28 June 2009

 A major blow has happened in the photography world. Kodak's famous Kodachrome slide film is being discontinued, and it is uncertain for how long labs will be able to process it. Like many photographers who grew up on film, this is very sad news for me. I own many Kodachrome slides that my grandmother shot starting in the 1930s, and they still look brand new...incredible sharpness, color and detail...the best. Here is a triple exposed Kodachrome 25 transparency that I shot at the Stone Mountain, Georgia, laserlight fireworks show in 1987. That carving on the mountain is 90 feet by 90 feet in diameter.

 On a lighter note, I was fortunate enough this morning to get hold of ten rolls of Kodachrome 64 film. I am very excited about shooting with it again after a ten year hiatis at next month's Screaming Tiki Cleveland Super-Con. Among the things I will be shooting are the incredible new comic panels that organizer Jamie Reigle sent me news about today. Here's what he had to say:

"Here's a 'sneak peek' at one of the 15 new Action #1 panels that will be mounted around the "Shuster" lot here...

The panels are 30"x40" and weather proof, theft proof, etc. on a nice heavy professional laser printed plate.

There will be all 13 panels of the original comic, as well as a cover on one and the last panel will have a nice description of the creation, photos of the boys, etc.

This was unveiled 2 weeks ago to us and it is shown with Jerry's cousin onthe left and Joe's cousin on the right....this is the ONLY photo so far that has been taking of the panels.

Just one of many new things that the 'Birthplace of Superman' is unveiling next month to honor Superman's creators!"

Thanks Jamie!

 25 June 2009

Below is the schedule of events for next month's Screaming Tiki Cleveland Super-Con. I am a guest and the photographer at this convention where fans will join to honor Superman creators and Cleveland-natives Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Film historian John Field and I will be hosting some panels there, and will be giving away a DC Direct Christopher Reeve Superman statue and other items to some lucky Superman fans at the Superman The Original Movies Trivia Contest 90-minute panel. Here are the front and back of the Screaming Tiki Cleveland Super-Con flyers that were recently circulated to 10,000 people throughout the United States. This show is shaping up to be top-notch...see you there!

FRIDAY JULY 10TH
4pm • Screaming Tiki Convention Floor Opens
5pm Wolfpack Entertainment’s Tribute to Jerry & Joe
6pm • Super-Toons! (a Look at Superman In Animation and his Impersonators - hosted by John Field)
7pm • DC Comic Panel (Mike Gustovich / Craig Rousseau / Eddy Newell)
8pm • Screaming Tiki Convention Floor Closes
8pm • Joe Shuster/ Superman Birthday Cake Cutting
9pm • Tiki Fan Appreciation Gathering

SATURDAY JULY 11TH
10am • Screaming Tiki Convention Floor Opens
10am • Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Siegel House
12pm • Superman the Original Movies Trivia Contest (with hosts Jim Bowers and John Field)
1:30pm • Edward James Olmos panel
3pm • Last Son Movie Screening (Hanna Theater)
4pm • Siegel Shuster Family Panel (Hanna Theater)
5pm • From the Perhapanauts and Beyond (Todd Dezago / Craig Rousseau)
6pm • Star Wars Panel (Ray Park and Daniel Logan)
7pm • Screaming Tiki Convention Floor Closes

SUNDAY JULY 12TH
10am • Screaming Tiki Convention Floor Opens
10am • Movie Premiere of Heroic Ambition
11am • Star Wars Kids Lunch (Lower level of Halle Building)
12pm • Name That Movie! (John Field Video Trivia Contest)
1pm • Smallville Panel (Michael Rosenbaum, Sam Witwer, and Helen Slater)
2pm • 70 years of Marvel (Gary Friedrich / Mike Gustovich)
3pm • From Sci-Fi to Super Heroes (Steve Stanley / Mark McHaley)
4pm • Superman - The All American Hero (1941-78) (hosted by John Field)
5pm • Screaming Tiki Convention Floor Closes
STAY TUNED...MORE TO COME!!!!!

 21 June 2009

Remember your dad today! Happy Father's Day! This my my dad. He is a retired Army Airborne Ranger Infantryman. Tough, motivated, and a great dad and devoted husband. I'm very proud of him for his success in the military and for working his butt off for our family. Thanks Dad! Here's a special Father's Day Superman wallpaper...enjoy!

