Interview with son of Bob Peak, artist of "Superman: The Movie" poster

Bob Peak was a commercial artist best known for his movie posters and magazine covers. He died in 1992. His son Thomas was kind enough to answer questions.

Who was Bob Peak to the public, and to you?

To those of an older generation who are still with us, my father Bob Peak is looked upon as the most innovative illustrator of his time. He brought a new and fresh approach to illustration art starting in the late 1950s into the 1960s/1970s. 

His use of vibrant saturated colors, line, and design as seen in his fashion and movie art was something never seen before. Good examples are his illustrations for Puritan Sportswear and movie art for West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Camelot, and Our Man Flint/In Like Flint. 

To today’s generation, Bob Peak is known for his work for such films as Star Trek l-V, Superman: The Movie, Apocalypse Now, and Excalibur. He is known as “The Father of the Movie Poster.” 

Most are too young to understand the enormity of other illustration art he did including 45 Time magazine covers, 40 TV Guide magazine covers, Olympics art, and editorial. 

To me he is foremost Dad, but also the one who changed the course of illustration advertising art.

What piece do you think is his signature work?  If not a movie poster, which of his movie posters do you think is his best?

I’ve got to go with his mesmerizing work for Apocalypse Now. He did an enormous amount of key art for both the U.S. and German markets. 

Which of his works was his favorite?

My father once told me “Of all my work, I am most proud of the art I did for Apocalypse Now.” There you have it.

Was he unhappy with the finished product of any of his most notable works?

Yes, there was one. It was the key art finished illustration for the 1982 Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver movie The Year of Living Dangerously. I won’t say which movie ad agency did it, but they removed the head of Mel Gibson [from] my father’s illustration and replaced it with someone else’s head illustration without my father’s knowledge. They should have contacted him to rework his head art. An easy fix. 

Do you know if he was a Superman fan when he was hired to design the poster?

Dad knew of Superman from the 1952-1958 Adventures of Superman TV series, but was not necessarily a huge fan.

Did he have full creative freedom for the concept, or was he given any direction by the filmmakers? 

Interesting question. My father told me many times that he got paid to both think and execute his artwork. No matter what assignment, movie or otherwise, dad was never told exactly what to do. Over the many years, several people in the movie advertising world have told me that my father was a good listener and, in meetings, he paid close attention about what audience they were looking to capture and what feeling they were looking for in the print advertising art. He took all this information into consideration when designing the campaign art.

Superman: The Movie was somewhat a unique situation. After working on concept designs to finished illustrations, the movie studio and the film’s director Richard Donner thought it might be best to change direction and keep the general moviegoing audience somewhat in the dark as to what they were about to experience. “All we want to convey in the artwork is flight and romance. We do not want to give away anything.” Almost like a teaser ad campaign. Tagline “You’ll believe a man can fly.” Bob Peak took it from there.

What do you know about his process in designing movie posters in general and Superman in particular?

I know everything, and yes, it is a process. First, you get contacted by the movie studio or movie advertising agency, then you come in to discuss the film—direction they are looking to go, audience they look to capture, feel of the artwork, etc. Sometimes my father would go onto the movie set while they were filming—Rollerball, Pennies from Heaven, The Missouri Breaks, Grand Prix, My Fair Lady, to name a few. Other times, he would see the finished film before its release date, or he would get approved stills from the movie to work from. Next, he would return to his art studio and start working up loose black and white idea sketches (these could be numerous). Showed these to the film’s advertising agency and movie studio, took some of them and tightened up the black and white sketches, and presented them again. Then came loose color sketches, went through the same process and tightened some of them up and showed them again. Finally, after discussion, some were chosen to bring to complete color finished art and once again presented. One was finally chosen to be the film’s key art. 

Do you have any unpublished sketches/concepts for the Superman movie poster?

Unfortunately, not much exists from my father’s work on Superman: The Movie. There are two other finished illustrations that were done before the direction changed to show only flight and romance.  

Did he ever attend premieres of movies whose posters he designed, Superman in particular?  If so, any stories from any of them?

My father spent many days on movie sets in the United States and throughout Europe, but he never attended an actual movie premiere. I have a few interesting stories from his time on set in Munich, Germany for Rollerball, throughout Europe for Grand Prix, Hollywood for My Fair Lady, and Montana for The Missouri Breaks, to name a few.

