Today would have been Christopher Reeve’s 60th birthday. In honour of his memory and to celebrate his tenure as the Man Of Steel I present my collection of images signed at various stages by the man himself –
From the top – autograph dedicated ‘To Mark’ obtained in-person by a crew member at Pinewood Studios during 1978, hand signed index card from the mid-80’s matted with a print from Superman: The Movie, pre-printed card with a shot of Reeve in ’77 and another print taken from BRAVO magazine from 1979.
Forever missed, forever in our hearts & minds – Forever a Superman…
While I really wish the above were a new figure announcement from Hot Toys, it is in fact a fabulous piece of art illustrating what arguably should’ve been part of an abandoned DX release already.
Courtesy of SuperFan Michael Stribling comes this pitch-perfect manip of the MMS 152 Superman figure into Christopher Reeve’s bespectacled alter-ego in tailored Navy blue 3-piece pinstripe suit, screen accurate tie and horn-rimmed glasses. Accessories besides those pictured would possibly include briefcase, raincoat, alternate ‘shirt-ripping’ hands, one open hand (with caught bullet), copy of the Daily Planet with ‘Caped Wonder Stuns City‘ headline and best of all, Superman costume tunic under the shirt so the figure can be posed in ‘reveal’ mode.
Take this clear and simple brief, multiply by fan demand and there must be only one question remaining – Why haven’t Hot Toys made this yet…? Lets ask…!!!
Featured in the newest site of The London Film museum, Covent Garden is currently playing host to a treasure trove of cinematic artifacts including a rare opportunity to see the above as part of the Magnum On Set collection.
Originally on loan from the Propstore of London, this incredible exhibit was first unveiled in the County Hall site on the South Bank in 2010 (see my archived post) before being withdrawn some months later.
In the intervening years, however, there has been a curious revision that prompted a trip to view the display up close once again. Whereas the costume in County Hall was successfully screen-matched to specific scenes of both Superman: The Movie and Superman II, it was evident the costume tunic had been switched out for one arguably more instantly recognisable.
To clarify, all the Superman costumes were handmade and therefore share particular quirks as none were 100% the same. This costume, however, can be matched to a specific scene in Luthor’s Lair in Superman: The Movie and is clearly identifiable (despite two differing tunics being used in the same scene!) besides being used in promotional material (most notably in the Topps trading card sets as shown in the comparison above. The key identifier is the unique shape of the yellow triangle at the base of the chest shield giving the bottom curve of the \S/ its shape.
Quite why the top has been switched out is a mystery (as this is clearly a much older piece rightly showing its age and not a colour match to the tights) and there has clearly been amendments to the mannequin’s padding, making the body visibly more slender than before. The rest of the exhibit attributes (cape, boots, belt, etc.) appear unchanged.
The exhibition is in its closing weeks now so if you have an opportunity to go and see this genuine piece of Movie history I can’t recommend it highly enough. Vintage Superman costumes are becoming more rare in the public domain and it is unlikely we will ever see their kind (with such accurate provenance) again.
Further reading about the specifics of Christopher Reeve’s Superman costume will be available in the coming weeks with a updated version of my detailed analysis featured on the incomparable capedwonder.com where an extensive gallery of both the Propstore displays can be found…
UPDATE 12/09: Official Propstore feature on this piece here
(comparison pic courtesy of capedwonder.com & Chris King)
Despite its charmingly vintage appearance, this nicely-presented four-page German programme would seem to originate from 2006 and cost one Euro!
A great little piece of cinema history to add to the collection..!
A limited edition release to coincide with DC Comics 75th anniversary, the Christopher Reeve as Superman bust represented a new direction for collectables division DC Direct by going retro. Indeed, the sculpture pictured above is only the second-ever officially licensed collectable from Superman: The Movie bearing the likeness of Reeve, (the 1/6 statue sculpted by Karen Palinko being the first) the line continuing to spawn similar tributes to Tim Burton’s Batman.
While the piece is nicely rendered by Adam Beane (reminiscent of Reeve in his earliest Fortress scenes) on a crystal base featuring the \S/ logo, its let down horribly by the paint-job and the sheer lack of attention to detail. While I admit not fully comprehending the purpose of display busts anyway this could have been a great, fun item but in honesty I’m a bigger fan of the box and purchased it only for completest sake.
Beane’s talents seem to have been way under-utilised here and one could make a convincing case that the 1/6 statue would have benefited more from his take on the celluloid Man Of Steel provided the finish was of equal standard. As is, IMHO its a chintzy companion piece to said statue and should only be of interest to die-hard fans. Having said that, a donation to the Christopher & Dana Reeve foundation is made with its every purchase and there can be no better recommendation than that…
