Since Marvel's superhero blockbuster movies have been released around the world, everyone knows the story of Captain America. You know that his secret identity is Grant Gardner, don't you? And that he was the district attorney in a city in California, right? And that he wasn't in the army, but spent the years of World War II fighting crime rings in the United States? If this all sounds unfamiliar to you, then you must watch the Republic serial CAPTAIN AMERICA right away! No super-soldier formula! No vibranium-steel shield! This Captain America fights crime with grit, guts, and guns!
At first sight, Dick Purcell looks more than a little ridiculous in his hero costume, but after a few chapters you will get used to him. Of course, Lionel Atwill delivers a superb performance as the Scarab. CAPTAIN AMERICA is considered by many serial enthusiasts (including myself) to contain the best choreographed fight scenes of any serial. The stunt work is first rate.
Directed by Elmer Clifton and John English, CAPTAIN AMERICA cost $222,906 to produce, making it the most expensive of all Republic serials. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_America_(serial)]
NOTE: Several years ago, the Serial Squadron (http://www.serialsquadron.com) released a cleaned-up and edited version of the CAPTAIN AMERICA serial. Though this version is no longer available for purchase, electronic copies of it are probably floating around the internet. The version posted here was obtained from the Internet Archive (http://www.archive.org). I did not intend to post the Serial Squadron version, but it is possible the episode files stored at the Internet Archive are from the SS version. If so, I would like to give credit where credit is due.
Be the first to comment