Going under the gavel in in a matter of days and currently on display at the IMAX Odeon in London’s Waterloo, this unprecedented collection of production/screenused treasures from the series of Superman films is presented in catalogue form by Propstore here on SUPERMANIA.
High-end pieces all with estimates set to suit a modest or high budget, this gathering of production ephemera and screenused props represents the finest collection of Superman related material to hit the market since the Ilya Salkind collection was offered by Profiles in History in 2007.
Chief among the lots is the full-size Starship ruin from Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, first positively identified and documented on SUPERMANIA here and presumed lost to storage after the closure of the London Film museum in 2013. ‘Superman’s Pod’ was obtained by Propstore and now offered in exactly the same condition as it was seen on display (then incorrectly listed as originating from Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie) and is a completely unique piece of Super-history.
Other highlights are the Cosmonaut suits (made by costumiers Bermans and Nathans) from the opening scenes of Superman IV and storyboards from Superman III. Fans of the original movie and its sequel are catered for also by a pair of scripts and photographic contact sheets and even Supergirl is represented by a superb piece of (ultimately unused) concept art by Chris Achillieos.
This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bid and own these pieces starts at 2PM (GMT+1) on 23rd of September. SUPERMANIA would like to extend an advance invitation to the lucky new owners to have their purchases showcased here along with their stories…
Costume month draws to a close on SUPERMANIA with a preview of not one, but two magnificent lots soon coming up for auction from Propstore – the quality, provenance and likes of which that may never be seen again.
With Warner Bros. recent announcement that no further items of wardrobe from the classic Superman movies will released into the collectors market, these two immaculate pieces may well represent the best and last of their archive made available.
And quite the fascinating tales they tell. Studio labelled throughout and complete with COA from WB, these special-effects purpose tunics offer rare insight into the considerable effort made in 1978 to convince audiences a man could fly.
Custom-made for specific scenes, the differences between what, on screen, represent exactly the same outfit in reality are marked. Note the colour differentiation between the blues for the tunic made to not darken when soaked through to a tunic (minus shorts) tailored for flying against a front-projection screen.
Commanding appropriate reserves and going under the gavel on Sept. 23rd, these choice examples of film/comic book history form part of the astonishing collection offered in the Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction being held at the BFI IMAX in London’s Waterloo. Besides the beautifully presented catalogue (pages reproduced above), live previews of 250 treasures will be available courtesy of ODEON (dates TBA) in a museum grade exhibition…
UPDATE: Video of the lot here.
August is Supersuit month here at SUPERMANIA with a series of posts dedicated to the iconic costume past, present and future in anticipation of the newly revised and updated feature coming soon to Capedwonder,com.
This first contribution from Superfan Jonathan Pierson is a superb example, appearing in the most unexpected of places but to longtime readers of the blog, this particular display may seem familiar. Jon takes up the story here –
“I attended the National Sports Collectors Convention in Rosemont, IL (http://www.nsccshow.com/). It was held at the Donald E Stephens Convention Center from Thursday, July 30th to Sunday August 2nd. As you can see from the title it is a Sports Collectors Convention which was why I was pleasantly surprised to walk in and see the Christopher Reeve Superman suit on display. It was on display right at the entrance. I couldn’t tell if it was up for auction or not but thanks to your articles I was carefully looking at the fabric to see if it was authentic. I took the photos of the suit with an iPhone camera and was upset that I didn’t bring my better camera but then again, I wasn’t expecting to see the suit there. I was wondering if it really was a suit that Reeve wore. The mannequin that it was on made it look rather small but I am guessing that it would have stretched to fit him. I believe the display listed the suit as being from the first movie. They also had on display the green crystal used by Marlon Brando to put into the ship before it took off. It seems like you guys know some of the history of this particular suit and I would love to learn more about it…”
Made public from ‘The most significant Christopher Reeve Superman collection in private hands’ and offered in auction by Profiles in History in July 2012, the complete, genuine outfit above was formerly part of the Dreier Collection and sold for an impressive $65,000.
As these latest pictures show, little has changed from how the lot was presented a few years ago and seems to be in the same fine condition. Still mounted on its uncomfortably thin mannequin in an awkward pose, the suit is hardly shown off to its maximum potential unstretched and almost calls its authenticity into question with its wonky chest shield and barely attached cape.
Boldly exhibited in open air there is thankfully enough detail here (tacky sign notwithstanding) to reassure that this is indeed a genuine and enduring piece, with the stitchlines in the boots and unique lycra weave present and correct. Thanks to Jon for this great find…!
At the dawn of DC Comics properties conquest of the silver screen, modern day successors Marvel would gamely go along for the ride in early 1979 with both this fun publication above and its more highbrow twin Starburst (to be featured in an upcoming post).
While Pizzazz may well have been ‘humour in the Marvel manner’, the articles featured about ‘The Big Palooka’ were very well-written and offered some great insights into the upcoming movie and probably best of all, a preview of Richard Donner’s Superman II, where actress/stuntwoman Ellen Bry (fresh from her appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man TV pilot, or feature if you lived in the UK) speaks out regarding a scene that wouldn’t surface publicly for another thirty years…
Following on from the last post and as a prelude to the ‘Super Supper’ came the small matter of the European Royal Charity Premiere of Superman: The Movie, attended by no less than her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Prince Andrew and in aid of the Variety Club of Great Britain and The National Association for Maternal and Child Welfare.
From the same lot as the Dinner memorabilia are the priceless relics above, where the handsome silver card (top pic) presents itself as an application for a ticket to the Press Show (second pic) which was obviously successful as evidenced by the Super-rare ticket from the showing (bottom pic) where seat 25 of the phenomenal EMPIRE Theatre in Leicester Square would be reserved.
Accompanying the ticket would be thick, glossy programme packed full of well-wishes and full page ads for the various sponsors of the event. With far too many highlights to showcase effectively here, Jim Bowers of Capedwonder.com has graciously provided this marvellous PDF to offer the full experience.
So, along with this great footage (hosted by Superfan Oliver Harper) there you have it, the whole event chronicled as best SUPERMANIA can – almost as good as being there yourself short of standing in line and bowing before her Maj…
