Lost Hero of the Golden Age Ep.10 Captain Midnight
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- Опубліковано 24 сер 2024
- This is a DOCUMENTARY about CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT. He began as a OLD TIME RADIO show. He quickly spread out to other mediums such as COMIC BOOKS, NEWS PAPER STRIPS, MOVIE SERIALS, and also had an early TV SHOW. The height of his popularity took place during WORLD WAR II. The Captain Midnight show was known for their give-away items such as the CODE-O-GRAPH which was a badge that could decode secret messages.
Captain Midnight is also the name of an amazing channel.
T
Is it about comics? Thanks Aitor Molina
@@FatKyle1000 comic-book movies
love that channel
As someone who's grown up watching A Christmas Story, I couldn't help but give a chuckle at the mention of Ovaltine decoders.
Son of a bitch
I own 3 different captain midnight decoders in great condition, one with the secret manual included. Best things in my whole collection!!!!!
Now I know what went wrong in my life... NO OVALTINE!
If our mom's only knew Wandering Wade!
Back in the 60s and early 70s when l was growing up, the newspaper of my aunt and uncle's little East Texas town had " Smilin' Jack" , another aviator hero.
They also had The Phantom and Rick O Shay, I'd read them when l spent a couple of weeks every summer. My aunt would even save the strips for me so l could catch up. They're all gone now, sadly.
Great memories.
6:26
This deserves a Christmas story reference.
I am 71 years old and remember the Captain Midnight TV program. I use to watch it as a kid, playing with my toys on the living room floor. I neve did get a secret coder ring or badge.
That was the true golden age of television Bill!
The Jet Jackson name was also used when the TV show was syndicated in Australia due to the fact that a 19th century Bushranger operated under the name Captain Midnight.
Great episode. I love the part about Captain Midnight helping win WW2. 👍
Hi Ryan! Glad you liked it...I desperately tried to find a couple of WW2 stories that I had read over the years, but couldn't find them so I didn't put them in the video. One story was about a pair of deceased American bomber crew members that were found buried in an unmarked grave in France. I think they were found sometime in the late 1980s or early 90s. Among their personal effects was a Captain Midnight medallion. Another story I had read was that a historian was reviewing Nazi photos of an Allied POW Camp. In the photos, there was a wall with numbers written on it. The numbers of course were translated with a Captain Midnight decoder ring and read (if I remember right) "Faith." Again, can't remember where or when I heard/read those stories.
Another great production. I'm hoping Bulletman is on the horizon.
Thanks for all the compliments guys! Sorry it took so long to get this out. I was holding on this one because I couldn't get a photo of the guys who created Captain Midnight. I contacted historical societies, old time radio, and pulp magazine enthusiasts, but no one has photos of them.
Thank
Awsome work
Do John carter
Real journalism
I heard of Captain Midnight occasionaly, but after this video I read the first volume from dark horse and now I am hooked. Thanks
It's amazing the amount of creativity around in the late 20' thru to the late 30's
Hi NA! Thanks for watching! In many ways, I think they may have been more creative.
This is another great documentary. Thanks, and I look forward to more of your work.
Well, now I know why in 1990's Captain America movie there was a Code-O-Graph... I used to think that was a made up character for this movie. It could have been, but these guys went the extra mile and did it right. Thank you so much, super great video, keep up the good work. Greetings from Mexico!
Ah, finally! I missed these. The ending(s) were pretty interesting.
Thanks Bruno! I put that explosion in at the end just for you!
FizzFop1 Heh
That Darkhorse comic was just fine.
i didn't know about the code-graphs being used in war camps! that's amazing!
I love these documentaries - a lot of stuff that I had no idea about. I knew of Captain Midnight and the decoders but the rest was really insightful.
Thanks for sharing.
