Captain Midnight
On 1 CDs
for $5.00
For information email
otr@tapemngl.com
This page was last updated --- Nov. 5, 2001
The ending gong of midnight...the roar of the airplane engine, at first in the
distance...then stronger as it sounds in a dive...This was Captain Midnight!
The Captain Midnight radio series had its beginnings in 1938 on Chicago radio
station, WGN. Created by Robert M. Burtt and Willfred G. Moore, the creators
of The Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen, the series was sponsored by the Skelly Oil
Company. In the beginning, "Captain Midnight" was simply an undercover name
for Jim "Red" Albright, who regularly piloted cargo and passengers. As an
undercover agent, Albright was trying to gather information on a gang of criminals.
However, by the end of the first run, ending in a summer hiatus, the Captain
Midnight persona was beginning to stick and many knew him only by that name.
Captain Midnight was constantly trying to stop the plans of the evil Ivan Shark and
his daughter Fury. Shark remained as Midnight's evil nemesis throughout the
length of the radio run. Captain Midnight was helped in his efforts by Chuck Ramsey
and Patsy Donovan (later, Joyce Ryan) who were members of his Secret
Squadron. In the national versions, there was also Ichabod Mudd, Midnight's
mechanic. There were a number of different actors playing the various roles
over the long run. The series grew in popularity and was broadcast over the
Mutual Network beginning in 1940 sponsored by Ovaltine.