Remember that one day when you could wake up without an alarm? When you would get your favorite bowl of cereal and sit between the hours of 8 and 12? This is a blog dedicated to the greatest time of our childhood: Saturday mornings. The television programs you watched, the memories attached to them, and maybe introducing you to something you didn't realize existed. Updated every weekend.
The Green Hornet was a radio
serial character created in 1936 by WXYZ (now WXYT) owner George W. Trendle
and writer Fran
Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell.
He was the alter-ego of Britt Reid (Al Hodge, Donovan Faust, Bob
Hall & Jack McCarthy), the wealthy young publisher of The Daily
Sentinel newspaper and a descendent of The
Lone Ranger, whom Trendle and Striker also created. He and his loyal
partner and confidant Kato (Tokutaro Hayashi, Rollon Parker & Michael Tolan) patrolled the
city at night with a variety of gadgets and a technologically advanced car, The
Black Beauty. They pose as criminals in order to better infiltrate the criminal
underworld. The Green Hornet ran from 1936-1950, then again for 2 months
in 1952. In that time, it was adapted into two serials by Universal Pictures and a comic book series
that began with Henlit Comics (aka Holyoke) in 1940
and ended with Harvey
Comics in 1949.
Green Hornet, Kato and the Black Beauty.
Trendle had attempted to pitch the
character for television in 1951 and 1958, but nobody was interested in it
until Batmanbecame
a success on ABC. The network decided to take
on The Green Hornet and put it in the hands of Batman producer William Dozier. Unlike Batman,
The Green Hornet was played straight. The Hornet was once again publisher
Britt Reid (Van Williams)
with his trusty sidekick, martial-artist Kato (Bruce
Lee), dedicated to fighting crime after his father was framed, imprisoned
and killed. Only two other people knew their secret: Reid’s secretary Lenore
“Casey” Case (Wende Wagner),
as she did in the later years of the radio show, and District Attorney Frank P.
Scanlon (Walter Brooke),
changed from being a police commissioner in order to minimize comparisons to Batman.
Sentinel police reporter Michael Axford (Lloyd Gough), no longer Britt’s
bodyguard, was determined to get the scoop on the Hornet. Additional
differences between previous versions were Hornet and Kato wore masks molded to
their faces rather than one that covered the full face or goggles, Hornet
carried a vibrational weapon called the Hornet’s Sting as well as a knockout
gas gun, and Kato had darts hidden up his sleeve.
The Green Hornet meets Batman and Robin.
The Green Hornet debuted on
ABC, who owned WXYZ since 1946, on September 6, 1966. Nikolai
Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral interlude, “Flight of the Bumblebee”,
had become synonymous with the character through the radio series, so the TV
show used a similar jazz-styled theme arranged by series composer Billy May, conducted by Lionel Newman, and a trumpet
solo by Al Hirt. Dozier served
as the series’ narrator as he did on Batman, and the characters would
cross over twice. Unfortunately, The Green Hornet did not duplicate Batman’s
success for the network and they cancelled it after a single season. However,
it left a lasting impression thanks to Lee as it introduced both him and true
martial arts to American audiences, increasing the popularity of both and
propelling Lee into a movie career. ABC aired reruns of the series until July
1967, and since then it has made sporadic rounds on various networks.
Created in 1933 for the radio
by WXYZ (now WXYT) owner Georg W. Trendle and writer Fran Striker, The Lone Ranger was
a masked cowboy vigilante. He began as a Texas Ranger named John Reid (Earle Graser until his death, Brace Beemer for the
remainder, and several fill-ins), the sole survivor of an ambush on him and
five of his fellow Rangers by a gang led by a man named Bartholomew “Butch”
Cavendish (Bill
Saunders). He was found and nursed to health by Native American Tonto (John Todd). Reid
adopted the guise of the Lone Ranger to bring Cavendish to justice with Tonto
and his trusty horse, Silver, by his side, and to continue to protect the west.
As the Ranger was never identified as such verbally, those he helped were often
left to ponder “Who was that masked man, anyway?” at the end of each episode.
The show proved immensely popular, running until 1956 and spawning two Republic serials and
books
largely written by Striker. In 1949, Trendle brought the series to television
with Clayton Moore in the title
role and Jay Silverheels as
Tonto.
