FLASH FRIDAY: When William Daniels Was TV Superhero CAPTAIN NICE

Although Santino Fontana is doing a terrific job of making the role of "obnoxious and disliked" John Adams his own in this weekend's Encores! concert production of 1776, the performance of the role's originator, William Daniels, preserved in the musical's film version, remains one of Broadway's iconic star turns.

But what if Daniels wasn't available to play the rebellious Massachusetts congressman who led the fight to declare America's independence? What if the new TV series was he starring in, one that premiered just two years before the musical began rehearsing, was a hit?

The great humorist Buck Henry, who had previously created GET SMART, had the idea of casting William Daniels as a clumsy, nerdy superhero who, despite having the power to fly, was afraid of heights. But before CAPTAIN NICE premiered on NBC in January of 1967, there was the threat of a lawsuit by CBS, who claimed the rival network had stolen the superhero spoof idea from their own developing sitcom, MR. TERRIFIC.

The two shows premiered on the same night, with MR. TERRIFIC taking the half-hour slot right after CAPTAIN NICE. Neither show made it past their first season, and Daniels certainly enjoyed greater television success on KNIGHT RIDER, ST. ELSEWHERE and BOY MEETS WORLD, but it's great fun to watch him camping it up in this enjoyable career footnote.

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