2020 Movie News Archives
May 5, 2020: Kirk Alyn - Film's First Superman
A "trick" question poll was asked on our Twitter feed earlier this week, in which fans were asked:Which of the following has not played Superman?
Brandon Routh
Henry Cavill
Christopher Reeves
Kirk Alyn
As most Superman fans would know, or at least I'd hope they'd know, Christopher REEVE played Superman. Not REEVES. It's a pet peeve of many how often his surname is misspelled.
While many voted correctly, the majority got caught out... Selecting Kirk Alyn as their answer. So here's a reminder about film's first Superman, Kirk Alyn.
Kirk Alyn portrayed the Man of Steel in two 15-part movie serials in 1948 and 1950. Columbia Pictures hired him because he looked like Superman's mild-mannered, comic book alter ego, Clark Kent, and had dance training that helped him to dive out of windows and leap over cameras.
Although he always blamed his success as Superman for stifling his acting career, Alyn benefited from a wave of nostalgia for the superhero in the '70s, when he found himself in demand on the college circuit and at comic book conventions.
"Playing Superman ruined my acting career and I've been bitter for many years about the whole thing. But now," he said in 1972, "it's finally starting to pay off."
Alyn was born John Feggo jnr in Oxford, New Jersey. As a young man he performed in vaudeville acts and chorus lines in New York. He followed his friend Red Skelton to Hollywood, where he met and married the dancer and actress Virginia O'Brien in 1942. They were married for 12 years and had three children.
When he was approached to play Superman, Alyn said, Columbia had already interviewed 100 actors, but "had trouble getting someone with a good build who could read lines."
The producer and casting director invited the 188cm, 88.4kg Alyn to its office and asked him to remove his shirt and then his pants. Alyn was alarmed ("I thought this only happened to actresses," he recalled) until they told him that they had to be sure he would look good in Superman's form-fitting suit and tights.
Making Superman fly, Alyn once said, was no simple feat. He wore a metal harness attached to steel wires. In the first rushes, he said, "you could see the wires plain as day," which led to the firing of the entire technical crew. The producers then turned to trick photography.
Columbia stopped making the Superman serials in 1951. That's when Alyn, who couldn't walk two blocks without hearing fans honk and yell, "Hiya, Superman!", found himself with little hope of landing other roles.
So when he was offered the television role in 1951, he turned it down in disgust.
Alyn found stage work in New York and acted in about a dozen Broadway plays. Eventually he moved to California, where he acted in television commercials during the '50s and '60s.
In the '70s, as nostalgia for the Superman character swelled, Alyn agreed to play Lois Lane's father in the 1978 Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve. [Although some stories have it that he just showed up unannounced.]
Kirk Alyn passed away on Sunday, March 14, 1999 in a hospital in suburban Houston, Texas at the age of 88.
You can purchase the Superman - The 1948 & 1950 Theatrical Serials Collection DVD Box Set from Amazon.com.
2020 Movie News
Listed below are all the Movie News items archived for 2020 organized into various categories:'Supermen: Red Son' Animated Movie News:
- February 12, 2020: World Premiere of “Superman: Red Son” Animated Movie
- February 28, 2020: New York Premiere of “Superman: Red Son”
- February 28, 2020: Exclusive Interview with Jason Isaacs - “Superman: Red Son”
- February 29, 2020: Exclusive Interview with Amy Acker - “Superman: Red Son”
- February 29, 2020: Exclusive Interview with Bruce Timm - “Superman: Red Son”
- February 29, 2020: Exclusive Interview with Roger Craig Smith - “Superman: Red Son”
- March 2, 2020: Coronavirus Threat Ends “Superman: Red Son” New York Premiere
- March 3, 2020: New Clip from “Superman: Red Son” Animated Movie
- March 3, 2020: Exclusive Interview with Travis Willingham - “Superman: Red Son”
- March 3, 2020: Exclusive Interview with Phil Morris - “Superman: Red Son”
- March 3, 2020: Exclusive Interview with Sam Liu - “Superman: Red Son”
- March 11, 2020: New Clip from “Superman: Red Son” Animated Movie
- March 13, 2020: Another New Clip from “Superman: Red Son” Animated Movie
- March 14, 2020: “Superman: Red Son” Animated Movie Character Posters
- March 16, 2020: Two New Clips from “Superman: Red Son” Animated Movie
- March 17, 2020: “Superman: Red Son” Animated Movie Available Today!
- March 26, 2020: Fan Ratings for “Superman: Red Son” - Poll Results
- March 30, 2020: Amy Acker on Portraying Lois Lane in “Superman: Red Son”
- May 17, 2020: Director Sam Liu Talks “Superman: Red Son”
- February 23, 2020: “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” Animated Movie Cast Announced
- March 2, 2020: “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” Animated Movie Trailer
- March 4, 2020: “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” Arriving in May
- April 24, 2020: “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” Preview Clip
- May 6, 2020: “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” Available Digitally Today!
