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Look... man 1: Up in the sky.

Man 2: It's a bird.
Woman: It's a plane.

It's, it's...

- Superman.
- Superman.

- Superman?
- Superman.

Superman!

You wanted to see me?

Narrator: He was the world's
first comic-book superhero.

The fearless man
in blue tights with a red cape...

And an s stretched
boldly across his chest.

My dad would give a dime to buy
every new issue of Superman.

Lee: Superman made
a big impact on me...

And I guess on most of the people
who read them.

Narrator: For more than 60 years,
Superman has been everything.

From a comic book to a cartoon,
to a movie star

- oh!
- Easy, miss, I've got you.

Everybody when they talk about
Superman as part of their childhood...

Glows about why it's
such a great character.

Look, Superman. Children: Yay!

Hamill:
I first saw Superman on television...

The George Reeves' TV series.

I just loved it.

I guess it was the idea of flying.

Singer: George Reeves would run up
and bounce out the window.

I would try to mimic that.
I mean who didn't?

Narrator: Some have seen Superman
as a mythic symbol of hope...

Strength and moral certainty...

While others would simply call him
a pop-culture phenomenon.

- It's not like I asked to be famous.
- Yeah, well, it's the price you pay.

Throughout his history, he's found
himself in touch with the times.

And occasionally out of fashion.

Forget it, Superman,
you just do your thing.

Right on.

Lois is in danger.
I'm gonna split.

Narrator:
But Superman continues to endure...

As generation after generation
have come to know him.

I watched the justice league
cartoon on television.

That was really my exposure
to Superman.

Thank you for flying
Superman airlines.

Narrator:
And with each new generation...

Ouperman continues to challenge...

Our collective notion
of what it means to be a hero.

Routh:
There's always a time for heroes.

It's the spirit of Superman.

Someone that people
can aspire to be.

The guy down the street
wanted to be a sports jock.

Ah!

I wanted to save Metropolis.

It's about having a hero
who swoops down and saves you...

Who looks pretty good too.

Donner: He enables you to do
everything humanly possible...

That we all wanted to do.

It's the greatest fantasy in the world.

Narrator:
According to the comic books...

Ouperman began life as baby Kal-El.

Born on the distant planet of Krypton.

But Superman
was actually conceived...

In the imaginations
of two teenage boys...

Trom Cleveland, Ohio.

Jerry Siegel and Joe shuster...

Both the sons
of Jewish immigrants.

When they met at
glenville high school in 1931...

The two teenagers were shy loners
with a shared interest.

In adventure,
science-fiction pulp magazines...

And comic strips.

Jerry wrote articles
for his school newspaper.

Joe was an artist who enjoyed
illustrating Jerry's work.

A powerful partnership was forged.

Jones:
They were about 16 years old.

They just connected
and came up with this idea.

Jerry would write stories,
Joe would draw them

and they would try to make it
as comic-strip guys.

Comic artists at that time were
celebrities and millionaires.

Narrator: But Jerry and Joe's dreams
of fame and fortune collided.

With the economic despair and political
uncertainty of the great depression.

A time when Americans
questioned...

Whether their way of life
could even survive.

In 1932 Jerry and Joe
created a mail-order periodical...

They called science fiction.

It was just a little mimeographed
periodical about eight or 10 pages.

And inside it was the story called
reign of the Superman.

Narrator:
Appearing in January of 1933...

The reign of the Superman
told the story...

Of a bald madman
who tries to use.

His telepathic abilities
to conquer the world.

The character's name came
from the word coined.

By German philosopher friedrich
Nietzsche some 50 years earlier.

Jerry Siegel began to rethink
the concept.

What if the Superman
he and Joe had created.

Was a force for good
instead of evil?

And instead of telepathic abilities,
what if his powers were physical...

Just like Hercules, Samson and all
of the other legendary strongmen...

They had read about
and tried to emulate.

Wouldn't this character be perfect to
star in a daily newspaper comic strip?

Maggin:
They did it in a night in Cleveland.

They kept running to each other's
houses that hot night in Cleveland.

Neither could sleep.
Joe shuster would draw pictures...

As Jerry came up with ideas.

Narrator:
Over the next few weeks.

Djerry and Joe
continued to refine their concept.

They made Superman a refugee
from a distant planet.

Clothed him in the muscle-defining
outfit of a circus acrobat

and gave him a secret identity...

As a mild-mannered newspaper
reporter named Clark Kent.

Superman had the dual identity.
You know Zorro had had it

the Scarlet pimpernel had it.

It was important to
the whole Superman mythos.

Him working as a newspaper reporter so
that he can know what was going on...

And where his abilities were needed.

Narrator: Drawing from both
pop culture and myth...

Jerry and Joe created something
original, even visionary.

And every major newspaper
editor and publisher...

Wasted no time in rejecting ft.

Jones: The editors mostly said things
like, "it looks too juvenile."

Who wants to read about this guy
in tights and a cape...

Narrator: By 1935, Jerry and Joe
managed to find steady work...

In the new medium
of comic books.

Which expanded on many
of the characters and situations found.

In the shorter
daily newspaper strips.

They churned out hundreds of routine
tales featuring swashbucklers...

Vampire-hunters, and private eyes.

All for a fledgling company
called national allied publishing...

1ater to be known simply as DC...

After one of its early successes,
detective comics.