Was he asked to design posters for any subsequent Superman movies, and if so, what happened with that?

No. 

Are there any other stories related to his involvement with Superman that we didn’t already cover?

Only one, which I am somewhat reluctant to share but here I go. Our mother, his wife Lucille Peak, was quite ill with cancer and was not going to make it, per her physicians. It was an extremely tough time for my father and the entire family. He had made the commitment to complete his work on the film and pushed his way through. Not long after Superman: The Movie was released, our mother unfortunately passed away. 

Have you been interviewed before about your dad, and if so, with any focus on Superman?

I have been interviewed many times about my dad. I have done Bob Peak talks at several art schools, including the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where my father attended in the early 1950s when the campus was located in Los Angeles, San Jose State University, and the Society of Illustrators in NYC, where my father is a Hall of Fame member. I have also put on Bob Peak original art exhibitions at the Society of Illustrators Museum in NYC, the Frederick R. Weisman Museum at Pepperdine Museum in Malibu, Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Museum in Beverly Hills, and the Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale, CA. Forest Lawn was a joint exhibition with movie poster artist Drew Struzan.

Which of your dad’s movie posters do you or does your family own the originals of?

We do have several of his original movie poster works but prefer to keep that information private.

What do you do for a living?

I am somewhat retired but still am involved with my own company Peak Books/Prints. I have produced two books on my father’s life and career (The Art of Bob Peak and The Drawing of Bob Peak). I also produced giclée prints of my father’s art that are available for purchase.

Thank you again, Thomas, for your time and thoughtful recollections.

The mystery of an actor in both "Superman" [1978] and "Batman" [1989]

Superman.

Batman.

Mystery Man.

In Superman: The Movie [1978], a thief uses suction cups to climb a high-rise in search of another score, but is cheekily intercepted by Superman.

In Batman [1989], Dr. Thomas Wayne leads his wife Martha and young son Bruce on a shortcut through a city alley where a tragedy ensues.

That criminal and that victim have something in common. 

Both small but memorable roles were played by David Baxt—one of only two actors to appear in both of those pioneering DC Comics superhero films. [The other was George Lane Cooper, who died in 2002.]

I discovered this only recently, which is why it’s taken this Superman/Batman nostalgist this long to try to find and interview David.

The same day I began my search, I learned that I am the first known writer to try to find David, but not the first person…

Alas, this story—at the moment—does not have a happy ending.

On IMDb, David’s first credit was in 1976, and his last in 2000. Long ago enough to all but confirm that he no longer has an agent. 

Another culturally significant film featuring David is The Shining [1980], in which he played the forest ranger who offers a lifeline of sorts to Shelley Duvall’s character over a CB radio as a winter storm rages. 

He also did stage work.

He is described as Canadian-British, which had me looking for him in Ottawa and London, but quick searches in directories either yielded nothing or would cost something. 

Over the years, when on the trail of other “lost” performers of the pre-internet era, I have stumbled upon a snippet of info in a throwaway comment on Reddit or some other forum. These rare clues, often casually posted by former classmates, can be the tipping point in finding someone.

I found no such nuggets on David.

So I turned to one of the most invaluable sources in such instances: obituaries. Names are gold. Unusual names like “Baxt” are gold-coated diamonds. [“Baxter” would have been a nightmare.]

I found obituaries for multiple family members, but none yielded easily searchable names—or they had names of others who were also dead.

Finally I came across David’s half-brother Joshua, who lives in California. I messaged him. He responded quickly—and chillingly:

“Unfortunately David self-disappeared around 20 years ago. We have not heard from him since. If he’s alive, he’s off the grid somewhere. I wish I had more for you.”

Oh, but he did. Because he kindly added “Feel free to call if you want more details.”

I did, immediately. I also Zoomed with David’s sister Susan. With their permission, I’ll share what I learned.

David was born in New Jersey on July 21, 1947. His sister Susan is four years older, Josh 14 years younger. David was not close with either sibling. He and Josh share a biological father but didn’t grow up together. Though they got along fine, they “weren’t brothers in any real sense.”

When David was three-and-a-half, the family moved to Montreal. He may have had an undiagnosed learning disability. Reading could be a struggle, but he was smart.

He was offered a scholarship to study opera at McGill…odd for someone who had no interest in opera. Susan didn’t know how it came about. David turned it down in favor of the School of Dramatic Arts in Montreal. He would busk to help pay for his education, along with a friend. [See addendum below.]

