We interrupt our scheduled posts in the wake of the brand new viral promo from CBS currently polarising comic fans across the globe – for the Maid of Might has taken to the airwaves once again.
In this unprecedented six-minutes of footage we see much of the established comic -canon has been given a contemporary makeover (for better or worse). While it may be galling to see a character as iconic as cub reporter Jimmy Olsen upgraded from ginger hair & freckles to tall black man, Kara Danvers (apparently not Linda Lee) thankfully seems to have most of her character traits intact.
Amid all the camp, teen angst and homages to The Devil Wears Prada, there does seem to be some compelling action, decent effects, great costume (courtesy of designer Colleen Attwood) and most importantly an acknowledgement of previous ‘Super’ stars – exemplified by the appearance of Dean Cain and Helen Slater in as yet unidentified roles (Earth Parents??).
And so in true SUPERMANIA fashion we go retro to 1984 to revisit and celebrate the Salkind’s mega-budget incarnation of Supergirl on the big screen with these scarce behind the scenes portraits above – firstly with a studio shot of Helen Slater perfectly cast as Kara Zor-El (top) and alongside her stunt double (Wendy Leech?) On location in Scotland with ‘cape wrangler’ to hand (If anybody can identify the crew here it would be appreciated!) and finally a magnificent front projection shot in-flight.
Supergirl will fly again in November…
Bonjour Superfans – This month’s posts on SUPERMANIA are devoted purely to rare collectables originating from Producer Pierre Spengler’s home country of France, where Superman:The Movie was released as Superman: Le Film.
Shown above is the bumper French Press book, its 60 pages filled with sharp B&W portraits and biographies of cast and crew under its crisp white cover (top). Considerably sleeker than the no-frills campaign books produced in the UK, this A4 sized volume profiles everybody from Geoffrey Unsworth to Yvonne Blake.
And found resting under a sheet of tissue inside the back cover were three loose glossy ad blocks in various sizes intended for reproduction in newspapers and magazines. Featuring art from the US one sheet and UK Quad (third pic) for layout options, its unknown if they formed part of the original press package but compliment the package perfectly…
Coming soon – Le Jigsaws…
Presenting the final two vintage Shreddies Superman III Action Replay games (scroll down to earlier posts for the rest of the set).
With their collective eye set firmly on the upcoming (and potentially very lucrative) 50th anniversary celebrations of The Man of Steel in 1988, Warner Home Video went the extra mile with promotional material including the fold out brochure shown above.
This Super-rare glossy pamphlet was presumably an industry handout for the rental boom of the mid to late 80’s and may well have doubled up as advertising in-store. Although mostly devoted to the latest cinematic instalment Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, this would also mark the first appearance on tape of the 1950’s TV series ‘The Adventures of Superman’ with the first two volumes containing ‘Best of’ episodes alongside new transfers of the beloved Max Fliescher Superman cartoons…
One of the many memorable scenes in The Making of Superman II is the walkaround shot demonstrating the plethora of capes for The Man of Steel hanging proudly in the wardrobe department. As we know, many of the scarlet drapes were produced for very specific purposes such as flying or walking, and also made from a variety of fabrics to highlight movement.
It would be easy to claim the pics above are of one of the few pieces left from the production but alas, it is instead the work of talented Superfan Greg Vasilof, who, frustrated with the lack of detail on the various replica capes on the market, sought out to make his own (top pic).
Buying up a healthy portion of the tried & true red wool gaberdine fabric used by Action Costumes to create their replicas – Greg refined details such as the pleats and padding while adding an authentic, finishing touch – the handwritten interior label (second pic).
Famously noted as ‘Colour B’ (red) these sewn in patches (Greg even replicated the handwriting and copied the haphazard stitching) were mounted in most capes so the costume dept. could distinguish one from the other as often they would need to be changed scene by scene.
Not content with producing the cape labels, Greg also went on to reproduce the famed interior Bermans and Nathans costume labels with authentic details (bottom pic) to stitch into his own display costume to give it the accurate finish. As a conscientious Superfan, however, Greg is neither selling nor distributing these labels to avoid them being used as provenance for counterfeit costumes (the sales of which I’m proud to say has eroded considerably in recent years thanks to growing awareness) but is indeed producing capes to sell privately. Should any discerning Superfan wish to add one of these quality props to their collection feel free to contact me…
