SUPERMANIA is pleased to at long last to return to the pages of the Big Red Book and continue the story of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace as told in pictures by master artist Martin Asbury –
To recount the origins of this find, the Big Red Book is a production used/made item and was recovered from a skip on the site of Elstree Studios in 1988. Marked on the spine as ‘Superman IV, Script & Storyboards Part 2’ it picks up the story midway and has been serialised on this blog from the beginning (scroll through the Superman IV posts for previous entries). Surviving in pristine condition (save for minimal water damage) given the circumstances, this may well be the only copy in existence.
From the top; Additions in pink for the ‘Revised Red Square Sequence’ depict exactly what made the final cut of the film. More to follow..!
Presenting another SUPERMANIA exclusive – this time from a selection of ephemera surviving Dovemead Ltd’s office wastebasket from the production of Superman III.
This small selection of material shows correspondence (with accompanying Polaroids) between associate producer Bob Simmonds and stateside production manager Chris Coles regarding the casting of a suitable stunt double for Richard Pryor’s pivotal character August Gorman for the third act of the film.
From the top – Unpublished still of Pryor used for makeup/continuity purposes, typed memo between producers dated July 10th, 1982 (with hilarious last paragraph) photocopied sheet of casting Polaroids and bottom Anthony Reese in full Pryor makeup with costume notes for the Webster clan…
As SDCC closes its doors for another year and fans slowly digest/debate the vast amount of cool stuff shown and/or on offer, SUPERMANIA presents another exclusive on a revelation at the show you may well have missed –
Peeping out modestly on display at the Propstore Of London’s very busy booth was this pair of exquisitely sculpted portrait heads from Superman II. Mounted on a handsome black plinth with the movie title (inscribed Mount Rushmore Zod & Ursa) the display is so fresh it has yet to be listed on Propstore’s website. While it seems evident exactly what this piece is and its purpose, a keen-eyed fan familiar with the specific scene from Richard Lester’s Superman II may notice these are full head casts and appear different from the final miniature (where all three Supervillians are integrated into the rockface.)
Unlike the giant foreground miniature of Abraham Lincoln (read about its rescue from the Pinewood Studios skip here) these heads are no more than 10″ tall and even though they have been painted to resemble construction from blocks they lack the dark detailing seen in the final shot.
So what do we really have here? Its well established Propstore had a great relationship with the late, great Stuart Freeborn and these could well be his masters for the final miniature. While it seems clear they are original sculpts (as opposed to lifecasts) in plaster(?) It remains entirely speculative until Propstore releases the details of this fine piece when it finally comes up for sale at what will surely be a price worthy of its villainous subjects…
Taking full advantage of Propstore’s kind permission to examine their original Superman costume in detail gave us the opportunity to inspect the most minute details.
For anybody yet to have seen/spent time with any original prop or costume you may be surprised just how primitive and thrown together they are in reality. For example above is a few macro shots of the Superman costume revealing the stitched in cape padding and poppers at the shoulders, the slits made to accommodate the flying harness, the spray-paint job on the belt buckle and the stitched in supports for the \/ notch in the boot. On film under studio lighting, none of these details would be visible and the suit would appear pristine, such is the magic of Hollywood…
Presenting the second in the series of posts from SUPERMANIA & Friends recent all-access tour of the Propstore Of London’s main office where their incredible inventory of Movie treasures past & present reside.
Although the incredibly rare full-costume display pictured above has received full coverage on this blog whenever it has been publicly exhibited, this was a unique opportunity to intricately examine and photograph the costume without the hindrance of a plexiglass case – making it almost as good as being stood next to Reeve’s Superman himself.
As noted in this archive post, the tunic of this costume has been identified as one worn for early publicity shots (most prominently in the Topps trading card sets) besides being screenworn for scenes including the confrontation in Luthor’s Lair among others. As this tunic replaced the one originally shown in the Movieum Of London (due to ‘better provenance’ according to Propstore staff) there is a distinct colour difference between the top and tights as the tunic has faded considerably.
Closer inspection also revealed the cape to be a flying version as we discovered corresponding slits made either side to accommodate the wire rig and we were pleased to discover the faint outline of the cape shield, indicating that one had been present which was later confirmed by owner Stephen Lane (who is in possession of the shield and intends to have it re-attached).
SUPERMANIA extends its sincere thanks to all the kind staff at Propstore for the opportunity to examine this amazing iconic piece of cinema history up close and personal…