After finishing the program, David relocated to London which had a richer theater tradition; he also did movies and TV to help pay bills. He had a good agent. He had a circle of friends.

Josh and their family visited him when Superman was filming in New York. Though David’s part was small—apparently he had a line, but it did not make the final cut—they’d put him up in a big suite at the Waldorf Astoria. Josh recalled that they were shooting his scene at 2 a.m. [Time-and-a-half was involved.] Their dad was proud of David’s work.

Those 85 seconds of screen time earned David enough to live on for a year.

That unused line, as far as Josh remembered: “I wasn’t doin’ nothing.”

[Alas, Josh doesn’t think they took photos on set.]

“David was smart, kind and funny, though not in a joking way,” Josh said. “He tended towards wry observations. I stayed with him in London a couple of times, and he always took good care of me.”

David had asthma, which worsened over time and impacted his acting career. Around 1997, David came to California and stayed with his dad and stepmom, but their cat triggered an allergic reaction that sent David to the hospital. He recovered…but that was the last time Josh saw him.

Josh and David had been exchanging letters when their father died in 2002, but that eventually stopped. 

David and his father, 1992

There was no falling out. There was no explanation. There was no trace.

David’s mother passed away several years later. Susan tried to reach David, to no avail. Because they had inheritance matters to address, they hired a private investigator. The PI found that David had sold his London apartment sometime around 2006 and left no forwarding address. But the PI didn’t find David.

At the time, however, it was determined that David was still receiving residual checks…somewhere.

As of the family’s last contact with David, he dated women but had not married nor had kids. He has never met Josh’s kids, who are now adults.

David liked the sun and, due to his asthma [and bronchitis], benefitted from certain climates, so Josh imagines he may have settled in a small village along the Mediterranean. 

Josh presumes that David would hate the digital society we live in now. Even in the analog era, David was a Luddite who got an answering machine because he didn’t want to miss calls about auditions, but was resentful of “the stupid thing.”

As I mentioned, I’m the first writer to reach Josh or Susan about David, but every few years, Josh hears from a friend of David’s. A quarter century on, his inner circle is still holding out hope.

Susan doesn’t feel that Josh committed suicide. Though not counting on it, Josh doesn’t rule out David showing up again one of these days.

Which is one of the two reasons I’m posting this. Someone may see it and come forward with info—maybe a tipping point nugget that will solve the mystery.

This has happened with my work before [see here, here].

The other reason I’m posting this sad story is, of course, that it’s also a good story about a good man. 

1/11/26 addendum: Mere weeks after posting this, I heard from the friend with whom David busked in the early 1970s. What are the chances?

Her name is Rosa, and she and David were a couple for a while. I am astounded—and grateful—that she happened to stumble upon this post so soon after it went up and took the time to reach out.

She remembers that David was raised by his mother and older sister; that suggests that his father was out of the picture as he grew up, but as noted above, the two reconnected when David was an adult.

Members of David’s family were victims of the Holocaust. Some of them showed Rosa the numbers tattooed on their arms.

Rosa saw David shortly before he sold his London apartment and clearly remembers that he said he was going to disappear without a trace. I asked why he would announce that, and Rosa said it might relate to his complicated childhood.

When I asked Rosa if she thinks David is still alive, she said yes. He took care of his health. He planned to live in a dry place like Arizona.

She sent a photo of David, another of the young buskers, and an article about them from a 1971 Montreal newspaper:

If you know anything about David Baxt, please reach out. 

5/28/26 addendum: The family recently learned that David died from pancreatic cancer in London on 11/16/23. Someone used this post to update his IMDb page, which led to one of his old friends contacting them. She had been communicating with him for many years while his whereabouts and situation were unknown to the family.

“We thank you for getting the word out. I honestly didn’t think it would make a difference, but you were absolutely right.”

"Superman II" interview: Leueen Willoughby

In Superman II (1980), actress Leueen Willoughby played Leueen (yes, same name), a Daily Planet employee.

A small role, one of her few lines is one of the most fun to quote: "The big one's just as strong as Superman!" It's made even more memorable because it's followed by Lois shoving her which, alas, is not in the only clip I found online:

What were you doing professionally prior to Superman II?

I was working in theatre: repertory at the Bristol Old Vic and Farnham Repertory theatre.

around the time of Superman II

How did you get the role? 