Alhough long ago I used to read Blackhawk and occasionally Steve Canyon, I was never a fan of air heroes. There were countless pulp air heroes, especially flying biplanes, but I never understood how they could keep writing all that stuff. The only air story I ever liked was tv's air wolf, which was of course a helicopter. In the pulps I only liked sci fi/occult although my taste in comics were much much more ecletic. Of course that does not mean I did not enjoy your excellent Capt. Midnight doc. The colorful look and feel of the times in the hero milieu are enough for me. Pulp, comic strips, radio, early tv, comic books, and toys, I love it all. And your docs are a dazzling concentrated dose with great research to back it up. My only regret is that they are not longer. Great work and I'll be watching no matter who you choose or don't choose.
+gnikcohs Thanks for the praise gnikcohs! I hope to be finishing up three more real soon. I wasn't much into the air heroes either...A couple of viewers requested that I do one on Captain Midnight. I had no idea how cool and deep that field was until I started reading up on CM.
+FizzFop1
+gnikcohs Oh, I forgot to mention...Speaking of Steve Canyon...the very first one of these cartoon docs I ever did was on Milton Caniff...who did Steve Canyon along with Miss Lace and Terry and the Pirates...ua-cam.com/video/tsqBHvKxFWk/v-deo.html
+FizzFop1
+gnikcohs There is a complete volume of Miss Lace that came out in the sixties...you can find it on ebay for about 10 bucks...great stuff.
Wow. A great story. 😊
Great episode.
Like Captain Midnight, but have read very few of the GA comics.
Mostly knew him from the serial and tracking down radio show episodes.
The serial is great, the radio show is okay, but tends to drag.
Loved the Dark Horse comic and some of the stuff Moonstone did.
Great information I love learning about the golden age of heroes thank you
My dad used to listen to this on the radio
Capt. Midnight TV show I remember when I was kindnergarten.
Seeing this video again for the someteeth time got me thinking that you could do some other videos about the other obscure aviation heroes
Did somebody mention yet that your background music is always fits perfect! Outstanding!
Glad to see more vids on your channel, keep up the good work.
One by one, like in all vídeos. Awesome Videos ! I never see something ! Very impressive. Save my day, week, year !
Big correction, Captain Midnight is in the public domain, Dark Horse can't buy the copyright because he belongs to all of us. If they did they were ripped off but if they bought anything it might've been the trademark maybe. Dynamite comics even had their own take for an Aww Yeah Comics collaboration, check that out if you wanna see a cat version of the captain!
The character himself is in public domain, both the original radio dramas, the film serials and the Fawcett comic book version, since Fawcett went out of business & never renewed any of their copyrights.
Hi Oceltotl Chimalpahin! Copyright law is complicated and confusing. There's degrees of public domain...at the time I made this video, I couldn't find 100% confirmation as to his status. This is the only character I know of where the trademark holder has declared the character in pd. I don't know the legalities of it.
@@FizzFop1 oh sure but captain Midnight is 100% PD, unlike Captain Marvel aka Shazam he isn't being squatted on by copyright trolls, his status isn't as tricky as his is. The title of the media project also becomes public domain, trademark today is often abused but it's supposed to be for consumer protection not corporate protection.
So you can use Midnight but since dark horse has a comic out right now you just can't call the comic that in the same arena.
@@FizzFop1 oh right but trademark isn't copyright, the trademark being free just means you can call your product that, it doesn't mean anything for the contents. No the reason it became public domain is because Fawcett didn't renew the copyright on the comics since it was bankrupt & turns out older radio dramas could not be copyrighted & were automatically public domain, Midnight's first appearance in radio, so even Disney radio dramas became public domain despite the mouse's wishes. There is also a fun big little book adaptation you can check out online too.
@@FizzFop1 actually now I'm curious, which trademark holder said the character was PD? When was this?
Thank-you for all your Golden Age Documentaries. Loving them. Thanks for keeping them alive. From down south in South Africa - comic book fans here thank you. Regards FB: Ag Pleez Daddy
Thanks for watching Marc! Is there a South African superhero? I've come across British, French, and Australian superheroes, and come to think of it...Chinese, Japanese, and Canadian superheroes...but I've never come across any from Africa...Is there any?
