A rare interview from the Starlog Yearbook with the ‘Creative Consultant’ who only recently received full & true recognition for his contribution to the Superman movie mythos.
Chances are you’ve seen most of the pictures he’s written without even knowing it- especially if you are a fan of the Bond franchise. Tom has a special place in the hearts and minds of all Superman fans and we salute him, he will be sadly missed…
You have to hand it to the late Alexander Salkind – Only an old-school producer of his calibre would reserve no less than seven pages of legendary trade paper Variety (four shown, the remaining 3 consisting of the crystal shield artwork) to announce Superman III was in pre-production.
Salkind’s gift for publicity and association with Variety goes back as early as 1976, when preliminary announcements for the acquisition of the property from DC Comics started appearing followed up by the unprecedented news that the legendary Marlon Brando himself had signed up for the project. These fragile ads on newspaper stock are now treasured records of film history and should be preserved as such…
All obtained in person by me at various conventions – Helen Slater was a rare treat and was very sweet and quite shy. Margot Kidder was fantastic and outrageous and very funny. Sarah Douglas was bolshy and fabulous while Jack O’ Halloran was a gentle giant.
So privileged to have met some of the performers that made this movie series so great..!
As seen in The Making Of Superman II, This elaborate, handmade and intricately detailed model set was commissioned by Producer Ilya Salkind to accommodate the visual effects shots deemed too impractical to shoot full-scale of the devastation caused by the Super-Villians throughout the climactic Metropolis battle.
From the top; Derek Meddings surveys the set while showering it with oil to simulate rainfall, Genuine set-used street sign props, One Way lamp-Post sign (measuring approx. 3 x 8 1/2cm) Bus Stop sign (measuring approx. 7 1/2 x 5 1/2cm), and a group shot of the talented British Model Unit with their creation.
This sequence, (eventually filmed by Richard Lester) ranks amongst some of the finest miniature work from the Superman series and indeed, of the era being practically undetectable to this day…
The first of many posts to come showcasing Superman props displayed in Planet Hollywood restaurants around the world. Above is one of the late Derek Meddings’ intricately detailed Special Effects flying miniatures currently exhibited in the London site. The resin figure is approx. 8″ long, sporting a cloth cape (complete with hand-drawn yellow shield!). These models were often ‘flown’ on invisible thread by way of a channel bore straight through the body and would have been utilized in long-distance shots and the aerial battle in Superman II…