Through the casting director.

Were you a fan of Superman or superheroes?

Not really. I was familiar with Superman but not exactly a fan.

Any funny anecdotes about your Superman experience?

There was a day when the set (the E stage at Pinewood Studios) was getting very hot and the Director of Photography kept saying they needed to turn light off to reduce heat. No one listened to him and the fire sprinklers went off, pouring water everywhere. That got all of us an extended break from shooting. I think we all just went home that day.

Is there one story about your Superman experience that you tell more than any other?

Yes! I tell the story about how Christopher Reeve decided he was going to do a bit of funny business with his Clark Kent hat—taking it off and fumbling it onto a coat rack. During a break in shooting, he worked and worked on getting it just perfect. When it came time to shoot the scene, he had it down perfectly and made it look like a clumsy Clark Kent move.  

What was your impression of Christopher Reeve?

I thought he was a very nice man. He seemed to be polite, pleasant, and, despite being exceptionally handsome, not the least bit egotistical. [The] accident later in his life was tragic. When he said he would walk again, I thought that if anyone could succeed, it would be him. I based that on his discipline and work ethic as an actor. But sadly, it was not to be. 

Margot Kidder?

I think Margot Kidder was having a difficult time in her personal life while we were shooting. 

Gene Hackman?

He had an end date for the time he was available to work on Superman. On his last day, some special effects things got bogged down, as often happened. He was sitting on top of a row of filing cabinets, a relaxed Lex Luthor, reclining, feet up. Every once in a while, he would say in quite a loud voice "5:20 [pm] and it's adios for me." I had to smile at that. However, it did not speed up anything. 

Memories of any other actors on set?

One day we were all waiting while some special effects were being set up. The "bad guys" were sitting opposite me. Terence Stamp said to no one in particular "I haven't worked for four years and now I'm here making an idiot of myself." He said this, I think, because he was having a lot of trouble with the flying. The harness was fitted around the actors' midsection and they had to balance themselves when flying. He was having trouble crashing through the windows of the Daily Planet and landing on his feet. I think that was why he felt he was making an idiot of himself. I wanted to tell him he was not and that one of the stunt guys could probably give him some help, but he was a famous actor and I was a bit part player so I said nothing. I regretted that later. 

Did you attend the premiere, and if so, what was that like?

I did not attend the premiere. 

Did your opinion of the movie change after it opened?

Not really. I [last saw it] maybe ten years ago and it does look a bit dated because computer generated special effects were not available when the film was made. 

Have you been interviewed before about this specifically?

I have been asked a few questions about Superman as part of a longer interview, but not a specific Superman interview.

What was your favorite acting gig?

That is a tough one! I loved playing Mrs. Molloy in The Matchmaker in the West End in London. I also did nine months in The Rocky Horror Show in London and that was a hoot. Later in my career, I played Lady Macbeth, and that was memorable as well. 

What are you doing these days?

I gave up acting over 30 years ago. I then worked in the financial markets as an equities trader. I retired when I was 50. I now ride and compete in dressage with my horse Biasini. I ride with him at the FEI level, an international level. But I am just an amateur rider! I also have a blog, Horse Addict, [which consists of posts] about my own riding, interviews with international riders, reviews of horse books, reviews of horse products, and posts on horse history and photography. Next week I will be going to the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, NC. This is a huge championship with 70 countries taking part and about 1,000 horses. There are eight disciplines: jumping, eventing, dressage, endurance, vaulting, driving, reining, and para-dressage. I have media accreditation for the games and will be there to cover the dressage and to take photos of the dressage competitors for my blog.

Leueen and Biasini competing at the Global Dressage Festival, 

Wellington, FL, March 2018; photo credit Susan Stickle

Where do you live?

I live in Southern Ontario, Canada, just north of Toronto. 

Tell me about your children/family.

My husband used to work for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) and is now retired. We met when I was still acting and came to Toronto to take a leading role in a CBC drama about a woman with breast cancer. We have two children who are now adults. Our son is 32 and lives in London. Our daughter is 30 and lives about two hours from us. She is married with a four-year-old son and two stepdaughters. Both of our children have full-time careers involving marketing and social media. 

Have you participated in any Superman-related event (reunion, convention, documentary, etc.)? If not, would you be open to meeting fans and signing autographs at an event like San Diego Comic-Con?