 19 June 2009

Return to Smallville.

 13 June 2009

Here are new photos of the Christopher Reeve Superman statue and its box from DC Direct.

 11 June 2009

This Superman II (Lester shot) Fortress of Solitude photograph is among my very favorite portraits of Christopher Reeve. It immediately communicates Chris' warm, friendly and strong portrayal of the character. You know, I've been a photographer for over 25 years, and the older I get, the more I am enjoying B&W photographs. I especially like digitally converting color photos into B&W and infared creations. If you take a look at the Kent farm photos (link below in the 10 June posting), you'll see how B&W photos can be quite dramatic. In the case of these landscape/scenics photos, the textures of the wood and the "old days" look and feel really speak to me. I actually prefer the Reeve portrait above in B&W (with some subtle warm tinting) over the colorized version that's been on this site for awhile.

 10 June 2009

 Superman fan Jason Thomas from Canada recently found and photographed THE Kent farm and cemetery location in Canada as seen in Superman-The Movie. I'll soon be dedicating a page to his stories and photos, but in the meantime please download his "best of" photos that I just finished prepping. They are in compressed folders and can be downloaded either here or here. I stetched together DVD screenshots to create this cemetery panoramic. Note that the church and flagpole in the background are forced-perspective miniatures. Enjoy!

 There are two new behind-the-scenes Superman IV photos in the Sequels Gallery.

 07 June 2009

Martin Lakin's fascinating and very infirmative Superman movie costumes article has been updated. Click here to read it. The Original Prop Blog has recently added two incredibly detailed photos of the 'bridal weight spandex' used in authentic Christopher Reeve Superman costumes. Check them out here.

 01 June 2009

For those of you who attended the 1988 50th Anniversary Superman Celebration in Cleveland, Ohio, you may remember the magnificant statue prototype that was on display by the dealer's room. See it here and here. The plan was to erect a huge version of it in the city, but it never happened. Where is this statue today? I am not certain. Who made it? I cannot say. Will a statue ever be erected in Cleveland? I don't know. See the guy in the background wearing the white shirt? That is George Perez! I hope to see many of you in Cleveland next month!

 28 May 2009

Christopher Reeve was on my mind all day yesterday. Just one year prior to his accident, I was talking with this tall, strikingly handsome, and somewhat shy, but very friendly, man backstage at the 1994 Dixie Trek Convention. Chris was a true gentleman with class who gave 100% to many happy fans that day. I am truly blessed to have known him.

 27 May 2009

Enjoy Otis' exploits to Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees. This is a really fun clip, edited by Alex Serpa and featuring many extended scenes never officially released. Download it here. And here is a frame-by-frame comparison clip showing the extensive work that is going into cleaning up footage for the upcoming Superman-The Movie: Restored International Cut DVD.

 21 May 2009

Lately, I have received a number of very nice messages and interesting files from fans. Among them is this studio photo of Brandon Routh in costume. I like the way his cape is being held up with wire/string. Since there are many of Brandon's boot prints on the white set, I wonder just how many poses he struck for the camera. Maybe they will surface one day.

 19 May 2009

 Here are some very interesting early storyboards from Superman II. Notice the panel with the demolished Jumeirah Essex House sign. Here's the Jumeirah Essex House behind Christopher Reeve in the most famous Superman-The Movie promotional photo.

 Here are two excerpts from the must-read Selutron update on Superman Cinema's website:

In his 1978 review of "Superman", Roger Ebert argued that the film was a "wondrous combination of all the old-fashioned things we never really get tired of: adventure and romance, heroes and villains, earthshaking special effects, and -- you know what else? Wit. That surprised me more than anything: That this big-budget epic, which was half a decade making its way to the screen, would turn out to have an intelligent sense of humor about itself."

...as Americans begin to feel more proud of their country again, the mythological aspect of America, one exemplified by Superman, can unashamedly re-emerge in a way that might have made people want to puke only a few years ago.

Read more here.

