My sincere thanks go to fellow SuperFan Alexei Lambley-Steel for allowing me the chance to own the little slice of cinematic history pictured above.
Culled from a package originally delivered to Hair Supervisor Joan White at Dovemead Productions on 23/06/82 containing three handmade hairpieces, pictured above is one attributed to Clark Kent stunt double Richard Hammet for Superman III. This handmade, human hair, lace-fronted hairpiece has a surprisingly reddish-brown tint and although somewhat thinned, has survived well for a 30+ year old wig.
Due to its Tribble-like appearance when it arrived with me I sought to restore it to its original glory without compromising the authenticity of the piece. To that end, a comb, a little water spray and a lot of patience paid dividends as the famous mild-mannered reporters locks fell neatly into place, a fantastic addition to my collection…
Auction House Profiles in History Chosen to sell the fabled Dreier Hollywood/Pop Culture Memorabilia Collection this summer…
Profiles in History have been selected to handle the sale of the celebrated Dreier Collection. Due to the size, scope and significance of the Dreier Collection, it will take nearly two years and several auctions to offer all of the material. The first installment of the Dreier Collection will be sold in July 2012.
Some of the highlights of this historic collection include:
The most significant Christopher Reeve “Superman” collection in private hands
Michael Jackson’s signature leather costume from his “Bad” tour
The most important Willy Wonka collection extant
Will Ferrell’s “Ron Burgundy” costume from Anchorman & others from Blades of Glory & Talladega Nights
Signature costumes and props from such legendary films and TV shows as Star Trek, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, X-Men, Batman and Austin Powers.
According to Joe Maddalena, CEO and President of Profiles in History, the importance of the Dreier Collection cannot be overstated. “This is a monumental offering, and it is a collection that commands every adjective you can think of – impeccable, amazing, phenomenal, diverse, top quality. Even the most seasoned collector will be blown away by the collection’s depth, breadth and level of importance”.
“Our family has been honored to house these treasures over the last 15 years, and now it is time to share them with the hobby,” said father and son collectors, Chad and Doug Dreier. “Joe Maddalena and the crew at Profiles In History were clearly the right choice to help us with the collection”.
As vendors for the archive of producer Ilya Salkind in 2007 – The team at Profiles In History have considerable experience with original and genuine artefacts from the Superman series. Though the Dreier collection is a revelation to me (despite its legendary status attributed here) I eagerly anticipate the level of significance of the Superman collection boasted. If you are thinking of investing in what will no doubt be some expensive lots – may I firstly recommend some research on Jason DeBord’s incomparable Original Prop Blog followed by a revision on my exhaustive article on Superman costumes.
Stay tuned for further updates as information becomes available…
My sincere thanks to SuperFans Sebastian Columbo, Alexei Lambley-Steel and Seby Ravi for their assistance in solving the identity of the man standing with Christopher Reeve in the top image.
Amazingly, some 25 years later, actor/entertainer Donald Standen is still making public appearances as The Man Of Steel having been elected as Reeve’s personal choice of on-set double (as highlighted in the production used call sheet from the Metro Club scene, second pic) for Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. A familiar face on British TV thanks to his appearances in numerous commercials, (including the Superman themed one for Specsavers posted above) Donald is the face of Action Hero Events where he can be booked to appear in character for themed evenings, predominantly as his other persona, James Bond.
SUPERMANIA wishes Don all the best in his endeavours and is pleased to see him keeping the spirit alive…
More first-published images from the portfolio of ‘PartkStreetParrot’ featuring the M25 location for the final scenes of ‘Superman IV: The Quest For Peace’ –
From the top – Christopher Reeve makes off with his chair & script, The crew setting up shot with Lex Luthor’s ‘Stunt’ and ‘Picture’ car, Reeve conferring with Director Sidney J. Furie and actor Jon Cryer and repairs to the apparently overheating ‘Hero’ car during shooting…
Marvel, if you will, at the supreme talents of one Richard Martin, UK-based Special Effects Make-Up artist, Sculptor, painter and indeed, SuperFan. Pictured above are two of his sole creations, 1:1 silicone figures of Christopher Reeve as Superman and a bust of Terrance Stamp as General Zod. Those lucky enough to attend the Memorabilia 2011 show at the NEC Birmingham will surely testify to the frightening realism of these pieces in the flesh among other exhibits in the first ever prop party sanctioned by the RPF.
Chances are you’ve seen some of Rich’s work already on screen and not even known it. With a portfolio containing significant contributions to everything from the last series of Dr. Who to Lady Ga-Ga Music videos, go to his site for an impressive showcase of his work.
With the credentials shown above I was compelled to contact Rich myself to assist with my own Superman 1:1 project last year and to my surprise he accepted – taking on the difficult task of inserting prosthetic eyes into my bust, mounting it onto the mannequin and finally giving it a realistic paintjob of incredible quality. The result will be shown in a future post but for right now I want to thank Rich for being such a consummate professional and a real gent – he literally came to my rescue…
From the top, pics and video taken from the RPF booth by me (please excuse my Zod impression, I got excited:) of Rich Martin’s Superman projects (both now in the hands of private collectors)
