Superman editor Mort Weisinger often took his story cues from the popular culture fads of the day, shopping for ideas by scanning movie posters and other such signposts of the zeitgeist.
But in 1967, that could be a little like looking into a mirror. Batman was on TV and a Superman musical had just finished on Broadway. DC superhero cartoons abounded.
And then came the live-action superhero sitcoms Captain Nice and Mr. Terrific, both premiering on the evening of Jan. 9, 1967.
Whatever appeal the superhero comedy concept might have had in 1967, the shows stumbled right out of the starting gate because of their back-to-back network scheduling.
Mr. Terrific starred Stephen Strimpell as Stanley Beamish, a filling station operator whose singular biochemistry permitted him to pop a power pill and become a flying, super-strong superspy for a maximum of 100 minutes.
Captain Nice was police chemist Carter Nash (William Daniels), a mother-dominated fusspot who nevertheless appeared to be the only person with any sense of civic responsibility in Big Town, USA. When goggled and caped, Carter seemed self-conscious but game, smashing through walls, catching bullets, shrugging off artillery shells and zipping around the globe in under 60 minutes.
Both Mr. Terrific and Captain Nice were obviously Superman parodies. In Action Comics 354 (Sept. 1967), Weisinger did a tribute to both shows, splitting the difference by creating a character called Captain Incredible.
Captain Incredible turned out to be a super-robot created by a 27th century scientist to assist Superman. However, the strain of time travel proved too much for the mechanical man, and he became a menace.
Actually, the shows were virtually off the air then, having been cancelled. They were just finishing their summer reruns by the time Action 354 appeared on the stands in July 1967.
“How ironic,” as the comic books used to say.
Looking back, Daniels put his show’s quick demise down to the audience’s disinclination to cheer for an “insecure Superman.”
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| The super-sitcom rivals: Captain Nice and Mr. Terrific |
Mark S. Patterson said: And yet, decades later, The Greatest American Hero had a good amount of success.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteMark S. Patterson said: It also didn't hurt that GAH was played less broadly than MT or CN (no laugh track). Robert Culp's abilities in his role didn't hurt, either.
Different times, different series.
Mark Engblom wrote: Wow, I had no idea those shows ever existed! The campy superhero fad seemed to incorporate (or perhaps contributed to?) the growing popularity of the nebbish figure, as epitomized by the rise of Woody Allen and other cinematic “un-supermen”. In addition to Action #354, there was Flash #167 (published in early 1967) featuring “Mopee”, a nerdy magical imp who was revealed to be the hidden hand behind Barry Allen gaining super-speed! Thankfully, that story was promptly forgotten, but not before underlining the growing popularity of comedic figures who served to undermine and frustrate the more traditional figures of masculinity and power.
ReplyDeleteIronically, Superman HIMSELF may have started this peculiar inversion considering a large part of his appeal was the concept of the Nobody (Clark Kent) secretly being a super-powered Adonis. However, in the late 30’s, men like Clark Kent truly DID seem to be despised by the larger culture, whereas the nebbish figure of the 60’s and 70’s enjoyed a certain kind of counter-culture popularity utterly detached from once-certain ideals of masculinity.
ReplyDeleteEllsworth Hall wrote: I remember watching Mr. Terrific and Captain Nice in early 1967 and still have this issue of Action. My friend and I would pretend to be Stanley Beamish (Mr. Terrific), take a mint and hold our breath to turn reddish to simulate what happened to Beamish when he took the power pill. Not a healthy thing to do, but I was not yet 9! Intersting that Mr. Terrific took the name of a Justice Society member and his powers were the result of a pill a la Hourman.
John Galligan said: When does Captain Incredible get his reboot??
ReplyDeleteOh, I remember these two shows. I tuned into them every week and loved them because, whether campy or not, they were superheroes and fun ones at that too. I was disappointed that the shows were not renewed because I enjoyed them. Surely my good taste in and knowledge of superheroes should have counted for something! LOL.
ReplyDeleteIronically, I never saw this story until just now.
Kevin McDougall wrote: In the film version of 1776, one of Daniels' co-stars was veteran Broadway actor Ray Middleton who, in 1940 at the New York World's Fair, became the very first live-action actor to portray...Superman.
ReplyDeleteJohnny Williams:
ReplyDeleteDan, as a boy I preferred Mr. Terrific’s esthetic more than Capt Nice’s. There was something about the underarmed-winged shiny flying jacket, scarf and goggles of Stanley’s that appealed to me more than Carter’s slightly oversized super suit; but William was a better actor at the time than Stephen was. So, while I liked both series, I more often watched the Captain’s.
