Philly-Area TV Legend Captain Noah Dies At 90

“I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, too” – “I Can Sing A Rainbow” (The theme song to “Captain Noah and His Magical Ark”)

The man children throughout the Delaware Valley grew up watching on TV has passed away.

W. Carter Merbreier, better known as Captain Noah, died at the age of 90, 6abc announced on their website Tuesday afternoon. Along with his wife and a colorful cast of characters, hosted “Captain Noah and His Magical Ark” from 1967 until 1994.

Merbreier, an ordained Lutheran minister and former chaplain for the c

ity police, had a storied career in television that came to a close after he and his wife, Patricia Merbreier, retired in 1994. 6abc said the couple hosted 3,600 episodes of “Captain Noah and His Magical Ark.”

The Philadelphia-based show was syndicated to more than 20 TV stations around the nation and its total ratings in the local market were higher than that of “Captain Kangaroo” and “Sesame Street” combined, according to Philly.com.

Merbreier was preceded by the death of his wife in 2011. She died following illness. The couple is survived by their daughter and two grandchildren.

“I miss her every day,” Merbreier said of his wife during an interview earlier this year with Philly.com columnist Ronnie Polaneczky. “That’s the blessing and curse of living and working with your spouse: You get to spend all your time with them, but you miss them terribly when they’re gone.”

Captain Noah, host of his children’s show for decades, passed away at age 90. 1967-1994 / 3600 episodes w/ his wife. pic.twitter.com/Co1rRT5HS2

— iradiophilly (@iradiophilly) August 9, 2016

Merbreier shared his many stories about his time as Captain Noah in a memorable interview with the Preston and Steve Show on WMMR-FM several years back and a book titled “Captain Noah and His Magical Ark: Remembrances and Ruminations About the Animals and the Guests – Celebrities, Sports and Music Stars – Who Prowled Our Decks.” In the book, Merbreier shared insight into the show he worked on with his wife and about hosting many famous celebrities like John Lennon and Stevie Wonder.

“We did the show because of children,” Merbreier said in a 2013 interview with the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. ” And as always, we were able to do that and stay on their air.”

Merbreier recalled in the interview that his favorite guest was Wonder. He also said his wife would cook dinner when they had celebrities at their house before taping their show.

While Merbreier and his wife weren’t always the highest earning stars at 6abc, they could quadruple their yearly salary in personal experiences. On one Saturday, he had so many appearances as Captain Noah that he had to rent a helicopter to get from place to place.

A clip on YouTube shows the Neshaminy High School choir under the direction of Ted Kloos performing on “Captain Noah and His Magical Ark” in 1981. The choir not only performed the show theme song but several other hits of the that time period.

“We lost a dear friend and TV legend today. Captain Noah truly was magical, and he 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. For three decades, Carter and his wife Pat delighted viewers in Philadelphia, and across America,” 6abc President and General Manager Bernie Prazenica said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.

“I like to think Captain Noah is with Mrs. Noah right now on their magical ark singing a rainbow,” 6abc meteorologist Cecily Tynan tweeted.