I have not. I once went to a Star Trek convention in Toronto as our kids were Trekkies. I thought it was a lot of fun. 

Are you still in touch with anyone from the cast?

No, I'm not. I have lost touch with most of my acting friends.

When was the last time you saw a member of the cast, and was it on purpose or by chance?

I honestly cannot remember. 

Do you have an opinion on Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut?

[NOTE: Leueen's "big one's just as strong" scene is not in this version of the film.]

The Richard Donner cut? I did not know such a thing existed. Richard Lester directed Superman II and I did not know that Dick Donner [who directed Superman: The Movie] had a cut. However, I do remember that Richard Donner was "Dick" Donner and Richard Lester was always "Richard, never Dick." That's what they used to say.

Do you have any mementos from the experience such as set photos, a script, or anything from the set?

No. I wish I did. 

What did you think when you first heard from me?

I googled you to see who you were. I get a lot of requests for autographs on small collectors' cards for Superman; some are from okay people but others are from people on the fringe. I wanted to make sure you were not "on the fringe."

How do you look back on your Superman experience?

It was a very interesting experience. It was a chance to be on the set of a big film and see the workings of it. I learned a lot about the process of filmmaking that stood me in good stead for later film and TV work.

If the experience changed your life in any way, how?

It was an interesting education about film and film actors but not exactly "life-changing."

"Superman II" interview: Robin Pappas

In Superman II (1980), actress Robin Pappas played Alice, a Daily Planet employee.

She had only one line.

But even a small role in an iconic film is big enough to yield fascinating behind-the-scenes nuggets, especially with someone who has a big personality. Ergo, an interview with Robin:

What were you doing professionally prior to Superman II? 

Before, during, and after Superman II, I was a young jobbing actor, working in repertory theaters around Great Britain, generally enjoying the hi-diddly-dee lifestyle. The only bit of film work I'd done previously was in my first term at RADA [Royal Academy of Dramatic Art] in early '72—we students were used as extras in O Lucky Man! We got paid something like three guineas for the day and it was simultaneously thrilling and boring, mostly kinda wonderful to be part of the "magic of movie-making." [I also had] a small role in The Shining, but that's another story. Just to be in a movie, in any capacity, was a major kick.

Okay, you can't just casually toss out "I was in The Shining" as an aside without consequence. Tell me about it!

I played a nurse in an end scene, which was there for the LA and NY previews, then Stanley Kubrick deleted it, supposedly on advice from Warner's. I understand he destroyed the footage. That seems a bit extreme—I've always felt it would've been a better film with me in it. Ha ha, no really, I preferred the original ending. Jack Nicholson was not around [when I shot], but I got the impression he's a lot of fun on set; no Scatman Crothers, either—my scene was in hospital after the labyrinth scene. Shelley Duvall was super friendly, a very pleasant and down-to-earth person, Barry Nelson polite and easygoing, and young Danny just a normal kid who happened to be a really good actor. There were many takes, and Kubrick struck me as quiet, thoughtful, almost monk-like in his precision.

Back to Superman II…how did you get the role?

As I remember, first an interview with Mary Selway, the casting director, then a brief meeting with Richard Lester, the director, which looking back seems a lot of bother for them for a bit part player.

Were you a fan of Superman or superheroes?

As a child, comics-wise, I loved them all, but particularly the females. In film terms, I'd gone to the first Superman with my sister's five young sons and was tickled to see a couple of acting pals in small parts. The theater was packed and we had to sit in the front row. It was great, so immediate; at certain moments we were cheering and jumping out of our seats with mindless feel-good patriotic fervor, John Williams's music whipping us into a rah-rah frenzy. 

Any funny anecdotes about your Superman experience? 

I don't know that it's that funny, but we'd been burgled the night before. A bunch of us RADA actors were living down the street from the academy in a huge Victorian. The gypsies would occasionally come knocking and want money to tell your fortune. If you refused, you were liable to get a curse, so I always gave them something, and usually got an intriguing verbal bit in return—fascinating how clever at reading people fortune-tellers are. What I didn't realize was this routine was often also a gambit to size up a potential hit, which is what I think happened that night. We were all home and they managed to work around us, very deft they were. Cleaned me out and left a nail file and pair of scissors, which I'm told is a kind of symbolic intimidation tactic. Upshot I didn't sleep much that night, which left me dozing off the next day, sitting upright in a chair between takes.

