Posted tagged ‘Captain Midnight’
“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!”
July 18, 2015The 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.
“Babies have big heads and big eyes, and tiny little bodies with tiny little arms and legs. So did the aliens at Roswell! I rest my case.”
November 6, 2010The day is still dismal and it’s colder. It rained last night, and the wind blew. My front lawn has disappeared beneath pine needles, and the deck is filled with leaves plastered by the rain. Today is not at all inviting.
The computer is back, but I can’t use it. My keyboard and mouse are wireless and useless until I can load their programs. I need a mouse to load a mouse so I’m still using my laptop, and it’s driving me crazy. I don’t know how to type. I use two fingers and am usually pretty fast but not on this keyboard. It’s too small. I keep hitting the caps lock.
Clothes are sitting and wrinkling in the dryer. My bed is disheveled and unmade. I haven’t even gotten dressed yet. I’m not even sure I will. I haven’t a speck of ambition.
Captain Midnight was the TV show which helped whet my appetite for science fiction. My memories of specific programs are hazy, but I remember his sidekick was named Mudd, and he always introduced himself as Mudd with 2 d’s. I wanted to be a member of his secret squadron, but my mother couldn’t be convinced we needed jars and jars of Ovaltine.
Early Saturday morning programs were often old science fiction serials from the movies. I followed them week after week and learned a lot from watching them. I learned that the domination of Earth was the common ambition of every alien, especially Martians, and all of them, to their detriment, underestimated mankind. A hero would rise, assume the mantle of leadership and send those aliens to perdition. Our hero would fall in love with a beautiful scientist who had a doctorate in some odd science which would prove invaluable in defeating the aliens. She would place her hand over her mouth and scream at her first encounter with the alien. She’d also run away and trip and be saved by our intrepid hero. She would be wearing a suit and heels.
I’m still waiting for my first alien encounter. My neighbor from Brazil doesn’t count.
keepthecoffeecoming.blog 