Captain Midnight

A friend of mine once attempted to explain to me the basic difference between the Republic and Columbia serials. Both had lots of slam bang action and great stunt work. But generally, the Republic serials placed their hero in great peril---and somehow allowed him/her to escape the danger at the last minute through an ingenious solution. On the other hand, the Columbia serials placed their hero in similar great peril----but more often than not----he/she actually went through the exposed danger---and escaped unharmed!

Now how could this happen to mere mortals-----unless these folks were really unknown relatives of Superman? Of course we were led to believe that Columbia's heroes (like Captain Midnight) were just like you and me---except that somehow they were endowed with a special gift allowing them to walk out of plane crashes, auto explosions and collapsed buildings with nothing more than dirty clothes and occasional wooziness! We should all be so lucky!

This serial is very representative of those from Columbia at its peak. Such an observation is not necessarily a compliment. The continuing displays of immortality by a "regular" human being can get a bit tiresome after awhile, and the viewer often longs for a more clever resolution of the cliffhanger situation than just for the hero to experience it without major consequences.

"Captain Midnight" has the usual low budget assortment of cheesy sets, repetitious situations, low-grade special effects and varying degrees of non-acting. But it sure does move along! In its own low-key corny way, "Captain Midnight" can be great fun to someone who is willing to suspend belief and a critical eye for 15 chapters of pure escapism!