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==Films==
==Films==
The character first appeared in ''Captain America''<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036697/</ref>, a fifteen-episode serial released in 1944 by Republic Pictures, and starred Dick Purcell, Lorna Gray, and Lionel Atwill. The plot involved the attempts of Dr. Cyrus Maldor and his alter-ego the "Scarab" to steal several devices which could be constructed into weapons that he would use to conquer the world; standing in his way is a district attorney whose secret identity is Captain America.
====1944 serial====
The character first appeared in ''Captain America''<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036697/</ref>, a fifteen-episode serial released in February, 1944 by Republic Pictures, and starred Dick Purcell, Lorna Gray, and Lionel Atwill. The plot involved the attempts of Dr. Cyrus Maldor and his alter-ego the "Scarab" to steal several devices which could be constructed into weapons that he would use to conquer the world; standing in his way is a district attorney whose secret identity is Captain America.
Although a success on the screen, Timely Comics was extremely unhappy with ''Captain America''. Gone were certain costume elements, such as the head "wings" and the pirate boots; the iconic shield was reduced in size to a mere belt buckle. Most alarming was the change in name and job: Private Steve Rogers was turned into District Attorney Grant Gardner; instead of the Nazis it was an sinister organization with no references either to Naziism or World War II.
Although a success on the screen, Timely Comics was extremely unhappy with ''Captain America''. Gone were certain costume elements, such as the head "wings" and the pirate boots; the iconic shield was reduced in size to a mere belt buckle. Most alarming was the change in name and job: Private Steve Rogers was turned into District Attorney Grant Gardner; instead of the Nazis it was an sinister organization with no references either to Naziism or World War II.
Dick Purcell was not a regular exerciser, neither did he train properly for the role; when he reported to the studio he was slightly-overweight. He filmed his scenes between October and November, 1943, and every episode had at least one heavy action sequence, with many more takes ending up on the cutting room floor. On April 10, 1944 at the age of 35 he died after suffering a massive heart attack at a Los Angeles golf course, just two months after the serial's release.
====1979 television films====
Reb Brown donned the uniform for two films broadcast by the television network CBS. The first, ''Captain America''<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078937/</ref>, was shown on January 19, 1979, and like the serial had substantial changes made to the character. Set in the time period in which it was filmed, this version of Rogers was not frail at all; in fact, he was a former Marine making a living as a minor graphic artist in southern California. Sent to a hospital as a result of a deliberately-set auto accident, he is given a serum called "FLAG" ("Full Latent Ability Gain") by Dr. Simon Mills (Len Birman), a man who had known his father, an intelligence agent who was the original Captain America. A sequel, ''Captain America II: Death Too Soon'' was broadcast the following November, pitting Cap against a South American mercenary.
==References==
==References==