 18 May 2009

 Screaming Tiki Cleveland Super-Con has updated their website. I am looking forward to meeting and photographing Helen Slater.

 Warner Home Video has announced the U.K. Blu-ray release of a double pack containing both Superman-The Movie and Superman Returns for the 15th of June. Read more here and here. The Christopher Reeve Superman image on this Blu-ray box art originated from CapedWonder™.com.

 Amazon.com is reporting a new release date of June 11, 2009 for the upcoming DC Direct Christopher Reeve Superman statue from DC Direct. See photos here, here, here, and here. Interesting blog. This is actually my favorite Christopher Reeve statue. Read more here.

 05 May 2009

  PBS series American Masters (in the section devoted to the series of episodes titled, You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story) there are additional interviews with Warner Bros. directors, producers, and executives not included in the film. Watch Richard Donner's interview about Christopher Reeve's car and his former Warner Bros. office.

Here are much larger versions of two photographs of Christopher Reeve here and here; and a never-before-released photograph of Noel Neill that I shot at 1994 Atlanta Dixie Trek convention. Chris is seen here backstage signing autographs for the organizers before meeting Noel Neill on stage to give his question and answer session. You can read more about Chris, Noel and the convention here. I shot many photos of Chris and Noel that day, so I'll eventually get them posted to the page...stay tuned! Most of you have probably already seen this one that appears in Noel's book and on her table when she attends shows across the country.

 04 May 2009

Superfan James Mercuri was kind enough to send me some very nice scans of posters from all four Christopher Reeve Superman films. Go to the Gallery to see them!

 02 May 2009

 This is one of my favorite portraits of 34-year-old Christopher Reeve, from the United Nations scene in Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.

 There's a new gallery of behind-the-scenes photographs from the Superboy TV show here.

 27 April 2009

Isn't it amazing how Christopher Reeve looked like Superman even when he wasn't in character? Here's three photos of Chris taken in his late 30's. They were taken with Kodak Tri-X film and scanned with a Nikon CoolScan 8000 professional scanner. I did no manipulation besides dust removal and contrast correction: 1|2|3. Chris still looked great, didn't he? I think he could have played Superman/Clark Kent well into his 50's. Here are some of the first photos taken of Chris (in his early 20's) around the time that he was picked for Superman (February 1977): 1|2|3|4.

 23 April 2009

The more desirable and unique Christopher Reeve Superman collectibles are difficult to find these days. I remember buying many of them in pristine condition back when Superman-The Movie was released in theaters in 1978. I continued my pursuit of more movie collectibles until about the mid-90s. Now I mainly focus on locating rare stills, slides, transparencies, marketing and promotional materials, anything with photography and art. Among my favorite rare Superman movie toy collectibles are the three Madelman pieces made in Spain to promote the first movie. The video is just great -- check it out! I actually like the box art better than the toys! Go to the Krypto Club blog to learn more about Madelman. And click here, here and here to see more rare Superman toy collectibles. Have a great weekend everyone!

 22 April 2009

Upgrade your Warner Bros. Superman-The Movie and Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut HD-DVDs for new Blu-ray discs. Keep your HD-DVD disc -- just mail the original artwork back along with $4.95 per title! This is a good deal.

 21 April 2009

This behind-the-scenes photo of Christopher Reeve and daughter, Alexandra Reeve, from the set of Superman IV was featured in a Good Morning America interview with Alexandra Reeve Givens this morning on ABC News. She discusses the latest medical news on paralysis. Please visit the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation website often. Thanks to Martin Lakin for contributing the Superman IV photo to CapedWonder™.com.

 20 April 2009

 Artist Sebastian Colombo has been doing some nice restoration work over at his Christopher Reeve gallery. This is one of my favorite pieces by Sebastian. He has been working on restoring the Superman-The Movie Topps gum card sets (both red and white), and his samples look great so far. CapedWonder™.com will be featuring all of his trading cards soon. For a complete gallery of all of the cards as they originally appeared in stores in 1978 click here. Remember the Drakes Cakes Superman trading cards? Here's the cardboard advertising display used in grocery stores.

 Superfan Julian Adderley recently sent me this PDF file of the Superman-The Movie program. If you saw the film on the silver screen, you may remember the theater ushers handing out this great collectible. I own quite a few copies because I saw the film fourteen times in 1978/1979!

