Captain America

Production

Captain America was the most expensive serial Republic Pictures ever made costing nearly $223,000 in the fall of 1943.

Timely Comics objected in a letter to Republic Pictures over the change of Steve Rogers to Grant Gardner, the omission of a connection to the military, and Captain America's use of a gun. Republic, however, countered that the materials Timely sent for pre-production didn't specify any of those things and that it was too late to make changes without expensive reshoots, and since they were bound by no contractual obligation to do it, the serial would proceed as is.

Plot Synopsis

Episode 1: 'The Purple Death' - A number of famous explorers are dying from suicide, but all are found holding scarabs in their hands, and with a mysterious condition that leaves purple blotches on their skin. Mayor Randolph calls upon Police Commissioner Dryden and D.A. Gardner to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Episode 2: 'The Mechanical Executioner'The vibration plans and prototype were destroyed, but the bad guys got away with plans for another super weapon, the "Electronic Fire Bolt" machine, and they have the scientist hostage in a barn outside of town.

Episode 3: 'The Scarlet Shroud' - The Scarab sends a henchman to booby trap Gardner's car. Ms. Richards witnesses the man tampering with it, and shoots him dead, then speeds off after Grant to try to overtake and warn him.

Episode 4: 'Preview of Murder' - The Scarab has lost the Electronic Fire Bolt and his robotic truck. Deeming the Electronic Fire Bolt too risky to use again, he foregoes attempts to recover it, but he desperately wants the robotic truck back. His men wait for it to be left ungaurded. They get their chance when D.A. Gardner plans to use himself as bait by getting in the truck and sending the police guards away.

Episode 5: 'The Blade of Wrath' - Dr. Maldor is forced to turn the Mayan jewels over per the will, but he has one of his agents immediately steal them back. Meanwhile, Gail tracks the villains to an old paper mill, but as soon as they realize she's on to them they tie her up and use one of the mill's paper cutting devices to try to get her to reveal Captain America's secret identity.

Episode 6: 'Vault of Vengeance' - Captain America arrives in time to save Gail from the guillotine like paper cutter. Soon thereafter Grant is summoned to Dr. Maldor's to examine some papers. Meanwhile Maldor has one of his men bug Grant's office.

Episode 7: 'Wholesale Destruction' - Captain America finds a business card from a car dealership on one of the men from the mine. Visiting the dealership as D.A. Grant Gardner, he learns that the villains acquired a truck which they took to an auto shop to be disguised as a Tec-Ni-Gas truck (a business owned by another one of the Mayan expedition explorers), and uncovers a plot to destroy the Tec-Ni-Gas Oil Company.

Episode 8: 'Cremation in the Clouds' - After an attempted murder by Mayan blowgun, Gail learns that the grandson of one of the deceased historians may be able to identify the murder weapon. She flies a plane to meet with him, but The Scarab's men have rigged it to explode.

Episode 9: 'Triple Tragedy' - Grant warns Gail about the bomb on her plane and she parachutes to safety, but the blowgun is destroyed. Hoping to flush The Scarab's men out, Grant comes up with a scheme to make a fake one and leak the information that it's an exact copy the police made while the blowgun was in evidence.

Episode 10: 'The Avenging Corpse' - Captain America rescues Gail from a barn that was rigged to explode. Later they learn that the remainder of The Scarab's targets in The Explorer's Club are planning to meet to view a remarkable discovery. Grant and Gail attend, suspecting The Scarab will strike there.

Episode 11: 'The Dead Man Returns' - Captain America rescues Gail from the booby-trapped shed, killing one of the hoods in the process. His body is identified as Bart Matson. Matson was integral to The Scarab's operation, so he plots to have Matson's body stolen and revived using the recently acquired resurrection device.

Episode 12: 'Horror on the Highway' - Matson is revived and escapes with The Scarab, but Captain America is able to capture one of The Scarab's henchmen. Since Captain America can't testify without revealing his identity, D.A. Grant Gardner calls upon Dr. Maldor to identify one of the men who stole Lyman's machine, not knowing that Maldor is The Scarab and plans to use the opportunity to throw the law off his tracks.

Episode 13: 'Skyscraper Plunge' begins with D.A. Gardner in a car chase with The Scarab and his men, but when his tires is shot out he loses control of his vehicle and it careens to a fiery crash just after he bails out. Soon after the discovery of a Mayan map leads to yet another scientist being targeted by The Scarab.

Episode 14: 'The Scarab Strikes' - A fingerprint found on a recording device taken off one of The Scarab's men leads D.A. Grant Gardner to a radio repairman with a criminal record. After Grant pays him a visit the repairman calls the farmhouse where The Scarab is holding the scientist prisoner. The authorities trace the call and head for the farmhouse, but the repairman uses a radio to call Gruber, another of The Scarab's men, who in turn warns The Scarab. The Scarab comes up with a plan to eliminate Gardner, the scientist, and anyone else who can identify him.

Episode 15: 'The Toll of Doom' - Captain America and the scientist Hillman survive the bombing of Dr. Maldor's farm house, but Hillman is in a coma. The Scarab's men capture Gail Richards and force her to tell them where Hillman is being held. Thanks to quick thinking, Gail is able to throw them off the track, alert Grant Gardner, and reveal The Scarab's identity to Gardner. But, The Scarab has also deduced Captain America's secret identity too. Thus begins the climactic confrontation between Captain America and The Scarab.

Reception

Trivia

This was the first screen adaptation of a Marvel superhero, and there would not be another one for more than 40 years.