The Lone Ranger, Tonto and Silver.
The
Lone Ranger debuted on the fledgling ABC, who bought WXYZ in 1946, on September 15,
1949. Like the radio show, it used the ending of the “William Tell Overture”
by Gioachino
Rossini as its theme, which has become synonymous with the franchise as a
result. 78 episodes were filmed and aired for 78 weeks, then rerun all-over
again for another year. It became the first hit for the network, earning an Emmy nomination in 1950. For the next batch
of 52 episodes, Moore was fired over a contractual dispute and replaced with John Hart. It was believed that
the mask would hide the change and keep the audience invested, but he was
disliked in the role and his episodes weren’t aired again until the 1980s. In
1954, Trendle sold the rights to Jack
Wrather who produced another 52 episodes after promptly hiring back Moore.
For the final season, only 39 episodes were produced, as that had become the
industry standard, and Wrather fronted the money to produce them in color
despite ABC still broadcasting in black and white. Wrather decided to skip
dealing with the network and went on to produce two theatrical films, while
ABC kept the show in daytime reruns for years.
The Skelly Oil Company was
looking for a follow-up to its successful radio adventure show, The
Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen, and turned to that show’s creators,
Wilfred G. Moore and Robert M. Burtt, to duplicate that success.
Ad for the radio show.
Captain
Midnight debuted on October 7, 1938 as a syndicated
radio show broadcast to a few Midwest stations. Captain Midnight was a
former World War I
U.S. Army pilot named Captain Jim “Red” Albright until a general who sent him
on a dangerous mission gave him his codename when he returned at the stroke of
12. After the war, he became a private pilot that helped people in trouble.
However, when Ovaltine
took over sponsorship of the program in 1940, Albright became the head of the
Secret Squadron: an air-based paramilitary organization battling sabotage and
espionage against the country. When the United States entered World War II following
the bombing of Pearl Harbor,
the Secret Squadron joined in the battle against the Axis Powers. Most notably,
the female members of the Squadron were treated as equals and were often involved
in heavy combat missions. Captain Midnight was portrayed by Ed Prentiss, Bill Bouchey and Paul
Barnes over the course of the show.
Ad for the movie serial.
With
Ovaltine’s sponsorship came a move to the Mutual Radio
Network, where Captain Midnight enjoyed a national audience and
allowed it to gain a regular audience number in the millions. The show ran
until December of 1949, and in that time inspired a newspaper
comic strip, a book
and comic books published by Dell
Comics and Fawcett
Comics. In 1942, Columbia
Pictures produced a 15-chapter spin-off
serial starring Dave O’Brien.
While some of the characters from the radio show were used, the serial took
some liberties with the source material. Captain Midnight became a masked
secret identity for Albright and the Secret Squadron element was removed from
the story. The serial was later brought to television in 1953 through early
1954 as Captain
Midnight’s Adventure Theatre.
The Silver Dart takes flight.
At
the same time, Columbia’s television arm, Screen Gems, was working on adapting Captain
Midnight for television as an ongoing show. Once again, some liberties were
taken with the source material as Captain Midnight (Richard Webb, an actual
veteran who got the role despite being older than what they were looking for)
became a veteran of the Korean War. Although
the Secret Squadron was in place this time, the only other established character
was chief mechanic Ichabod “Icky” Mudd (Sid Melton), who served as the show’s
comic relief. Joining them was scientist Dr. Aristotle “Tut” Jones (Olan Soule,
who played Agent Kelly, SS-11 on the radio show). The Squadron was a private
group often asked to deal with enemy agents, rogue scientists, investigate
sabotage and, in general, protect the country from the forces of evil. Despite
the science fiction elements present in the show such as robot bombs and space
stations, Midnight was the only action hero on TV at the time to not venture
out into space, sticking to the skies and the Earth’s orbit in his Silver Dart;
the experimental Douglas
D-558-2 Skyrocket which had both a jet engine and a rocket engine.
Ikky, Captain Midnight and Tut in the middle of a mystery.
Ovaltine included
an offer in their products for a membership kit that included a decoder badge
that would allow viewers to transcribe a secret message given to them each
episode. However, they continually only saw a marginal and temporary increase
in their sales as a lot of people would merely steal the wax seal from the
Ovaltine jar that they needed to send in. At a public appearance, Webb asked
those in attendance what their favorite breakfast drink was, and received the
overwhelmingly resounding reply of “Bosco!”