By 1938, DC was preparing
a new anthology comic book...

Fortunately for Jerry and Joe...

The company decided
to take a chance on Superman.

That spring, action comics ♪17
hit the hews stand.

It featured a full-color cover

boasted 68 pages of content
and sold for a dime.

At a time when an average American
worker made less than $25 a week.

In that first issue,
Superman didn't fly.

Instead, he leaped
from skyscraper to skyscraper.

He was also not as strong
as he would later become.

But what he lacked in powers,
he more than made up for in attitude.

Tackling problems ripped from
depression-era headlines.

Waid: In 1938, we're a nation
on the verge of war...

We are a nation
that is new to this whole concept...

Of urbanization and of urban crime.

And Superman was originally
a social crusader.

He was beating up mine owners
who were mistreating their employees.

He was razing
defective buildings in Metropolis.

Narrator:
Action comics was a success.

And over the next years, Superman
developed a large and loyal following.

But as much as he resonated
with the public, so did his alter ego...

The timid reporter, Clark Kent.

It's not der ubermensch

it's not the germanic idea
of the Superman...

The superior man of Nietzsche.

This is the greatness
of the meek, the mild.

Superman established
the idea of somebody...

Wwho seems to be a meek, ordinary,
average person...

And is really a superhero.

And it was a formula that virtually every
superhero owes a debt to even today.

Narrator: In January, 1939...

Ouperman made the leap from comic
book to newspaper comic strip.

And soon 20 million Americans
thrilled to his adventures every day.

That summer, DC took an even bolder
marketing strategy with the character...

By featuring their superhero
in his very own comic book.

Superman became so popular
that they said:

"Why don't we create a comic book
just about that character?"

Which back then was very unusual.

Narrator: Superman ♪171 sold more
than a million copies.

And by the end of the year,
the man of steel was everywhere.

He was at the New York world's fair
played by actor ray middleton.

And he was at
the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade...

Impersonated by a balloon.

Now seen as a symbol of hope
to a struggling nation...

Ouperman was bigger
and more powerful...

Than even his creators
could have imagined.

Man 1: Look, up in the sky.

Man 2: It's a bird.
Man 3: It's a plane.

Man 4: It's Superman.

Narrator:
On February 12, 1940...

The adventures of Superman debuted
oh radio stations across America.

Radio narrator:
Yes, it's Superman.

Today, as we begin
the man of steel's new adventure.

A cunning trap is being set
for the girl reporter, Lois Lane.

Narrator: Within the year...

An estimated 20 million listeners
were tuning in.

Now, for the first time,
comic book fans could hear

what a Superman story
sounded like.

We didn't have television
but, boy...

You'd stare at that atwater Kent,
or that little dial, and you were there.

I mean, it's the theater of the mind.

Superman:
Hey! That roof's gonna fall in a second!

I'll just wrap my cape
around these two like this...

Uh-oh. Here comes that roof.

Narrator: The dual role
of Superman and Clark Kent...

Was played by
Clayton "bud" collyer...

Who would perform the characters
in over 2,000 programs.

He got the concept of doing
Clark up in sort of his tenor voice:

"This looks like a job...

For Superman.”

Superman:
This is a job for Superman.

Narrator: The radio-show writers
added plot devices...

That became part
of the DC universe.

Superman didn't just leap
over buildings, he flew.

Superman: Up, up and away.

Narrator:
The writers also changed the name...

Of the dally star
to the daily planet...

And the name of editor
George Taylor to Perry white.

Clark: Mr. White, I'd like to thank you.
Perry: Let it go, Kent.

You get a story
and you get a job.

Narrator: They made copy boy
Jimmy Olsen a key member...

Of Superman's supporting cast.

Jimmy:
And get this, miss Lane...

Mr. White gave me
all the buried treasure.

It comes to almost 10,000 dollars.

Narrator: And it was on radio
that kryptonite was introduced...

As the only substance powerful enough
to harm the man of steel

radio narrator:
Superman discovered to his horror...

That if he approached within a distance
of 10 feet of the green glowing meteor...

He lost all his strength.

Narrator: The 1940 radio show
also fueled interest.

In a shower
of Superman merchandise...

That exploded onto the marketplace.

There are probably only two characters
on the planet...

That you could peg its popularity
to its merchandising.

And that's Mickey mouse
and Superman.

Narrator: More precious
than a Superman toy was membership...

In the Superman of America club
founded in 1939

hecht:
You had to send in coupons...

Cut from action comics
until you got this patch.

You see it says action comics.

This is from the very first year.

And there were very, very few samples
of this particular patch known.

Narrator: As Americans questioned
whether to get involved...

In the escalating world war overseas,
Superman became...

Even more of a symbol of moral
goodness and social responsibility.

In later years, the radio show even took
on the controversial topic of racism...

By having Superman fight
the ku klux klan.

Clan member:
We're a great secret society...

Pledged to purify America.

One race, one religion, one color.

Jimmy: I don't get it. America's got
all kinds of religions and colors.

Narrator: Superman's appeal
transcended nationality.

After all, in many ways, Superman
was the ultimate American immigrant.

Irish kids, Hungarian kids, German kids,
Italian kids, black kids, Jewish kids...

Were connecting to Superman.

Superman became every kid's fantasy.

I came to America at about 8 1/2 years
of age. I wasn't born here.

