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37-736: Sponsored by the Skelly Oil Company, the Captain Midnight radio program was the creation of radio scripters Wilfred G. Moore and Robert M. Burtt, who had previously scored a success for Skelly with their boy pilot adventure serial The Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen . Developed at the Blackett, Sample and Hummert advertising agency in Chicago, Captain Midnight began as a syndicated show on October 17, 1938, airing through

74-656: A "Gliderchute" (similar to the flying Wingsuit ) attached to the sides of his costume. In his Captain Albright secret identity he was a genius-level inventor like Edison. He had a secret laboratory in the desert. The Fawcett Captain Midnight series was reprinted in England by L. Miller & Son in 40 issues in 1950–1953. In 2010, Moonstone Books ' revival of the Hillman Periodicals 1940s title Air Fighters Comics published its issue #1, which included

111-403: A financial strain. To reduce the payroll, the company transferred some of its employees to Tidewater Associated Oil Company , which was controlled by J. Paul Getty and his mother, Sarah C. Getty. In the late 1930s these employees were transferred back to Skelly. The Gettys made a cash loan to Skelly Oil, and the company treasury held stock, and some of Mr. Skelly's stock was given as collateral for

148-479: A general who sent him on a high-risk mission from which he returned at the stroke of 12. When the show began in 1938, Albright was a private aviator who helped people, but his situation changed in 1940. When the show was taken over by Ovaltine, the origin story explained how Albright was recruited to head the Secret Squadron, an aviation-oriented paramilitary organization fighting sabotage and espionage during

185-666: A new Captain Midnight story. In 2012, Dark Horse Comics reintroduced the character, with a three-part story written by Joshua Williamson with art by Victor Ibañez and Pere Pérez . In June 2013, Captain Midnight #1 was released by the same publisher as an ongoing series. In 1942 Whitman Publishing released Joyce of the Secret Squadron as part of the Authorized Editions series. In 2000, McFarland released Radio's Captain Midnight: The Wartime Biography. The contents were derived from

222-422: A role in conversion and fuel fabrication and in recovery and reprocessing for the fledgling nuclear power industry. Skelly was among the leading oil companies to develop a network of truck stops along major highways including the interstate during the 1950s and 1960s. Skelly also had a contract to sell gasoline at most locations of the now-defunct Nickerson Farms restaurant chain during the 1960s and 1970s, which

259-617: Is a person's cryptonym , incognito , cover and/or alter ego which is not known to the general populace, most often used in fiction . Brought into popular culture by the Scarlet Pimpernel in 1903, the concept was widespread in pulp heroes and is particularly prevalent in the American comic book genre, and is a trope of the masquerade . In American comic books, a character typically has dual identities, one overt and one covert. The false or public identity being known to

296-859: Is at variance from the radio show, where the Secret Squadron was set up by a high governmental official ("Mr. Jones"), which the hero was recruited to head (unless, of course, "unofficial" meant, in the modern pop-culture sense, "subject to official disavowal if caught or killed on a politically sensitive mission"). Even with the variants, it was far closer to the radio show than any of the other spinoffs. Dell Comics published Captain Midnight adventures in The Funnies #57 (Captain Midnight's first appearance in comics), #59, 61–63 (Sept. 1941, Nov. 1941–Mar. 1942) and Popular Comics #76–78 (June–August 1942). Fawcett published 67 issues of Captain Midnight Comics from Sept. 1942 to Sept 1948. Otto Binder

333-733: The continental United States , with adventures in Europe, South America, the Pacific, and continental Asia. War-related subject matter included the theft of an experimental Flying Wing aircraft, radar coupled antiaircraft guns, jet aircraft and other weapons. After the war, some of the newer villains used war surplus equipment to carry out their activities. Secret Squadron activities shifted to contending with criminals as well as spies. The action continued to operate internationally, with adventures in South America and Africa as well as within

370-506: The Fawcett comic, the only other character of the radio show held over was Ichabod (Ikky) Mudd (played by Sid Melton ), who was used for comic relief. Another regular character was Dr. Aristotle "Tut" Jones, Midnight's resident scientist, played by character actor Olan Soule . (Soule was the only actor to perform in both the radio program and the television program. In the radio program, he played Agent Kelly, SS-11.) The aircraft featured in

407-572: The Gulf of Mexico to the Persian Gulf with a foreign presence in Canada, Argentina, Australia, Korea, Libya, Iran, and Mozambique. In addition to its E&P and refining divisions, Skelly Oil Company also had well-established chemical, manufacturing, engineering, and research divisions. It was an early pioneer of LPG products and building upon its base of substantial uranium ore reserves, established

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444-540: The Ovaltine-sponsored radio programs, covering the adventures through the close of World War II. In 2010, Moonstone Books published a collection of new Captain Midnight short stories entitled Captain Midnight Chronicles . The book's stories reflect an amalgamated version of the Captain Midnight character and his supporting cast, and incorporate elements from the various media incarnations of

