Still Packing A Punch…
Enjoy these fabulous retro-style Superman II lobby card/poster wallpapers courtesy of Jayce76. Head over to his all-new Wallpaper Factory for more…
Category: Superman II
Shattered Fantasies…
Part two of the feature taken from UK ‘Photoplay’ Magazine with the impressive gallery (for the time) showcasing a rare pic of Margot Kidder from an independent photo shoot, (bottom right) in character as Lois Lane in a Superman sweater.
Margot would do more of these sittings (with increasing degrees of raunchiness) for use in various adult publications. Her interview (third pic down) is a curious insight foreshadowing what was to come in later life. Thankfully in true Lois Lane fashion Margot overcame her demons to be the success she is today…
Zooming Back…
The bumper 80 Page May 1981 issue of the elaborately titled “The New Photoplay – Movies & Video, The Cinema & Home Screen Monthly” was a real treat for Superman fans.
Shown above is the cover and part one of the feature devoted to the theatrical release of Superman II in the UK with full page photographs (The main colour portrait revealing itself decades later to be taken from a deleted scene shot by Richard Donner) and reference to a (not particularly insightful) review. Part two of the article to follow with more pics and a candid interview with leading lady Margot Kidder…
Free Inside..!
Issued to coincide with the release of Superman II in 1980, this exclusive set of letraset transfer sheets were dropped one at a time into packs of Nabisco Shreddies breakfast cereal. Intended for use with various cityscape ‘action scenes’ printed on the backs of the boxes, kids were free to create their own archaic version of the Metropolis battle.
Though amusingly primitive by today’s standards, the ‘rub down transfer’ craze would be huge in its day with a plethora of science-fiction/action movie/military/TV show offerings in sets featuring numerous figures and backdrop options. Denied a set in its own right, the Superman series was represented only by the promo as shown above and consequently complete sets are scarce. Should this bring on an irresistible wave of nostalgia I recommend visiting action-transfers.com for a comprehensive list…
Freeborn’s Fleet…
Nestled among the ‘New Additions’ on the Propstore Of London website is this little piece of cinematic history, a casting struck from one of make-up legend Stuart Freeborn’s miniature Superman head sculptures.
This rare offering comes with the great provenance of a still showing Freeborn himself holding aloft two finished flying puppets from Superman II topped with similar casts. Almost primitive by today’s standards, these puppets originate from a clutch of models made in various scales to double for the actors in long shots and more complex flying scenes.
The most obvious use of similar props is the Eiffel tower and climatic Metropolis battle sequences where they were frequently ‘flown’ on transparent thread. Go here to read more about Stuart’s contribution to the Super-Movies and see his 1:1 lifecast of Christopher Reeve which he released only recently after keeping it stored for decades…