Since Ovaltine saw Captain Midnight as just a marketing tool to move
their product, they pulled their sponsorship and ended production of the show
after just two seasons, despite its popularity.
Original VHS release.
When the
show entered into syndicated reruns in 1958, a problem arose. The Wander Company, the parent company of
Ovaltine, owned the rights to the Captain Midnight name. As a result, Screen
Gems was forced to change the name of the series to Jet Jackson, Flying
Commando for both the title and in every instance the name was said. Screen
Gems to attempted to purchase the rights from The Wander Company using Webb as
a mediator, but they wanted to hold onto the series for future use. Depending
on the source, the original Captain Midnight is either still on a shelf
somewhere, or the prints had long been destroyed. Parade Video released a VHS collection
of two episodes, which Rhino Video later
re-released as Captain
Midnight Flies Againalong with a second VHS
collection containing two episodes. All four episodes were from the second season.
EPISODE GUIDE:
Season 1:
“Murder by Radiation” (9/4/54) – Captain Midnight has to
recover a radioactive element from foreign agents.
“Electronic Killer” (9/11/54) – Enemy agents kidnap Captain
Midnight’s friend in order to get the secrets of his new guided missile.
“Deadly Diamonds” (9/18/54) – The Secret Squadron is sent to
track down a dangerous group of diamond smugglers with the help of one of Tut’s
inventions.
“The Lost Moon” (9/25/54) – Captain Midnight has to discover
the secret of a lost moon orbiting Earth before enemy agents get their first
and take control of the planet.
“Death Below Zero” (10/2/54) – The investigation of the
poisoning of a dog belonging to a member of the Squadron leads Captain Midnight
to be locked into a cold storage locker.
“Operation Failure” (10/9/54) – Captain Midnight goes behind
the Iron Curtain to rescue a freedom fighter.
“Trapped Behind Bars” (10/16/54) – An investigation into
prison riots leads Captain Midnight and Ikky going undercover as prisoners.
“Counterfeit Millions” (10/23/54) – Captain Midnight
discovers the method in which counterfeit money is entering the country.
“The Walking Ghost” (10/30/54) – A Squadron agent comes to
Captain Midnight for help in exorcising a ghost from a Southern mansion.
“Secret of the Jungle” (11/6/54) – An African vacation
becomes a mystery to find a stolen idol.
“Sabotage Under the Sea” (11/13/54) – Captain Midnight
engages an enemy submarine to find an experimental missile that disappeared.
“Isle of Mystery” (11/20/54) – Captain Midnight and Ikky are
sent to investigate why the small island of Luana withdraws permission for the
US to conduct atomic tests in the area.
“The Curse of the Pharaohs” (11/27/54) – Captain Midnight is
asked to investigate the disappearance of an archaeologist.
“The Deserters” (12/4/54) – While helping Squadron members
evicted from their clubhouse by developers, Captain Midnight stumbles onto a
bank robbery.
“The Electrified Man” (12/11/54) – A scientist working on a countermeasure
for radioactive dust becomes incredibly dangerous after using too much energy.
“The Young Criminal” (12/18/54) – Captain Midnight sponsors
a youth gym to battle juvenile delinquency, and one of the patrons becomes
enamored with the lifestyle of a poolroom owner.
“The Deadly Project” (12/25/54) – A scientist working on a
heat-resistant metal for the Air Force is targeted by a rival who developed a
sonic gun.
“Touchdown Terror” (1/1/55) – Captain Midnight and a quarterback
are kidnapped when the player refuses to throw an important game.
“Top Secret Weapons” (1/8/55) – Captain Midnight gives
asylum to a young refugee who was hypnotized to spy on the secret weapon being
developed at headquarters.
“The Human Bomb” (1/15/55) – A munitions genius is released
from prison and plots revenge against those that put him there.
“The Mark of Death” (1/22/55) – Heading to deliver a goodwill
message to India leads Captain Midnight and Ikky to have to rescue Bengra Tassi
from The Executioner.
“Arctic Avalanche” (1/29/55) – Convinced to take a sick
Eskimo to a hospital, Captain Midnight and Ikky end up walking into a trap.