I was born in Israel

Superman was the great longing
of these immigrants to fit into society...

And to aspire to greatness.

Man 1: Up in the sky. Look.

Woman: It's a bird.
Man 2: It's a plane.

Man 3: It's Superman.

Narrator: Just three years
after his debut in the comics.

Ouperman also became
a movie star

in 1941, the fleischer studios...

Famous for their popeye
and Betty boop cartoons...

Produced the first of 17
animated theatrical shorts.

I don't believe it. He isn't human.

Narrator: For the first time ever,
audiences could now see Superman fly.

Once again, bud collyer provided
the voice of the man of steel.

This is a job for Superman.

While radio actress Joan Alexander
played feisty girl reporter Lois Lane.

What have you done with the jewels?

You'll read about it
in tomorrow's paper.

Simone: Lois was one of
the really strong female characters...

Where she would go out
and do whatever to get at the truth...

And nothing stopped her.

- City editor.
- Look, chief, the panic's on.

The thing's gone haywire.

Narrator:
Using a process called rotoscoping...

In which live-action models
were traced one frame at a time.

The Superman cartoons set
a new standard for excellence.

And were even rewarded
with an Oscar homination.

But as moviegoers thrilled
to Superman's animated adventures...

A deadly force was preparing
fo attack America.

And not even the man of steel
could stop it.

Roosevelt: December 7, 1941.

A date which will live in infamy.

Narrator: With the United States'
entry into world war I...

Comic-book villainy gave way to a
real-life battle between good and evil.

As American men and women
left their families to fight overseas...

DC comics struggled
to find a way for Superman...

To provide moral support
for the allies.

Levitz:
There were some cool covers.

The story almost never touched
on the war.

In Superman stories where he
solves the world's problem...

The problem's still there
the next morning.

Waid: It was a wise choice by DC.
Sending Superman overseas...

Could wipe out the Nazi menace
in an afternoon.

But it was viewed as disrespectful
to the honest, genuine effort...

That was being made
over there by the allies...

To have a costumed character run in
and just fix everything.

Narrator: During the war, Superman
was often featured in the comics.

Dealing body blows
to Hitler and hirohito.

It was a time of moral certainty.

One in which enemies of the day
were depicted as two-dimensional...

In more ways than one.

America's favorite superhero
cheered on the troops...

And urged folks to buy war bonds
and recycle scrap paper.

Ironically, this recycling campaign
helped make vintage Superman comics...

A rare and valuable commodity.

Would Mark a new chapter...

In the evolution of the man of steel

like the country that created him,
Superman now seemed invincible.

Stronger even than the invention
that ended the war, the atomic bomb.

As gi's came home
and began raising families...

DC readers could also follow
the character's teenage adventures...

As superboy, the obedient, adopted
son of loving earth parents, the kents...

Who live in the idyllic town
of Smallville

this chapter in Superman's history had
also been chronicled in a 1942 novel.

Written by George lowther,
a key contributor to the radio show.

It's a very conservative era.
It's very respectful of authority.

And Superman therefore went
from being a crusader of social causes...

To a symbol of the social order.

He became the quintessential
big blue boy scout.

Narrator: On movie screens,
the man of steel got a fresh makeover...

In a 15-chapter serial
produced by Columbia pictures.

That track flier races through here
and she's loaded to the hilt.

Clark:
This looks like a job for Superman.

Narrator: The fiims were made
on a shoestring budget...

And were intended to entertain
children during Saturday matinees.

Former movie cowboy kirk alyn
was an exuberant man of steel...

Get that man to the police.

Turn the reducer ray over to proper
authorities and I'll round up the others.

Narrator:
And a very mild-mannered Clark Kent.

- I'm going out for a while.
- But things may pop here.

I'll be back in time.

I just wanna get the reaction of the man
on the street when the news is flashed.

Narrator:
Actress Noel neill became the screen's.

First flesh-and-blood [ois I ane.

Jimmy: Lois! Yes?

- It's Jimmy, can I come in?
- It's, "may I come in"...

And the answer is yes, you're in.

Neill:
My dad was this newspaperman.

He said, "I never see anybody going
around with a pad, pencil or anything.

He's running, getting
in trouble and it"

man: You're wanted.
Cop: What goes on here?

- Hello, miss Lane.
- It's Dr. hackett, he's on the hot list.

Can you identify him? Yes.

Good enough for me.

Narrator: The serial inspired...

An equally successful sequel
atom man vs. Superman.

Here, audiences were introduced
to the villainous I. Uthor.

Hot yet Lex Luthor,
played by Lyle Talbot.

They think I'm bluffing.
I'l show them.

I'll destroy the bridge
and then all of Metropolis.

Narrator: Luthor had become
well known to comic-book readers.

As the man of steel's archenemy.

The mad scientist was
a fitting boogyman for an age...

Living under the threat of
atomic annihilation.

Grossman:
In the kirk alyn Superman serials...

You don't actually see him fly.
It's animation.

Up, up and away.

I have talked to people who to this day
remember being disappointed...

That they didn't really see Superman
fly and that it was a cartoon.

Return to your office.

Narrator: By the end of the 1940s,
Superman had become an American icon.

And after triumphing in everything
from comic books and radio dramas

to merchandising and movies, the
man of steel was about to conquer...

The most exciting new technology
of the day.

In November of 19561, the feature
film Superman and the mole-men...