The ironic JSA tie-ins you mentioned above occurred to the boy me as well.
Mopee sounds reminiscent of Mxy and Batmite. Do you know if he was ‘supposed’ to become Barry’s version of those two pests?
In the 60’s and 70’s a nebbish character might gain some degree of popularity, but it was by-and-large difficult to garner that same kind of popularity and or respect in the microcosm of real world day-to-day existence. Especially in school where types and cliques abounded.
I replied:
I'm not sure about Mopee, because they apparently got enough blowback on him to make him vanish forever.
Philip Portelli:
ReplyDeleteThis period was filled with campy superheroes, though more influenced by Superman than Batman from Archie, Disney, Charlton, Harvey and more!
DC even revived Plastic Man around this time.
I replied:
Network TV, stuck in the sitcom mode, couldn't really figure out what to do with superheroes. And didn't.
Rosswell Albert Bat:
ReplyDeleteGAH was a different era, but above all else it was that uncanny song that said we could all be the hero and still have the faults and insecurities we carried then and even today.
The '60s fellas I already know were total slapstick, not even camp.
Once the novelty of the song wore off, the GAH was gone in barely three years, which I find surprising even having gone through it, but watching the shows now is just total one-trick Stephen J. Cannell pony.
I can't believe it didn't prop up with Love Boat guest stars as scientists and bad guys, like Batman did, but I think Lois & Clark tried doing that and it didn't work there either.
But Lord GAH sure is a cure for insomnia. It was all the song.
Ira Henkin:
ReplyDeleteGood analysis.
Paul Zuckerman:
ReplyDeleteIn 1967, after being barraged by camp with the Batman TV show, which began to infect he comics even at DC but most notably the Mighty Crusaders, and even the Superman Broadway show, not to mention Lost in Space and Man from UNCLE, I was in no mood for these two shows that made fun of my super-heroes! The Green Hornet had played it straight and he went straight out the door. I was super serious at that age about my super-heroes! I watched for a while, but I don't remember if I stuck it out or not, but I was not unhappy when the shows were gone. All I had to comfort myself with was reruns of the Adventures of Superman, which had humor but never at the expense of the hero.
I was confused by how the TV show could have a character called Mr. Terrific that was not the DC version. Much like the earlier I-Spy, I was disappointed when the TV versions were not the DC versions!
I am not even sure that I realized when I saw the Graduate the following year that the father was the same actor as the one in Captain Nice. Or by the time that I got to see the movie 1776, that William Daniels had been in Captain Nice.
I replied:
1967 was William Daniels' year — a TV series, The Graduate, Two for the Road and The President's Analyst (plus a Broadway show).
Thomas Van Horne:
ReplyDeleteI seem to recall Captain Nice was a Mel Brooks and Buck Henry like Get Smart. Always a fan of William Daniels, both 1776 and St. Elsewhere.
Greatest American Hero was terrific when they weren't trying to incorporate High School drama with his "class of misfits" -- Robert Culp's Bill Maxwell was a perfect partner/foil for Ralph.
Rebooting that series was Nathan Fillion's dream project he tried to get going after Firefly -- fan casting has imagined him and Bruce Campbell heading as one of the great cosmic missed opportunities.
I replied:
They did try to reboot it with an Indian-American female lead. I don't think that would have worked.
Steven Kella:
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite silver age covers, I probably have a dozen copies of this.
Michael Perez:
ReplyDeleteI remember stumbling across the novelization for Captain Nice at a flea market as a kid. I was absolutely enraptured by the idea of a superpowered superhero comedy that I somehow might, one day, get a chance to watch!
Sadly, I've only ever seen a very few very blurry clips from the show, but I would like to be able to sit down and watch both Captain Nice and Mr. Terrific in decent quality!
With every passing year, that seems less likely, but boy would it be Nice!
Charles W. Fouquette:
ReplyDeleteCaptain Nice and Mister Terrific were a direct response to the instant popularity of the campy Batman TV show. While neither Nice or Terrific lasted beyond one season. Batman went three seasons and made a lasting impression that lives on in endless syndication to this very day! Great post of a fond time in superhero history! Nice work, Dan!
Art Cloos:
ReplyDeleteThis was a real fun one Dan. Congrats.I remember both shows despite the camp getting to me. Even tho I was a little kid, I liked my superheroes to be serious (yes, that included the Batman tv show).