 17 April 2009

 New audio and video files have been added to the Superman-The Movie: Restored International Cut and Multimedia sections.

 One of my other favorite "flying" things is the giant manta ray. I had the opportunity to shoot video of 20 of these beautiful, amazing creatures last night in Kona, Hawaii. I was in awe as they "flew" all around our heads feeding on plankton attracted by our lights. It was an incredible experience for my family and me. One of my friends said that it looked like I had brought back video footage from an alien world. Enjoy the video by clicking here. Be sure to choose the "HQ" setting just below the image. Note the moray eel ascending at about the 0:54 mark in the video.

 09 April 2009

My brother and I attended the 50th anniversary Superman celebration in Cleveland, Ohio, in the summer of 1988. Even though the show was not a very successful one, we both had a great time anyway. The dealer's room was fun, the film show was wonderful to watch, and the memorabilia room was an enjoyable place to take photosgraphs. I shot many photos during the trip, and here is one. I will eventually post more photos.

 07 April 2009

I'm sure most of you have seen the original 1978 Making of Superman-The Movie vintage television special. You may remember the short scene of Christopher Reeve at Andy Warhol's house in New York City talking about Chris' belt buckle. When Andy asked him about it, Chris told him that he made it from a spoon in "shop class" in seventh grade at Princeton Day School (Princeton, New Jersey). That would have been in 1964-65. Here's an interesting "biography" that covers Chris' experience at Princeton Day School; and here's an article about Chris on The Daily Princetonian website.

So, you ask...where am I going with this story? Well, I was digging around in my photo collection, like I do quite often, and after looking at some of Chris' makeup shots with Stuart Freeborn, I realized that Chris was wearing that very spoon buckle outside his trailer in Gallup, New Mexico, while preparing to film earthquake scenes with Marc McClure and Margot Kidder (June 1978). Here's the photo with a inset closeup of the buckle taken from a Making of screenshot, and here's a version without the inset photo. Chris often spoke in great detail about his formative years growing up in New Jersey; this buckle must have meant a great deal to him. Watch the Andy Warhol Making of segment here where you can clearly see Chris' buckle. Watch more videos in the CapedWonder™ Multimedia Section.

 06 April 2009

 New images have been added to the Richard Donner Years Gallery, including high-def screenshots like this one of British actress Jayne Tottman who played the little girl with her cat in Superman-The Movie (one of the best scenes in the movie). I did some checking around to see what other work Jayne did as a kid, and I came across this 1979 U.K. public information film, Play Safe: Frisbee.

 This is unrelated to Chris and Superman, but can you see Dana Reeve on stage singing this song, Shining Light, to Chris? I sure can. Singer Annie Lennox is the best, and keeps getting better and better.

 05 April 2009

New images have been added to the Richard Donner Years Gallery and Wallpaper section. Take a close look at this photo of Reeve, Donner and the crew setting up to film Lois Lane roll down her car window to greet Superman after he turns back the world in Superman-The Movie. There are clips in Reeve's hair, apparently to hold his 'S' curl in place during the summer winds in New Mexico. I have never seen these clips in any other behind-the-scenes photos in my collection. When I first scanned these photos, I thought the white clips were dust...until I zoomed in.

 31 March 2009

Watch the three "Fortress of Solitude" video clips from the upcoming Superman-The Movie: Restored International Cut.

 30 March 2009

President Obama signs Christopher Reeve bill. Read the article here. See the video here.

 28 March 2009

Today is the seventh anniversary of CapedWonder™.com! Thank to everyone who supports this website.

 25 March 2009

Superfan Greg Jones recently sent me a beautiful scan of one of my favorite paintings of Superman. It was done by artist by Drew Struzan and released by The Thought Factory in 1977. Other Superhero posters were also released that same year. You can find out more information by doing some internet research. Here's the poster...enjoy!

 24 March 2009

Imagine an animated Superman in Christopher Reeve's likeness in a full-length film.

 12 March 2009

 On 09 March, President Obama overturned the Bush policy on stem cells. Read more here, view the video on-line here, and download President Obama's remarks about Christopher Reeve here. Thanks to 'Selutron' for the .mov file.