@@FizzFop1 Howdy or as we say Howzit. Sorry just saw this message now. Yes we have a few modern heroes now but no Golden or Silver Age era heroes. We do have some Bronze age heroes. Most internationally known is the hero, Jet Jungle (a mix of Flash Gordon, James Bond and Bruce Wayne and the french hero Diabolik and especially the Phantom) Mego toys even made a figure of him using a Bruce Wayne figure which because its so rare has made Jet Jungle international reknown. To be honest I only became a fan after I found out about the figure. Ive been a Mego fan since my 5th birthday in Dec 1979. He was a hero created to promote The Jungle Oats Breakfast cereal from 1974-1984 and he even had an old school radio show for kids on Springbok Radio. see: ua-cam.com/video/TJ7-7gOYIDY/v-deo.html We in South Africa only got TV in 1976 and by 1978-1980 if you could afford a TV you were super fortunate as most South African households used radio as their entertainment right up to the late 1970s and even through the 80s. The campaign was backed up by comic strips which appeared in local kids and gossip magazines as advertorials. I've been collecting these over the years. The other lesser known South African hero was the short live MIGHTY MAN who was a Black African Superman like Superhero here (we're allowed to call a man by their colour here in South Africa so please don't shoot me). He popped up in the African townships like Soweto (famous for being where Nelson Mandela lived) and he as a concerned community citizen became a super hero to fight the gangs in the townships. These comics are super rare but if you need any further info I can send you a South African comic historian's info. Heres a link to a great SA comic blog: southafricancomicbooks.blogspot.com/2018/05/jet-jungle-by-dov-fedler.html southafricancomicbooks.blogspot.com/2011/06/afri-comics.html If you would like to contact me you can on info.agpleezdaddy@gmail.com or look at my facebook page for other memorabilia and toys and comics and posters etc on: facebook.com/AgPleezDaddy/ Thanks Marc
That was a really good retrospective on Captain Midnight. I'm binging on your stuff right now and have been really enjoying it!
Thanks CD!!! Binge away! Check out the Black Bat episode...I did some cosplay re-enactments with it!
Awsome work
I love love LOVE this channel! Keep 'em coming!
+Carlos Antonio Páez Cuba Thanks Carlos! I wish I could get them done faster!
Love your contest like another channel called "comic tropes"! You guys are amazing! Keep rollin', please there's so much to discover from your channels for a regular comic-interested person like me.
YES! Another amazing video as always! Thank you!
I have to wonder though why would the decoder be made out of brass since cardboard would've been much cheaper, I didn't knew about this code-o-graph badge but I did know about the Chex Ring from the 60's, and even in the era of plastic people didn't care that the ring's decoder was made out of cardboard.
+BurnRoddy --Hi BR! It's hard to say why they made them out of brass. I would speculate that once the first brass giveaway came out...they all had to copy it and that eventually became the norm. These radio shows were all in competition for listeners...the quality of the giveaway item may have been a reflection on the quality of the show...it's hard to honestly say because there is so little written about that aspect of the radio industry during that time period.
Awesome thanks for taking my suggestion. :)
Hi Sidus, I hope you and Max noticed the thank you in the credits.
+FizzFop1 I just found it and I am honored to be part of the secret squadron.
Hi Max! Yeah, The Black Bat is mostly done...it is in chunks and not put together yet. I still have to work on some things. It has turned into an epic and I have spent way more time on it than I wanted to...being a pulp hero, there is not a lot of images for him. I didn't want it to just be magazine covers. I've had to create images.
Thank
Ok do dan dare
And black cat
And nick carter
There's a bunch in the works. I have scripts for 2 or 3. I've done research on another 4 or 5. I have a list for another 15. Don't know when I can get to anything.
As a kid watched and loved the Capt Midnight TV show, could not understand why they later re-named it Jet Jackson and had all actors redub the word "Captain Midnight" with "Jet Jackson". Did not know that the Captain had a long pre-television history. BTW his jet plane was a model of an actual one - the Douglas Skyrocket. Somewhere online I saw that the reason the show got cancelled was that Ovaltine got pissed off that kids kept thinking the show sponsor was Bosco. When Richard Webb made public appearances as Capt Midnight and asked the kids what the best chocolate nutrition drink was they all yelled 'Bosco" instead of "Ovaltine" so that "did it" for Ovaltine, all their sponsorship money was being wasted and actually working against them. (Bosco was mainly chocolate syrup, tastier and cheaper and not full of vitamins and minerals like Ovaltine.)
