Captain Midnight (1954–1958)

Captain Midnight was a daring, jut-jawed war hero who led a mysterious government group known as the Secret Squadron. Midnight, his comic sidekick Icky, and the rest of the Squadron ... See full summary »

Stars:

Richard Webb, Sid Melton, Olan Soule

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Richard Webb	...	Captain Midnight (39 episodes, 1954-1956)
Sid Melton	...	Ichabod 'Ikky' Mudd (16 episodes, 1954-1956)

Storyline

Captain Midnight was a daring, jut-jawed war hero who led a mysterious government group known as the Secret Squadron. Midnight, his comic sidekick Icky, and the rest of the Squadron traveled around the globe stomping out evil. When the show went into syndication, Midnight's name became Jet Jackson, and the show's title was changed.

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Plot Keywords:

character name in title

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Genres:

Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 September 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jet Jackson, Flying Commando

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Screen Gems Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (39 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the 1950s, there was an earlier "Captain Midnight" weekly TV series. As in the later series, starring Richard Webb in the title role, this program was also sponsored "Ovaltine". It aired Saturdays on CBS TV, with an (uncredited) "Captain Midnight",as the show's host. This version presented several Republic theatrical serials , with one episode, aired each week. One serial that was featured, "The Crimson Ghost" (1946), is still one of the rarest and scariest, with the arch enemy Ash, played by an "unmasked "Clayton Moore.

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Quotes

[first lines of each episode]
Announcer: On a mountaintop, high above a large city, stands the headquarters of a man devoted to the cause of freedom and justice... a war hero who has never stopped fighting against his country's enemies... a private citizen who is dedicating his life to the struggle against evil men everywhere... CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT!

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Connections

Referenced in The Bob Cummings Show: Bob Gets Harvey a Raise (1958)

User Reviews

Memories of Captain Midnight

For a kid in the 1950s, this show was cool. Over the passage of 50 years, only a few general images have endured, hopefully unaffected by the nasty tricks that memory plays on a person! Captain Midnight's base of operations was perched atop a mountain or plateau and included a landing strip that extended over a precipice. His jet plane, with the short, straight wings, might have been modeled after one of the Bell "X" planes (such as the ones flown by test pilot Chuck Yeager). I think there were circles on the plane's wings, and they reminded me of the popular breakfast cereal "Cheerios." Captain Midnight's goofy sidekick, Ichabod Mudd, was an idiot, but his white-coated laboratory technician/inventor, played by Olan Soule, was a technical genius.

Yes, I proudly wore my secret decoder ring---ordered by mail, perhaps with coupons obtained from jars of "choclaty" Ovaltine---but it disappeared long ago. I wonder how many messages I decoded with it. Ovaltine, a drink powder resembling the kind used to make hot chocolate, was sold in a dark brown glass jar with a yellow label and a wide opening (for easy spooning of its contents). Its flavor was unlike that of any other drink and I never enjoyed it much.

The "Jet Jackson" dubbing later on amused and confused me but I took it in stride, not having a clue as to the legal requirement for the name change.

When I was a kid watching this show, the names of the actors meant little to me. Today, though, I like to see who played what on the shows I enjoyed as a kid and try to see the context of their careers at that time. Although it's interesting to see what Richard Webb did before the show, it is simply amazing to see all the movie and TV work that Olan Soule did over the years---he was everywhere! No doubt I saw him back then in other shows, but I can't remember if I recognized him as Captain Midnight's lab person.