And Here’s the Cinnamon Bear!

I am old enough to remember what I refer to as the “golden age” of radio. Lucky, lucky me – because those really were the days. Every December my sister and I would race home from school in order to sit in the breakfast nook and listen to the latest installment of The Cinnamon Bear! Those days, our biggest worry was if the silver star for the top of Jimmy and Judy’s Christmas tree would be found in time for the big day! We had already suffered through the episode in which Paddy O’Cinnamon reports that the star was stolen by the crazy quilt dragon. Now, it was up to the children, a stuffed bear and numerous other charming characters to retrieve it in time for Christmas Eve.

This would not be an easy task due to villians like the Inkaboos, an army of creatures made from blotters! And the infamous Wintergreen Witch. It was a wild adventure for countless children until just before the big day arrived. As if this were not enough, there was also Captain Midnight, a hero we could use right now, in my not so humble opinion! Captain Midnight ruled the airwaves throughout the 1940’s. Yes, that dates me, but what a guy!   The dapper Captain Midnight formed a legion of loyal friends. They were called the Captain Midnight 1940 Flight Patrol. Their mission: to protect democracy and fair play! If you joined the club, which by the late 1940’s I had joined, then your name was listed in Captain Midnights flight log.

The program began in 1938. I was born in 1939. By 1949, I was hooked! Early in the 1950’s, Captain Midnight was asked to assist in the fight against injustice throughout the world and I announced that I would join him. Sometimes, my sister had to do my chores because I was on a mission. Of course, I sent for the 1949 Captain Midnight Flight Patrol Medallion. I listened avidly to his never-ending efforts to save our world from Ivan Shark, “mastermind of a worldwide crime syndicate”.

Over the ensuing years, my Captain Midnight medal was lost. However, years later while walking through a large antique show, I happened across an original medal. I might as well have been a kid again. I couldn’t buy it fast enough! At about the same time an enterprising company came out with a 50^th Anniversary Limited Edition Commemorative Set of six cassette tapes of The Cinnamon Bear radio show and the adventures of Judy, Jimmy and Paddy O’Cinnamon. Of course, I bought a set. Years later, I was able to share this amazing radio show with my own children. Ahhh, the wonders of my radio daze!

Merry Christmas to All and may you not lose the silver star that belongs on the top of your Christmas Tree! And may you all fight for truth, justice and the American way.