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exhibit was first unveiled in the County Hall site on the South Bank in 2010 (see my archived post) before being withdrawn some months later.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)
Sold only days ago by the Propstore Of London, the unique item shown above is not your typical example of movie memorabilia, nor is it a hand-me-down from a market-stall trader –
Gifted to ‘John’ for Christmas 1977, this coat is actually one of Christopher Reeve’s on-set casual jackets worn between takes both to cover his Superman costume and offer warmth against freezing nights on the Pinewood lot.
Watch any Superman ‘Making of’ documentary on Blu-ray/DVD to see Chris in a variety of coveralls during his tenure between takes – (pictured bottom is a similar jacket worn during the shooting of Superman II) consisting of coats and more often than not, a bright red dressing gown.
This particular offering is made all the more poignant by the accompanying handwritten letter on Superman production stationary by Reeve himself reading;
“Dear John –
This is by way of a present because
I don’t really know what you need and
I hate to give useless things –
Anyway Merry Christmas and
thank you for being a friend.
Yours,
Chris.”
With such great provenance the jacket sold within hours of being listed, possibly not on the strength of the item (fine example though it is) but by the story behind it proving that even Superman needs a friend…
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..!
Following on from this post celebrating the release of one of the first-ever VHS ‘boxsets’, by Warner Bros – shown above are scans of the original cover sleeves of the ‘Superheroes’ collection.
Note the picture error on the Superman II artwork and the quaint yellow boot-tops in the Superman illustration used throughout the set (artist unknown) and the overbearing Weintraub logo (preventing the set from looking uniform) across the bottom of Superman III.
Also released in the Superheroes line but absent from the boxset was 1984’s Supergirl, a trend that would continue throughout subsequent formats to this day…
To commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the US release of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace this month in Theatres, I present this archival feature from UK Sci-Fi magazine Starburst #110 with insights from Nuclearman himself, Mark Pillow.
Of particular note is the Superman IV prop exhibition attended by both Mark and leading lady Margot Kidder in London’s Hamleys toy store where the interview was conducted on 22nd July 1987, some two days before the UK premiere. Note Mark’s portrait against what looks like a model of the Soviet Satellite from the opening sequence of the movie –
SUPERMANIA is looking for any more pictures and info from this event – did you attend all those years ago during its seven-week run? I’d love to hear from you…!