Premiered in theaters
across America.

The low-budget movie starred
a new Superman, George Reeves...

Who was joined
by Phyllis coates as Lois Lane.

Now listen to me, all of you. You don't
know anything about these creatures.

What they are or where they're from.
But here's the man that can tell you.

Narrator:
The story concerned the fear...

That infects a small town...

Whose inhabitants
come face-to-face

with gnome-like visitors
from the depths of the earth.

As Superman comes
to the creature's rescue.

The audience is given
a lesson in tolerance

a timely theme during
the politically paranoid 1950s.

You're not going to shoot
those little creatures.

In the first place,
they haven't done you any harm.

In the second place,
they may be radioactive.

If they fall in the reservoir,
they may contaminate the water supply.

Save your time and ammunition,
Benson.

Narrator:
Shot on a dusty backlot...

In culver city, California,
in just 12 days...

The movie was a box-office success.

It also helped launch a bigger project
already in production.

A Superman series
for the young medium of television.

TV narrator:
Faster than a speeding bullet.

More powerful than a locomotive.

Able to leap tall buildings
at a single bound.

Man 1: Look, up in the sky.
Man 2: It's a bird.

Woman: It's a plane.
Man 3: It's Superman.

Narrator:
In the adventures of Superman...

George Reeves returned
as the man of steel.

And so did Phyllis coates
as Lois I ane.

Largest Ruby in the world, stolen three
years ago from the London museum.

What a story.
Thanks to Kent here.

And to Superman.

Like I always say, two heads
are better than one.

Narrator: Classically trained
at the Pasadena playhouse...

Reeves first came to the attention
of movie audiences in 1939

when he appeared as one of the
tarleton twins in the epic production...

Of gone with the wind.

But after world war il, Reeves' career
had come to a virtual standstill.

The 38-year-old
shared his frustration.

With fellow Superman actor
Jack Larson, cast as Jimmy Olsen.

The first time George and I met,
I said how good he was...

In so proudly we halll...

Which was a star-making role,
and he said, "yes.

And if the director, Mark sandrich,
who was a mentor to me, hadn't died...

While I was away in the army...

I wouldn't be sitting here
in this monkey suit today."

That's the only time ever I heard him
say anything negative...

About being Superman.

As I understand it.

You wanna go on the roller coaster?

And the merry-go-round,
and the Ferris wheel

all right.

Narrator:
Targeted mainly at children...

The adventures of Superman
premiered in syndication...

On September 19, 1952,
and became an instant hit.

But I don't understand.
Why did he do this?

There's a deposit of hydrozite in that
cave. I just learned this in Washington.

What is this hy...? Hydro...?

Hydrozite, it's a rare mineral
used in making the hydrogen bomb.

Oh.

I first saw Superman on television,
the George Reeves TV series.

And I just went mad for it.
I just loved it.

Superman, you're wonderful.
How did you know we were in trouble?

A little bird told me.

I bet you the little bird's name
was Clark Kent.

Before the show started, I would
immediately run into the bathroom...

And grab the largest towel
and wrap it around my neck.

And when he flew through the air...

George Reeves,
I dove off my bed just like him.

Mumy: I was first exposed to Superman
when I was about 2 or 3 years old...

Through the
George Reeves television series.

Superman was a huge influence
on why I wanted to be an actor.

I just loved that television series
so much.

Jimmy, are you all right?

Yeah, I guess so, my legs
are a little weak, that's all.

That was a close one.

Jim, a word of advice:

After this, keep out of peoples' safes.
You bet.

He was a terrific guy
and a totally accomplished actor.

His Clark Kent was wonderfully reviewed
in the New York times.

They said how the depth
of his performance...

Had a bit of sadness, loneliness,
mystery as Clark Kent.

Narrator:
Most of the lighter moments...

Came from Jack Larson's
appealing performance as Jimmy Olsen.

- Oh, my ankle.
- Let me give you a hand.

I was waiting on the pier
for miss Lane

to interview Denise darrieux,
the French movie star.

Sorry you missed her.
They say she's very pretty.

Right now you're prettier to me
than all the movie stars in the world.

Narrator: Larson's popularity
even led to a new DC comic book

ouperman's pal Jimmy Olsen.

It was followed by a book
starring Lois Lane.

Fishler: DC looked at Jimmy Olsen
and Lois Lane to appeal...

To young boys and young qirls.

They could see themselves
not as Superman...

But they thought of themselves
as Superman's friend.

Narrator: But not everyone
loved the man of steel

in fact, one outspoken psychiatrist,
dr fredric wertham.

Considered Superman un-American.

In his 1954 book,
seduction of the innocent.

Wertham waged an incendiary war
oh comic books

and called
the man of steel a fascist

wertham was a star witness
at the senate investigation...

Into popular media...

And its alleged responsibility
for juvenile delinquency...

Which was on the rise
across America.

Wertham's message, echoed
by other witnesses, sent shock waves...

Through the anxious
comic-book industry...

And threatened its very existence.

Fortunately, wertham's attack
on Superman...

Bounced off the man of steel
like so many bullets.

Grossman: Here was a hero
who represented all people...

Not white, not black,
not women, not men. Everybody.

Narrator:
The adventures of Superman...

Soared into its third season.

It benefited from a bigger budget.

One that allowed for the series
to be filmed in color

inspector, you'll find a lot of missing
people in the basement of that house.

