Captain America (1979) (TV)

Director:

Rod Holcomb

Writers:

Don Ingalls (teleplay)
Don Ingalls (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

19 January 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

A recipient of an experimental body enhancement chemical retaliates against his would be killers as a star spangled superhero.

Plot Keywords:

Motorcycle | Superhero | Shield | Mixed Martial Arts | Dead Man Switch

Cast

Reb Brown	...	Captain America / Steve Rogers
Len Birman	...	Dr. Simon Mills
Heather Menzies-Urich	...	Dr. Wendy Day (as Heather Menzies)
Robin Mattson	...	Tina Hayden
Joseph Ruskin	...	Rudy Sandrini
Lance LeGault	...	Harley (as Lance Le Gault)
Frank Marth	...	Charles Barber
Steve Forrest	...	Lou Brackett
Chip Johnson	...	Jerry
James Ingersoll	...	Lester Wiant
Jim B. Smith	...	F.B.I. Assistant
Jason Wingreen	...	Surgeon
June Dayton	...	Secretary
Diana Webster	...	Nurse
Dan Barton	...	Jeff Haden
Ken Chandler	...	1st Doctor
Buster Jones	...	Anesthetist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nocana Aranda	...	Throckmorton (uncredited)
Michael McManus	...	Ortho (uncredited)
Lonnie Pense	...	Wino in Park (uncredited)

Directed by
Rod Holcomb

Writing credits
Don Ingalls		(teleplay)
Don Ingalls		(story) and
Chester Krumholz		(story)
Jack Kirby		characters (uncredited)
Joe Simon		characters (uncredited)

Produced by
Allan Balter	....	executive producer
Martin M. Goldstein	....	associate producer (as Martin Goldstein)

Original Music by
Pete Carpenter
Mike Post

Cinematography by
Ronald W. Browne		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Michael S. Murphy

Casting by
Joe Reich		(as Joseph Z. Reich)

Art Direction by
Louis Montejano		(as Lou Montejano)

Set Decoration by
Richard Reams		(as Rich Reams)

Costume Design by
Charles Waldo

Production Management
Jack Stubbs	....	unit production manager (as D. Jack Stubbs)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tom Connors	....	first assistant director (as Tom Connors III)
Mark R. Schilz	....	second assistant director (as Mark Schilz)

Sound Department
Bruce Bell	....	sound effects editor
William Griffith	....	sound (as Bill Griffith)

Stunts
Bruce Paul Barbour	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Jean Coulter	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tim Culbertson	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Reggie Newkirk	....	key first assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ron Archer	....	costume supervisor
Jerry Herrin	....	assistant to costume designer (uncredited)

Music Department
Ted Roberts	....	music editor

Other crew
Stan Lee	....	consultant

Production Companies

• Universal TV

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1979) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• MCA (video)
• Shout! Factory (2011) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Universal Title  titles and opticals

Also Known As:

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Sweden:7

Company:

Universal TV

Goofs:

Continuity: When he is on top of the truck, and the door gets unlocked and he swings it open knocking the two guys down the embankment, a few minutes later the chopper lands on flat ground and the pilot runs right up to the truck as it's parked beside a flat plain, with no embankment in sight.

Quotes:

Steve Rogers:The American ideal. It's a little tough to find these days, isn't it?
Dr. Simon Mills:Not if you know where to look.
Steve Rogers:Right on.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Spoony Experiment: Captain America Review: Part 1 (#3.1)" (2010)

For a 70s TV movie...

I basically went into this movie thinking, "Ooof. This is going to be really bad." I felt that way mainly because of the motorcycle helmet Captain America wears, although the rest of the suit seems pretty faithful.

It looks like this movie did what the Hulk series did: Change the story of the comic to fit the parameters of a television budget. And for the most part, it did this very well.

It's hinted that the Captain America from the comics is basically the father of the star of this film. Although this sounds like a very cheesy and very bad idea, the actors and the dialogue convey this point in a believable and credible fashion. So this is definitely one of the film's strong points.

The story involves the death of a friend and the detonation of an atomic bomb, but those are more like entertaining plot devices since I found the story to be mostly an origin story, showing how Steve Rogers is slowly led to his destiny to become Captain America. The film wisely focuses on this and the interaction of the actors, and this is where the film's strength lies.

Reb Brown is a good Captain America, but for me, I found it a pleasure to watch Len Birman as Simon Mills, the government official who assists Captain America. To my knowledge, this Simon Mills character does not exist in the comics, (though I can't be sure since I never really read the Capt. America comics), but I really enjoyed watching Len Birman's sincere performance. He was the most interesting character in the movie, and he could be the reason I enjoyed the film so much.

The first 15 minutes of the movie are kinda laughable. You might find yourself wondering why you're watching this, but I think it will reward the patient (and forgiving) viewer. You'll have to wait for a few minutes before the movie settles into its own.

It's not as good as the Hulk pilot, but it's in the same mold. Or if you've seen the live-action Spiderman TV series, you get more of an idea of what to expect.

Worth a look for comic fans.