“Captain Midnight! His country calls and aviation’s greatest hero flies again in a one-man war against crime. The odds seem unsurmountable, yet his courage never flags. Single-handed, through fog and sleet and snow, he daily risks his life in the cause of justice. And while he lives, the underworld dares not rest!”
The weather is unsatisfactory. It is cloudy and chilly with a strong breeze verging on a wind. Rain is a maybe later this afternoon. Tonight is movie night so I’m hoping for the sun to rise dramatically with a ta-da soundtrack and chase away the clouds. The breeze can stay.
I am not a huge fan of westerns. I suspect it was because I spend enormous chunks of time when I was young watching them on TV. Every Saturday I got to watch The Lone Ranger, Sky King, an odd take on a western with a plane instead of a horse, Roy Rogers with his wife Dale Evans, Annie Oakley, Fury, The Cisco Kid and Pancho, Will Bill Hickok, Rin Tin Tin of at ease, Rinny, fame, and Tales of Texas Rangers. I figure there are more, but this blog entry would go on forever.
Night too was filled with westerns. Gunsmoke was on for close to a hundred years and there were others including Sugarfoot, Cheyenne, Judge Roy Bean, the law west of the Pecos, The Texans, Have Gun Will Travel (for the longest time I thought it was half gun and wondered how he managed), Texas John Slaughter who wore that great hat, The Range Rider, Wagon Train, suave Yancy Derringer and Pahoo-Ka-Ta-Wah, Maverick, a personal favorite, and Wild Wild West, my all time favorite.
TV was where I first saw science fiction jump off the pages of my books to the screen. Captain Midnight, brought to you by Ovaltine, and his sidekick, Ichabod Mudd (with 2 D’s) fought the good fight against evil men everywhere with help from his Secret Squadron (that would be any of us, the TV audience, who mailed in an Ovaltine proof of purchase). I watched the recycled Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon serials, Commando Cody who had a jet pack and wore an odd helmet when he flew and Tom Corbett Space Cadet. That last one reminded me we used to call kids who were way out there space cadets. It was not a compliment.
TV program outcomes were never in doubt in those days. The hero would always win. In westerns he’d have a fist fight and generally keep his hat on. It didn’t matter how many times the good and bad guys hit each other as there were never bruises and never blood. The worst thing was a dusty shirt and hat.
I believed for the longest time good always triumphed over evil. Even now I’d like to think it’s true.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: breezy, Captain Midnight, chilly, cloudy, Gunsmoke, Roy Rogers, Science fiction, Sugarfoot, The Lone Ranger, westerns
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
July 18, 2015 at 2:50 pm
They never showed much westerns here. From what I can remember it was The High Chaparral and Bonanza of course and later on the here extremely popular How the West Was Won or as we always called it Macahans. They show that last one every now and again and it always get lots of viewers here.
I met scifi via tv too. Star Trek was the first one and I loved it from the first second I watched it 🙂 I do remember watching Space: 1999 a lot but can’t rememebr much from it. I had forgotten about Flash Gordon! I loved it because it was really bad, especially when they showed the space ship and it sparkled like fireworks at the end when the engines were supposed to work 🙂 🙂 🙂
Today I watched Defiance and no matter how much I try I just can’t like it 🙂 It is as if the creators rather had made a western but got paid to do a scifi and therefore tried to combine the two changres and sort of failed badly 🙂
Rather nice here today, we were saved from the high humidity by a strong wind thankfully. Strangely enough it didn’t blow away the flies when we were out walking so I had to wear a sweater to avoid getting too bitten. Still a rather nice day. I hope it warms up before the movie night starts!
Have a great day!
Christer.
July 18, 2015 at 4:38 pm
Christer,
Our channels were loaded with westerns for a while then they disappeared. I don’t even think there are any on now.
The Outer Limits and the Twilight Zone were two others which I loved. The Twilight Zone was on a long time and went from B&W to color. I liked Space: 1999. The tiny rocket with the fire works was wonderful!
I didn’t like Defiance either. I gave it about 4 shows and decided to forget it.
No rain yet though it did sprinkle for a minute or two. It isn’t as humid as they said it would be. I think it is rather nice.
Have a great evening!
