Cap'n Ruggles
Born: 195? South America.
Died: September 22, 1997.
In 1958, Hollywood animal trainer Kirk McHoul stumbled across a young capuchin
monkey in a Columbian animal market and immediately knew that he had found an
animal with star potential. The simian was sprightly and clever, and struck up
an instant rapport with McHoul. Charmed, the trainer snatched up the little
fellow for a mere 25 dollars and smuggled him into the US by ocean liner.
Taking the name of the ship's captain, McHoul dubbed him Cap'n Ruggles -- and
so began one of the most amazing animal actor stories in the annals of
Hollywood.
At the time, McHoul was working on a show called Jungle Dan and was looking
for a new animal to serve as a comic sidekick for the star. Even with his
limited training, Cap'n Ruggles took to performing like a fish to water. A
born scene stealer, Ruggles went on to appear in a myriad of other shows,
including Daktari, Mission: Safari, Gilligan's Island, The
Tarzan/Dracula/Sherlock Holmes Mystery Hour and Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp,
as well as films like Borneo: A Love Story, the remake of King Kong and
Speedtrap Blues.
But it was the Moochie role late in his career that turned Cap'n Ruggles into
a star. Although he appeared in only 11 episodes, the little monkey stole
viewers' hearts and became a cross-media sensation, inspiring a dance craze
called the Moochie and the animated spin-off Moochie and the Kawp Skwawd. For
a time in the early 80's, Cap'n Ruggles had the number two top selling animal
poster, second only to Benji.
What makes Cap'n Ruggles' acting career truly noteworthy is its incredible
longevity. Although capuchin monkeys typically enjoy a lifespan of 40-45
years, they generally exhibit only a very limited period of usefulness as
performers before they become too agressive to handle. Cap'n Ruggles worked in
Hollywood for an amazing 21 years before he finally became too cantankerous to
perform. Unfortunately for Terrence Matterly, the monkey's antisocial behavior
began to manifest during his time on Kresky. The pint-sized actor started to
air his grievances with his human co-star by biting and urinating without
warning. After a long and illustrious career in Hollywood, it was finally time
for Cap'n Ruggles to retire.
In 1981, McHoul tearfully admitted Cap'n Ruggles to Southern California's
Ventura County Reserve for Animal Actors, a lush 80 acre property where the
monkey would be free to roam the treetops and socialize with his own kind. And
socialize he did. Over the next sixteen years, Ruggles mated with a number of
females of his species and, by the time of his death, had assembled a quite
extensive "harem" for himself. In late September of 1997, Cap'n Ruggles, the
simian luminary of large and small screen, passed away peacefully in his
sleep, surrounded by friends, family and well-wishers. He was estimated to
have been approximately forty-two years old.