Captain America (1979 film)

Captain America is an 1979 Television film loosely based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, directed by Rod Holcomb and starring Reb Brown. The film was followed by the sequel Captain America II: Death Too Soon, also released in the same year.

Plot
Steve Rogers is a character in contemporary times whose father was a 1940s government agent. The very patriotic attitude of Steve's father earned him the nickname Captain America, and his father is spoken of as having been murdered. Rogers, a former Marine now making what little living he makes as an artist, is inspired by this story to sketch a super-hero. After receiving potentially fatal injuries in an accident, he is administered an experimental chemical called the FLAG — Full Latent Ability Gain—formula (at one point referred to as a "super-steroid") which not only saves his life but also enhances his body with heightened strength and reflexes. These new abilities lead Dr. Simon Mills (Len Birman), the research biochemist and intelligence official who had told Rogers about his father, to recruit him and give Steve a costume based on his drawing. As Captain America, he also makes significant use of a specialized reconstruction of the van he has been driving, out the rear of which can be launched a modified motorcycle. Its functions include a rocket thrust for a fast start out of the van, a jet boost for increased speed, a setting to allow the bike to be ridden with less noise for stealthier movement and a hang glider structure which can allow the bike to glide to the ground with some forward momentum, although it must be jettisoned upon landing.

Cast

 * Reb Brown as Steve Rogers/Captain America
 * Len Birman as Dr. Simon Mills
 * Heather Menzies as Dr. Wendy Day
 * Robin Mattson as Tina Hayden
 * Joseph Ruskin as Rudy Sandrini
 * Lance LeGault as Harley
 * Frank Marth as Charles Barber
 * Steve Forrest as Lou Brackett
 * Chip Johnson as Jerry
 * James Ingersoll as Lester Wiant
 * Jim B. Smith as F.B.I. Assistant
 * Jason Wingreen as Surgeon
 * June Dayton as Secretary
 * Diana Webster as Nurse
 * Dan Barton as Jeff Haden

Reception
The movie received a mixed reception from critics.