Adventures Of Captain Marvel

Say the magic word Billy!

In our latest entry, we discussed Ant-Man, the final entry in what is to be known as Phase 2 of the Marvel Comics Cinematic Universe. In our past we have reviewed a comprehensive list of Comic Book adaptations, whether they're animated, made for TV or Live action movies. Nevertheless, we're still a mile or two from completing every single adaptation there's ever been up until 2015. However, we have strictly chosen the most interesting adaptations made to date. In a world that is currently saturated with comic book films, comic book culture, and comic book related merchandise and trends, we feel the necessity of going back to the early days of TV, in order to discuss the earliest attempts in Comic Book adaptations made for television. 

Surprisingly, even to the greatest connoisseurs of the Comic book world, the first live action television series, was not about the groundbreaking phenomenon Superman was, and still is. National Allied Publications (Now DC Comics) began their comic strip empire in 1935, that is 3 exact years before Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster gave birth to Superman. Today, DC Comics along with its direct competitor Marvel Comics, share over 80% of the Comic Book market as of today. 

Did you know the first live action series was about a rather new superhero? Batman you say? Nope, the first Bat serial would not air until 1943, and the second serial (or season) would air in 1949. Today we are talking 1941!!! yes, 1941!!! Only 6 year after National Allied Publications started. Ladies, and Gentlemen, it's time to introduce to the first live action superhero of all times: Shazam! AKA Captain Marvel

The rise of the first hero.

Shazam gets the girl.

Adventures of Captain Marvel is a 1941 twelve-chapter Republic Pictures film serial directed by John English and William Witney, adapted from the popular Captain Marvel comic book character then appearing in Fawcett Comics publications such as Whiz Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures. It starred Tom Tyler in the title role of Captain Marvel and Frank Coghlan, Jr. as his alter ego, Billy Batson.

This serial was the twenty-first of the sixty-six serials produced by Republic and their first comic book adaptation, not counting comic strips. The serial featured an adaptation of the Fawcett Comics superhero, placed within an original story. He fights a masked criminal mastermind called The Scorpion who is determined to gain control of a powerful ray weapon, which takes the form of a large metallic scorpion with removable lenses that must be aligned in order to activate the ray.

During an archaeological expedition to Siam, the power of the Golden Scorpion allows young radio broadcaster Billy Batson to meet the ancient wizard Shazam, who grants him the power to become Captain Marvel and protect those who may be in danger from the Scorpion's curse.

The lenses from the Golden Scorpion are divided among five scientists of the Malcolm Archaeological Expedition. A black-hooded villain known as the Scorpion attempts to acquire all of the lenses and the Scorpion device. Several expedition members are killed in the Scorpion's quest despite Captain Marvel's continual efforts to thwart him. Deducing that the Scorpion always seems to know what goes on at all the meetings with the scientists, Billy later confides his suspicions to his friends, Betty Wallace and Whitey Murphy, that the Scorpion might be one of the archaeological team.

The Scorpion later discovers the connection between Billy and Captain Marvel. After capturing him, the Scorpion interrogates Billy for the secret. Billy transforms into Captain Marvel and reveals the Scorpion to be one of the last surviving scientists, who is then killed by... I'm not going to spoil it to you guys, this serial deserves a watch, and it's only a 12 episode run!

Tom Tyler.

Frank Coghlan, Jr.

State Of The Art Special Effects.

The flying effects were performed with a dummy. The dummy was slightly larger than life, at 7 feet tall, and made of paper mâché so that it weighed only 15 lbs. The uniform was made of thin silk and a cotton jersey. Four pulleys connected to each shoulder and calf, which were strung on two wires so the dummy moved along them by its own weight. The wires were attached to two objects across the view of the camera, and the dummy slid from one to the other, giving the appearance of flight. This system was originally intended for a Superman serial, a prototype of which was built but discarded. The flying pose used for the dummy, arms outstretched and back arched, was based on drawing by Mac Raboy. If Captain Marvel needed to be seen flying upwards, the cape was weighted down and the dummy slid backwards. The film of this was then reversed.