Hi Randal!!! Thanks for that info! I was not aware of that. Stories like that are the history I hope to preserve.
I believe that the character name of Captain Midnight was owned by Ovaltine. After the original run of the show was over, the network wanted to syndicate it for reruns, but Ovaltine didn't want to and wouldn't give approval for use of the name, so they changed the name and re-dubbed the audio. In many cases, only the 'Jet Jackson' version has survived today.
I managed to catch one issue of Captain Midnight's Dark Horse comic. I especially loved how he came across as a seamless fusion of Captain America and Iron Man. I hear the comic tanked, though. Pity. I hope somebody brings it back.
Remember the Captain Midnight code message about Ovaltine in "A Christmas Story"?
DRINK YOUR OVALTINE!!!! I totally forgot about that when I made this video!!!
Wasn't that. Lil Orphan Annie!?
It was Little Orphan Annie.
@@FizzFop1 Son of a BITCH!
I just recently started watching your videos and I really like them
Thanks for watching Pickle!!! The Captain Midnight video was fun to make because of all the radio show stuff.
This is awesome, my favorite golden age character. Maybe do Skyman and Spysmasher next.
I think there's no need to mention the captain midnight channel, so instead I'm gonna point to the 2018 movie The House with a Clock in Its Walls, in which the protagonist is a fan of Captain Midnight
The Captain Midnight decoder badge was referenced in an episode of The Real Ghostbusters.
Homer: I keep tellin you, "i'm not a pilot" Airman: .. And i keep tellin you "You flyboys crack me up!" ;)
I heard about the decoders and fan club etc. long before I knew about the hero!
My God that intro reminds me of Crimson Skies :) good job
That's fun
a great homage to the inventor of airplanes and father of aviation : Santos Dumont
No, I haven't read it Max...but Alan Moore's writing is awesome.
Yech IF Know who bulldog is Thank next try vlog i gess
Wailt what you don.t read lxg realiy is a ok comic but you fan of Alan Moore so oh realiy just read the comic
Ok
And forgot one thing do marvelman
+Max Nyström Marvelman would be interesting...I should start reading up on him.
>ASK YOUR SKELLYMAN!
2spooky
Now, that you mention it-that sounds like a great name for a horror film character.
Oh darrien hi patreon is like a kickstarter
You know, if I was a comic book character, my job would be aviator or test pilot. Why? Because most great comic book heroes were flyboys. Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Negative Man, Corsair, Colonel Rick Flag, and many others. Not to mention, they go on lots of amazing adventures. So yeah, pilot is the comic book job for me.
Hi Gage! Thanks for watching! In the golden age, there were hundreds of pilot heroes in comics. When you think about it, test pilots have the background to make great superheroes. To be a test pilot, they have to be smart, disciplined, educated, brave...and a certain devil may care personality. Perfect choice for a superhero because a test pilot would have so many positive personality traits.
First heard about this from the statler brothers song (do you remember these)
6:21 That's it a crummy commercial? Son of a bitch!
Interesting video with lots a great info! One minor correction: the Fawcett and DC comics writer you mention is named Otto Binder. I’m unaware of a “von” being used as part of his name which is an epithet used in German to indicate aristocratic status. I’ve read Bill Schelly’s biography of Binder (which is great btw), and I don’t believe he ever mentions it being used by Binder. Perhaps you were thinking of Otto von Bismarck?
Hi Nicholas, thanks for watching. He used "von Binder" sometimes. Perhaps for pen name purposes? When I first got into comics history way back in the 1970s, some of the books/articles identified him as "von Binder." That's probably why I called him that in this video. It just stuck with me. In later videos, I identify him only as Otto Binder...and I pronounce his name correct with a soft "i."