- Where's Clark?
- Yes, where is he?

Where he usually is.

Narrator: By now,
there was also a new Lois I ane.

In the person of Noel nelll...

Who'd been a favorite with audiences
in the kirk alyn serials.

I'm tired Clark.
Think I'll rest here a minute.

That's a good idea, Lois.
I'll go ahead and scout around a bit.

- You wait right here.
- Okay, don't get lost.

Neill:
I always got from the kids:

"Why don't you know
that Clark and Superman...

They're the same person
wearing a pair of those darn eyeglasses."

And I said,
"I don't want to lose my job."

Narrator:
The TV series, like the franchise...

Fell under the watchful eye
of DC comics editorial director.

Whitney ellsworth.

Ellsworth crafted a code of conduct
for all of DC's heroes

including a ban against killing
and excessive violence.

It was a move designed to protect DC
from further attacks by critics.

For the TV series, ellsworth collaborated
with the show's sponsor, kellogg's...

To make sure the program was
on budget and patently inoffensive.

Get these better-than-ever
puffs of wheat.

They're sugar toasted
and candy sweet.

Kellogg's are selling cereals for children
so they wanted to keep our show "nice."

Narrator: Ellsworth also vetoed
the idea of letting Noel neill appear...

In kellogg's commercials
that featured her fellow cast members.

Enjoying a hearty breakfast.

Neill: And I kept saying,
"aren't I gonna do any?"

And they said, "oh, well, we don't
feel that you should be sitting...

At a breakfast table having cereal
with Jimmy Olsen or Clark Kent...

Because that's just wrong."

Narrator:
Ironically, the idea of Clark and Jimmy...

Waking up to breakfast together...

Didn't seem to raise any eyebrows.

Oh, good, you're both here. Now,
we have an important assignment and I...

Chief, can't it wait till after breakfast?

News can't wait, Kent, you know that.

- Now then...
- Not even for new sugar smacks, chief?

Now, I say we have this important...

Why, yes, don't mind if I do.

Narrator:
Over the next five years...

The popularity of
the adventures of Superman...

Continued undiminished.

Ms. Lane, will you please release Jimmy
and the good professor, here.

I have to go catch those crooks.

Narrator: The props might have been
on the flimsy side.

And some of the situations
may have been a bit bizarre.

But it didn't matter. Kids around
the world couldn't get enough.

And much of the credit
belonged to George Reeves...

Who anchored the often outlandish
stories with his natural charm.

What was that?

Oh, just the usual hired thugs
in the usual powerful black sedan.

But never mind, I'll get them.

- Are you all right?
- I'm all right.

What's going on here?

I was cruising by in my car
and heard the shooting.

It's quite all right, inspector.
Miss Lane is unharmed.

I looked up to him as a kid.
So many other people did.

George Reeves
would have made a great dad.

You wanted to help people and that's
what I call being real super, Bobby.

George was a noble...

- Person.
- Southern gentleman.

- He was a gentleman.
- He was wonderful

and he always had a sign up
on his dressing room:

"Honest George,
the people's friend."

Narrator:
Reeves gave every episode his all...

Especially when it came
to his character's famous entrances.

- Superman!
- Am I glad to see you.

Golly, Superman, you could have
come in through the door.

This seemed more spectacular.

Larson:
George took the walls very seriously.

He liked to come through, and he liked
them to pop out everywhere.

My word, it's Superman.

Larson:
George made the entrances he did...

Because he fell once.

In one of the very first shows,
they were flying him in like Peter Pan...

And the wire broke, and he fell
and he said, "that's it.

Peter Pan flies, my Superman
doesn't fly on wires."

And when he would do his entrances,
there would be a bar.

And George would jump,
grab the bar and come in.

Did you find it?
Did you find karborium-x?

I hope so, professor.

Special effects were quite primitive,
but his entrances and exits are boffo.

Hamill:
That moment in the end of the episode...

Where Lois would be
criticizing Clark...

And George would look to us and say,
"well, I did my best, Lois.

After all, you can't expect me
to be a Superman.”

Well, all I can say is, if it weren't
for Superman, I wouldn't be here.

And it was like breaking
the fourth wall. Ooh, we know.

Nobody else knows, just us.

And when I tell you to look, you look.

You're gonna see
your favorite television star.

Look, Superman. Children: Yay!

Narrator: But Lois Lane wasn't
the only redhead in Superman's life.

In 1957,
George Reeves guest-starred...

On America's number one
prime-time show, I love Lucy.

Well, Superman, that was
a wonderful thing you did.

Oh, Ricky, it was my pleasure.
I'm only sorry I didn't get to meet Lucy.

- I've heard so much about her.
- Yeah, well I don't know.

Where is Lucy, Ethel?

Oh, she'll be here in a minute.
She's out on the ledge.

Both: Out on the ledge!

Narrator: By the end of the 1980s,
Reeves was desperate to move on...

From the role that had made him
a household name.

Of all the crazy things that you've done
in the 15 years that we've been married.

Ricardo, you mean to say that
you've been married to her for 15 years.

Yeah, 15 years.

And they call me Superman.

George was typed playing Superman
and he couldn't get another job...

Except on / love Lucy
playing Superman.

And it was awful for him.

Narrator: Reeves was also frustrated
by Superman's...

Unorthodox production schedule...

