Post by mikef6 on Oct 19, 2018 19:41:50 GMT
Captain Midnight ran for 13 years on radio starting in 1940. There was also a 1942 cliffhanger serial with 15 chapters. In 1954 it came to the small screen as a half-hour kids’ show. Captain Midnight was the leader of the Secret Squadron, a crime fighting organization. Richard Webb played the title role. His sidekick was Ichabod “Ikky” Mudd (“That’s mud with two ‘d’s” Ikky would tell people.) Ikky was played by Sid Melton. Captain Midnight lasted for two seasons, ending in 1956, with a combined episode total of 39.
The sponsor on radio and TV was the malted milk mixer Ovaltine. Captain Midnight was the show hilariously mocked in the seasonal favorite film, “A Christmas Story,” because it had the decoder ring that kids had to send for to understand the coded messages during the program. They turned out to say things like, “Be sure to drink your Ovaltine” or some simplistic but morally uplifting message. Personally, I didn’t care all that much for Ovaltine. I much preferred Bosco chocolate syrup for my milk.
When Captain Midnight went into syndicated repeats it was rebranded “Jet Jackson, Flying Commando.” Whenever “Captain Midnight” was said, the words “Jet Jackson” were amateurishly dubbed over the original.
Captain Gallant Of The Foreign Legion was almost an exact contemporary of Captain Midnight running from 1955 to 1957. It was another show for the younger set. Larry “Buster” Crabb was the title captain and Crabb’s real-life son Cullen Crabb played Gallant’s adopted son (the boy’s father had been killed in action). Fuzzy Knight provided comic relief. A special note is that the first season of 37 episodes was filmed on location in French Morocco. 63 episodes total were shot.
Like Captain Midnight, Captain Gallant only lasted two seasons but quickly went into syndication. Both provide strong memories for people who were young children in the 1950s.
Captain Midnight and Ikky
The sponsor on radio and TV was the malted milk mixer Ovaltine. Captain Midnight was the show hilariously mocked in the seasonal favorite film, “A Christmas Story,” because it had the decoder ring that kids had to send for to understand the coded messages during the program. They turned out to say things like, “Be sure to drink your Ovaltine” or some simplistic but morally uplifting message. Personally, I didn’t care all that much for Ovaltine. I much preferred Bosco chocolate syrup for my milk.
When Captain Midnight went into syndicated repeats it was rebranded “Jet Jackson, Flying Commando.” Whenever “Captain Midnight” was said, the words “Jet Jackson” were amateurishly dubbed over the original.
Captain Gallant Of The Foreign Legion was almost an exact contemporary of Captain Midnight running from 1955 to 1957. It was another show for the younger set. Larry “Buster” Crabb was the title captain and Crabb’s real-life son Cullen Crabb played Gallant’s adopted son (the boy’s father had been killed in action). Fuzzy Knight provided comic relief. A special note is that the first season of 37 episodes was filmed on location in French Morocco. 63 episodes total were shot.
Like Captain Midnight, Captain Gallant only lasted two seasons but quickly went into syndication. Both provide strong memories for people who were young children in the 1950s.
Captain Midnight and Ikky