July 18, 2015 at 3:31 pm
A western parody was one of the most seen and funniest movies here but I can’t really recommend Manitou’s Shoe, you’ll miss half of the fun when you didn’t grew up with Karl May novels and movies. A short scene/song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrRYX6El_Y0
Good luck with the weather and have a great movie night!
July 18, 2015 at 4:41 pm
Birgit,
That was wonderful-the tap dancing was like icing on the cake.
Okay, I have the worst western called Terror in Tiny Town. All of the actors are little people who ride Shetland ponies. It just was something I needed to have like Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town.
Thanks! Weather still holding.
July 18, 2015 at 4:15 pm
You and I were the first generation of kids to have TV. You and I watched the same TV shows on Saturday mornings. Did your mother tell you not to sit too close to the TV because it will ruin your eyes? My favorite program was Sky King because he flew Cessna airplanes and I was hot for his niece Penny. What can I tell you, I am a 100% heterosexual male. 🙂
I’m off to the airport from the hotel to head home. An all night flight in economy class is not that much fun.
July 18, 2015 at 4:52 pm
Bob,
You must have been an early bloomer as Sky King started on TV when I was 5 and ended when I was 11.
I loved the Songbird scenes. I remember Penny and Clipper lived with Sky. He was, I think, they’re uncle. It started out being aired on Saturday morning then went to Monday nights, but early enough so I could watch it, then later back to Saturday reruns.
Maybe you’ll sleep! I always did on overnight flights.
July 18, 2015 at 5:38 pm
Yes I was. I was interested in airplanes and woman at an early age. I just didn’t know what to do with either for a few more years.
The first TV we bought was in 1947 and I remember watching Howdy Doody when it was a local NYC kids show daily at 5 in the afternoon. There was also a show called Captain Video. There was no daytime TV in those days so in the early 1950s I watched the test pattern. 🙂
I’m having dinner at the new International terminal in the São Paulo airport. I don’t eat airline coach meals. I’m eating at the Olive Garden. The first one in South America. São Paulo is closer to home than I thought.
July 19, 2015 at 12:02 am
Bob,
I remember Howdy Doody and also Captain Video. I think we got a TV around 1950.
My mother said when the neighbors got the first TV, everyone brought chairs and sat around to watch.
I totally understand not eating coach food, but I wonder why you didn’t want to try local food rather than Olive Garden.
July 19, 2015 at 1:58 pm
São Paulo Airport opened a new international terminal for the World Cup and there are two resturants, Olive Garden and a Pizza fast food place on the non secure side. Once inside security there were three or four coffee bistros serving sandwiches, including a Starbucks. Olive Garden was it for a sit down full meal. It’s the first Olive Garden in South America.
July 19, 2015 at 2:06 pm
Bob,
You had so few a number of choices it is no wonder you chose Olive Garden.
July 19, 2015 at 10:23 pm
Sky King’s “niece” Penny?? Sure… I thought she was hot, though at 12, I didn’t really understand why. This was a Sunday show where I grew up, and I always welcomed the sick day from mass so I could watch.
July 19, 2015 at 11:05 pm
Jay,
I remember the perky blond who could also fly. When he landed to capture bad guys, he always got his man (men). I figured he was the most precise pilot in the world.
July 18, 2015 at 6:32 pm
Hi Kat,
My father was an early technology adopter. I don’t remember a time when we didn’t have a TV. They were funny looking ones as I think back on them. There was one that was inside a console and was intended to be viewed on the big mirror that lined the inside of the cover. I remember that one but I don’t remember if it reversed printed words.
I watched all of those shows even though Westerns were not really my thing. I preferred sci fi which I was introduced to through books. There wasn’t a lot of sci fi on tv when I was a kid. Later on there was Feep and the B movie tv show on late night.
The day was much the same up here. It rained in the morning and then it just threatened to rain for the rest of the day. It’s cool and humid and the breeze has died down. It wasn’t bad walking around weather though.
Enjoy the day.
July 19, 2015 at 12:29 am
Hi Caryn,
I was really young when we got our first TV so I don’t remember being without one either. Ours was a console with doors. It was a huge hunk of wood.
I also preferred scifi but I did like the Saturday westerns which were more for kids.
It never really rained here except for a couple of minutes. The evening was wonderfully breezy so the humidity wasn’t a problem. Movie night was perfect.
Have a great day!