481-458: The TV series went into syndication in 1958 via Telescreen Advertising, Ovaltine was no longer the sponsor. However, The Wander Company owned the rights to the character's name "Captain Midnight," forcing a title change by Screen Gems from Captain Midnight to Jet Jackson, Flying Commando , and all references in the episodes to Captain Midnight were redubbed "Jet Jackson." The series (as "Jet Jackson")

518-553: The United States. The show was extremely popular, with an audience in the millions. Just under half the listeners were adult, and it was a favorite of World War II United States Army Air Force crews when they were stationed in the U.S. Radio premiums offered by the series (usually marked with Midnight's personal symbol of a winged clock with the hands pointing to midnight) included decoders . These Code-O-Graphs were used by listeners to decipher encrypted messages previewing

555-569: The adventures. Joyce went on commando raids and became involved in aerial dogfights during World War II. Popular actor-stunt man Dave O'Brien had the title role in the Columbia Pictures 15-episode serial Captain Midnight ( 1942 ). The serial used some of the characters from the radio show, but differed significantly from the radio program. Missing were the Secret Squadron and the Squadron equipment. The Captain Midnight character

592-559: The character, including the radio and television series, the Columbia movie serial and Fawcett comic book. Skelly Oil Skelly Oil Company was a medium-sized oil company founded in 1919 by William Grove (Bill) Skelly , Chesley Coleman Herndon and Frederick A. Pielsticker in Tulsa, Oklahoma. J. Paul Getty acquired control of the company during the 1930s. It became defunct when fully absorbed by Getty Oil Company in 1974, and

629-586: The disused Skelly brand logo was revived by Nimmons-Joliet Development Corp. in 2012. Bill Skelly (1878–1957) came to Oklahoma from Pennsylvania in about 1913 where he worked as a mule skinner and tool dresser in the oil fields around Ardmore and Duncan, Oklahoma, prior to partnering with Jack Sanky to form Skelly Sanky Oil Company in Duncan, Oklahoma in 1915. An advertisement in The Pittsburgh Press on January 4, 1922, stated that Skelly Oil Company

666-533: The general public as the " superhero persona" and the other being the secret identity. The private or secret identity is typically the superhero's legal name , true identity, and/or " civilian persona" when they are not actively assuming the superhero persona. It is kept hidden from their enemies and the general public to protect themselves from legal ramifications, pressure, or public scrutiny, as well as to protect their friends and loved ones from harm secondary to their actions as superheroes. Occasionally, this trope

703-469: The inner wax seal from a jar of Ovaltine to "Capt. Midnight, Box P, Chicago 77, Illinois". The show was produced by George Bilson, with theme music by Don Ferris. Special effects were handled by the Dallons brothers. Some episodes included movie actors such as Frank Lacteen, Sally Fraser , Harry Lauter , I. Stanford Jolley , Mel Welles , Byron Foulger , Shelley Fabares , Buddy Baer and others. When

740-451: The late 1950s it offered its female customers a Ladies Credit Card in a shade of light blue. Skelly Oil Company grew to become a major oil company known for its exploration and production expertise as well as the capabilities of its refineries and manufacturing facilities in conjunction with its well-established marketing and distribution network. Skelly Oil Company was an early leader in offshore drilling and production ranging from Alaska and

777-503: The loan. When the company was unable to repay the loan when it became due, the stock was transferred to Mission Corporation, a holding company of the Getty's that also controlled Tidewater. Skelly remained as CEO until his death in 1957, and Herndon remained executive vice president until his own death. Thereafter, Skelly executives remained as CEOs for another two decades. In the late 1960s Tidewater became Getty Oil Company . Skelly Oil

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814-514: The next day's episode, usually broadcast once a week. Other premiums included rings, telescopes, and World War II items. (The broadcast messages were encrypted with relatively trivial monoalphabetic substitution ciphers with word division.) The scripts depicted women who were treated as equals, not just characters waiting to be rescued. Both Joyce Ryan of the Secret Squadron and Fury Shark, daughter of villain Ivan Shark, pulled their own weight in

851-429: The number one and two positions in the company, and are buried 25 feet apart in Tulsa's Rose Hill Mausoleum, the same distance as their desks for almost half a century. A 1932 Fortune Magazine article stated that "Skelly Oil Company is a great success because of the different temperaments of its top executives... in this company, William Skelly is the accelerator and Chesley Herndon is the brake." The company entered into

888-533: The period prior to the United States' entry into World War II . The Secret Squadron acted both within and outside the United States. When the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor , which curiously was foreshadowed in the program, the show shifted the Secret Squadron's duties to fight the more unconventional aspects of the war. Besides the stock villain, Ivan Shark , the war years introduced Axis villains Baron von Karp, Admiral Himakito and von Schrecker. The Secret Squadron wartime activities were usually outside

925-515: The radio show were retained, including Joyce Ryan, Chuck Ramsay, Ichabod Mudd and Major Barry Steele. The strip was released by the Chicago Sun Syndicate on June 29, 1942, and ran until the late 1940s. France Herron wrote the strip from 1942 to 1944. The strip had some differences from the radio show and did not reprise the radio adventures. In the strip, Captain Midnight was referred to as "an unofficial fighter for freedom," which

