Vintage St. Pete: Captain Mac

He was skinny as a rail, and weighed maybe 140 pounds dripping wet. Still, to thousands of St. Petersburg and Tampa-area kids in the 1950s, Burl McCarty was the biggest man in town. He was Captain Mac, host of Captain Mac’s Adventure Trails every weekday afternoon at 6 on WSUN, the city’s first television station.

He wore a pith helmet, a sporty patterned shirt, jaunty jodhpur britches and jackboots. He carried an old silver pistol in a holster and shilled dutifully for his sponsors, Tarnow Hot Dogs, 7-Up and Foremost Milk.

Broadcast live from the WSUN studios in the casino building at the end of the municipal pier, McCarty’s program consisted of ancient Crusader Rabbit cartoons and early-TV serials like Don Winslow of the Navy, Flash Gordon and Tim Tyler’s Luck.

In between, Captain Mac would talk with the 10 kids sitting fidgety on the studio bleachers, and to his broadcast audience, dispensing advice on listening to Mom and Dad (good), nose-picking and thumb-sucking (bad), eating spinach and drinking all your milk (Foremost, of course).

“He would offer that kind of advice to the kids on the show, say their prayers before they went to bed, thank their parents, and he took that very seriously,” explains McCarty’s son Robert, a retired police officer now living in Parks, Arizona.

Behind the scenes, Captain Mac practiced what he preached. “He was a choir director and a church singer at First Baptist Church downtown – heck of a bass singer,” his son explained. “And later he took a job at Fifth Avenue Baptist Church as a choir director.”

He also regularly taught Sunday School.

“He was a Christian man and he put his money where his mouth was.”

McCarty kept a ledger of every young fan’s birthday (he asked parents to send him info cards) and never failed to read each day’s list of names on the air. They played simple games. On the set was a large spinning wheel; whatever number it stopped on meant a prize for the child sitting in the corresponding seat.

Mondays were live animal days. A frequent guest was Abe Register, owner of the nearby Florida Wild Animal Ranch. Snakes, in particular, got the young studio guests all worked up.

A Kentucky native, Burl McCarty moved to St. Petersburg with his family in 1924. Five years later he graduated from St. Pete High. He served as a Naval Chief Petty Officer during World War II, and upon returning to Florida began a career on radio. After announcing on most of the Tampa/St. Pete stations, he wound up at WSUN, which launched its television arm in 1953.

And the boss wanted a kiddie show.

“My father was a policeman in Hialeah,” McCarty told an interviewer, “and I had his .38 police special.  I had a pith helmet left over from the Soap Box Derby and I had a Seminole-print shirt with riding breeches because I rode a motorcycle.”

An artist friend stenciled CAPTAIN MAC on the front of the pith helmet.

Until WTVT signed on the air in 1955, WSUN was the only television station in the bay area. There was a six-month waiting list to join his studio audience. And every personal appearance, on both sides of the bay, was a major event:

When the MacDill Air Force Base brass held a special exhibit of new planes, equipment and all the other things that used to thrill youngsters, they invited Captain Mac to appear as sort of an afterthought. Before the afternoon was over, they found they had almost made a mistake – the once-glamorous aviators were forgotten as the youngsters mobbed Captain Mac – shoving and pushing just to touch his pistol or his boots.

The Tampa Tribune/June 27, 1954

McCarty as Captain Mac, the WTVT version. Photo provided by Big13.com

A network affiliate with a stronger signal, more money and better sponsors, WTVT lured McCarty away in its first year. Although he was permitted to take the Captain Mac name to the competition, WSUN kept the outfit – the oh-so-recognizable helmet, pistol and “britches.” Announcer Fred Davy was hired as WSUN’s “new” Captain Mac, while McCarty – now sporting an Australian bush hat – was the “other” Captain Mac, on WTVT.

Six months into this arrangement, McCarty went back to WSUN, and the great Captain Mac switch was never spoken of again.

By the end of the decade, WSUN had two competitors in WTVT (the CBS affiliate) and WFLA (NBC). McCarty retired the Captain Mac character in 1959, and went to work for the City of St. Petersburg as Director of Public Relations. He spent another decade as news director for WDAE, and retired in 1975 – at age 65 – as the St. Petersburg Police Department’s press officer.

Burl McCarty died in a boating accident in 1984, near his home in Dunnellon.

Robert recalls the afternoon divers brought his father’s body up.

“I saw three, four deputies standing under a big oak tree, there on the south side of the Withlacoochee River,” he says. “So I walked over to them, and I showed my badge, and I said ‘Good morning, gentlemen, I’m Detective McCarty with Maricopa County, Phoenix, Arizona.’

“And this big guy, he must have been 250, 300 pounds, he started crying. And he said ‘I’m so sorry. I was on your dad’s show back in the day.’”