Is there one story about your Superman experience that you tell more than any other?

Oh yeah. My one and only line was "Catch ya later, Clark." [On] the first take I guess I was thinking "Clark Kent" and the line came out "Catch ya later, Clunt." Very embarrassing.

What was your impression of Christopher Reeve? 

He seemed thoroughly engrossed, seriously committed to getting his character right, from throwing that hat onto the peg to working out his motivation, to such a degree that while he was talking to Dick Lester, I jumped in with some idiot remark like "I think he just feels left out and wants to be liked," which was not appreciated. He shut me down with a quick "Do you mind? I'm having a private conversation with the director." Also, he had a little battery whirly fan he took out of his pocket between takes to cool down. I backed off, sat down, and went back to sleep.

Margot Kidder? 

She did poke her head around her dressing room door at one point, as we little people were walking down the hall to our dressing rooms, and, after clocking us, ducked back in. 

Gene Hackman? 

As far as I know, he wasn't there that day.

Memories of any other actors on set?

Leueen Willoughby I knew from our time together with Cambridge Theatre Company. I shared a car to studio with the actor playing Jimmy Olsen, Marc McClure. He was very sweet. I was sorry there wasn't more of him in the final film. Sarah Douglas was a doll and invited us into her dressing room, offered us her phone if we wanted to call America, etc.; very generous. 

My absolute favorite memory of the day was meeting Jackie Cooper, a legend from the golden days—how they threatened to kill his dog to get him to cry for [the 1931 film] The Champ, as a teenager being seduced by Joan Crawford, Our Gang for chrissake! This man was so real in the midst of such artifice, so genuine and interested and polite, gritty as a truck driver—complaining about coming over on the Concorde and how the food was shitty ("We can put a man on the moon and we still can't get a decent meal on an airplane"). Very friendly, gave us a ride over to the commissary in his car. I'm not sure if I watch his performance admiringly because he was so nice to me or [because he was] such a delightful actor—probably both. 

Did you attend the premiere, and if so, what was that like? 

Lord no, wasn't invited!

Did your opinion of the movie change after it opened? 

Strangely, I was less excited about Superman II— didn't think it worked as well as the first, for whatever reason, and there wasn't enough of me in it.

Have you been interviewed before about this specifically? 

No I have not. Thank you for asking.

What was your favorite acting gig? 

Mother Courage [in the play Mother Courage and Her Children] because it's impossibly hard and Madame Ernestine Von Liebedich (Little Mary Sunshine) because it was such fun. The best gigs are in my mind.

What are you doing these days?

Feels like I'm working harder, but maybe that's just the nature of getting older…too much responsibility! By nature I'm a bum.

Where do you live?

In the picturesque Pocono Mountains, PA. Wish the winters were milder, otherwise it's lovely.

Tell me about your children/family.

Hey, everybody's healthy. I'm the luckiest woman in the world.

Have you participated in any Superman-related event (reunion, convention, documentary, etc.)? If not, would you be open to meeting fans and signing autographs at an event like San Diego Comic-Con?

Would love to. If only I could charge $50 a photo like Carrie Fisher.

Are you still in touch with anyone from the cast?

No, and it's depressing how many people have died already.

When was the last time you saw a member of the cast, and was it on purpose or by chance?

I don't believe I've seen anyone from the Superman II shoot since that day.

When was the last time you watched Superman II? How did you think it held up? 

It's a fun movie. I think it works on its own terms, but I do sense a certain disjointedness—even the Thin Man films suffer from sequel syndrome. 

Do you have an opinion on Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut?

I've never seen it, so can't say. Of course I have loyalty to Dick Lester—this man directed A Hard Day's Night! But again, when I met Lester to get approval for the gig, he was (like Jackie Cooper) so unpretentious and self-deprecating. I told him I admired his work and he came back with "There are so many people involved in making a film it's ridiculous to give any one person the credit." I couldn't help but be impressed by his humility and intelligence.

Do you have any mementos from the experience such as set photos, a script, or anything from the set?

That's painful. I had the scripts from The Shining, Superman II, Chariots of Fire (didn't have one for Reds)…but, along with play scripts, the pile became huge and heavy and I think I threw them out even before I left England—dumb move.

What did you think when you first heard from me? 

"Oh god, not more homework."

How do you look back on your Superman experience? 

