FOUR COLOR RADIO | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture

Aug29

FOUR COLOR RADIO: The All-Time Classic CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Aug 29, 2026

FOUR COLOR RADIO: The All-Time Classic CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT

Old-time radio shows and their comics connections… By PETER BOSCH Welcome back, my fellow Four Color Radio devotees. I am your host, the rajah of old time radio, the curator of classic comics characters on the air. This time around, we’re featuring one of the most popular radio programs ever — America’s ace of the airwaves, CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT! Captain Midnight was developed by an advertising firm and the scripts and characters were created by Wilfred Moore and Robert Burtt, a writing team coming off the success of their previous radio hit, The Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen. (Both writers had also been aviators in World War I.) The Captain’s adventures began October 17, 1938 (not 1939 as sometimes reported) on WGN in Chicago and a few other areas where the original sponsor, the Skelly Oil Company, had a presence with their gas stations. Midnight’s heroic deeds were first briefly told in back story, beginning in World War I when he was Captain Jim Albright completing a dangerous nighttime mission. Captain Midnight’s origin was retold when Ovaltine took over the sponsorship with this September 30, 1940, program. It has been reported over the years that Bill Bouchey was the original Captain when the series began in 1938 but, according to radio historian Jim Harmon’s interview with actor Ed Prentiss, it was actually Prentiss in the starring role at first. Bouchey played it after that for one season, and when Ovaltine became the new sponsor (and took the series national over the Mutual radio network) Prentiss was rehired starting with the September 30, 1940 broadcast. Prentiss continued portraying Captain Midnight for most of the series’ run and only when the series was coming to an end in 1949 was Paul Barnes given the part. As the saying goes, a hero is only as good as the villain he must face. In the case of Captain Midnight, there was one menace that stood above the rest — Ivan Shark. It was a role played with relish by Boris Aplon for the length of the series. Even more deranged was Ivan’s poisonous daughter, Fury (voiced first by Rene Rodier and then by Sharon Grainger). Together or apart, when Ivan and Fury appeared within the program storylines, it was a worrisome affair for the heroes. March 15, 1940, radio broadcast featuring Ivan and Fury Shark ...

Jul18

FOUR COLOR RADIO: The GREEN HORNET

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Jul 18, 2026

FOUR COLOR RADIO: The GREEN HORNET

Old-time radio shows and their comics connections… By PETER BOSCH Drop your TV remote! It’s me, the Fun Pharaoh of Four Color Radio! I’m ready to take you all again in the Wayback Machine to the days when radio ruled the airwaves. This month, get ready for an adrenaline-charged ride in the Black Beauty with the two greatest racket busters of their time (predating Batman and Robin by three years!) — the Green Hornet and Kato! In 1935, George W. Trendle, the owner of WXYZ radio in Detroit, wanted a follow-up to the station’s great success, The Lone Ranger. Except, this time, he wanted the criminals that the hero would face to be the worst of our modern-day society — dirty politicians, racketeers, and crooked businessmen who preyed upon the public. For this, he turned to the creator of the Lone Ranger, Fran Striker. As most fans know, there was a great similarity between the two masked heroes. Neither used their weapons to kill anyone. Both had sidekicks (Tonto and Kato), and where the Ranger had Silver, the Hornet had the snazzy Black Beauty. And let’s not forget how the Lone Ranger was so often mistaken for a bad guy because he wore a mask. On the other hand, the Green Hornet deliberately made people think he was a criminal, as bad as the rest, in order to get within their shady enterprises and expose them to the police. And, oh yes, they were related — but that fact didn’t come out for a number of years. The Green Hornet radio program had its 90th anniversary this year, with it airing originally on January 31, 1936, on WXYZ radio and a few other Michigan stations. In the promotional newspaper ad (above) for the premiere broadcast, you are going to notice three things right away. The first is that the show aired at 10:30 pm. This would quickly change to 7:30 pm, twice a week. The second item is the title of the show — The Adventures of the Hornet. That also quickly changed because Trendle wanted to copyright it but he discovered “the Hornet” could not be registered; a very rushed conference with station employees came up with “the Green Hornet” — and that worked. The last item — do you see how Michael Axford got bold billing BEFORE...

Home » FOUR COLOR RADIO