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| Jimmy Olsen was barely in his teens when he began working for the Daily Planet as an office boy. Later he advanced to the position of cub reporter and photographer. Jimmy found his eagerness and curiosity leading him into danger at times. |
The first appearance in any medium of copyboy (eventually cub reporter) Jimmy Olsen, was on "The Adventures of Superman" radio show portrayed by Jackie Kelk for seven years and later by Jack Grimes. The character of Superman's pal Jimmy Olsen soon moved onto the comic book pages in 1942 and later starred in 163 issues of his own DC comic book, beginning in 1954. "Jimmy was a typical radio teenager," recalls co-creator Allen Ducovny, "cut from the same cloth as Henry Aldrich, Andy Hardy, and Archie Andrews."
"Superman: The Serial"(1948)
The first live-action version of the comic book legend stars Kirk Alyn as the Man of Steel. Follow Superman's exploits from his origin on the planet Krypton to his fight to the finish against the malevolent Spider Lady and her ray gun.
"Atom Man vs. Superman" (1949). It's ``up, up and away´´ once again with Kirk Alyn as the Ace of Action in the second Superman serial. Here he must battle the mysterious nuclear nemesis known as Atom Man, whose weaponry includes a flying saucer and deadly Kryptonite.
Jack Larson was raised in Pasadena, California, and attended Pasadena Junior College (by coincidence, exactly like his "Adventures of Superman" co-star George Reeves). He was a contract player at Warner Bros. After six sesons on "The Adventures of Superman" he was typecast as Jimmy Olsen, and Larson found it virtually impossible to get other acting roles after the series went off the air and retired from acting a few years later, concentrating on writing. His plays have been highly acclaimed and he has had works performed in theaters and opera houses around the world. He was the longtime companion of late director James Bridges, with whom he co-produced a number of popular films of the 1970s and 1980s. Larson also later appeared on the 1980's "Superboy" series, in the "Lois & Clark" episode "Brutal Youth" as the aged Jimmy Olsen, and as Bo the bartender in "Superman Returns".
Marc McClure was so loyal to the Superman franchise that he even appeared in "Supergirl". He also still has a ton of fans still fondly remembering him from playing Jimmy in all four Christopher Reeve Superman movies.
Michael played the cub reporter Jimmy Olsen in the first season of "Lois & Clark". The series changed their cast substantially in the second season, completely erasing Cat and the young juvenile delinquent and peer of Jimmy, Jack. Not to mention replacing Michael with the slightly younger brown haired Justin Whalin on account of Michael and Dean Cain looking too alike and being confusing for viewers.
Justin was James Bartholomew Olsen aka Jimmy in "Lois & Clark" . Justin replaced the popular Michael Landes in 1994 but the role and was not well recieved by fans initially. A turning point was reached late in the second-season with the episode "Target: Jimmy Olsen" when his character decks the much-loathed character Agent Daniel Scardino.
Sam Huntington admits he was a huge fan of "Superman" even before signing on to star as Jimmy Olsen in "Superman Returns." And when it came time to film his scene with the original Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson) from the 1950s TV series, Huntington was pretty overwhelmed.
Don't expect Ashmore's Jimmy to wear a bow tie and follow Clark around like a puppy dog. As the Smallville writers have done in the past with characters from the Superman mythos and elsewhere in the DC universe, they're putting their own spin on Jimmy. "He's not quite the same as we've seen him in the past," Ashmore said. "It's not that same kind of energy between [Jimmy and Clark]. So I think they're going to be friends, but I think it might take a while maybe to develop it if that does happen. I hope it does. I think that would be interesting."
Jimmy will work as an intern at the Planet alongside Chloe Sullivan (played by Allison Mack), and will strike up a relationship with the feisty blond. For that reason, the writers have made him a bit older and a bit cooler than his comic book counterpart. "We're trying to make him maybe a little more hipper and stuff because he's going to be a love interest for Chloe, and that's got to be believable," Ashmore said. "She's a good-looking girl and if he was too nerdy or whatever that might not work."
But even with these alterations, Ashmore assured that some of Jimmy's most recognizable traits, like his wide-eyed optimism, will remain intact. "There's definitely an innocence," he said. "And he's still got that energy and stuff about him. And he's not slick at all. But I think maybe he's just a little bit cooler."
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