Captain Nice

If you'll recall, Batman comics in the sixties were NOT dark. In fact it was quite colorful. The TV series was a reflection of the splashy pop art that was evident in the comics at the time. Anyone who says that the series made a dark hero silly, wasn't alive back then, or just plain wasn't paying attention. Batman wasn't dark then. The campy, comic-booky silliness that prevailed in the 60's gave birth to Captain Nice. Complete with laugh track and created by Buck Henry, William Daniels persnickety super-hero was a blast to watch. Way too short at a half hour, these adventures featured some of the greatest character actors of the day. Alice Ghostley as Mother was a riot as well, and I don't believe we ever did see Carter's father peer out from behind his newspaper. Why oh why isn't Captain Nice out on DVD yet? If you can get your hands on a copy of CN, do so. You'll get a great glimpse of a snapshot of time...the era known as the swingin' saucy sixties!

Back then we appreciated almost anything with a 'kid theme', especially in the evening. There were a few tantalizing bits thrown at us back then, Top Cat and Bugs Bunny were prime time a few years earlier. But to have a whole non-animated series devoted to being able to drink a potion, ala NICE or eat a pill, as in Mr. Terrific and become super, now that was GREAT FUN. After all these years I remember Captain Nice leaping from a van where in the dark he dressed in culottes and the time the secret formula dripped into a gutter to powerize a 'HIC-BOOM' worm. Even then I knew it was cheap, but I watched it, right after Mr. Terrific.

"CAPTAIN NICE"-Produced by Talent Associates,Inc./Paramount Television In Association With NBC Productions. Filmed at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. The series ran on NBC-TV. Premiere Episode of the series: January 9,1967. Last Telecast of the series: May 1,1967. 15 Episodes Were Produced-All In Color.

The campy and most successful action series "Batman" cast a very long shadow across superhero productions in film and on television. It was so successful upon its premiere on ABC-TV in the Spring of 1966 that by the following January of 1967,both competing networks(NBC and CBS)had invented their own superhero shows to air on opposite nights and challenge the supermacy of Adam West's Caped Crusader. What remains so interesting about this that both networks sought to repeat "Batman's" fame and fortune not by licensing well-known comic book superheroes but by creating new(and terribly lame)heroes instead. Even more intriguing,both networks,looking at "Batman" and apparently saw it as campy and a sitcom parody but at the same time both networks were matching the "Batman" formula to work with other shows,a prime example of this was the spy-series "The Man From U.N.C.L.E"(on NBC),which by the second and third seasons,NBC executives look at this series as just comedy and not serious at all. Instead the two networks(NBC and CBS)may have competed ably by producing a superhero show regarding various characters.Instead,ABC counter-programmed against "camp" in January of 1967,with a serious adaption of "The Green Hornet",which lasted one season.

The results of NBC and CBS's efforts were not pretty,and what emerged on television in the winter of 1967 were two half-hour series that never managed to attain individual identities in the eyes of viewers: "Captain Nice",which was on NBC,and "Mister Terrific",which was on CBS. These shows may have been made for adults but its main target audience that were watching the shows were children. In other words,straight-forward kiddie oriented material. Both shows lasted one season. Even more ominously,both shows ended their primetime span(with reruns)on the same date:August 28,1967,the same day both shows were dethroned in the Nielsens(along with the Western satire,"F-Troop",which was on ABC) by the final episode of the series,"The Fugitive",which became the highest-rated series finale in television history. In fact "Captain Nice" and "Mister Terrific",both looked and sounded so much alike that it was confusing to some viewers who either seem too like it or for the most part hated it. What made it so frustrating that is was an appropriate face,not to mention an enterprises that were designed to copy the "Batman" series,so rigorously. However,both sides failed and from this both shows were sent to the bottom of the television graveyard of forgotten sitcoms never to be heard from again. Of the two clone superheroes series,NBC's Captain Nice had the better pedigree,not to mention the cast.

"Captain Nice" was created by Buck Henry,the genius behind the spy-spoof "Get Smart",which was a huge hit for NBC at the time(NBC,1965-1968,and later on went to CBS,1968-1970),who serves as executive producer of this series along with producer Jay Sandrich. The series starred William Daniels(who would make a name for himself in other shows as well later on including "Saint Elsewhere",and the teen-comedy "Boy Meets World")as the meek Carter Nash,a police scientist that develops a serum endowing him superpowers to fight off evildoers. The series starred Ann Prentiss,Alice Ghostley,Liam Dunn,William Zuckert,and Byron Foulger. It's competition,"Mister Terrific"(which was on CBS)starred Alan Young,who was fondly remembered for his stint on the children's situation comedy show "Mister Ed"(which was on the same network).

I watched the reruns of this lost TV series few years ago and I've to say isn't that bad. Of course is dated, most of it is completely non-sense and it's clearly a low cost production but it's still watchable, it's possible to find several good moments and... I really like Captain Nice costume!

The pairing of Williams Daniels, an early king of sarcasm and snark, and Buck Henry, co-creator of Get Smart, seemed a perfect match to warp the image of the stalwart superhero. I don't remember much about the show, except it started off strong, writing-wise ... then seemed to peter out, becoming family friendly and silly, eventually being canceled early (15 episodes back then, more than most current shows single season!). I do remember one of my all-time my favorite lines from a comedy show. Now, I'm paraphrasing here, but I recall an exchange between Capt Nice and an outraged spectator: Bystander: You can't arrest that man! Captain Nice: This is a democracy .... we can arrest anyone we want. With Buck Henry behind the wheel, this could've been the best show ever, at the time. Still, it had it's moments. Worth a watch!