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Superheroes on parade – including Star Trek’s Jonathan Frakes as Captain America

By John Freeman on March 8, 2023

In the late 1970s and early 1980s Marvel was in popular demand, thanks to the success of its live action TV series The Amazing Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk and various animated shows. Capitalising on the attention, the company offered the availability of some of their super heroes “for personal appearances” across the United States.

*Jonathan Frakes on the White House lawn as Captain America, on 1st October 1980*

Actors, including Star Trek’s Jonathan Frakes playing Captain America, started to make appearances at car shows, children’s hospitals, comic shop openings, conventions, malls and parades.

In October 1980, Marvel’s costumed heroes were even invited to the White House by then First Lady Rosalynn Carter, alongside her daughter, Amy, to launch the Captain America Youth Energy Conservation Program, together with Marvel’s editor-in-chief, Stan Lee.

Speaking at GalaxyCon in 2020, Frakes recalled performing as Captain America.

“I was in New York and a friend of mine, Charlie Davis, and I were dating girls that stayed in the same house in New York which was the same house that used to be in the movie Backstage… It was like a sorority of actors if you will,” web site We Got This Covered, and other media sites, reported.

“[Charlie] had been hired by someone to go out as Spider-man to open up comic book stores. And Marvel on 575 Madison Avenue, the eighth floor, had built him a costume. And he did a couple of them and he said, ‘They’re looking for a guy to do Captain America. You should go meet the people over there.’ So I went over there and, to make it long story short, he and I ended up going out on this weird tour.

Frakes, who went on to play William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation and, more recently, Star Trek: Picard, as well as directing numerous episodes of various Star Trek shows, recalled how he and his friend hired to appear at several locations across the US.

“We’d go out on a Friday, much like a convention, and we’d go to Omaha or we’d go to Chicago, and somebod would pick us up at the airport with a rented Taurus and we’d have a schedule. We’d get to a 7-11, then we’d do a comic book store, then we’d got to a supermarket.

“Every 20 minutes we’d have to be somewhere, and we’d have these spacesuits on, we’d pull up a block away, I’d get on the hood of the car — first of all, I’d take the garbage can lid that had the big ‘A’ on it out of the thing, I’d gripper on the two wings that Captain America has on his cowl — I’d hold the garbage can lid, I’d stand on the hood of the car, ride into the parking lot of the 7-11 on the Ford Taurus. It was a very glamorous time and we made 50 bucks a day.”

At the White House launch of the Captain America Youth Energy Conservation Program on Wednesday 1st October 1980, the Marvel hero was pitched against a gang of super-villains called the Energy Drainers, helped in his battle by the Campbell Kids and First Lady Rosalynn Carter.

On 1st October 1980, Amy and Mrs Rosalynn Carter hosted the
Marvel superheroes at the White House to kick off the Captain America Youth Energy Conservation Program. Marvel's Stan Lee escorted his superheroes to make sure everyone stayed in line! Image: Jimmy Carter Presidential Library via Twitter — On 1st October 1980, Amy and Mrs Rosalynn Carter hosted the Marvel superheroes at the White House to kick off the Captain America Youth Energy Conservation Program. Marvel’s Stan Lee escorted his superheroes to make sure everyone stayed in line! Image: Jimmy Carter Presidential Library via Twitter

*Marvel superheroes and Stan Lee at the White House on 1st October 1980. Image: Marvel*

*Marvel Superheroes Promotion. With thanks to Colin Smith*

Marvel Captain America “Energy Captain” promotion (1980s)

The First Lady hosted a White House children’s party to launch the Energy Conservation Program, a joint public awareness effort of the Energy Department, Campbell Soup Co. and Marvel Entertainment Group. The public awareness program, which continued for several years at the behest of the Department of Energy, also featured radio spots and animated cartoon television announcements in which Captain America told children how they could save power.

A tie-in Public Service comic, Captain America and the Campbell Kids, written by Bill Mantlo, saw the star spangled Avenger team up with the Kids against the Energy Drainers – Thermal Thief, Wattage Waster, and the Doomsday Man.

The website PlaidStallions has scans of a Marvel publicity brochure advertising which characters were available, released when the company was still part of Cadence Industries. Noting hirings for various corporate events, the costume line-up on offer included Captain America, the Green Goblin, the Hulk, Spider-man, Spider-woman, the Thing, and lesser-known characters such as Rom the Space Knight, Fire-star and Ice Man.

Marvel UK supports the troops at the London Lord Mayor's Parade — *Marvel UK supports the troops at the London Lord Mayor’s Parade*

*The day Alice Cooper turned up at Marvel UK. His first question? “Where’s the John?” Photo courtesy Tim Quinn*

*Before the days of Photoshop, this was a killer photo to take: Brian May and Spidey team-up for Dirk Maggs fabulous BBC radio drama. Photo courtesy Tim Quinn*

Marvel UK also had a set of super hero costumes and editor Tim Quinn in particular made good use of them, and various staff members and MUK creators, including Bryan Hitch and Liam Sharp to play the roles. A Death’s Head II costume was a unique addition to the costume box, joining visiting celebrities such as Alice Cooper to the company’s London offices for publicity photo calls.

Several staff members were also volunteered for an appearance at the Lord Mayor’s Parade in 1993, the line-up by then including Doctor Strange.

On some occasions, an actor was brought in from the United States to play Spider-Man.

FURTHER READING…

• PlaidStallions: Marvel Superheroes: Live and In Person Brochure

• PSAs from Hell: Captain America and the Campbell Kids

• The day Zoe Ball visited Marvel UK, and other stories…

• Marvel UK Flashback: When Spider-Man met Queen’s Brian May

• ZX Geoff: Star Trek actors who have crossed over into Marvel and DC properties

A while ago, Geoff compiled a thread detailing the list of Star Trek actors who had crossed over into Doctor Who, and wondered if there was a similar list, but for Star Trek actors crossing into Marvel and DC properties. Well, there is now. Or at least, his thread starts here

With thanks to Tim Quinn and Colin Smith

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.