- May 8, 2020: “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” Watch Party and Panel
- May 12, 2020: Superman is the 'Crown Jewel' of Jerry O'Connell's Career
- May 18, 2020: “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” Arrives on 4K/Blu-ray Tomorrow
- May 19, 2020: “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” Arrives on 4K/Blu-ray Today!
- May 29, 2020: “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” Online Watch Party
- May 30, 2020: Watch the “Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” Panel
- April 30, 2020: Voice Cast for “Superman: Man of Tomorrow”
- May 6, 2020: New Images from “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Animated Movie
- June 23, 2020: “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Official Trailer
- June 25, 2020: “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Release Date Announced
- July 21, 2020: Tim Sheridan Talks “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Animated Movie
- August 18, 2020: Preview Clip - “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Animated Movie
- August 20, 2020: Preview Clip - “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Animated Movie
- August 21, 2020: Superman vs Lobo - “Superman: Man of Tomorrow“ Preview Clip
- August 21, 2020: Clark vs. Lobo Preview Clip - “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Animated Movie
- August 22, 2020: Watch the DC FanDome “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Panel
- August 24, 2020: Director Chris Palmer on the Art Style of “Superman: Man of Tomorrow”
- August 26, 2020: “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Animated Movie Review
- August 27, 2020: Purchasing “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” - Poll Results
- August 30, 2020: Character Videos for “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Animated Movie
- September 8, 2020: “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Now Available on Blu-ray/DVD
- September 10, 2020: Purchase the Soundtrack to “Superman: Man of Tomorrow”
- September 10, 2020: Fan Ratings on “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” - Poll Results
- November 19, 2020: “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” Nominated for Critics Choice Award
- May 19, 2020: Snyder Cut of “Justice League” Could Premiere on HBO Max
- May 20, 2020: It's Official! HBO Max to Release the Snyder Cut of “Justice League”!
- May 25, 2020: What Can We Expect from the Snyder Cut of “Justice League”?
- May 27, 2020: Ray Porter Talks Voicing Darkseid as Zack Snyder Shares Official Photo
- May 28, 2020: Will You Watch the Snyder Cut of “Justice League”? - Poll Results
- June 18, 2020: First Sneak Peek from Zack Snyder's “Justice League”
- July 17, 2020: JusticeCon to Celebrate Snyder Cut of “Justice League”
- July 20, 2020: Zack Snyder Talks About “Justice League” Running Time, Superman and More
- July 24, 2020: Reminder - Justice Con to Celebrate Snyder Cut of “Justice League”
- July 25, 2020: Zack Snyder Shares Black Suit Superman Scene During Justice Con Panel
- August 8, 2020: Zack Snyder Shares New “Justice League” Steppenwolf Image
- August 13, 2020: Superman's Black Costume - Poll Results
- August 20, 2020: New Teaser Trailer for Snyder Cut of “Justice League”
- August 22, 2020: Zack Snyder Talks About the Snyder Cut “Justice League” Trailer
- August 22, 2020: DC FanDome Report - “The Snyder Cut of Justice League” Panel and Trailer
- September 23, 2020: Henry Cavill to Film New Scenes for “Zack Snyder's Justice League”
- September 24, 2020: Is Henry Cavill Participating in New “Justice League” Reshoots for Snyder Cut?
- October 1, 2020: Henry Cavill Excited for Zack Snyder's “Justice League”
- October 20, 2020: “Justice League: The Snyder Cut” 16-bit Trailer Remake
- October 21, 2020: Jared Leto's Joker to Appear in Zack Snyder's “Justice League”
- November 13, 2020: Zack Snyder Only Shot 4 Extra Minutes of Footage for “Justice League”
- November 17, 2020: Updated Teaser Trailer for Zack Snyder's “Justice League”
- December 14, 2020: Zack Snyder Calls for “Justice League” Theatrical Release
- December 17, 2020: Will Zack Snyder's “Justice League” Premiere in March 2021?