Dave Sharpe was the human part of the effect. Dressed as Captain Marvel, he would leap from a high point with his body straight, as if able to fly, then roll to land at the last second. The combination of effects and stunts produced the overall illusion of a flying person. Sharpe also performed other stunts as Captain Marvel, such as back flipping and knocking down attacking natives in the first chapter. Some shots of Captain Marvel flying were filmed with Tyler against rear projected clouds. However, some of these scenes show the wires used to hold him up.

According to Stedman, the flight scenes were "the most successful illusion of such aerobatics ever put upon the screen, in serial or feature."

Fighting terrorists since the early days!

The Scorpion.

This is one of the best serials of all time. I would recommend that any fan of escapist cinema and classic movies see at least a couple of the chapters, since it is such a fine example of what a good serial could be. It is fast paced, has good fight scenes, and, for the time period, excellent special effects. In fact, until perhaps the 1978 film 'Superman,' there were no superior the flying sequences anywhere on TV or cinema. Along with these legendary sequences, the screen presence and performance of Tom Tyler really make this a magical experience.

At the time of this serial, Tom Tyler was a veteran (and underrated) movie actor, entering the downward slide of a career. Besides having about 15 years of fight scenes on his resume, he had been both a lumberjack and a champion weight lifter, so that he had a lean, athletic physique and carried himself like a strong and tough man. Also, his chiseled facial features, dark hair and steely eyes projected determination and formidability. Although given very few lines, Tyler was completely believable and magnetic in the role. Tyler's Captain Marvel is truly one of the most awesome serial heroes, right up there with Buster Crabbe's Flash Gordon. Frank Coghlan Jr. is perfect as Cap's alter ego, Billy Batson, and the rest of the supporting cast is good as well.

Fans of the comic book and TV versions of Captain Marvel should be warned that this serial is, in several significant ways, very different from the Cap they remember. Part of this is due to the fact that whenever Republic Pictures adapted a comic strip, they took some liberties. The other factor is that this serial was filmed when the Captain Marvel comic strip was only 1 year old, before the tone and spirit of Captain Marvel had been established (the Captain Marvel comics did not really develop a consistent style or sensibility until about 1943 or so; it isn't till around that time that the really classic Captain Marvel stuff started coming out).

DVD promo art.

The world famous flight special effect.

Without spoiling too much, viewers should be warned that on at least 2 occasions, Captain Marvel summarily dispatches some of the minor villains. Dispatch, as in sending them to meet their maker. This is understandable within the context of the times and 1930's ideal of a hero. In 1941, comic book heroes had not settled into their now ubiquitous code of non-lethality. The forerunners of the super-heroes, the pulp heroes such as the Shadow and the Spider, had no reservations toward casually gunning down a few thugs. Likewise, audiences in 1941 were of a generation that witnessed law enforcement officers summarily executing Bonnie & Clyde as well as John Dillinger.

Captain Marvel's readiness to kill might also serve as a rationale for Billy's hesitancy to use his alter ego. In this version, Billy gets into fistfights with thugs, even when he is outnumbered, rather than turning into Cap. For dramatic purposes, this makes sense because it allows for various death traps to be set and keeps the fight scenes exiting. But it also fits into a subtext that perhaps Captain Marvel has too much power, that he is perhaps like genie from a bottle, a quasi-demonic expression of the Id. This Captain Marvel, who gets a little too violent sometimes, and who Billy Batson only reluctantly calls upon, could be considered an early forerunner of the Incredible Hulk.

Behind a great man, there's always a bombshell blonde!

Despite this Captain's occasional lapses into vigilantism, the overall spirit of this serial keeps within the norms of the era and the genre, and so is great fun and escapism. Moreover, the total experience of this serial truly captures the expansive sense of magic, power and possibility of the early period of comic book superheroes. This is vastly superior to either of the Superman serials (1948 & 1950) as well as the Captain Marvel 'Shazam!' TV series of the 1970's. On an ultra low budget and long before CGI, this serial captured the magic of the comics.

Here's the trailer: