Ovaltine, A Drink from My Past

Tommy Towery

LHS '64

        A few days ago we were shopping and as I walked down an aisle I spotted a jar of Ovaltine. It has been years since I have treated myself to a glass of milk flavored with Ovaltine, so I decided to try it again. This was a drink I remember from my childhood, which was probably purchased back then more for the "sell" that was done on me during television commercials. It also made me think back about it being featured in a Christmas movie. Ovaltine was developed in 1904 by chemist Albert Wander (1867–1950), in Bern, Switzerland, where it is known by its original name, Ovomaltine (from ovum, Latin for "egg", and malt, which were originally its key ingredients).

       In the holiday classic "A Christmas Story" it is mentioned when Ralphie gets a special decoder ring from Little Orphan Annie, but that was not the show which lured me to the malted flavor drink.  I do not remember watching, or listening, to "Little Orphan Annie" but instead was enticed by another television show much more suited to the kids growing up in "The Rocket City." That show was "Captain Midnight" and was also sponsored by Ovaltine and that is how I was introduced to it around the time I turned ten years old.

"Captain Midnight" is a U.S. adventure franchise first broadcast as a radio serial from 1938 to 1949. The character's popularity throughout the 1940s and into the mid-1950s extended to serial films (1942), a television show (1954–1956), a syndicated newspaper strip (1942 – late 1940s), and a comic book title (1942–1948). 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 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 to show how Albright was recruited to head the Secret Squadron, an aviation-oriented paramilitary organization fighting sabotage and espionage during 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.

The "Captain Midnight" TV series, produced by Screen Gems and starring Richard Webb, began on September 9, 1954, on CBS, continuing for 39 episodes until January 21, 1956. Each episode 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. The aircraft featured in the series is the Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket, named the Silver Dart, and was based on using both models and occasionally stock footage. 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 the inner wax seal from a jar of Ovaltine.

I am sure it appealed more to boys than to girls, but I could be proven wrong. So, how about it? Do any of you have any comments about watching "Captain Midnight" when you were growing up, or about Ovaltine in general?

Here's Sue's and my 2022 Christmas Letter:

We found 2022 made a move toward our lives getting back to pre-Covid 19 normal, but we still have a long way to go as far as we see it. We still spent more of the year wearing masks when we went out than not wearing them. We made our first big outing in January when we traveled to Hilton Head Island for our annual vacation there. We wore masks when we went to stores but when we hiked in the woods or spent time looking for shark teeth and just walking the beaches we did not wear them – except when we wanted to keep our faces warm. It was still a little chilly there.

It was a very hot and dry summer in Memphis and despite Sue’s best efforts we had a rough time with the backyard plants. The tomato bushes waited until almost November before they started producing any worthwhile tomatoes.

In early September we traveled to Huntsville for the Lee High School reunion which was postponed two years ago thanks to the pandemic. It was fun to visit with Tommy’s old classmates and see how much Huntsville continues to change. Later that month Tiffany (my daughter), Greg, Callie and Carson came to see us again – driving cross-county in their all-electric Tesla. Tiffany stayed on for a little longer to help out her mother who was having some health problems.

Tommy resumed his acting career in 2022 when NBC started filming their TV series “Young Rock” in Memphis. He’s shown up in the first two episodes of Series Three as a wrestling fan and a wedding guest, with more to come.

Our big break from isolation came in October, when we journeyed to New Orleans with Karen and Cory Proctor to see the Tiger’s play Tulane in football and then boarded the Carnival Glory for a 7-day Caribbean cruise. We had port calls in Honduras, Belize, and Cozumel. Sue started feeling bad on the final days but tested negative for Covid. For souvenirs of the trip Sue came home with three bottles of Mexican vanilla, and Tommy came home with a trophy for dancing and a positive Covid test. This was despite both vaccinations and both boosters. We thought we would make it through the pandemic without getting it, but was happy it was only a mild (very mild) case. That could not be said for the respiratory problems we both had which took a Z-Pack to finally conquer. In November we attended a mini-reunion with Sue’s Coldwater High School classmates.

We did not get to visit with Beckye (Sue's oldest daughter) and the girls this year, but will make extra efforts to do so in 2023. We did get a short trip in to see Jamie (Sue's youngest daughter) and her family, but time goes too fast and all the grandkids grow overnight it seems.

Our final scheduled trip should be in late December when we plan to drive to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, and attend a wreath laying ceremony at the Linebacker II monument. It commemorates the 50th anniversary of the B-52 bombing campaign which ended our involvement in the Vietnamese and the release of all of our Prisoners of War. Tommy was involved in that as a mission planner in Guam.

Last Week's Questions, Answers, and Comments

Marlene, LHS ‘64, "Merry Christmas, Tommy,   Thanks for your hard work in making it Christmas every week with the Lee’s Traveller."

Dianne Hughey McClure, LHS ‘64, 'Merry Christmas Tommy. I wish could have gotten the chance to visit with you at our reunion. Hopefully the next one."

Mike Cortright, LHS ‘65, "Tommy...I just want to wish you and your beautiful wife a very Merry Christmas and the Best for 2023!"

David Mullins, LHS ‘64, "Merry Christmas to all. May God Bless!"

Bob Pierce, LHS ‘64, "Merry Christmas to all, thanks Tommy."