Captain America (serial)

Infobox Film
name = Captain America


director = Elmer Clifton
John English
producer = William J O'Sullivan
writer = Story:
Royal Cole
Harry Fraser
Joseph Poland
Ronald Davidson
Basil Dickey
Jesse Duffy
Grant Nelson
Character:
Jack Kirby
Joe Simon
starring =Dick Purcell
Lorna Gray
Lionel Atwill
Charles Trowbridge
Russell Hicks
George J. Lewis
John Davidson
cinematography =John MacBurnie
editing = Wallace Grissell
Earl Turner
music = Mort Glickman
distributor =Republic Pictures
released = Flagicon|USA 5 February 1944 "(serial)"cite book
last = Mathis
first = Jack
title = Valley of the Cliffhangers Supplement
origyear = 1995
publisher = Jack Mathis Advertising
isbn = 0-9632878-1-8
pages = pp. 3, 10, 74-75
chapter = ]
Flagicon|USA 30 September 1953 "(re-release)"
runtime = 15 chapters / 243 minutes
country = USA
language = English
budget = $182,623 (negative cost: $222,906)
awards =
amg_id = 1:8074
imdb_id = 0036697

"Captain America" (1944) is a Republic Movie serial based (loosely) on the comic book character Captain America. It was the last Republic serial made about a Superhero. It also has the distinction of being the most expensive serial that Republic ever made.

The serial sees Captain America, really District Attorney Grant Gardner, trying to thwart the plans of The Scarab, really museum curator Dr. Cyrus Maldor - especially regarding his attempts to acquire the "Dynamic Vibrator" and "Electronic Firebolt", devices that could be used as super-weapons.

In a rare plot element for Republic, the secret identity of the villain is known to the audience from the beginning, if not to the characters in the serial. The studio's usual approach was the use of a Mystery villain who was only unmasked as one of the other supporting characters in the final chapter.

Plot

A rash of suspicious suicides among scientists and businessmen, all found holding a small scarab, gets the attention of Mayor Randolph. He demands that Police Commissioner Dryden and District Attorney Grant Gardner get to the bottom of the case, while openly wishing that Captain America, a masked man who has helped defeat crime in the past, were around to solve the mystery.

All of the suicides were members of an expedition to some Mayan ruins. One of the few remaining survivors, Professor Lyman, turns to his friend Dr Maldor for support. Dr Maldor, however, reveals that he is the man responsible for the deaths. He wants revenge because he planned and organised the expedition but everyone else claimed the fame and fortune. However, Lyman has developed the "Dynamic Vibrator" - a device intended for mining operations but one that can be amplified into a devastating weapon. Using his "Purple Death", a hypnotic chemical responsible for the suicides, Dr Maldor forces Lyman to disclose the location of his plans.

Captain America intervenes as the Scarab's heavies attempt to steal the plans and this leads to a sequence of plots by the Scarab to acquire a working version, as well as other devices, while trying to eliminate the interfering Captain before he succeeds in discovering Dr Maldor's true identity or defeats him.

Cast

*Dick Purcell as District Attorney Grant Gardner and Captain America. Purcell was cast as the hero despite appearing a bit overweight and average.cite book
last = Harmon
first = Jim
coauthors= Donald F. Glut
authorlink = Jim Harmon
title = The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury
origyear = 1973
publisher = Routledge
isbn = 9780713000979
pages = pp. 255, 258-259, 263
chapter = 10. The Long-Underwear Boys "You've Met Me, Now Meet My Fist!" ] He died a few weeks after filming was completed. The strain of filming Captain America had been too much for his heart and he collapsed in the locker room at an LA country club.cite book
last = Stedman
first = Raymond William
title = Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment
origyear = 1971
publisher = University of Oklahoma Press
isbn = 9780806109275
pages = pp. 131
chapter = 5. Shazam and Good-by ]
*Lorna Gray as Gail Richards, Grant Gardner's secretary
*Lionel Atwill as Dr Cyrus Maldor/The Scarab
*Charles Trowbridge as Police Commissioner Dryden
*Russell Hicks as Mayor Randolph
*George J. Lewis as Bart Matson
*John Davidson as Gruber
*Stanley Price as Purple Death chemist

Production

"Captain America" was budgeted at $182,623 although the final negative cost was $222,906(a $40,283, or 22.1%, overspend). It was the most expensive of all Republic serials (as well as the most over budget).

It was filmed between 12 October and 24 November 1943. The serial's production number was 1297.

"Captain America" was written by seven of the top serial screenwriters, including Harry Fraser’s only work at Republic. [cite book
last = Cline
first = William C.
title = In the Nick of Time
origyear = 1984
publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.
isbn = 078640471X
pages = pp. 61
chapter = 4. The Plotters of Peril (The Writers) ]

The Captain America costume was really grey, white and dark blue as these colours photographed better in black and white. The costume also lost the wings on the head, the pirate boots became high shoes and the chainmail became normal cloth. Miniature flags were added to the gloves and the belt buckle became a small shield.

