Previous Channels: 1979’s “Captain America” — The Worst Avenger?

In the semi-regular (mainly whenever the mood strikes me) column “Previous Channels,” I will be looking back at blasts from my television past. Maybe you’ll remember some of the shows that I’ll cover, maybe you’re hearing about them or seeing them for the first time, but hopefully you’ll have fun either way.

Many fans, myself included, are eagerly anticipating this Friday’s theatrical release of Captain America: The First Avenger. To a Captain America fan like me, this looks to finally be the movie realization of the long-running comic-book hero I’ve  been waiting for. I’ve been teased before with previous adaptations, like the cheesy 1990 version that didn’t quite make it to American theaters, but got a straight-to-video release a few years later. At least that version maintained some elements of the original comics — starting with a World War II setting, featuring the Red Skull as a villain, and including Cap’s traditional costume (albeit kind of cheap-looking).

But even more disappointing for me were the versions of the star-spangled superhero that aired on CBS in 1979 (pictured above), through two lousy made-for-TV movies that served as pilots for a Captain America series that never materialized. I had vague recollections of being let down by these movies when I first saw them at age 9, and the magic of YouTube helped me take a look back to confirm my suspicions. Watch:

Yes, Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans, that is Reb Brown as Captain America here, delivering his lines about as well as he later did in Space Mutiny, which was savagely skewered by the wits of the MST3K crew. As you can see from this clip, Cap, in this version, has become more of a sort of motorcycle daredevil (Evel Knievel’s exploits were all the rage in that time period, and even Cap’s outfit seems modeled after one of Evel’s more outrageous fashion statements). Copping from another popular trend of its time (the Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman series), the film puts in sci-fi-ish sound effects when Cap jumps or exhibits a feat of strength. And no supervillain like the Red Skull is on hand here; Cap is left to deal with flunkies and security guards. Setting the story in the then-current ’70s era was also a bad idea. The film ironically ends up seeming a lot more dated — thanks in large part to its funkadelic, porno-esque swingin’ ’70s soundtrack — than if it had been set during the World War II era.

By the time CBS aired Captain America II: Death Too Soon later in 1979, Cap was at least wearing a costume more representative of his comic-book appearance (still not the greatest-looking, though). And producers upped the ante on the quality of the villain a little bit (still no Red Skull, but you can’t often go wrong casting Christopher Lee as a bad guy) … although his “attack” dogs act more like my pooch giving me a welcome-home greeting, in this scene.

So, yeah. I can see why these films disappointed me as a kid. But looking back now I suppose I can appreciate them in different ways — nostalgically, ironically, humorously, as time-capsules of my ’70s childhood and the television that went with it. And I will especially be able to do this if The First Avenger succeeds at finally presenting one of my favorite heroes in a proper way. If I don’t hear the film begin with a wah-wah guitar riff, I think we’re already halfway there.