I have a couple of Captain Marvels that he autographed...I assume that they are legit autographs (They didn't certify autographs back in 1970). I didn't get these books until the 1980s and the seller (I presume) didn't know they were autographed. (I didn't even realize they were autographed until ten years ago). In one of those books, he signs "Otto" Capital "V" "Binder" followed by the date.
As far as I know, Otto's brothers--one worked in comics and created the Golden age DareDevil...and another brother wrote science fiction stories-they did not use "von" with their names...so after thinking about it...I would guess he used it as a pen name he used from time to time.
Anyway, I'm in the process of re-doing all my old videos...there's mistakes in all the early videos that need cleaned up. I will make a note of this when I redo Captain Midnight.
By the way, the thing that is really killing me about this video is that I can't find an article that was in Stars and Stripes newspaper back in the 1980s. I was stationed in Germany (86-89) at the time, and I remember reading about a WWII aviator who was buried in France. They found his unmarked grave and among his personal effects was a Captain Midnight medallion. It hurts that I can't find that article. Oh well, sorry about my rambling. Thanks again for watching.
would it be interesting for you to do something with Adam Adamant? (just watch Diamanda Hagan's retrospective)
he is bit more of James Bond type but ... the mean bonds that do annything in name of their country/goal. it is quite intreaguing (judging by Mistress Hagan depiction of the TV show annyways).
Was Commander Cody another attempt to cash in on the success of Captain Midnight?
I always sort of thought Commander Cody was sort of a copy of Buck Rogers. Commander Cody's rocket pack was pretty similar to the one that appeared in the Buck Rogers comic strip.
The actor who played Captain Midnight on tv didn't like Ovaltine. Actor Richard Webb was on a Star Trek episode.
If you go here: www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?426568 you'll find a listing for a Captain Midnight original anthology from Moonstone publishing, who put out a number of original anthologies like this.
hes so obscure that a popular youtuber can use his name without consequence
Do a video of adventure into the unknown
Do black cat and miss fury
Darrien where is black bat agian
Garth ennis thing i remember he Said one reason he hate superhero is becouse in insult to real heros in world war 2
Which ironic capatin midnight like you Said help soilder in World war 2
its numbers stations... those encryptions are a kinda cia communication tactic for that time , even today kinda.... wild.
It's a very old code...I was reading about the Zodiac Killer and the codes he used...simple number/letter/symbol replacement. That kind of secret code goes back centuries. Julius Caesar used them on his military campaigns.
yea... but the way they are done through radios so signals intelligence cannot pinpoint who particularly the broadcast was meant for... there are a few videos of what they call "the buzzer" which is believed to have been a russian station.... usually its AM signals etc.
Good commentary and information, and nice production (except for the choice of music/period music or sounds seems would've been better choice. BUT..maybe there are clearance issues and costs, and this can't be avoided. I mean, it's not bad, just seemed kind of "far off" of the period.). Thanks.
The music in my early videos were always a problem. The website I get my music from has grown over the past couple of years-the music I use on my new videos are nowhere near as far off as what I started with. I try to buy a new song for each video and built up a library over time. It can be expensive, but I try to keep it reasonable.
👍
Thank you jughead grayson for all the thumbs up! Every interaction helps the channel.
we played a game when i was a kid where we yelled out "Captain Midnight! What time is it!" is this from the show?
Hi Skot Nealey! Thanks for watching! I've never heard of it before. I don't know where it comes from. A lot of radio shows did start off with the question "What time is it?" I don't remember hearing a Captain Midnight episode doing this.
@@FizzFop1 i actually listened to an episode on youtube today hoping to hear it...but alas, it did not happen.
So where is black bat and Thank pal for captain midnight oh and see bobsheaux review of dark horse captain midnight.
So are you doing horror host like doctor death.