 On 11 March, Larry King Live guest host, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, interviewed Christopher Reeve's daughter, Alexandra Reeve Givens, and Reeve Foundation Chairman of the Board of Directors Peter Kiernan, about President Obama’s executive order and its implications. Alexandra discussed her father’s legacy and how she felt hearing the President deliver such an eloquent tribute to her father and stepmother. Download the video segment here. Thanks to Alex Serpa for the .mov file. And thank you Alexandra, Matthew, Will, Peter, Jane Seymour, dedicated scientists and so many others for your incredible efforts towards achieving Christopher's dream of finding cures for spinal cord injuries and other disabilities. Go Forward!

 10 March 2009

Remember the "shirt rip" image on the cover of the Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut DVD box? That image was also used in the original movie theater newspaper advertising and various other industry publications such as Variety for Superman-The Movie. Ever wonder if that was really Christopher Reeve in the (unique and never screen-worn) costume and Clark Kent suit? Well...it wasn't...here's the model, with mustache and all! Unfortunately, I don't know who this gentleman is.

 07 March 2009

I've been prepping photos for an upcoming Richard Donner biography, so be sure to check out the updates in the Richard Donner Years Gallery.

 28 February 2009

New audio clips have been added to the Superman-The Movie: Restored International Cut section.

 25 February 2009

 You may notice that I've been updating and reorganizing the Richard Donner Years Gallery. This is by far one of my favorite headshots of Chris Reeve. And here's a painting I created from a rare Reeve photo. Enjoy!

 I had a very enjoyable day going through some of my Superman photo collection. One of the images I came across again, and had forgotten about, was of Les Bowie (with his arm extended) and Stuart Freeborn (white-haired man with glasses to Les' left) on the Superman-The Movie tunnel set preparing the "dummy" frozen Superman bust for the scene of Superman being (momentarily) frozen by Lex Luthor's ice machines on his way to Lex's lair. You will remember that Les Bowie was Creative Supervisor of Mattes & Composites on Superman-The Movie, and won one of the Academy awards for SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS; and Stuart Freeborn was Creative Supervisor of Makeup & Special Visuals on Superman-The Movie. Unfortunately, Les passed away in 1979 before he could receive his award in person. Stuart did Christopher Reeve's makeup for all four Superman films. You can read more about Les here and Stuart here.

 18 February 2009

 Fans are already e-mailing me asking if I will be attending the Metropolis Superman Celebration this summer. My answer is that I do not attend that show any longer. For those of you who do, have a great time. See the CapedWonder™ gallery prints that I donated to last year's celebration here, here, here, and here.

 You will notice that many standard definition DVD screenshots have been removed from the Richard Donner Years Gallery. A few high-definition screenshots have been posted to the gallery. I will post more in the future, so check back.

 16 February 2009

Super rare, one-of-a-kind continuity Polaroids from the Superman-The Movie Lois Lane crushed car set in Gallup, New Mexico, have been added to the Behind-The-Scenes section of the Richard Donner Years Gallery.

 11 February 2009

Superfan Ian Sheppard was kind enough to send me this great scan of Comics Scene magazine that features wonderful Superman-The Movie artwork by Jerry Ordway. And Superfan James Mercuri has contributed large scans of some great Superman posters. These new files, along with some newly revised files, all appear in the Richard Donner Years Gallery.

 07 February 2009

Superfan Martin Lakin sent me some great scans last year, and I've just recently started posting them in the Richard Donner Years Gallery. Thanks Martin! This is one of my favorite pieces of art.

 01 February 2009

 Three new images have been posted to the Richard Donner Years Gallery here, here and here.

 I am a big fan of clouds, so I present to you a gallery of my own cloud photographs.

 27 January 2009

We are all very busy people, right? If you're not, then get off your butts and do something productive. That said, I have very little time to reply to e-mails with verbose responses, and often I don't have time to respond to them at all. That doesn't mean your e-mails aren't important. All CapedWonder e-mails are important, but I choose not to reply to all of them. That's just the way it is. Thank you for all of your support. I will do my best to update this website as often as possible. I am focusing on the Donner Years Gallery material for the next few months. Keep in mind that this is a hobby and passion, so I make time in between family, travel, photo shoots, etc. Speaking of updates, keeping visiting the Superman-The Movie: Restored International Cut section because I will be adding new video clips and other content at least a couple of times a month until the project is finished. When will it be finished? I have no clue yet. Stay Tuned!

