# Captain Jack McCarthy - what'd he say? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** cartoons-animation\ **Created:** [November 6, 2001, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-jack-mccarthy-whatd-he-say/91810 "2001-11-06T17:05:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ShouldBeWorking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@ShouldBeWorking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShouldBeWorking)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-jack-mccarthy-whatd-he-say/91810/1 "2001-11-06T17:05:51Z")
When I was a kid, I watched a television show with a guy dressed up like a salty, sea captain named Captain Jack McCarthy. (This was in NY in the late 60’s/early 70’s). He would introduce cartoons and stuff. At the close of his show he always closed with a salutation that I never made out. Phonetically, it sounded like, “aut ta peen, and smooth sailing.” What was he saying?? ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-jack-mccarthy-whatd-he-say/91810/2 "2001-11-06T17:33:35Z")
Wow. I found a humongous biography of Captain Jack at [http://www.tvparty.com/lostny2catjack.html](http://www.tvparty.com/lostny2catjack.html) but no mention of that quote. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-jack-mccarthy-whatd-he-say/91810/3 "2001-11-06T21:44:17Z")
I remember Captain JAck well, and I remember that he was Channel 11’s commentator every year at the St. PAtrick’s Day Parade. His set was done up to look like a ship, and he always greeted the kids by ringing a bell, and saying, “Six bells, and all is well!” But I don’t remember his closing at all. ---
**Author:** ![rainonthefarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b5a626/32.png) [@rainonthefarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainonthefarm)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-jack-mccarthy-whatd-he-say/91810/4 "2021-07-18T18:32:20Z")
I’ve always wanted to know the answer to this. To me, the phrase in question sounded more like “hut to peen”. (But what do I know? For many years, from the time I was a little boy until I went away to college, I thought that Captain Kangaroo’s friend, Mr. Green Jeans, was “Mr. Cream Cheese”.) Well, I just revisited this very important topic, and found a blog entry that says that the phrase was in fact “hut to peen”, and that according to Captain Jack himself, it has no meaning and is just something he made up. Here’s the blog entry: > **["HUT TO PEEN AND SMOOTH SAILING"](https://steve-mgtp.blogspot.com/2010/01/hut-to-peen-and-smooth-sailing.html)** > > Do you know who Officer Joe Bolton and Captain Jack McCarthy are? If you do, that means you watched a lot of TV as a kid, you're from the Ne... ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-jack-mccarthy-whatd-he-say/91810/5 "2021-07-18T18:43:57Z")
I moved the thread from GQ to The Cafe as entertainment oriented in this case. I thought I remembered Capt Jack but I seem to remember only partially. I recall the Popeye cartoon but thought he was on Channel 9 WWOR not channel 11 WPIX. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/captain-jack-mccarthy-whatd-he-say/91810/6 "2021-07-18T20:39:43Z")
I wouldn’t want a hutt anywhere near my peen.