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.

I was about 16 when the show premiered and already a fan of comic book superheroes and comedy, so I HAD to watch this show. And I LOVED it. A shame it only ran one season.

What I also remember that in the promotion of the show, there was this great comic book art poster drawn by the legendary Jack Kirby of Marvel Comics fame but I only saw it on TV. I would love to own a copy of it if it exists anywhere.

One of the things I remember was a running gag used by the writers. The Commissioner (played by Liam Dunn, a thin balding older man, famous for being a comic foil in many Mel Brooks films) would say something like, "Don't tell me the bank was robbed again" to which the chief would echo the words, "The bank was robbed again." Then Dunn would say with great exasperation. "I asked you not to tell me that." It still makes me laugh today. Even fellow schoolmates would echo this gag.

With great comic talent like Alice Ghostly and Liam Dunn as backup, and on the heels of the ultra campy Batman series (which I hated at the time for making a mockery of a great comic book hero) it should have been a huge hit.

The public! Go figure.

I disagree with most of the comments saying that this show was bad. This was a funny show created by Get Smart's Buck Henry. I never missed an episode and managed to get all 15 in VHS tape format (although a bit fuzzy). Much better program than the competing super hero spoof, Mister Terrific

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!