SUPERMAN, (1975 till today)
SUPERMAN, (1975 till today) |
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On February 21, 1975, a decade after the show closed on Broadway, a 100-minute version of this showed up on late night TV as part of ABC's Wide World of Entertainment. David Wilson was a boyish Superman; Leslie Ann Warren was Lois Lane; David Wayne was angry scientist Abner Sedgwick; Kenneth Mars was columnist Max Mencken; and Loretta Swit played Sydney; also in the cast were Alan Ludden, Malachi Throne and Harvey Lembeck.
On December 15, 1978, the world came to believe a man could fly. European producers Ilya and Alexander Salkind had been laboring for years to bring Superman to the silver screen - not as a simple childrens cartoon or as camp fare, but rather as an epic and sophistocated film feature for all ages. No expense was spared as preproduction began: costly special effects technologies were invented; Mario Puzo (writer of The Godfather) was recruted to draft the screenplay; the worlds largest sound-stage was specially constructed under the Salkinds' supervision; and in order to prove they were serious, the producers paid the legendary Marlon Brando the single highest actors salary to date to play the role of Superman's Kryptonian father Jor-El. Everything was moving steadily into place. There was only one problem; the film-makers had no Superman.
Given the movie's stratospheric budget, conventional wisdom almost demanded a proven box-office draw wear the suit; among those under consideration were Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, James Caan, and even Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner. In the end, the Salkinds decided the fame of a star might overshadow the role and instead went with an unknown, a rail-thin New York stage actor named Cristopher Reeve. He didn't look anything like Superman.
But he looked exactly like Clark Kent.
Under a grueling body-building regimen, Reeve bulked up enough to fill the costume admirably and with style. More important, the inocent charm and charisma he brought to the role sold it completely. Clearly, Reeve believed in Superman - and thus so did we.
Cristopher Reeve said "It was my privilege to play Superman - or perhaps more accurately, to be the the custodian of the character - in the 1970s. For the first time audiences could enjoy sophisticated film technology that made Superman more spectacular than ever before. In fact the poster advertising the film simply stated "You'll believe a man can fly." Now Superman flew across 70 mm screens accompaniedby the London Symphony Orchestra and sound effects in Dolby stereo.
These advances in filmmaking gave me a real advantage. They made it possible for me to underplay the character. Clak Kent owed much to early Cary Grant movies, and director Dick Donner and I grounded Superman in the response to lois Lane's question "Who are you?" Answer: "A friend."
"Superman" (1978) The Man of Steel comes to the screen in this elaborate, $35 million production. It's great fun, and the special effects are super.
"Superman II" (1981) Superman has his hands full with three superpowered villains who escape from their Phantom Zone prison, and decide to make the Earth their playground.
"Superman III" (1983) Superman confronts a four-story psychotic computer programmed by a half-wit genius who plays a vidio game of life and death.
"Superman IV The Quest for Peace" (1987) Superman's out to rid the world of nuclear weapons, but Lex Luther creates Nuclear Man a genetic clone whose powers are equal to those of Superman, to rid the world of Superman.
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was produced by Warner Brothers and primiered on ABC network in America in the Autumn of 1993. For four seasons and 88 episodes Superman fans worldwide were captivated by this new look at the Superman legend, and by the chemistry between stars Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher.
Brandon Routh is the new Man of Steel. Routh was chosen for the role of Superman following an exhaustive search that spanned the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Thousands of candidates were interviewed before the final selection was made. Bryan Singer the director of the new untitled Superman movie stated "Brandon is an extremely fine actor who possesses the physical qualifications of Clark Kent / Superman. But he also embodies the legacy and history of this character in a way that makes me certain he's the right choice."
Return to Superman
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Superman created by Jerry Seigel & Joe Shuster.
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