- January 21, 2020: “Superman: The Movie” Screening at The Prince Charles Cinema, London
- January 23, 2020: “Music of John Williams” Concert in Toronto, Canada
- February 17, 2020: “Superman: The Movie - The Final Cut” Fan Film Remastered Trailer
- February 21, 2020: Superman Movie Marathon at The Mahoning Drive-In Theater
- April 3, 2020: Pittsburgh Symphony Brass Play Superman Theme... At Home
- April 28, 2020: InHouse-Con Presents “Superman - Good vs. Evil”
- June 8, 2020: Watch “Superman: The Movie” at the Cheri Theater in Kentucky
- June 8, 2020: Watch “Superman: The Movie” at the Getty Drive-In Theater in Michigan
- June 23, 2020: “Superman: The Movie - The Final Cut” Fan Film Remastered Project
- July 1, 2020: Auction - Christopher Reeve Wire and Zoptic “Flying & Mechanical” Cape
- July 19, 2020: Sold! - Christopher Reeve Wire and Zoptic “Flying & Mechanical” Cape
- July 22, 2020: Annie Ross, “Superman III” Actress, Dies at 89
- July 24, 2020: Sideshow Unveils Their “Superman: The Movie” Premium Format Figure
- August 20, 2020: Video - Making “Superman III” in Calgary, Canada
- November 3, 2020: “Superman in Concert” Delayed Until March 2021
- November 19, 2020: “Superman: The Movie” Screening in Los Angeles Tomorrow Night
- January 2, 2020: Zack Snyder Answers “Justice League” Hologram Question
- January 5, 2020: “Justice League” Snyder Cut 40 Minute Online Video
- March 28, 2020: Live “Batman v Superman” Commentary by Zack Snyder
- March 29, 2020: Video of Zack Snyder’s Live “Batman v Superman” Commentary
- April 11, 2020: Harry Lennix Talks “Man of Steel” and “Batman v Superman”
- April 18, 2020: Fan Fixes Henry Cavill's “Justice League” Mustache Problem
- May 18, 2020: Live “Man of Steel” Commentary by Zack Snyder
- May 20, 2020: Video of Zack Snyder's “Man of Steel” Watch Party
- May 27, 2020: Will Henry Cavill Return as Superman?
- June 24, 2020: Henry Cavill on Playing Superman for “Years to Come”
- July 2, 2020: Henry Cavill Talks About All Those Superman Rumors
- July 5, 2020: “Batman v Superman” Ultimate Edition on HBO Max
- July 26, 2020: Comic-Con@Home - David Goyer Talks “Man of Steel”
- September 10, 2020: Superman on Film - Evolution Over Nostalgia
- September 20, 2020: Fan Trailer - “Henry Cavill Superman Support Trailer”
- September 25, 2020: “Man of Steel” Coming to HBO Max
- November 4, 2020: Zack Snyder Shares Unseen “Man of Steel” Photo
- November 18, 2020: Will Zack Snyder Release a Director's Cut of “Man of Steel”?
- December 23, 2020: Why is Zack Snyder Remastering “Batman v Superman“?
- January 7, 2020: Casting Call for Big Budget Superman Fan Film
- January 16, 2020: What is the Best Superman Movie of the Past Decade? - Poll Results
- January 23, 2020: Major Roles Cast for “Superman vs Doomsday” Fan Film
- February 6, 2020: Watching Superman Fan Films - Poll Results
- March 4, 2020: Brandon Routh Talks to Michael Rosenbaum About Playing Superman
- March 21, 2020: A Guide to Every Actor Who Has Played Superman
- March 26, 2020: Would Michael Shannon Return to Play Zod in Supergirl Movie?
- April 6, 2020: “LEGO DC: Shazam! Magic and Monsters” Animated Movie
- April 12, 2020: Watch “Heroic Ambition” Superman Documentary Online Free
- April 18, 2020: Fan Creates “Kingdom Come” Live-Action Trailer
- April 29, 2020: “LEGO DC: Shazam! Magic and Monsters” Sneak Peek
- May 4, 2020: “The Amazing Story of Superman” Documentary Livestream
- May 5, 2020: Kirk Alyn - Film's First Superman
- May 13, 2020: Akiva Goldsman Talks Never-Made “Batman vs. Superman” Movie
- June 17, 2020: Mark Millar Talks Superman in Empire Magazine's July 2020 - The Heroes Issue
- June 24, 2020: Watch the “Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics” Full-Length Documentary Online
- July 22, 2020: Fleischer Superman Cartoon Upscaled to 4K Using Neural Networks
- August 5, 2020: “Hollywoodland” Blu-ray Release
- August 13, 2020: Zack Snyder - Skateboarding in the House of El
- August 20, 2020: SuperMuseum Watch Party
- August 26, 2020: Fan Film - “Legend of Superman - COVID RESPONSE”
- August 29, 2020: Video - The Evolution of Superman: DC Animated History
- September 3, 2020: Interview with Superman Actor Kevin Caliber - Voices From Krypton Podcast
- September 10, 2020: Fan Trailer: “Superman - The Hero We Need”
- October 8, 2020: Superman Movies You've Seen - Poll Results
- October 13, 2020: David Hasselhoff to Voice Superman in “Death Metal” Animated Shorts
- October 18, 2020: Superman Spotted on the Set of “The Batman”
- October 22, 2020: Fan Trailer - “Homelander v Superman Teaser Trailer”
- October 30, 2020: Fan Film Trailer - “Superman: Mortal Menaces”
- November 4, 2020: Brandon Routh on Why a “Superman Returns” Sequel Never Happened
- November 18, 2020: Rare Fleischer Superman Artwork Up For Auction
- December 10, 2020: Best Superman Movie Director - Poll Results
- December 31, 2020: Kevin Smith Relives His “Superman Lives” Pitch
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