September 25th would have been Christopher Reeve’s 59th birthday.
Still sorely missed his influence and spirit are stronger than ever seen through the eyes of his offspring as they continue to campaign for his beloved cause while we watch them grow to be the echo of their father. You can join them in honouring his legacy and life by visiting this this page and making a contribution.
One can only imagine how proud our Superman must be of them and of the fact he is remembered with such affection. We still believe…
Pictured above – Pages culled from Japan Screen magazine of Christopher Reeve’s promotional tour for Superman: The Movie…
Once described by Newsweek columnist Jack Kroll as having a face ‘as sharp & strong as an axe blade’ Christopher Reeve’s features were ideally suited for the transition of Superman from the comic-book page to Silver Screen.
Pictured from top is the very latest addition to my collection both echoing this sentiment and representing the end of a personal crusade to locate and obtain this rarest of ‘lifecasts’ of the man himself. This indisputably genuine cast taken from Reeve’s face during the production of the Superman films is the work of make-up guru Stuart Freeborn (bottom pic, Far left). Freeborn (who turned 97 this past week!) is a bona-fide legend in the industry and remained makeup Supervisor for all four Reeve pictures.
Besides famously serving as the face model for Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back, Freeborn was responsible for the differentiation in appearance between Clark & Superman as well as the vile demeanour for his Evil persona in Superman III. As illustrated in the last pic, Freeborn made multiple casts of the principals mainly for infrequently-used stand-in dummies (e.g. The Fire & Ice scene in Superman: The Movie) and other effects sequences but despite this, few were thought to exist beyond the end of production. Indeed, the only evidence of a surviving example was featured in a lot offered some years ago from the Freeborn estate by the Propstore Of London and was snapped up for a handsome price even in its battered state, making this newly-discovered sharper example all the more desirable…
This most recent addition to the SUPERMANIA collection is this incredibly rare set of three complete jigsaws with accompanying full-colour prints in original box –
Released in 1978 by FX Schmid, these three iconic shots are a fantastic representation of scenes from Superman: The Movie and were found languishing at a local toyfair before being snapped up for a song and added to the archive…
Following up on this month’s Trading Card theme, SUPERMANIA presents the very first collectables that resonated at such a young age and became the basis of the collection –
The amazing colourful images adorning each pack of cards (In the UK they came without stickers!) instantly captured the imagination. The favourites were the solo publicity shots of Christopher Reeve with the New York backdrop, of which there were many (see the complete sets here) where you could really believe the Man of Steel was real and among us.
Besides the nostalgia there is much to enjoy with the Topps series 1&2 including a glimpse of what we now know as deleted scenes and even cards dedicated to the creative team including Director Richard Donner. For genuine fanatics its notable the Canadian set ran for 132 cards and included French subtitles while the US set ran for 77 and the shortchanged UK for 66!
The trend would continue for the sequels (with the exception of Superman IV, see post below) but nothing came close to capturing the magic of the original white-border set and the anticipation of completing the picture puzzle on the card backs..!
From the top – Original countertop boxes for US Series 1&2 with unopened UK packs, scans of Series 1&2 wrappers advertising the option of purchasing a ‘Press Sheet’ of uncut cards and the Topps Special Offer poster…
Was there ever a more striking iconic image to help define pop-culture of the 1970’s?
The only images that spring to mind are Farah Fawcett’s smiling poster and the cover of the ‘Grease’ album. There had been long speculation in the press at the time that ‘newcomer’ Christopher Reeve was ‘too skinny’ for the role so the Producers response was to send Reeve on special photo shoots in New York to pose on the banks of the East River and overlooking Central Park to prove the Man Of Steel was indeed real. The first hint that the production was a serious take on the legend is the fact Superman is presented here without a hint of irony in a contemporary setting in broad daylight looking as if he’s just walked off of the front page of his own comic book. Reeve’s steely gaze in the spectacular new Superman costume is the kind of cover editors dream of and so was used repeatedly all over the world to announce his arrival on the big screen…