 10 January 2009

I recently acquired these rare images of Christopher Reeve and Richard Pryor practicing their wire flying for Superman III. Amazing how very dangerous wiring flying is, and how easy and fluid Reeve made it look. Enjoy!

 08 January 2009

Fantastic...

 06 January 2009

I hope everyone has a prosperous 2009! I will be spending time working on DVD art for the upcoming Superman-The Movie: Restored International Cut. Be sure to click on the chrome logo above for more information, video clips and other rarities.

 27 December 2008

Be sure to read the new interview, A REVEALING INTERVIEW WITH SELUTRON.

 26 December 2008

Superfriend Julian Adderley sent me this holiday gift, which I now pass on to all of you. It's called Reunited. Enjoy!

 24 December 2008

Random Coolness from Superman: The Movie Part 1 and Part 2.

 15 December 2008

Today, December 15, 2008, is the 30th anniversary of Superman-The Movie in U.S. theaters!

 08 December 2008

 I made two Superman-The Movie "vintage photo album" images today. Click here and here to enjoy!

 Here is a very nice tribute to Forrest J. Ackerman by film historian John Field.

 05 December 2008

 Among my favorite Superman-The Movie "Superfeats" is Superman drilling underground at the San Andreas Fault. Click here, here, here and here to see four super rare photos of Christopher Reeve doing just that. Notice the wires he is suspended from. No computer-generated Superman or special effects here! Chris was flown through the "aluminum foil" set in real-time, often over long distances. There was absolutely no stationary bluescreen work done for this sequence. Hours and hours of flight time...no wonder Chris developed a herniated disk (he was still suffering from it in 1994).

 A mystery from Superman-The Movie concerns the other little Clark Kents that were hired for various Smallville scenes. I have never heard anything about these other boys, and what, if any, actual 35mm footage was shot of them with Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter. Click here and here to see two photos. There are more photos in the Richard Donner Years Gallery. If anyone can shed some light on this mystery, please contact me. Thanks!

 Here is some interesting trivia about Richard Donner's The Omen.

 03 December 2008

Did anyone meet Noel Neill, our Original Lois Lane, at the recent Screaming TikiCon convention? I heard it was a great show! Here is a never-before-released photo of her from the Adventures of Superman set. And check this one out. It's of George Reeves as Superman late in his career as the Man of Steel. I put him along side a photo of a young Christopher Reeve before Chris ever put on the first cape. Amazing profiles on these two men...both very distinctive looking for sure. Enjoy!

 02 December 2008

New Donner Years photos have been added to the gallery. Check them out!

 23 November 2008

Here is a new photo from one of my favorite Superman-The Movie scenes. Also added is another photo collage of Lois and Clark from the opener of Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut. And lastly, I scanned a Superman III flying poster (it required about 12 scans that I then assembled to complete the final image) and added Superman to an Earth background to create a new wallpaper for your computer. Enjoy!

 21 November 2008

Some Donner Years Gallery photos have been updated and added here. And I've added a new behind-the-scenes Superman III photo of Christopher Reeve with the Smallville Town Band here.

 10 November 2008

Here's a great photo that I'd never seen until recently. Todd Klein (pictured at right next to Chris Reeve) was on staff at DC Comics from 1977 to 1987 as a freelance lettering artist. This photo was taken by Jack Adler in 1978 during one of Christopher Reeve's visits to the DC Comics offices. Here is what Todd told me about the experience:

"I didn't get a chance to say much to Chris, as there was quite a crowd there at the time. I do remember him being concerned that the comic book portrayals of Superman were too muscular, and that it was a standard he felt difficult to live up to, though I thought he looked fine in the films."

