Even on a freezing cold December night, with an almost incomprehensible screen bigger than three football pitches obscured between car wiper blades in torrential rain, the magic was still present.
For just beyond the giant wall of the paddock tank onto which Superman: The Movie was being projected, the world-famous 007 Stage was visible, providing the unique experience of watching scenes that were filmed years ago only yards away from where we sat.
The Pinewood Drive-In was a short lived endeavour but a fascinating one. Parked on a backlot that was once the site of Metropolis, Midvale (and indeed Gotham City) an impressive number of cars amassed before the screen and tuned to the exclusive radio station for sound. A shared experience for hardcore fans making for an incredible night…
From the top, ticket, exclusive map (with handwritten directions to the drive-in site) and visitors leaflet…
When the long term loan of the incredible Superman costume display from the Propstore Of London was over, the London Film Museum required fresh Superhero items to exhibit.
While nothing could ever compete with the splendid ‘Hall Of Superheroes’, (the Michael Keaton Batman/Returns suit also returning to its owner) the former Movieum nevertheless sourced a new (albeit curious) menagerie of props to fill the gap until its eventual closure of the South Bank site last year.
These extraordinary shots from the flickr album of [email protected] depict a group of objects pertaining to be from the original Superman series hastily assembled against a somewhat underacheived backdrop (top pic).
The first prop (second pic) hanging from the ceiling is apparently a large flying miniature of Christopher Reeve (although there was no signage to verify this as a production used or made piece) in appropriate condition for its age but sporting a baggy costume and what appears to be short PVC cape.
The second mystery is the giant upper portion of a magnificent rendering of the Statue Of Liberty. Again, with no signage to which picture this was attributed there is no way to verify its use or authenticity (Superman IV’s torn away cape shot??) although the build quality definitely suggests screen used.
Lastly, there thankfully could be no doubt regarding the provenance of what would be proven as a legitimate prop from Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. In remarkable condition given its age and materials used, the baby Kal-El starship is notable for being the only item on show to feature signage, albeit misleading and inaccurate.
The current whereabouts of these pieces is sadly unknown. With the London Film Museum becoming a a permanent display of Bond Vehicles over in its Covent Garden site (see the last Superman item to be exhibited there here) its doubtful they will be seen again for some time. If anybody can update SUPERMANIA as to the fate of these props, feel free to get in touch..!
It may have taken over thirty years to clarify but when Perry White confronts his Daily Planet staff about the mysterious ‘flying whatchamacallit’ and asks “What does he keep hidden under that cape of his?? Batteries!?” The answer, most emphatically, is yes.
Courtesy of SuperFan Steve Lumsdon comes yet another SUPERMANIA exclusive and tribute to the ingenuity of special effects craftsmen of yesteryear. Pictured above is the finest reference to date of the legendary ‘Cape Flapping’ device built by Colin Chilvers & Co. to simulate convincing movement whilst ‘in flight”. The mechanism was created out of necessity to control the flow of the cape whilst star Christopher Reeve was suspended on the infamous ‘Pole Arm’ or wire flying rig.
Operated by remote control, the custom unit consisted of a motor and battery pack housed in an aluminum box which was mounted on Reeve’s back by a velcro attachment (third pic). When activated, the motor would drive the umbrella-like poles (covered in cape fabric to blend seamlessly into folds) up & down at random to create ripples. Besides the full-size version, at least one more was created, amazingly, in miniature for models in certain scenes.
As the production team in 1978 worked hard to preserve the illusion that ‘you will believe a man can fly’ by not revealing the details on how many of the effects were achieved, this device was widely considered a myth until it was officially acknowledged in the extras on the Superman: The Movie Special Edition on DVD. Although undetectable for the vast majority of the Salkind produced films (including Supergirl) in which it was used, the scene where Superman swoops down to save Frisky from the tree and the blooper from Superman III (Bottom pic) are the best proof of its existence until now…
For the enviable opportunity of owning this piece of SFX Magic and cinema history, catch Steve’s auction here…
In its 31st year at the time of publishing, The 1976-77 International Film And TV Yearbook is nothing if not a fascinating snapshot in time.
A Screen International Publication (A Division of King Publications Ltd.) This doorstop- heavy tome literally houses the film industry of the age between its garish orange covers. Edited to a mere 680 pages by ‘Mr. Showbiz’ (as referred to in the introduction) Peter Noble, its a virtual Yellow Pages of cinema. Need Michael Caine’s agent? Want to book a slot in Elstree Studios? Have an enquiry for Rank Laboratories? Its all here and good for across the globe.
The impact and readership of these annuals was obviously not wasted on one Mr. Alexander Salkind, European producer of considerable reputation in what would turn out to be his prime. Never one to miss an opportunity for advance publicity, Salkind manages to solicit both covers for two upcoming projects (on the rear: The Prince and The Pauper, third pic) including a little picture that wouldn’t hit screens for another two years.
Not content with covers and spine, all three exposed sides of the volume are also stamped with the word ‘SUPERMAN’ (second pic) even if there is no mention of the film inside. Utilizing artwork that had already spearheaded a similar campaign in the pages of US screen bible Variety, (click here) the film was at this stage clearly under the direction of Guy Hamilton.
A final treat for the Superman historian was the neat addition of the bookmark – (god knows it needs one) cleverly modelled after a clothing tag for none-other than Bermans & Nathans, (bottom pic) makers of, among many other adornments, Superman’s costume…
SUPERMANIA presents the concluding part of Dwight R. Decker’s exhaustive review of Superman: The Movie from the vintage pages of The Comics Journal.
Pulling no punches as established in Part 1, Decker’s continued observations are at once barbed as they are complimentary. Having passed judgement on the Krypton scenes through the eyes of a comic-book devotee, Decker notes that the Smallville scenes (short of the era represented by the established timeline) are equally strong.
A favourite quote from the late Tom Mankiewicz was “Bam! You get to Metropolis and you’re in the comic book” may be true but this is where Decker begins to take exception. Besides the obvious praise for newcomer Reeve (no mean feat for a die-hard comic fan) the casting choices of Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper and especially Gene Hackman in his view are at odds with the characters represented on the page. While a case could be made for the descent into camp of the Luthor scenes( being reminiscent of the Batman TV series) the commentary on Margot and Jackie is harsh and the romantic, whimsical themes portrayed in the picture are clearly wasted on him.
In his summing up Decker enforces a common myth by claiming Superman is several movies in one. As the narrative is clearly a play of three very different acts he manages to undo some of his sharper insights when he claims the movie commits ‘dramatic suicide’ with the Luthor plot and that Lois should’ve stayed dead…