“Mystery of the Forest” (2/5/55) – Captain Midnight and Ikky
pose as lumberjacks to investigate the largest non-nuclear explosion in
history.
“The Invisible Terror” (2/12/55) – Captain Midnight has to
find the formula for a retrovirus that can protect the country from a
biological attack.
“Saboteurs of the Sky” (2/19/55) – Captain Midnight has to
find a kidnapped Squadron member who developed a method of creating hurricanes.
“Peril from the Arctic” (2/26/55) – Captain Midnight and
Ikky investigate a renegade scientist experimenting with an anti-magnetic force
to be used against the country.
“Mission to Mexico” (11/5/55) – Captain Midnight and Ikky go
to Mexico to find a radio station that broadcasted a message referring to fissionable
materials that might be used against the US.
“The Frozen Men” (11/12/55) – Captain Midnight braves a nuclear
testing ground in order to free a scientist from suspended animation.
“Doctors of Doom” (11/19/55) – Investigating reports of a
giant leads Captain Midnight to a sanitarium housing enslaved scientists.
“Sunken Sapphires” (11/26/55) – Captain Midnight and Ikky
help young siblings retrieve a cache of jewels.
“Master Criminal” (12/3/55) – A top criminal surrenders to
the Squadron in order to get access to the new jet engine being developed at headquarters.
“Secret of Superstition Mountain” (12/10/55) – Ghostly apparitions
harass Captain Midnight and Ikky when they find hidden treasure in Arizona.
“The Mountain of Fire” (12/17/55) – A volcanic eruption masks
the sabotage of an experiment to turn volcanic heat into electricity.
“The Jungle Pit” (12/24/55) – Captain Midnight and Ikky help
a Japanese boy find his father on an island who doesn’t know World War II
ended.
“Flight into the Unknown” (12/31/55) – Captain Midnight and
Ikky track down a banker who disappeared with a large sum of money.
“The Runaway Suitcase” (1/7/56) – A police officer comes to
Captain Midnight to help clear his name for a theft he didn’t commit.
“Million Dollar Diamond” (1/14/56) – A boy comes to Captain
Midnight about his abusive father, leading him to discover the man has been
replaced by a double to steal a valuable diamond.
“The Human Bullet” (1/21/56) – Captain Midnight volunteers
to test a new rocket sled, discovering an attempt to sabotage it and discredit
its inventor.
A
Date With Judy began its life as a comedy radio series on NBC as a summer
replacement for Bob Hope’s show.
Starring Ann
Gillis as Judy, the series focused on the teenaged girl who was
deemed the most datable in town, but had a habit of attracting trouble and
causing chaos. The show began on June 24th, 1941 and ran until May
25, 1950; with Louise Erickson taking
over as Judy in the third season and the final season being broadcast on ABC.
The radio cast photo from an article after Erickson took over the role.
The show proved immensely popular,
gaining a movie adaptation
from MGM in
1948 starring Elizabeth Taylor in the
title role. The movie was also a hit, earning over $4.5 million at the box
office. When the radio show ended, ABC decided to adapt it again; this time for
their television network. The show first aired on Saturday mornings, beginning
June 5th, 1951. Patricia Crowley played the title role, with Gene
O’Donnell and Anna Lee as her parents Melvin and Dora, Judson Rees as her brother,
Randolph, and Jimmy Sommer as Judy’s boyfriend, Ogden “Oogie” Pringle. The
series was produced and written by Aleen Leslie.
Judy and Oogie sharing a shake.
After a single season, ABC decided
to retool the show and move it to primetime on Thursdays and later Wednesdays
for the remainder of its run. The entire cast was replaced, with Mary Linn
Beller as Judy, John Gibson as Melvin, Flora Campbell as Dora, and Peter Avarmo
as Randolph. Only Sommer was retained as Oogie, and Leslie continued to produce
and write for the show. It ended after three seasons on September 30, 1953,
replaced by Saber of London.
Judy's first comic appearance.
While the radio show was on the air,
National Periodical Publications (the precursor of DC Comics) began publication of a comic
based on the series. It ran for 79 issues between 1947 and 1960,
outliving every incarnation of the show. As for the show itself, clips and
stills have not yet found their way online assuming any had survived their
initial broadcasts.