Todd also helped lay out the tabloid-size Superman-The Movie magazine that most of you are familiar with. Here's what he had to say about it:

"When I started working in the comics business in 1977, there were no real publication designers in comics. Companies such as DC Comics and Marvel Comics had art directors, but their job usually consisted of working with the existing artists drawing the company's stories, especially in creating covers, helping solve any problems with the art in the production process (such as making complex art changes), and finding new art talent. Of course, at the time, comics were largely considered a throwaway medium mainly intended for children. But that was changing even then, as publishers began to cater to adult fans, and soon, to collect their magazines in book-form reprints of various kinds. As they entered the new territory of producing actual books, real graphic design skills were needed, and companies began to hire designers.

In that interim period of the late 70s to mid 80s, anyone with a little graphic design experience was tapped to work on new projects. One of my early jobs working in the production department at DC Comics was putting together a tabloid-size magazine about the upcoming Superman Movie, the first one starring Christopher Reeve. My previous job had been doing graphic design work on air conditioner manuals, so I had some basic skills. Here's a sample page.

Pretty simple stuff by today's standards, but remember, this was in the days before desktop computers and digital design. Each page had to be laid out on paper, the page "mechanical." A typewritten script was needed for all the type, which was then sized and laid out in rough form by cutting and pasting copies of the script, or by arcane markings and measurements that could be interpreted by a typesetter. These layouts were sent to an outside type house who produced cold type (photographically created rather than with metal type) in galleys, which were then pasted onto the page mechanical by hand. Photographs were indicated by black boxes. Slides or large black and white photo prints were attached to the page when it went to the separation house, who prepared the photos and dropped them into the boxes by physically cutting and stripping in photographic negative film. Color blocks and design elements, such as the ones on this page, were prepared on an acetate overlay using rubylith or red film for the color areas. As you can see, a set of skills was used that are now largely forgotten. Today I could produce the same page in a quarter the time, and without the need of anything other than the script, photos, my desktop computer and a good scanner.

By the way, if you look closely, you'll see a credit for front cover design of this book: Neal Pozner. Neal was later brought in to DC as their first real publication designer, having had experience with that in the advertising and music fields, I believe. Neal and I didn't get on well, but he certainly raised the design standards at DC, and made many changes for the better. Though it's hard to tell from the way the credits read, the actual page layouts on this magazine were done by Joe Orlando. They were essentially comic book thumbnails: small layouts with areas of pictures and type roughed in. It was my job to turn those into finished mechanicals."

 05 November 2008

Selutron has penned a very interesting article for Superman Cinema's website called 'Obama and Superman'.

 03 November 2008

Here is a very cool marketing/retail item that is a favorite in my collection. It features many items that you probably have in your collection. Take a look!

 02 November 2008

Here is a very cool marketing item that you've likely never seen. Certainly, the public never saw it in 1978. It's called Superman-The Album, made to promote the Superman-The Movie soundtrack LP (long play) release. Check it out and enjoy! Do you have the LP, cassette tape and 8-track of this original release? I do, and I dug them out of my archives the other day along with many other movie items I'd forgotten about. 8-track...wow! The worst sounding format ever, but I sure loved my 8-tracks in the 70s. By the way, I'm starting to post PDF files of multiple page items such as magazines, press books, etc., so be sure to download the latest version of Adobe Reader to view them. Happy November!

 30 October 2008

Now posted are the Superman-The Movie Variety ads from 1977, 1978 and 1979 in the "Newspapers" section. Regarding the May 11, 1977 issue, why didn't the Salkinds just wait to announce ALL of their major players until they had cast Lois Lane, instead of putting a question mark in her spot (Margot Kidder auditioned on April 24, 1977, and was cast sometime in May)? My guess, having been in the marketing and advertising business for a number of years, is that the Salkinds were committed to that particular issue months in advance (perhaps with no additional 1977 advertising contracted with the pub), and couldn't pull out without incurring substantial penalties. That's the breaks. I also included an ad from 1980...why in the Superman-The Movie section? Take a look and see.

 28 October 2008

 Read a very interesting article, "'Superman' going strong at 30", by Gary Arnold of The Washington Times.

