Realizing that most average (the non-super geek unlike those that frequent RevSF and this very blog) film goer has no idea that not only will the forthcoming, much hyped Captain America: The First Avenger not be the first Cap movie but actually the fourth such attempt, I decided to compile a history of these largely forgotten films. Luckily, the mainstream film site Moving Pictures gladly hosted my endeavor.
| Quote: |
| For his second big-screen incarnation in the 1973 Turkish film “3 dev adam” (“Three Mighty Men”), a shieldless Captain America (Aytekin Akkaya), wearing the hero’s traditional garb, joins forces with Santo (of Mexican wrestling fame) to confront the villainous Spider-Man. Set in Istanbul, the story reveals little of this version’s origin, powers or identity. |
Beyond just discussing the films, I established some of the sociopolitical realities around Cap’s original publication.
| Quote: |
| Captain America proved very popular, with sales that rivaled Superman. But not everyone loved the comic. Numerous threatening phone calls and anti-Semitic hate mail attacked publisher Martin Goodman and the creative tandem, all three Jewish. After reporting the incidents, police responded surprisingly quickly. A few days following the first threats, a stunned Simon received a call from New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. He declared his love for the book and promised that the city would protect the creators and publisher. |
These excerpts are just a drop in the proverbial bucket to the kinds of info in the piece. Be sure to check it all out Moving Pictures. Perhaps even the super geeky can learn a thing or two.