Which had the actors waiting months
or even a year between episodes.

But in may of 1989,
the actors seemed upbeat...

When told that cast and crew
would be reunited.

To film a seventh season.

Neill: George was happy as a bug
and looking forward to working.

"Noel," he said,
"I'm gonna try directing...

Because I'm getting a little old
to be running around in my underwear."

Well, three days later,
this girl called and said:

"Did you hear
what happened to George?"

Narrator:
On the morning of June 16, 1959...

A nation awoke
to read a shocking headline.

Superman had killed himself.

Larson:
I was in Europe at the time...

And there were headlines
from all over the world.

People sent me all this stuff
saying George had committed suicide.

I believed it. I still believe it.

Neill: I said, "oh, no, no, no."
And I called Mr. ellsworth immediately.

And he said, "well, he's dead."

Grossman: The headline said,
"Superman kills self."

How? Why? You know,
we've seen him in so many episodes.

The bullets bounce off him.

Hamill: At that age, you're trying
to figure out death...

What does it mean?
I didn't know anybody who died.

It was just wrenching beyond belief.

Simmons: The story I'd heard
was that he was murdered.

Shot or something.
And then the story changed.

And I'd heard that he tried to fly one day
and flew out the window and then died.

Narrator: On the day he died,
Reeves had been drinking heavily.

But according to reports,
no fingerprints...

Hot even his own,
were found on the gun.

Throughout the decades
that followed.

The circumstances
of the 45-year-old actor's death...

Have remained one of Hollywood's
most morbid mysteries.

Nevertheless, one detail was certain.

For millions of fans,
Superman was dead.

With the death of George Reeves,
the fate of the entire Superman empire...

Seemed at risk
for the first time in its history.

A new series focusing
on Superman's pal Jimmy Olsen...

Was considered, but abandoned.

Producer Whitney ellsworth
also tried to create a kid-friendly...

And actor-safe spinoff in the form of
the adventures of superpup.

TV narrator:
Faster than the speediest jet.

More powerful
than the mightiest rocket.

Able to fly around the world faster
than you can say "superpup.”

And only you and I know
that superpup is really bark bent.

Star reporter for the daily bugle.

Narrator: Filmed on the sets
of the George Reeves series...

This strange premise
featured the Superman characters...

As dogs and other animals
played by little people wearing masks.

I just wanted to tell you what a fine
job I think you and Pamela did...

In helping the police
put professor sheepdip in jail.

We could never have done it
without the help of superpup.

Oh, it was nothing.

Why are you taking the bow...

- If you think you're no superpup?
- Me?

Well, anyway, it'll be a long time before
professor sheepdip gets out of jail.

Narrator:
Not surprisingly, the concept...

Never got beyond
this rarely-seen pilot...

Which was never broadcast.

Man: Take one. - Hello there.

Narrator: A superboy pilot
starring John Rockwell...

As the teenage Clark Kent...

Was also attempted
but never found a sponsor.

Man: B1 take two.

You know, it's a funny thing.

Whenever you're around,
Clark seems to, well, vanish.

What's funny about that?
I guess he's got problems of his own.

And I don't suppose
it's remotely possible...

That there could be any close
connection between you and Mr. Kent.

Look, Lana, if you wanna persist
in some ridiculous idea

that I'm Clark Kent,
well, that's your business.

Now, I don't have time to discuss it.

Now will you or won't you
do as I ask?

Of course I will, superboy.

Narrator: Fortunately for DC comics,
the death of George Reeves...

Had little impact
on Superman's comic-book sales...

Partly because the comics were
different from the television show.

Maggin: Thank god for the
comic books. I kept reading them.

I still had Superman.

I just didn't have this flesh-and-blood
guy I could look up to anymore.

Narrator: Throughout the 1950s,
DC editor mort weisinger and his staff...

Began creating a vast mythology
for the man of steel

by 1958, there were seven
different Superman titles...

Collectively selling
nearly four million copies a month.

Mort weisinger really built
the breadth of the mythology.

He was the one who wanted us to know
stories about Superman's robot...

Stories about the return
to Krypton...

So you would learn
Superman's ancestors.

Narrator:
Readers learned of Kryptonian villains...

Released from the phantom zone.

The Kryptonian city of Kandor,
shrunken by the alien brainiac.

And the cube-shaped planet
of the bizarros.

Hamill:
There was beppo, the super-monkey.

Comet, the super-horse,
krypto, the super-dog.

It seemed like every month or so...

There were just new concepts
being introduced.

Green kryptonite. Red kryptonite.

Blue, white, Jewel kryptonite.

Narrator: There was Superman's
mermaid ex-girlfriend...

And even a teenage cousin,
Supergirl.

Mumy: "Great guns, it's a flying girl.
It must be an illusion."

"No, Superman, it's me,
and I have all your powers."

Action comics ♪252

narrator: In the comics,
Superman was now so all-powerful...

So invincible that writers struggled
to create stories for him.

I mean, at one point, he blew out a star
like you blow out a candle.

Well, if a guy can do that...

How are you going to get conflict
into the story, exactly?

Narrator: One solution
was to make Superman's conflicts...

Less physical
and more emotional.

O'Toole: Can you get married?
Can you have children?

Can you have any kind of normal life?

It just breaks my heart to think
that the guy who saves everybody...

Can't enjoy his life.

