Captain America (1944)

Superhero Captain America battles the evil forces of the archvillain called The Scarab, who poisons his enemies and steals a secret device capable of destroying buildings by sound vibrations.

Directors:

Elmer Clifton, John English

Writers:

Royal K. Cole (original screenplay), Ronald Davidson (original screenplay),

Stars:

Dick Purcell, Lorna Gray, Lionel Atwill

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dick Purcell	...	Captain America / Grant Gardner
Lorna Gray	...	Gail Richards
Lionel Atwill	...	Dr. Cyrus Maldor / Dr. Rodlam Baracs
Charles Trowbridge	...	Commissioner Dryden
Russell Hicks	...	Mayor Randolph
George J. Lewis	...	Bart Matson
John Davidson	...	Gruber
Norman Nesbitt	...	Newscaster
Frank Reicher	...	Prof. Lyman [Ch. 1]
Hugh Sothern	...	Prof. Eldon Dodge [Chs. 2-5]
Tom Chatterton	...	J.C. Henley [Chs. 6-8]
Robert Frazer	...	Dr. Clinton Lyman [Chs. 10-12]
John Hamilton	...	G. F. Hillman [Chs. 13-14]
Crane Whitley	...	Dirk [Chs. 11-12]
Edward Keane	...	Scarab Agent 33 [Ch. 15]

Storyline

Superhero Captain America battles the evil forces of the archvillain called The Scarab, who poisons his enemies and steals a secret device capable of destroying buildings by sound vibrations.

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Plot Keywords:

scarab | captain america | superhero | bombardment | killer | 

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Taglines:

BLAZING ACROSS THE SCREEN IN A SERIAL OF REAL LIFE ADVENTURES! (original print ad-all caps)

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Genres:

Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Return of Captain America

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$222,906 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

244 min 244 min (15 chapters)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Captain America's original story, a man named Steve Rogers - who is too weak and puny to fight in World War II - is injected with a Super-Soldier Serum and develops an enhanced physique, after which he becomes Captain America and does battle with the agents of Nazi Germany. This back-story was rejected by Republic during the making of this serial, as it would have required costly retakes at the time. In the serial, Captain America's real name is Grant Gardner, he is the city's district attorney, and his foe is the Scarab, aka Karl Maaldor, played by Lionel Atwill.

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Goofs

In chapter 2, "Mechanical Executioner," when Professor Dodge agrees to talk the tractor in close-up is halfway over a partially crushed packing crate. In the next shot the crate is completely crushed under the tractor's tread.

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Quotes

[first lines]
The Scarab: This is the voice of the Scarab, Wilson. I command you to drive your car over the cliff!

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Connections

Version of Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

User Reviews

very entertaining

This serial isn't exactly what fans of the Captain America comic book character might expect. Here's the "bad" news: The hero in this serial isn't the same Captain America as in the comic books. This hero is called Captain America and wears a costume close to the one in the comics, but that's where the similarities end. This guy isn't Steve Rogers. He doesn't have a special shield and instead he just uses a gun!

Now here's the good news: This isn't bad! There's plenty of fun stuff in this one for serial fans. Some have commented on Dick Purcell's "pudgy" physique, but he still makes a fine 1940's serial hero whose quick on the trigger. I wouldn't mess with the guy. Purcell's Captain America is far more lethal than his comic book counterpart and he has no problem pulling a gun and sending his enemies to their graves. Purcell's Captain is one deadly superhero. His Captain America kills four different guys in just the first 15 minutes of the serial! The Captain's gal pal Gail Richards (who is very cute) also packs a pistol and knows how to use it!

The silly: There are always silly elements of comic book movies and my favorite bit of silliness in this serial is "the vibrator". The bad guys really want to get their hands on a brilliant scientist's "vibrator". At one point the scientists actually asks the chief villain "What do you know about my vibrator?"!LOL!

The verdict: Captain America is an extremely entertaining serial with plenty of enjoyable moments. This Captain America is a different guy from the comic version, but he's more of a straight shooting vigilante and I liked Purcell's Captain's style. This is fun stuff! It's a blast of entertaining escapism and I enjoyed every second of it. Captain America isn't the best serial you'll ever see, but that's part of it's charm. I give Captain America an A+ for being topnotch fun.