Captain Mac’s fans remember

Via Facebook, we asked for readers’ memories of Captain Mac and his TV show. Here are just a few:

Was on one time when I was about six or seven. Foremost milk was a sponsor. They offered me a glass of milk and I told them I only drink Hoods’ milk. It got real quiet. Joel Wooldridge

My father was friends with Burl McCarty, and asked him to warn me to quit sucking my thumb at the end of one show! Shocked my socks off and broke my habit – for about 10 minutes. Laurie Stiles Dietrich

All I remember is that we NEVER missed Capt. Mac at our house. Stephanie Graham

I remember being on the show when I was about 5 years old. The next door neighbor arranged a birthday party for their 3-year-old daughter, and invited me as part of the party. I remember being all dressed up, like I was for church on Sundays. I was excited to see and meet Captain Mac, but I was a little scared that he might bring out that big snake they showed him handling on TV. I never could figure out why anyone would ever want to pick up a snake and hold it. Richard C Coley

A week before we were on, my sister got a large bump on her head!! Captain Mac asked her about it. Chris Presley

I was probably 5 or 6 and they were going to make me drink buttermilk. I started crying and my dad had to take me out of the group! I still don’t like buttermilk!! Janis Flynn Mockler

I was on the show with my Cub Scout troop and tried to hand him a piece of my birthday cake and his ocelot he had on his shoulder attacked my cake and it went on the floor. Ronnie Ferqueron

The day he got bitten by a coral snake, live on TV. Sally Manson Francis

Our 6th grade teacher was his friend. So he came to our class to visit us. Remember being excited over holding his gun. That sure would not be allowed now. Really a nice guy. Carolyn Crawford Dooley

Was on the show on my 6th birthday … won a baseball glove by sitting in the seat that the spinning wheel landed on. Neel Voss

My brother and I were 6 and 4 and I remember the show well. My brother had hurt his hand playing and it was wrapped up. Captain Mac paid so much attention to him I was jealous. He would say things like what a big guy, you been fighting the tigers? Betty Reaume Brasfield

I was on his show and I had my cowboy boots on and my cowboy hat, and Captain Mac asked me if I wanted to hold his gun, and of course I said yes. I was about 6 or 7 maybe. Have always remembered that day. Buster Bennett

He used to tell the kids to send him 1955 D pennies and he would send them a dime. Don’t ask me why. William Grace

Mr. McCarty  was a nice man. He was a personal friend of my father. I was on his show as were my older siblings. He often came into my dad’s business when I was there on Saturdays. He always took time to talk with me. Jay Clayton

My sister and I were on twice and she kept trying to get me to look at the monitor so I could see myself, but I was too scared to look. Wish I had, but I was only 5 I think and didn’t understand. Sharon Goodwin Mitchell

For reasons beyond me now, when Captain Mac asked me my name, I answered “Zorro.” He replied, Zorro? “Yes,” I said, “but that is my TV name, my real name is Roland.”  My parents were baffled. Roland Jacobs

My sister took my brother on the bus from Pinellas Park to Williams Park and then walked to the pier to appear on the show with Captain Mac. They signed up for Tarnow’s Captain Mac Birthday Club. We would receive a birthday postcard from Captain Mac and Tarnow for years and years. I don’t think they stopped sending them to my dad’s house until Tarnow went out of business. Art Spaulding

I was on the show, and when I telephoned and asked to come on, I asked if I could bring my rabbit. He said no problem! Unfortunately, the morning of the show, my rabbit keeled over, so my parents bought me a turtle to take. Captain Mac asked me what happened to the rabbit, and I said “The rabbit died.” The camera crew nearly choked and the parents in the crowd laughed like crazy. It was years before I understood why. (I also got to play guitar and sing “Purple People Eater.”) Sadly, that was the pinnacle of my music career. Gregory Staff

It was exciting to go to the old pier building. My mom had dressed me nicely. Captain Mac served hot dogs with mustard to the kids and as you might suspect, my first bite resulted in some of the mustard dripping on my clean shirt, much to my mom’s chagrin. Craig Runde

Tarnow hot dogs and the huge bouncing ball after the show. My uncle had our English bulldog, Beauty, on there a few times too. Jacki Wilmot

I was on Captain Mac with my Cub Scout troop. My folks told me later that when the camera scanned over the faces of the kids, I was in the middle of a huge yawn so all they got to see of me was my uvula. Bob Croslin

I was on the show when I was around 8 years old. I don’t remember how or why I was there, nor much of anything except sitting across from Captain Mac and feeling so very special. He had such a gentle way about him. His smile let you know that he cared. I hold this little memory as a treasure. Jessalyn Folsom

Captain Mac during an elementary school visit. Collection of the author.