Narrator: But no matter
what conflicts he faced.

Ouperman reflected the same
unwavering optimism of his readers.

And as the 1960s dawned
Superman seemed completely in-tune...

With a hopeful new decade...

Symbolized by the election
of a vigorous...

Young president who promised a future
of space exploration and social justice.

We choose to go to the moon.

One Superman comic written in 1963,
even suggested a friendship...

Between the American president
and the Kryptonian crime-fighter.

The comic was set to go to press
that November

just as shots
rang out in Dallas, Texas.

Man:
Shooting in the motorcade...

Narrator: At the age of 46,
John F. Kennedy was dead.

And his assassination shattered
the dreams of a new frontier.

Another generation grew disillusioned.

Institutions, traditions, convictions
all became candidates for radical change.

And change they did.

A decade that began
with great optimism...

Was marked by race riots,
political protest...

And militant activism
against the Vietnam war.

Paper heroes like Superman
now seemed irrelevant, even silly.

Waid:
It was a time of, you know...

Long-haired hippie freaks
running the streets.

And Superman was still the...
Like, the agent of the status quo.

Cape Kennedy could be next.

This is a job for Superman.
Up, up and away!

Whew.
He made me see stars that time.

Narrator:
In 1966, DC's number-two hero...

Batman, came to television...

As a straight-faced parody
of comic-book heroes.

It was part of a resurgence,
if you will, in pop art.

And we were adding our slice
of the cultural pie.

We had the comic balloons
and the sounds like "zap"...

Baroom."” "crunch," and so on.

- Ringside table, Batman?
- Just looking, thanks.

I'll stand at the bar.
I shouldn't wish to attract attention.

Narrator: The same year
that batmania gripped the country...

Quperman landed on Broadway...

In a musical comedy.

It's a bird... it's a plane... it's
Superman boasted a talented cast

direction by the legendary
hal prince.

And songs by the team
who'd earlier written bye bye birdie.

But the tongue-in-cape spoof
closed after 128 performances.

Superman.

Although it did resurface
as a 1975 television special...

Starring David Wilson
and Lesley Ann Warren.

- Not so fast.
- Oh, Superman, you're wonderful.

I just got a call from abc that said:

"Could you give us a musical
for the late night?"

That was 11:30 at night.

The whole thing was shot in four days
with a couple cameras.

Hi there, America,
and friendly nations everywhere.

Glad we could get together.

Come on, pow!

Let's go, bam!

I need a little exercise
take that, pow!

And that, zoink!
Let's see what you can do

Warren: The man that played
Superman is David Wilson.

He was wonderful to work with and
we had a little crush on each other

which was perfect.
It worked out well for the piece.

- Oh, Superman, you're terrific.
- Yeah, I know.

He wasn't a dancer and that was,
you know, that drove him crazy.

You know, putting on those tights
and leaping across the stage.

I mean, he was like, not thrilled
about that, but he was a great sport.

Good night, sweet dreams

so sorry to mess up your plans

but now you know splat, pow!

You don't fool around

wham, zow, with Superman

Wilson:
I really don't think it did well.

The reviews in the paper were kind
of okay, but I would have no idea...

How it did number-wise,
or who came in, who turned in.

I don't think a hell of a lot of people.

Narrator: By the 1970's...

The future looked bleak
for the man of steel

and it seemed the world's
most powerful superhero...

Was, at best, a fond memory...

Or a figure of fun.

Everyone knows that you can leap
tall buildings in a single bound.

We all have heard that you
are more powerful than a locomotive.

- I love a good race with a choo-choo.
- I'm sure.

- Faster than a speeding bullet?
- Are you kidding? Ten times faster...

- Than a speeding bullet.
- I have a pistol here, Superman.

Bullet race, huh?
And I would like to test it out if I can.

Okay, any time you're ready.

Superman?

Narrator:
As comic-book sales plummeted...

DC eagerly brought in a new editor...

Julius Schwartz.

Schwartz encouraged
a new generation of writers...

Raised on Superman to update...

And reexamine the character,
with intriguing, if mixed results.

Levitz: Julius Schwartz
was not a great Superman fan.

He felt kids didn't pay attention
to newspapers anymore.

So maybe we should make Clark
a television reporter, and it didn't stick.

Perhaps it's because
it makes Clark more glamorous...

Than he ought to be, somehow.

Narrator: Under Schwartz's direction,
Superman became more introspective.

And Lois Lane received
a feminist makeover.

We almost went too far
the other way...

In that she just became a really bitchy,
cynical female character...

That I don't think Superman
would fall in love with:

Narrator: As the war escalated,
and political scandals...

And presidential resignations
brought a nation to its knees...

Well, I am not a crook.

Broadway musicals like Jesus Christ
superstar and godspell...

Reflected a rekindled interest
in spirituality.

Superman was now seen
in pop culture and in the comics...

Hot just as a superhero,
but as a secular Messiah

there's definitely an allegory,
a judeo-Christian allegory...

That's happening
in the mythology of Superman...

Rght up to the fact
that he descends from the heavens.

They took an old testament story,
which is Moses

whose mother and father were about
to be killed by the Egyptians...

In this case it was Krypton.

And just like Moses
went down the nile

and he landed on earth
as an immigrant...

And was adopted.

I don't think Superman
becomes a substitute for religion.

I think he becomes a substitute
for mythology.

