I remember a decoder ring, but not the radio show, although Capt. Midnight sticks in my mind. The evil one that he was always out witting was Ivan Shark, and Ivan always got away so he could be in the next show. They really pushed the decode, and every program ended with a coded message. You had to send in a box top or a label or something they were advertising and a quarter, which was my entire allowance for a week, so I had to forgo the western movie on Saturday afternoon, and the quarter was mailed in scotch taped to the label, along with my address. When the decoder arrived my ear was glued to the radio, milk and cookies in one hand, tablet and pencil in the other. The secret coded message was delivered, and this is the truth, the message said, "drink your ovaltine." I was terribly disappointed, crushed would be a better word. Every secret message after that was a variation of drinking ovaltine, and they lost a fan. There was another program, don't remember which, but the ring had a whistle for warning your friends of danger, a secret compartment under the jewel, and a decoder of some sort, and also a ring with a bomb on it. The bomb had a hole in the back with a tiny magnifying glass, and if you followed the directions, got into a dark closet and stared into the hole in the back of the ring you could see the atoms inside the atom bomb. Yup, I was a sucker for all of them. Sent many a box top with a two bit piece taped to it.
