Captain Mercury dies at age 71

<p>Grady Shadburn, who is best known as the beloved Captain Mercury from Planet Zeus on his childrens TV show, died Tuesday. He was 71.</p><p>Shadburn wore a surplus high-altitude flight suit and became Captain Mercury for a program featuring cartoons and episodes of the Three Stooges. It aired in southwest Georgia.</p><p>(Shadburn) had a great time doing those shows. He really enjoyed the kids, said Doug Oliver, who worked with Shadburn for 30 years at WALB. He was good at it, and the kids related to him.</p><p>Shadburn commanded the Spacescope, the machine adorned with knobs and dials that would play the cartoons.</p><p>He had an audience of children on live television five afternoons a week.</p><p>You have live children on live shows, so it was a thrill every day, Oliver said.</p><p>Shadburn worked at WALB for 39 years, from 1958 to 1997.</p><p>He did the news, he did the weather ... if a commercial came on at midnight, he was there putting it on. That was how it worked back then.</p><p>As Cowboy Ringo, Shadburn hosted The Lazy-A Ranch before an executive at the station came up with the idea for a show based on the excitement of the space race.</p><p>We found a lady to make me a suit _ a rather comical-looking suit now, when I look back _ but the kids accepted it, Shadburn said in a December 2000 interview.</p><p>Shadburn later moved to an advertising job at the station until his sales research position was eliminated.</p><p>Though suffering from diabetes and heart problems, Shadburn landed a new job with WFXL in 1998.</p><p>He was again a weatherman and also ran a program about using the Internet called Surfin With Grady.</p><p>But older viewers still remembered Shadburn for his heroic role as Captain Mercury.</p><p>Most all your kids then, who are middle-age people now, that are from this area remember him, Oliver said. Those kids from back then would see him, and theyd say, Thats Captain Mercury.</p><p>Shadburn is survived by his wife of 42 years, Jeanene, a son and three daughters.</p><p>A memorial will be held Saturday at Central Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon. Burial will be private.</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/11/183888