962-913: The refining business by purchasing the Midland Refining Company in El Dorado, Kansas, in 1922. Throughout much of its history, Skelly was a popular gasoline marketer throughout the Midwestern United States and was a market leader in several cities throughout its marketing area including Tulsa , Oklahoma City , Kansas City , Wichita , Topeka , Omaha , Des Moines , Minneapolis / Saint Paul and other cities. Skelly's branded products included Skelly Skeltane, Regular, 50-50, Special, Keotane and Powermax gasolines; Skelly Supreme, Tagolene, Skelmark and Ranger motor oils; and Skelgas propane products through Skelgas franchised stores. What may have been unique to Skelly, beginning in

999-453: The series back to Mutual, beginning September 1945, where it remained until December 1949. The show was known for the imaginative use of exciting technological advancements to create narrative thrills, inspiring young audiences to dream of future advances. The title character, originally Captain Jim "Red" Albright , was a World War I U.S. Army pilot. His Captain Midnight code name was given by

1036-684: The series is the Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket , named the Silver Dart, and was based on using both models and occasionally stock footage. The series filmed at the Ray Corrigan Ranch in Simi Valley, California . Unlike other TV action heroes, Captain Midnight never ventured into space, but rather was confined to Earth's atmosphere. Viewers could send away for a special decoder device and membership kit by including

1073-708: The son of German immigrants who was orphaned at age twelve and became a renowned engineer , would form Skelly Oil Company. Herndon was the son of Captain Thomas Herndon, a Civil War veteran who oversaw a family fortune in real estate, tobacco and banking in Tennessee. Captain Herndon's cousin William Herndon was Abraham Lincoln's law partner in Illinois. For the next 37 years, Skelly and Herndon held

1110-754: The spring of 1940 on a few Midwest stations, including Chicago's WGN . In 1940, Ovaltine , a product of The Wander Company, took over sponsorship. With Pierre Andre as announcer, the series was then heard nationally on the Mutual Radio Network where it remained until 1942. It moved to the Merchandise Mart and the NBC Blue Network in September 1942. When the U.S. Government broke up the NBC Red and Blue Networks, Ovaltine moved

1147-591: Was eventually merged into Getty Oil in 1977 and the Skelly brand (and associated brands) were discontinued. Many former Skelly gas stations were rebranded to Getty, then to Texaco after Getty was acquired by Texaco in 1984. In 2012, Nimmons-Joliet Development Corp. acquired the rights to the Skelly brand logo and commenced operation of a new company utilizing the Skelly brand logo as a privately held company based in Texas. Secret identity A secret identity

Captain Midnight - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-471: Was formed to take over the oil properties of Skelly and of the Skelly Sanky company. Chesley Coleman Herndon was a practicing attorney in Tulsa when he won several court victories against William Skelly involving oil leases on Osage Indian land. Skelly summoned Herndon to his office for a meeting after his final loss in court, and shortly thereafter, the two unlikely allies, along with Fred Pielsticker,

1221-473: Was one of the writers on the comic book. The Fawcett character bore little resemblance to the radio character, and only the character Ichabod Mudd appeared regularly in the comic as the sidekick Sgt. Twilight . Captain Midnight in the comic wore a skintight scarlet suit and used an array of gizmos like Doctor Mid-Nite which released clouds of blinding darkness, the infra-red "Doom-Beam Torch" which he used to burn his emblem into walls and unlucky villains, and

1258-557: Was presented as a masked secret identity for Captain Albright. The serial was later aired (one chapter per week) on select TV stations in the fall of 1953 and early 1954, under the title Captain Midnight's Adventure Theatre . (The TV show began a bit later, on September 4, 1954, on a weekly basis on CBS. The Captain Midnight TV series, produced by Screen Gems and starring Richard Webb , began September 9, 1954, on CBS, continuing for 39 episodes until January 21, 1956. Each episode

1295-495: Was similar to Texaco's arrangement with Stuckey's . The company was well known as a sponsor of the radio drama series The Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen and Captain Midnight . Skelly also sponsored Alex Dreier news broadcasts on ABC radio from Chicago in the late 1940s and early 1950s. William Skelly lost control of the company to J. Paul Getty in the 1930s, when the Great Depression put Skelly in

1332-471: Was syndicated well into the early 1960s. The Jet Jackson name was also used for the show's syndication in Australia in order to avoid confusion with a fictional bushranger also named Captain Midnight. A newspaper comic strip, based closely on the radio program, debuted in 1942. The strip, bylined by "Jonwan" (Erwin L. Hess) was drawn in a style similar to that of Milton Caniff . The major characters of

1369-479: Was thirty minutes. (The first season ran 26 episodes from September 9, 1954, through February 26, 1955; the second season ran 13 episodes from October 29, 1955, through January 21, 1956). The sponsors were Ovaltine and Kix Cereal/ General Mills . In the television program, Captain Midnight (now a veteran of the Korean War ) heads the Secret Squadron as a private organization, in contrast to the radio show. As with

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