Washington, DC
Ranger Hal was a children's television program that originated in Washington, DC on what was then WTOP-TV (now WUSA) and aired from 1957 to 1969. It was hosted by Hal Shaw (1925–1999), a local television personality who created and produced the show.
Ranger Hal was a US Forest Service Ranger who was assigned to an unnamed national forest, apparently somewhere just outside of Washington, and befriended various local animals (represented by puppets) among them Oswald or Ossie the Rabbit, Dr. Fox and Eager Beaver. While Shaw voiced all the characters, his puppeteers included some future famous names, among them Barry Levinson and Max Robinson. The show ended in 1969 and Shaw was promoted to WTOP management. In 1978, Hal Shaw suffered from a brain aneurysm that forced him into permanent disability. In 1985, the Forest Service made him an honorary Ranger. He retired to his farm near Great Falls, Virginia where he died from cancer in 1999.
Jacksonville, Florida.
The Ranger Hal Show ran on WJXT, Channel 4 in Jacksonville, Florida, from 1958 through 1969, starring Henry Baranek (stage name Henry Baran) (1927–1979). It was a morning show for youngsters and was popular with all age groups. WJXT was owned by the Washington Post. The Post also owned WTOP-TV (Channel 9) in Washington DC, where Ranger Hal had started. The show was so popular in Washington that WJXT brought the idea to Jacksonville. Ranger Hal caught on quickly in Jacksonville and was a strong hit for over ten years.