Captain Midnight was the 17th serial

Serial (film)

Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...

 released by Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...

. It was based upon the radio adventure serial of the same name

Captain Midnight

Captain Midnight is a U.S. adventure franchise first broadcast as a radio serial from 1938 to 1949. Sponsored by the Skelly Oil Company, the radio program was the creation of radio scripters Wilfred G. Moore and Robert M...

 broadcast from 1938 to 1949.

Plot

Captain Midnight was only one of the many aviation serials released in wartime whose leading characters where derived from early pulp magazines and radio favorites. In this serial, Captain Albright is an extremely skilled aviator better known as Captain Midnight, who is assigned to neutralize the sinister Ivan Shark, an evil enemy scientist who is merrily bombing major American cities. Our hero leads the Secret Squadron, whose staff includes only highly-qualified specialists as Chuck Ramsay (Midnight's ward) and Ichabod 'Icky' Mudd (Squadron's chief mechanic). Shark has developed a highly efficient mercenary organization, being aided by his daughter Fury (highly intelligent and second in command), Gardo (loyal henchman) and Fang (a strong Oriental ally). Unfortunately, Shark is after a new range finder invented by an altruistic scientist, John Edwards, who has a beautiful daughter, Joyce, who is threatened with death for fifteen thrilling episodes, only to be rescued by her own ingenuity or the skill of Captain Midnight at the appropriate last moment.

Cast

Dave O'Brien Dave O'Brien (actor) Dave O'Brien was an American film actor, director and writer. Born David Poole Fronabarger in Big Spring, Texas, O'Brien started his film career in bit parts before gradually winning larger roles, mostly in B pictures....	Captain Albright / Captain Midnight
Dorothy Short Dorothy Short Dorothy Short was an American film actress mainly in low-budget westerns and serials in the 1930s and 1940s.A native of Philadelphia, she married actor Dave O'Brien in 1936, the same year they appeared together in the low-budget exploitation cheapie Reefer Madness, which in modern times has become...	Joyce Edwards
James Craven	Ivan Shark
Bryant Washburn Bryant Washburn Born Franklin Bryant Washburn , Bryant Washburn was an American film actor. He appeared in 330 films between 1911 and 1947....	John Edwards
Sam Edwards Sam Edwards Sam Edwards was an American actor. His most famous role on TV was as the banker in the TV series Little House on the Prairie.-Biography:Born into a showbusiness family, his first role was as a baby in his mother's arms...	Chuck Ramsey
Guy Wilkerson	Ichabod 'Icky' Mudd
Luana Walters Luana Walters Luana Walters was a motion picture actress from Los Angeles, California.Walters was an expert horsewoman which led to her discovery as an actress at a rodeo in Palm Springs, California. She won a woman's bucking contest which was being watched by a movie scout, who noticed her.Her film career...	Fury Shark
Joe Girard Joseph W. Girard Joseph W. Girard was an American film actor. He appeared in over 280 films between 1911 and 1944.He was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.-Selected filmography:...	Major Steel
Ray Teal Ray Teal Ray Teal was an actor who appeared in more than 250 movies and some 90 television programs in his 37-year career. His longest running role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on NBC's most successful western, Bonanza...	Borgman, henchman
George Pembroke	Dr. James Jordan
Chuck Hamilton Chuck Hamilton Charles Hamilton is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played 4 games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues.-External links:...	Martel, henchman
Al Ferguson Al Ferguson Al Ferguson was an Irish-born American film actor. He appeared in nearly 300 films between 1912 and 1956.He was born in County Wexford, Ireland and died in Long Island, New York.-Selected filmography:...	Gardo, henchman
Franklyn Farnum Franklyn Farnum William Smith , better known by his screen name, Franklyn Farnum, was an American character actor and Hollywood extra who appeared in 433 productions between the years 1916 and 1961....	G-Man Allen
George Magrill George Magrill George Magrill , was an American film actor. He appeared in 326 films between 1923 and 1952.He was born in Brooklyn, New York, was married to Ramona Oliver, and had a daughter named Marilynn...	Red, henchman
Edward Peil Sr. Edward Peil Sr. Edward Peil Sr. was an American film actor. He appeared in over 370 films between 1913 and 1951. He was born in Racine, Wisconsin, and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:...	Fang
Jack Perrin Jack Perrin Jack Perrin was an American actor specializing in westerns.-Biography:He was born Lyman Wakefield Perrin in Three Rivers, Michigan; his father worked in real estate and relocated the family to Los Angeles, California shortly after the turn of the century.Perrin served in the United States Navy...	Cop
Lee Shumway Lee Shumway Lee Shumway , was an American actor. He appeared in 417 films between 1909 and 1953.He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:* Flame of Barbary Coast...	G-Man Burns
Slim Whitaker Slim Whitaker Slim Whitaker was an American film actor. He appeared in 345 films between 1914 and 1949.He was born in Kansas City, Missouri and died in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack....	Police Car 27 patrolman

Chapter titles

1. Mysterious Pilot
2. The Stolen Range Finder
3. The Captured Plane
4. Mistaken Identity
5. Ambushed Ambulance
6. Weird Waters
7. Menacing Fates
8. Shells of Evil
9. The Drop to Doom
10. The Hidden Bomb
11. Sky Terror
12. Burning Bomber
13. Death in the Cockpit
14. Scourge of Revenge
15. The Fatal Hour

_Source:

Release

This serial was released in Latin America in November 1942, under the title El Capitán Medianoche, in English with Spanish subtitles.

See also

• List of film serials by year
• List of film serials by studio

External links

• All-Movie.com
• Cinefania.com
• eMoviePoster.com