I've embarrassed myself so many times I'd like to think I learned something…what can you do? Try to get smarter. Working on a film is always sort of thrilling because it's pretty glamorous as work goes, and ultimately it's about creating magic, but it is tedious and fragmented and you can feel like you're in a really nice prison, which is why it's wonderful when you happily connect with the people you're confined with. That's entertainment!

If the experience changed your life in any way, how? 

Well, yeah, for most actors, one is unemployed more often than not, so if you're lucky, it's kind of like having an affair for the duration of the job…then it's over. But you always remember that special relationship, day, tension, scene, moment—and the beauty of film is it's in the can forever. That is, if you don't get completely cut out of the movie, sob sob. Thus, like Cinderella, it changes your life, and then you change back.

Anything you'd like to add?

If you get offered a film role, do it.

See also: my interviews with cast members of Superman: The Movie.

Superman “bad outfit” line in “Greatest American Hero” pilot!

In 2011, I posted an interview with actor Bo Rucker, whose one line in Superman: The Movie is what YouTube user Jason Makiaris called “the most important moment in the Superman saga.”

In 2014, I posted an interview with singer Joey Scarbury, whose song “Believe It or Not” from is, I’d argue, one of the most beloved TV theme songs of the 1980s, if not all time.

I recently heard from a fan of Bo’s who pointed out that the 1981 pilot of GAH paid tribute to Bo’s funny/memorable line from Superman (1978).

Superman:



Greatest American Hero (a little after 50 minutes into the show):



I’m sure that flew right over my 9-year-old head when I first heard it. I love when people take the time to remind me of these “lost” moments of pop culture.

Vigil for Superman

 

New York Post 5/31/95

I remember seeing this and thinking "That's what a newspaper front page would look like if Superman were real." Unfortunately, that accident was real.

It's hard to believe that this was not already on the Internet. I'm glad I saved a copy.

That was the day I began running for exercise and pleasure. At the time, I lived a block from Central Park, near the running path—obvious inspiration.

As was Christopher Reeve.

He died nine years after this accident, nine years ago today. To me, to many, he will always be Superman, fictional and real.

(art by Ed McGuiness, repurposed from cover of 

Superman #174 [11/01]; I believe this tribute ran in 
certain DC comics)

Bill Finger’s sole official credit in his lifetime...on Superman?

Only once in his lifetime, Bill Finger received a “written by” credit on a first-run Batman story, and it wasn’t a comic book.

And though he wrote Superman stories, too (he created Lana Lang!), same deal—one credit, in TV:

“Lava Men” is an episode of The New Adventures of Superman, a Filmation series of animated shorts that debuted in 1966.

Though there is currently almost no trace online that Bill wrote for this series, in 2006, I did follow a path to determine that this was the case. But I didn’t look for the visual proof until now.

Thank you to Bill Davis of Toronto for prompting me to revisit this.

Adios, Señor Superhombre.

Bonus:

Excerpts from emails with Bill’s second wife Lyn Simmons, and one other, in figuring this out:

From: Marc Tyler Nobleman
To: Lyn Simmons
Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2006 9:02 AM
Subject: Hi Lyn - Superman movie

You said they called Bill to ask him to come to California to write a script for the Superman movie. I've talked with a few people who were involved with the film and they don't remember that. Are you sure?

There was another writer named Alfred Bester who was friends with Bill who was definitely asked—there are written accounts online. Did you know Alfred? Is it possible you're confusing the two? Can you remember any more details?

From: Lyn Simmons
Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2006 4:25 PM

good to hear from you marc. bester's name rings a bell but don't think i ever met him. i'm pretty sure that bill received invitation to ca to write superman films. it's so long ago and i could be mistaken but I don't think so. in any event he never went. he had anxiety about flying and about leaving nyc.

bill may never have told his fellow writers about ca because he didn't want to explain why he wasn't going.

From: Pierre Spengler
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 1:05 PM

We purchased the rights in november 1974 and therefore started hunting for writer in the beginning of 1975. Very soon thereafter we engaged Mario Puzo. Therefore we never approached Bill Finger.

From: Lyn Simmons
Date: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 10:18 AM

i believe he was asked to come out to ca in the late 60s. i'm pretty sure it was superman. maybe they wanted him out there for ideas or stories a year or so before he died which i think was in '74. but perhaps it was for cartoons.