An unprecedented success with many lots outperforming their estimates by thousands, the Propstore’s Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction made headlines across the prop world while making many a collectors dream come true.
Luckily, SUPERMANIA managed a last-minute pilgrimage to The ODEON BFI IMAX in London to photograph the Superman items on display only hours before they went live. Below are the highlights of the Super-sales along with the astonishing prices realised –
424. Contact Sheets – £1,100
425. Shooting Scripts – £4,750
426. Autographed Still – £700
427. Underwater Tunic – £25,000
429. Large Kryptonian Crystal – £1,700
431. Promotional Ephemera – £1,600
432. Autographed Stills – £700
433. Muscle Tunic – £20,000
436. IV Script – £350
437. Pod Prop – £4000
As expected, the well-publicised underwater tunic (second pic) stole the show with the Muscle tunic (third pic) nipping at its shorts at only five grand less. Less expected were the amounts achieved by some of the smaller lots, with a single autographed still of Christopher Reeve going well above estimate at £700 and a folder full of essentially promotional clippings fetching £1,600 – most of which already present in the SUPERMANIA collection.
While many of these fabulous relics of movie history will take pride of place in private collections, The Starship Pod prop (bottom pic) was bought by Stateside SuperFan and Broadcaster Jay Towers, a prominent figure in Superman collecting and vocal supporter of the classic films. SUPERMANIA wishes Jay all the best with his his purchase and hope he enjoys it for years to come..!
Today would’ve been the late Christopher Reeve’s 63rd birthday. To celebrate his life and career SUPERMANIA presents some of the newest additions to the archive along with some classics shown previously.
Look no further than the Entertainment Memorabilia Live auction held by Propstore only last night to see how highly regarded, sorely missed and totally definitive Reeve’s portrayal of Superman was/is by the fact an autographed 10×8 (similar to those above) sold for an unprecedented £700.
Whereas the lot in question featured a dedication simply from ‘Chris’ all the above feature his full signature and have stories to tell all their own. From the top – colour 8×10 obtained from Amanda as named – only a young girl when her father had this picture signed and recently salvaged after a tree smashed through their property. Shannon’s loss, from the Dixie Trek Convention of 1994 (the only appearance Chris ever made) is documented here.
Sandra is the daughter of Edward Jaffery, a camera grip who worked on the first three Superman Movies –
“I am the Sandra in the photo!
My dad worked as part of the crew, working on this film at Pinewood Studios.
I was only a child at the time and didn’t get to meet Superman myself, but my dad worked alongside him daily and asked if he would sign this photograph for me, which he was very happy to do…”
And finally Mark was a fan and friend of a technician working on Superman II that had Chris sign in between takes.
All the above are great examples of how Chris’ portrayal touched people’s lives and his great dedications reflect what a great custodian and Super man he really was.
Rest in peace, ‘Toph…
Going under the gavel in in a matter of days and currently on display at the IMAX Odeon in London’s Waterloo, this unprecedented collection of production/screenused treasures from the series of Superman films is presented in catalogue form by Propstore here on SUPERMANIA.
High-end pieces all with estimates set to suit a modest or high budget, this gathering of production ephemera and screenused props represents the finest collection of Superman related material to hit the market since the Ilya Salkind collection was offered by Profiles in History in 2007.
Chief among the lots is the full-size Starship ruin from Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, first positively identified and documented on SUPERMANIA here and presumed lost to storage after the closure of the London Film museum in 2013. ‘Superman’s Pod’ was obtained by Propstore and now offered in exactly the same condition as it was seen on display (then incorrectly listed as originating from Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie) and is a completely unique piece of Super-history.
Other highlights are the Cosmonaut suits (made by costumiers Bermans and Nathans) from the opening scenes of Superman IV and storyboards from Superman III. Fans of the original movie and its sequel are catered for also by a pair of scripts and photographic contact sheets and even Supergirl is represented by a superb piece of (ultimately unused) concept art by Chris Achillieos.
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bid and own these pieces starts at 2PM (GMT+1) on 23rd of September. SUPERMANIA would like to extend an advance invitation to the lucky new owners to have their purchases showcased here along with their stories…
In light of the recent announcement by Titan Books that the Batman 1966 TV Series has an all-new 256 page hardback book upcoming, SUPERMANIA looks back through the history of the publisher for its varied coverage on the Superman movie series.
As we wait oh-so-patiently for the definitive volume celebrating the cinematic adventures of the Man of Steel, it may come as a surprise to learn that its been almost two decades since so much as a chapter was dedicated to a retrospective of the films in an official release.
Though there are many career highlights to cram in across all media, one could be forgiven for thinking that a project entitled Superman: The Complete History – The Life And Times of The Man of Steel (top pic) would grant ample page space to the cast & crew that defined the character for a generation and beyond. Alas, these ground-breaking pictures are allocated a total of 8 out of its 190 pages (most shown above).
In fact, author Les Daniels is given a relatively easy ride here, with his no-frills insight free summary of sixty years (at the time of publishing) leaving little to recommend it past the initial read-through –
So thank goodness for the Art Direction & design by the genius that is Chip Kidd. Already a legend in fandom thanks to his incomparable masterwork Batman Collected Chip’s unique compositions are the only saving grace for this otherwise mediocre entry in the catalogue of Super-literature. Committing full pages to contemporary photographs of vintage collectables and classic screen-used costumes, (third & fourth pics) Chip’s layouts dominate the page with splashes of memorable comic-art.
The book concludes with a promise of Superman’s return to the silver screen in a movie directed by Tim Burton (whatever happened to that?) and tucked away in the smallprint of dedications is a thanks to one Jim Bowers, described here as a ‘Christopher Reeve aficionado’, his modest contribution here hopefully a prelude of much bigger things to come…
Fleetingly glimpsed in both Superman: The Movie and Superman II and sharing a grim demise in both movies, the iconic, anonymous Kryptonian guard’s scenes may have been short but left a lasting impression.
In fact, the nameless soldier (played by uncredited actors) in Superman: The Movie had a larger role than the theatrical cut led us to believe, where through footage restored for the TV edits (and later, the Special Edition) revealed the guard was dispatched by the council elders to arrest Jor-El and was crushed by falling debris from the eruptions enroute. Despite apparently having being teleported to Jor-El’s quarters (suspended on wires to convey levitation), the inter cutting of the extended version suggests the journey took considerable time, culminating in a bizarre closeup of the soldier’s eyes as he’s wiped out.
A similar guard opens proceedings with considerable style in Richard Lester’s Superman II, where an atmospheric tight shot of the helmet reveals it to be somewhat different than Donner’s version. Although it appears to be the same design, its lack of 3M material shrouding gives it a smooth finish (decorated with aluminium tape?) and its black lenses replaced by mirrored. Despite a speaking part this time (Alert, Alert!) his screentime is cut short as he’s dispensed with in a swift attack by General Zod’s cohort Non.
So distinct was the guards design that 30 plus years later, talented Superfan Tim Allen sought to recreate the helmet design using today’s technology –
“I was inspired to re-create this Kryptonian guard helmet from Superman (above) because I felt it was one of those props in the movie that often gets overlooked and I thought the fans of this movie would appreciate viewing a unique piece from the film. I created this CG model purely in 3DS Max using the Mental Ray render and procedural texturing. The helmet was created to fit the average human head so theoretically this model could be 3D printed for display or as part of a costume. It could also be scaled down to either ¼ or 1/6th scale for custom collectible figures/statues..”
Watch this space for updates as the Kryptonian guard potentially rises again as a 1/6th figure exclusive to SUPERMANIA..!
