Captain America (1944)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Directors:

Elmer Clifton
John English

Writers:

Royal K. Cole (writer) and
Harry L. Fraser (writer) ...

Release Date:

5 February 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

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. |

Plot Keywords:

Scarab | Superhero | Mask | Henchman | Jewelry

Cast

Dick Purcell	...	Captain America / Grant Gardner
Lorna Gray	...	Gail Richards
Lionel Atwill	...	Dr. Cyrus Maldor
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. Dodge [Chs. 2-5]
Tom Chatterton	...	J.C. Henley [Chs. 6-8]
Robert Frazer	...	Dr. Clinton Lyman [Chs. 10-12]
John Hamilton	...	Hillman [Chs. 13-14]
Crane Whitley	...	Dirk [Chs. 11-12]
Edward Keane	...	Scarab Agent 33 [Ch. 15]

Also Known As:

Return of Captain America (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

244 min (15 chapters)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

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. The good Captain is the second hero, and the first American character, to possess such an enhanced physique (the first hero being Ilya Muromets, the Russian equivalent to King Arthur). 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 - and this altered story is why Marvel Comics suppressed the serial for years. Fantasy illustrator as well as movie serial and comic book enthusiast Larry Ivy believed the story for this production may have been initially developed as a follow-up to the highly-regarded serial Mysterious Doctor Satan (1940), featuring its hero, The Copperhead. According to Ivy, a desire to bring "Cap" to the screen quickly by using a script already on hand resulted in the minimal resemblance to the comic book.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Is this the Captain America we know and love?

No, it's just a cheap 1940s serial using the Cap's good name. If you are a fan of the comic book, you will be greatly disappointed. They have radically changed the character. No shield, no Bucky, no fighting the Nazis, no wings on the side of his mask and most importantly: Captain America is now a District Attorney and no longer a GI.

Dick Purcell as Captain America? Don't look too closely when he changes into his costume. It is pretty obvious that he was not in the best physical shape when he made this serial(can you say flabby?). It is also VERY obvious that a stunt man is performing most of the action here. Almost every chapter has an obligatory fist fight that is shot and performed in exactly the same way. The villain is rather bland and although he uses an alias (The Scarab), he doesn't wear a disguise of any kind. The story is repetitive and very simple. The effects are laughable and the action is average. On the plus side we have sexy Lorna Gray as the D.A.'s assistant and the good Captain gets to ride on a cool looking motorcycle in one early chapter. Overall OK but nothing special.