Difference between revisions of "Captain America"
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==Films== | ==Films== | ||
| − | The character first appeared in ''Captain America''<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036697/</ref>, a fifteen-episode serial released in 1944 by Republic Pictures, and starred Dick Purcell, Lorna Gray, and Lionel Atwill. The plot involved the attempts of Dr. Cyrus Maldor and his alter-ego the "Scarab" to steal several devices which could be constructed into weapons that he would use to conquer the world; standing in his way is a district attorney whose secret identity is Captain America. | + | ====1944 serial==== |
| + | The character first appeared in ''Captain America''<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036697/</ref>, a fifteen-episode serial released in February, 1944 by Republic Pictures, and starred Dick Purcell, Lorna Gray, and Lionel Atwill. The plot involved the attempts of Dr. Cyrus Maldor and his alter-ego the "Scarab" to steal several devices which could be constructed into weapons that he would use to conquer the world; standing in his way is a district attorney whose secret identity is Captain America. | ||
Although a success on the screen, Timely Comics was extremely unhappy with ''Captain America''. Gone were certain costume elements, such as the head "wings" and the pirate boots; the iconic shield was reduced in size to a mere belt buckle. Most alarming was the change in name and job: Private Steve Rogers was turned into District Attorney Grant Gardner; instead of the Nazis it was an sinister organization with no references either to Naziism or World War II. | Although a success on the screen, Timely Comics was extremely unhappy with ''Captain America''. Gone were certain costume elements, such as the head "wings" and the pirate boots; the iconic shield was reduced in size to a mere belt buckle. Most alarming was the change in name and job: Private Steve Rogers was turned into District Attorney Grant Gardner; instead of the Nazis it was an sinister organization with no references either to Naziism or World War II. | ||
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| + | Dick Purcell was not a regular exerciser, neither did he train properly for the role; when he reported to the studio he was slightly-overweight. He filmed his scenes between October and November, 1943, and every episode had at least one heavy action sequence, with many more takes ending up on the cutting room floor. On April 10, 1944 at the age of 35 he died after suffering a massive heart attack at a Los Angeles golf course, just two months after the serial's release. | ||
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| + | ====1979 television films==== | ||
| + | Reb Brown donned the uniform for two films broadcast by the television network CBS. The first, ''Captain America''<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078937/</ref>, was shown on January 19, 1979, and like the serial had substantial changes made to the character. Set in the time period in which it was filmed, this version of Rogers was not frail at all; in fact, he was a former Marine making a living as a minor graphic artist in southern California. Sent to a hospital as a result of a deliberately-set auto accident, he is given a serum called "FLAG" ("Full Latent Ability Gain") by Dr. Simon Mills (Len Birman), a man who had known his father, an intelligence agent who was the original Captain America. A sequel, ''Captain America II: Death Too Soon'' was broadcast the following November, pitting Cap against a South American mercenary. | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 04:32, May 2, 2012
Captain America is a fictional superhero created in 1941 for Timely Comics by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, and is currently published under several titles by Marvel Comics. The embodiment of American patriotism just as World War II had begun, Captain America became Timely's best-selling title during the comic industry's "golden age", over time becoming one of the most recognizable and famous characters in the genre.
Comics lore
In Europe, Adolf Hitler was over-running the continent, and American soldiers were getting ready for the eventual conflict. One of the young men making repeated attempts to enlist - and repeatedly rejected - was Steven Rogers, an orphaned, physically-frail fine-arts student and comic book artist who was aware of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and wanted to do something about it. Dr. Josef Reinstein would see the young man's determination and offer him an opportunity as a test subject in a proposed "Super Soldier Project", the idea of which would be to have a unit of specially-enhanced, physically strong soldiers who be potentially dropped behind enemy lines to carry out missions considered too dangerous for lesser men. The effect of the test - a serum combined with "vita-rays" - turns Rogers into a super-soldier, but before it could be replicated Reinstein is killed by a Nazi infiltrator who, it is later discovered, works for the leader of the German terror and espionage apparatus, Johann Schmidt, whose disfigured head gave him the byname "Red Skull".
Captain America would be joined by a nucleus of commandos at Camp Lehigh, forming a team called the Invaders, which would go into action around the world thwarting the attempts of the Nazis in general, and the Red Skull in particular. Among the group was the camp's young mascot, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, who accidentally learned of Cap's identity and used that knowledge to become his sidekick.
Films
1944 serial
The character first appeared in Captain America[1], a fifteen-episode serial released in February, 1944 by Republic Pictures, and starred Dick Purcell, Lorna Gray, and Lionel Atwill. The plot involved the attempts of Dr. Cyrus Maldor and his alter-ego the "Scarab" to steal several devices which could be constructed into weapons that he would use to conquer the world; standing in his way is a district attorney whose secret identity is Captain America.
Although a success on the screen, Timely Comics was extremely unhappy with Captain America. Gone were certain costume elements, such as the head "wings" and the pirate boots; the iconic shield was reduced in size to a mere belt buckle. Most alarming was the change in name and job: Private Steve Rogers was turned into District Attorney Grant Gardner; instead of the Nazis it was an sinister organization with no references either to Naziism or World War II.
Dick Purcell was not a regular exerciser, neither did he train properly for the role; when he reported to the studio he was slightly-overweight. He filmed his scenes between October and November, 1943, and every episode had at least one heavy action sequence, with many more takes ending up on the cutting room floor. On April 10, 1944 at the age of 35 he died after suffering a massive heart attack at a Los Angeles golf course, just two months after the serial's release.
1979 television films
Reb Brown donned the uniform for two films broadcast by the television network CBS. The first, Captain America[2], was shown on January 19, 1979, and like the serial had substantial changes made to the character. Set in the time period in which it was filmed, this version of Rogers was not frail at all; in fact, he was a former Marine making a living as a minor graphic artist in southern California. Sent to a hospital as a result of a deliberately-set auto accident, he is given a serum called "FLAG" ("Full Latent Ability Gain") by Dr. Simon Mills (Len Birman), a man who had known his father, an intelligence agent who was the original Captain America. A sequel, Captain America II: Death Too Soon was broadcast the following November, pitting Cap against a South American mercenary.