Republic was notorious for making arbitrary changes in their adaptations. This occurred with "Captain America" more than most. Timely, the owner of Captain America, were unhappy with the omission of Steve Rogers, the lack of an army setting and his use of a gun. Republic responded in writing that the sample pages provided by Timely did not indicate that Captain America was a soldier called Steve Rogers, nor that he did not carry a revolver. They also noted that the serial was well into production by this point and they could not return to the original concept without expensive retakes and dubbing. Finally they pointed out that Republic was under no contractual obligation to do any of this.

The changes made in this serial are more extreme than with other Republic comic adaptations, such as "The Adventures of Captain Marvel" and "Spy Smasher". For example:
*His secret identity is District Attorney Grant Gardner rather than U'S. Army Private Steve Rogers. It has been reported by film historians Jim Harmon and Don Glut that the script was originally written as a sequel to 1940's "Mysterious Dr. Satan", which featured the masked hero The Copperhead. This character was a substitution for DC's Superman, after a planned serial fell through.

Based on primarily on the facts that Republic had adapted other Fawcett Comics characters (Captain Marvel and Spy Smasher), and that the lead is a crime-fighting District Attorney, some have speculated that the script was originally written for Fawcett's comic book hero Mr. Scarlet, secretly D.A. Brian Butler.

*The "Super-Soldier Serum" origin is not used.
*His famous shield does not appear, replaced by a standard gun.
*Despite the fact that this serial was made in 1944, the Nazis are not part of the story in any way.
*His sidekick, Bucky, does not appear.

Stedman believes that the changes were "for the better" as, for example, he did not have to sneak out of an army base every time he needed to change.

tunts

*Dale Van Sickel as Captain America (doubling Dick Purcell)
*Bert LeBaron as Dr Maldor/The Scarab (doubling Lionel Atwill)
*Helen Thurston as Gail Richards (doubling Lorna Gray)
*Ken Terrell Bart Matson/Dirk (doubling George J. Lewis & Crane Whitley)
*John Bagni
*Fred Graham
*Duke Green
*Eddie Parker
*Allen Pomeroy
*Tom Steele
*Tom Steele

Dale Van Sickel was the "ram rod" of the stunt crew, doubling Dick Purcell as Captain America. Ken Terrell doubled George J. Lewis and Fred Graham doubled Lionel Atwill. Additional stunts were performed by Duke Green and Joe Yrigoyen. Tom Steel only appeared in chapter one as he was busy on The Masked Marvel.

pecial effects

All the special effects in "Captain America" were created by Republic's in-house team, the Lydecker brothers.

Release

Theatrical

"Captain America"'s official release date is 5 February 1944, although this is actually the date the seventh chapter was made available to film exchanges.

The serial was re-released on 30 September 1953, under the new title "Return of Captain America", between the first runs of "Canadian Mounties vs. Atomic Invaders" and "Trader Tom of the China Seas".

Critical reception

"Captain America" is regarded as the "apex of the traditional action film fight... [in the] opinion of many cliffhanger enthusiasts."

Stedman wrote that this was a "much better serial than either "Batman" or "The Masked Marvel"

Dr Maldor is, in Cline's opinion, Lionel Atwill's best serial role. [cite book
last = Cline
first = William C.
title = In the Nick of Time
origyear = 1984
publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.
isbn = 078640471X
pages = pp. 113
chapter = 7. Masters of Menace (The Villains) ]

References to the serial

In Captain America V1 issue 219, it is revealed that a Captain America serial also exists within the Marvel Continuity. In this version, Captain America himself plays the role (in secret), taking the place of the stunt man who was shot during production due to the prop master being the Nazi spy Lyle Decker. Like the real-life serial, Cap's shield is replaced with a standard gun, his identity is changed, and his sidekick Bucky is absent.

In 2007, after Marvel's Civil War event, Captain America (Steve Rogers) was killed off. News channel CNN produced a special on the death, showing the serial with Grant Gardner as Captain America while it was focusing on the death of Steve Rogers.

Chapter titles

# The Purple Death (25min 40s)
# Mechanical Executioner (15min 38s)
# The Scarlet Shroud (15min 33s)
# Preview of Murder (15min 33s)
# Blade of Wrath (15min 33s)
# Vault of Vengeance (15min 33s)
# Wholesale Destruction (15min 34s)
# Cremation in the Clouds (15min 33s)
# Triple Tragedy (15min 33s)
# The Avenging Corpse (15min 33s)
# The Dead Man Returns (15min 33s)
# Horror on the Highway (15min 34s)
# Skyscraper Plunge (15min 33s)
# The Scarab Strikes (15min 32s)
# The Toll of Doom (15min 33s)_Source: [cite book
last = Cline
first = William C.
title = In the Nick of Time
origyear = 1984
publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.
isbn = 078640471X
pages = pp. 237
chapter = Filmography ]

ee also

* List of film serials by year
* List of film serials by studio

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0036697|title=Captain America
*amg title|id=1:8074|title=Captain America
* [http://www.serialexperience.com/showarticle.php?fldRecNum=200 Captain America at Todd Gault's Movie Serial Experience]
* [http://monsterhunter.coldfusionvideo.com/Captain_America.html Captain America at coldfusionvideo.com]

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Republic Serial
before=The Masked Marvel (1943)
years=Captain America (1944)
after=The Tiger Woman (1943)