“He hopped off of the balcony and said “Good evening Miss Lane” – and Geoffrey Unsworth looked over at me and went (mugs impressed face) because the tone was just right. We went through the test and we knew…we had him. I remember we sent the test back to Warner Brothers and we prayed. We said we love, love this kid. And they saw it and they went great, go with him, if you feel that strongly that’s terrific…”
-Tom Mankiewicz, Taking Flight – The Development of Superman
A casting call so grand in scale it echoed the the search for Scarlett O’Hara decades before, the question of just who would fill Superman’s boots for the upcoming 1978 movie would similarly become the stuff of Hollywood legend.
39 years ago today, young, idealistic and ambitious actor Christopher Reeve took to the makeshift set at Shepperton Studios clad in the most embarrassingly makeshift of superhero costumes to perform a pivotal scene for Director Richard Donner.
Sweating profusely in long johns with layers of black shoe polish in his hair, Reeve, although clearly nervous, manages to somehow transcend the outfit and even at this early stage, convey the most human of aliens in the most earnest of ways.
It would take a year of weight gain and pumping iron before lean Reeve would fill out the cape in the style to which comic-book readers had become accustomed to over forty years, but the excitement (and relief) must have been tangible by the end of the audition process – having screened everybody from Sylvester Stallone to the producers dentist.
The final word is best left to Donner about his ‘discovery’ of the man who would go on to embody the Man of Steel for 10 years, three more movies and beyond –
After a two-month hiatus, SUPERMANIA returns from the confines of the Xeno Galaxy with the long-overdue result of a fantastic collaboration in hand…
The product of years of diligent research, design and copy writing, this fan project has finally come to fruition and fulfilled its original brief – to plug a big hole in Superman collectable history.
Never officially produced for reasons still unknown, this Topps style Superman IV: The Quest For Peace Movie Picture Card series has been created from scratch using rare images compiled from the SUPERMANIA, Capedwonder.com andA Tribute To Christopher Reeve‘s joint collections to fill the void and illustrate the story of the longest, uncut version of the film as originally intended over 99 cards.
Considerable effort was made to give this set as authentically vintage appearance as possible to compliment the prior collections in the series perfectly and be indistinguishable in presentation and quality from any official release from the era (second pic) from the traditional title card (top pic) to the accompanying story breakdown on the reverse (incorporating all deleted scenes).
This full base set (Note: Stickers will be a future project) concludes with a special hand-numbered preview card (note; ‘AP’ Artists Proof) of the unmade feature Superman V (third pic, for fun as if the movie series were to continue) for this strictly-limited run of 50 sets (to tie in with Superman’s 50th anniversary at the time).
SUPERMANIA highlights that this is simply a wish fulfilment fan-art project and does not intend to infringe copyright in any way. However, should you wish to learn more about the collection, feel free to leave comments below and an email address should you require more information…
At arguably the height of his fame and looking cool on the cover (top) of the UK Observer Sunday magazine, Christopher Reeve gives a great candid interview to Lesley Thornton on the week of the British release of Superman III.
Clearly enamoured with the then 30-year old superstar, the interviewer manages to record Reeve’s career and insights economically and with charm – highlighting that though a big part of his success to may have been attributed to something he despised (youth marketing and sequels) the Superman films were kept to a good standard, even though this would allegedly be his last…
Pitched somewhere between the heights of Rona Barretts Hollywood and the depths of The National Enquirer, this special pull-out from obscure US publication Modern People is a perfect example of 1970’s trash journalism.
On the stands from February 11th 1979, this cover story plus four page spread focuses on the seedier aspects of the hit movie of 1978, with (mostly fabricated) tales of the love lives of both leading men casually enforced by paparazzi photographs nestled alongside official press release stills.
SUPERMANIA continues its mission to revive and restore the most obscure vintage ephemera from around the world by adding this great rare find to the archive. Enjoy!!
Despite repeated denials on the subject when the question of the possibility of a smaller scale Reeve Superman figure was posed by SUPERMANIA on Twitter, NECA have surpassed expectations by not only producing this all-new 7″ figure but having in the shelves already.
Part of an exclusive promotion (similar to their Keaton Batman figure DVD tie-in a few years back) by Warner Bros. to boost DVD sales, this limited-edition figure is one of three (Adam West Batman and Heath Ledger Joker scaled down from their respective 1/4 scale versions) available online and selected branches of TRU.
Famed for their constant interaction with fans it would appear NECA have heeded some criticism from fans regarding some of the inaccuracies of their recent quarter-scale release (especially the headsculpt) and have delivered a superb package worthy of any collectors inventory.
While the likeness is improved beyond measure by the flattening of the hair and broader face, the figure appears skinny overall and the chest shield (bottom pic) is still an embarrassing afterthought. Minor quibbles with what is the most elegantly presented figure in any scale to date with a beautiful box (top pic) and sporting a fabulous cloth cape (third pic) this is a serious contender for the best Superman action figure to date.
Due to restrictions of the promotion this figure is frustratingly limited to the USA at present with no word from NECA on whether or not the run will be extended or indeed make it overseas. The apparent indifference from NECA regarding availability paired with QC issues reportedly arising from the first batch (breakable limbs and poor paint apps) may have left a poor first impression but overall this release should be cause for celebration for fans of the classic Superman Movies…
Thanks to TOYARK for the quality pics – read their review here…
