Captain Noah."
Merbreier’s wife, Patricia, known as “Mrs. Noah” died in June 2011. She was 86
The two co-hosted the long-running program Captain Noah and His Magical Ark. Captain and Mrs. Noah (as they referred to each other even in their personal lives) invited scores of newsmakers and celebrities onto their program, which ran from 1967 until 1994.
Among those guests were Elvis Presley, Charles Barkley, Jim Henson, Jon Stewart, the Phillie Phanatic, Frank Perdue, and Martina Navratilova.
Produced at the Channel 6 studios, the show at its peak was syndicated to 22 other stations across the nation. Locally, the Magical Ark's audience in the early 1970s was larger than Captain Kangaroo and Sesame Street combined.
Organist Larry Ferrari provided the music, which included "Send Your Pictures to Captain Noah" and their theme song, "I Can Sing a Rainbow."
After more than a quarter of century, Captain and Mrs. Noah parked the Ark and lived quietly in Gladwyne.
The show's set was preserved and is now installed at the Please Touch Museum in Fairmount Park.
Link: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/real-time/Philly-TV-legend-Captain-Noah-dies.html
Man, 2016 has been a real bad year for famous people dying... 