 Pictured here is the front projection flying rig used for close-ups of Chris Reeve and Margot Kidder during the “ballet sequence” in Superman-The Movie. The clapper board Chris Reeve is holding says "27 January 1978" and shows the cameraman as Denys Coop. The signs below the actors read, “Kamakazi Airways” and “Do not make nasty remarks to the pilot whilst in flight”. Notice the men both behind and underneath the actors (you can only see a fist under Chris and Margot). I was told today that the design of this flying rig was based on designs that FX wizard Thol "Si" Simonson created for George Reeves in The Adventures of Superman classic TV series, and that Si was on the Superman-The Movie set as an advisor (uncredited). I love these kind of behind-the-scenes photos. By the way, watch the scene of Superman spinning in the air after he flies away from Lois and the helicopter, and you will see the World Trade Center and "Hotel Coop" in the background.

 I had the good fortune of acquiring this never-before-released photo from set photographer Bob Penn in 1998 just before he passed away. It’s a personal favorite of an early Superman in the Fortress.

 I sent the two photos above to Richard Donner today, and he responded with "Thanks Jim....brings back wonderful memories...Dick". A few weeks ago, after I sent photos of him with Chris Reeve on Lex Luthor set, he responded with "Thanks Jim...you brought tears to my eyes with shots of Chris and myself...best Dick". I'm glad Mr. Donner is enjoying these photos. It's obvious that he has a great deal of affection for Superman and all who helped him make it. He truly loved Chris Reeve like a son. Thanks again, Mr. Donner, for making Superman and for your support!

 24 October 2008

Some of the earliest ads announcing Superman-The Movie appeared in Variety in 1975 and 1976. And remember the silver/blue ad spread showing Brando and Hackman that was featured in the Superman-The Movie DVD documentaries? That ad came from my collection. It appeared in Box Office magazine on August 23, 1976. Here they are in the "Newspapers" and "Magazines" sections.

 17 October 2008

Here's a real treat that I just rediscovered in my archives. It's a copy of an internal memo that Richard Donner sent to his Superman crew on April 5, 1978. I love his message. The date on the memo is during the time that the underground rescue scenes (flying through molten lava and repairing the San Andreas Fault) were being filmed...original magic marker underground sketches on the back of the memo confirm it. Derek Medding's Hoover Dam model was also being filmed that month. Why did Donner sign the memo "John Frankenheimer"? I don't know the answer yet, but I'm working on it. The John Frankenheimer I've heard of was the director of such films as The French Connection II and Ronin. The only connection between Donner and Frankenheimer that I've come up with so far is Gene Hackman. Please contact me if you can share some light on this mystery.

 15 October 2008

 SUPERMAN director RICHARD DONNER and his wife LAUREN SHULER are to be honored with the 2,372nd and 2,373rd stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, 16 October 2008.The rare double star ceremony will feature a tribute from teen star Dakota Fanning, who worked with Shuler on new movie The Secret Life of Bees.Donner and his wife met on the set of 1985's Ladyhawke, which she produced. Read more about Richard Donner here. See Richard Donner and other Superman stars at Christopher Reeve's star ceremony in 1997. Here is a favorite Donner photo from the Superman years.

 Here is a work-in-progress shot of my Christopher Reeve bust being brought to life. Kinda cool, don't you think? Go to the CapedWonder™ statue page.

 In addition to working on Superman-The Movie memorabilia scans, I've been scanning some rare George Reeves/Noel Neill photos from a good friend's great collection. Here is a photo of Superman flying Ann around the world from the 1954 Adventure of Superman TV episode, "Around The World With Superman" (one of my favorite episodes). And now check out this ultra-rare photo of Superman flying Jeremy around the world from the Superman IV: The Quest For Peace cut scene at the end of the movie. Check out the 2006 DVD supplemental section to see the unfinished scene.

 09 October 2008

"Thank you for hosting such an elegant and professonal site. I also share your love of this classic film. With your help future generations will be able to enjoy this wonderful movie and the man who touched so many of our lives, with his grace and humility. Lord knows we could use him now. Sincerely, Leon R. Lambert". Many thanks Leon!

This website is dedicated to the late Dana and Christopher Reeve, and to their children. Thank you to my entire family for your love, kindness and support. SUPERMAN and all related elements are the property of DC Comics, Inc. and Warner Bros.