Yet another hot-off-the-press SUPERMANIA exclusive – while the images above at first glance would arguably pass as an authentic, full size Christopher Reeve costume, what you are seeing in fact is the development and fitting stages of an outfit for a premiere ONE THIRD scale statue. (click on pics for larger images).
Standing at an incredible 25 inches when finished, (note the the fingers in the 3rd pic down for scale) this latest of sculptures by US SuperArtist Bob Causey is a variation of his 1:1 project and will be produced in a very limited run.
Among the lucky recipients of these will be SuperFan Chris King, who has served as consultant for many Superman model projects (including mine) and has commissioned this costume to be constructed in miniature using exactly the same techniques as the full-size counterpart. (including the S/shield painstakingly drafted by Sebastian Columbo and sewn into, not onto the tunic!) Stay tuned for more updates as this impressive project develops…
Another SUPERMANIA exclusive – This gargantuan rendering of Honest Abe is a piece of the long-thought lost or destroyed prop of Mount Rushmore from Richard Lester’s Superman II.
Miraculously salvaged from Pinewood Studios upon completion of filming, the face still exhibits the pre-cut chunks for the shattering to occur when The Phantom Zone Villains give it the heat-vision treatment for replacement with their own portraits.
Now preserved in a private collection, these rare photographs are proof the miniature survived not only its onscreen demise but the wrath of the studio skip and maintain its rightful place in film history. My sincere thanks to Author and SuperFan Steve Cambden for granting permission to scan these pics from his archive…
In conclusion to the posts detailing the Superman Soundtrack library I present this fascinating pair of double disc releases from 1998 and 2000, respectively. These infinitely contrasting CD’s are notable for being the first full rehashes of John Williams original score since the 1978 soundtrack album, supplemented by previously unreleased material.
Curiously, Varese Sarabande were there first, with a 20-track adaptation ably performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Emmy Award winning composer (SeaQuest DSV) John Debney. Simply but gracefully presented, the set makes up for any lack of WB involvement by utilising hitherto unseen paintings for Superman: The Movie by Bob Peak for the cover and liner notes (2nd and 4th pics). This, plus the never-before-published music from The Helicopter Rescue (Disc 2, Track 1) quickly made the album a must-have and somewhat of a rarity today.
Not be outdone, two years later Warner Brothers Archive label Rhino would offer a humdinger of a package as a sparkling update/re-issue of the original John Williams material that re-addressed the balance by offering 35 tracks of remastered music mostly peppered with previously unreleased material. Exquisitely packaged, with an holographic slipcase and colour liner-notes, this Michael Matessino-produced spectacular was considered definitive until the discovery of even better source material during research conducted for the upcoming Superman: The Movie Special Edition on DVD. It would be the best part of a decade before the reels discovered in Pinewood Studios vaults would yield the ultimate box-set…
Presenting recent and scarce additions to my collection from the vast archive of SuperFan William S. Wilson –
The above double-page vintage promos from 1985 culled from the pages of weekly Variety are a Cannon Films showcase published during what could be arguably described as their prime. The announcement of Superman IV was quite the coup for new producers Menachem Golan and Yoram Globus who look rather pleased (along with the board, bottom pic) with their acquisition of the Superman Motion Picture Property from the Salkinds, shortly before slashing its intended budget and ultimately delivering the picture that would kill the franchise…
My thanks to Chris King for re-assembling the artwork & Mr. Wilson for his continued generosity…