Spysmash Tarzan rip offs airboy doctor death pulps nick carter bulldog drummond
Where have you been answer me please
Darrien Thank have you read the lxg by Alan Moore and black havets or something was Hugo droumond is bulldog druommd
And also do Killing and also Satanik
Do oss 117
5:00 Drink my *WHAT*, now? =0[.]o=
Lol...ya gotta love advertising..."drink 2 or 3 glasses of ovaltine a day!"....."also, eat plenty of fruit from your favorite new banana republic so you grow up big and strong!"😂
Do dan dare and bulldog drummond
John carter
Have you plan to make a blog
+Max Nyström Hi Max! I haven't made plans to do one. Lately, I haven't had free time to even work on the Lost Hero videos.
Sorry can you do uppdate video or something iam bord and iam sorry is you angry at me
+Max Nyström Soon Max! After Captain Midnight, I was hoping to have three more done before the new year...unfortunately, I got bogged down with work...One of them is close to done. Should see it up next week or two.
Thank pal and oh one more thing have you plan to. Do a patreon is a kickstater but is never end you can do it why more Money = fast videos
+Max Nyström Not sure money will make them go faster. The research and the video editing takes time...I have three partially edited stories....and another six scripts...one, the Blue Beetle, is three times larger than anything else I've done. I'm guessing, but it would probably be a half hour or longer. I'm not sure if I can even do it. There's a lot of obscure photos or images I would have to rebuild to do it.
Do nick carter
You got a down vote from me for the loud bang near the end!
Hi EarlJohn61! I get a lot of that from people...they don't like big bangs I guess?
@@FizzFop1 particularly when the previous volume had been so low.
Hey FizzFop1 New Sub Question Please Give Me Your Top 10 Golden Age Heroes That Should Be On The Big Screen.
Hi blkpanter11!!! Wow! There's some really great ones out there to work with...if I was going to make a golden age superhero film, I would consider these characters....The Black Bat, The original Daredevil, The Domino Lady, Thunderbolt, The Nyctalope, The Spider, Blue Bolt, and The Black Cat would all be good choices. Those characters have great cinematic potential. Their script plot could be pulled directly from the source material. That's only 8 heroes...the most interesting one to do would be Spring Heeled Jack. He's sort of a Victorian era Batman. You could set him in Victorian England or do a Steam punk version of him. My tenth choice would be Mr. Justice...great story line about a Mystical superhero fighting body possessing demons...but his origin and costume would have to be re-worked.
Out of this entire group-Thunderbolt would be the best character to do a period drama-adventure film. The character is a World War I ace, a big game hunter, and he;s an adventurer who went to the North Pole...his story begins with him inheriting a fortune from his uncle. He discovers that his uncle's fortune was made through unscrupulous manor. His uncle was a robber baron who cheated orphans, widows, and poor people. Thunderbolt decides to go after his uncle's business partners. He steals fro the rich and gives to the poor. This character was Johnston McCulley's first character published after creating Zorro. My gut feeling is this was very popular with readers because so little of the original material exists today, Two volumes of his stories were put together in 1927-28...but the character hasn't seen print since (as far as I know).
Sorry for rambling.
@@FizzFop1 Hey FizzFop1 Thank U
Oh ok maybe not nick carter and bulldog drummond there not superhero but spring heeled jack is supervillain
And do something
Make me.
Is he in public domain?
Hi cios! I don't 100% know the legalities...but from what I understand,,,he is in public domain because copyright holder Ovaltine decided to let the copyright run out did not renew it.
@@FizzFop1 thanks for the reply.
I'm just confused about wether or not he's truly PD.
I want to use him in my game i'm developing but just in case, my backup plan is just to redesign another aviator character, Captain Aero.
Ovaltine? Some crummy commercial? Son of a bitch!
+Dan Williams HAHAHA! I loved that Olvatine Commercial! When I first heard that, I knew I had to throw that in. Olvatine owned Captain Midnight like the way Marvel owns Spiderman. Way back in the early days of radio and television, the sponsors owned the shows and had ultimate power over every aspect of the show. Product placement was the name of the game back then. The FCC broke up that power of the sponsor after the game show scandals.
Captain Midnight was an inspiration for: Sky Captain🛩 and The World🌎 of Tomorrow🚀!
Check out his Short and you'll see!👇
ua-cam.com/video/KqRvdm8jHz4/v-deo.html
Drink your Ovaltine!