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2012 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News Archives

May 21, 2012: Johnny Rockwell and Sandra Taylor Join 2012 Superman Celebration

Johnny Rockwell Metropolis will have not one but two Superboys in town! John Rockwell will be joining Superboy Gerard Christopher in Metropolis, Illinois for this year's Superman Celebration June 7-10.

John Rockwell was the first actor to play the role of Superboy in a pilot for the proposed series, The Adventures of Superboy in 1961. The Superboy pilot was created and produced by Whitney Ellsworth, producer of the classic 1950's television series, The Adventures of Superman starring George Reeves. This was Ellworth's second attempt to revive the Superman franchise, the first was in 1957, when he produced a pilot for The Adventures of Superpup, a pilot aimed at young children in which actors (all of whom were little people) wore oversized dog masks. The Superboy series was shot in Black and White and 13 scripts were written in anticipation of the show being picked up. While working at ZIV/UA studios, John heard of the series and approached Ellsworth for an audition and was eventually cast in the role of Superboy. The series was deemed too costly and was not picked up for distribution. The 13 scripts were never filmed.

Rockwell studied acting with Agnes Morehead at 20th Century Fox. He appeared in The 80 Yard Run (1958) starring Paul Newman, As Young as We Are (1958) starring Ty Hardin, Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960) starring Doris Day, and Bus Riley's Back in Town (1965) with Ann Margaret. Rockwell has also appeared on Ozzie and Harriet and Dobie Gillis. Rockwell continued to act professionally until 1967.

This will be Rockwell's first appearance at a convention. Gerard Christopher played the role of Superboy from 1989 to 1992 in the popular television series, The Adventures of Superboy. It will be great for fan's to meet two Superboys from two different era's. Superboy is a character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster who first appeared in More Fun Comics #101 in 1945.

Sandra Taylor Also appearing will be Special Guest Sandra Taylor. Taylor began her career as the #1 selling poster model and quickly became a featured endorsement model for mega companies such as, Anheuser Busch & Revlon. She has graced the covers of Cosmopolitan and many other worldwide publications and was a GUESS model and spokesperson. Taylor made the move to TV and Films and has quite a list of appearances. On the small screen, her list of credits include: Just Shoot Me!, Married... With Children, The King of Queens, Son of The Beach, & ER. Taylor has also had roles in feature films such as: Phoenix, Exit to Eden, The Princess Diaries, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, L.A. Confidential, Tomcats, Raising Helen, Batman & Robin, Under Siege 2, One, Two, Many, Player 5150, Valentine's Day, All's Faire in Love, and New Year's Eve.

Fan's can meet John Rockwell, Sandra Taylor and Gerard Christopher at Planet Krypton located at 701 Market Street. Hours are: Friday, June 8 - 10:00AM to 12:00PM and 2:00PM to 5:00PM and on Saturday, June 9 - 10:00AM to 12:00PM and 1:00PM to 5:00PM. John Rockwell and Gerard Christopher will participate in a Q & A at Metro Tent on Superman Square at 1:00PM on Friday. No tickets are required to meet Planet Krypton Guests. Christopher, Rockwell and Taylor will have photos available for purchase at their tables.

The Superman Celebration is hosted by the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the City of Metropolis and Metropolis Area Tourism Commission.

This is the 34th annual Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Ill. and is held the second weekend in June. For more information, contact Metro Chamber at 618-524-2714, 800-949-5740 or email office@metropolischamber.com.

You may also visit the websites: supermancelebration.net or metropolischamber.com.


2012 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News

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