Superman is the mythology of a hero.
This is what a hero can do.

This is perhaps what you can do
if you choose to be a hero.

There is morality in that,
that's very important.

Narrator: Unfortunately,
making Superman comics...

More socially relevant
didn't make them more popular.

Even the success of Saturday morning
incarnations like the super friends...

Couldn't dispel the notion that
Superman's best years might be over.

I can't break the grip. I'm powerless.

Help! Help me, someone.

I think Superman needs help.

Help! Please, help.
I can't hold out much longer.

Narrator: But although heroes
may fall and their powers fade...

They always come back fighting.

And thanks to a combination
of talent and good timing...

The man of steel was about to
experience a remarkable resurrection.

Superman was losing popularity
in his native country.

But ironically,
he was about to be revived.

By a Russian-Mexican
movie producer...

Living in Paris.

I was walking in front of a cinema
that had Zorro playing...

With a French star
called Alain delon.

And two days after,
I had dinner with my father...

And I said,
"why don't we do Superman?”

Narrator: By 1974,
llya salkind and his father, Alexander...

Had enjoyed acclaim producing films
like their star-studded remake.

Of the three musketeers
and its equally popular sequel.

Though Alexander was unfamiliar
with the character of Superman...

His 28-year-old son envisioned
an epic blockbuster...

Unlike any film ever made before.

I said, "we got to do something
that is serious, that is big."

Narrator: After securing
40 million dollars in financing...

The salkinds hired godfather author
and screenwriter Mario puzo.

To pen the script.

I come to the office one day
and there's Mario puzo in the library...

Looking through old Superman stories.
So they introduced me to him.

Cary bates, another writer
and I spent two days sitting...

Smoking Havana cigars with Mario...

In the conference room
and talking about who Superman was.

And his eyes started to shine
and he said:

"Wow, this is a Greek tragedy."

By getting Mario puzo, of course
the movie immediately started to exist.

Narrator: Just as they had done with
the three musketeers and its sequel...

The salkinds intended to film.

Iwo mammoth Superman films
at the same time.

To direct the challenging project,
the producers chose Richard donner...

Hot off the hit thriller, the omen.

Donner also saw Superman as an epic.

But he felt that the script,
now tackled by four writers...

Was too jokey and cynical.

I said, "this is Superman.
This is apple pie, americana."

It was a part of American history.
And to me, it had its own sense of reality.

Its own verisimilitude,
and the mission was to keep it straight.

Narrator: To Polish the script, donner
enlisted writer Tom mankiewicz.

Who was no stranger to adventure
and fantasy...

Having co-written
three James Bond films.

Dick said,
"we can't be smarter than the material

we have to get inside the material.”

Of course there's funny stuff.
Lex Luthor is a funny guy.

Of course this man can fly.
Of course.

But if you root for these two kids,
if you want them to get together...

If we make the love story work,
the whole movie works.

Narrator: Playing the part
of Superman's Nemesis Lex Luthor...

Would be academy award winner
gene hackman.

Who brought wit and humor
to what had previously been...

A two-dimensional role.

Bye-bye, California.

Hello, new west coast,
my west coast.

Narrator: To play Superman's
Kryptonian father Jor-El...

Llya salkind chose the godfather
himself, acting legend Marlon Brando.

Now, Brando, at this point,
was the greatest star in the world.

This was after godfather.

This was like literally
getting god for Jor-El.

Narrator: For the man of steel

salkind and donner
resisted the temptation...

To cast a box-office hame.

They felt strongly that the part
required a newcomer...

Provided that established stars
would be showcased in supporting roles.

I just couldn't see redford
or any of those guys in blue tights...

Flying around New York and being:

"Oh, there's Robert redford,"
not Superman.

So I really wanted an unknown.

It can't be Jon voight in a Superman suit
or Burt Reynolds in a Superman suit.

When Superman comes on the screen,
he has to be Superman.

Narrator: Over the next weeks.

Dozens of actors
were considered and screen tested.

I mean, we were going completely nuts
to get the right guy.

It's all over, Luthor.
You're coming with me.

We even tested the dentist
of my first ex-wife.

It's too late.
The rocket is already on its way...

And even you can't fly fast enough
to stop it.

I won't have to fly anywhere. Not after
you tell me where the controls are.

Controls? Who's got controls?

I've traced the signals to this room.
Now, you tell me.

I don't know where they are,
I swear.

Man: That's a print.

I was in New York, to see whoever was
available in New York and Chicago...

And one of the kids that came in
was Christopher reeve.

And a tall, skinny...
As a matter of fact

he had this big sweater on
to make him look twice as big.

But we talked and he was just
this fascinating kid...

Wwho was very, very bright.

He had a handle on the character.
It was a good handle.

Very pure, very clean.

Narrator:
The 25-year-old Juilliard graduate...

Eagerly traveled to London
for a screen test

he was so nervous, testing...

That I remember that you could see
the sweat stains under the armpits.

But he hopped off the ledge
onto Lois' balcony and said:

Good evening, miss Lane.

And as he started to do the scene,
it was just so clear.

Thank you very much
for finding the time for this interview.

I realize there must be
many questions about me...

The world would like to know
the answers to.

So it's become important to me
to have close relations with the press.

You really shouldn't smoke,
you know.

- Lung cancer?
- Well, not yet, thank goodness.

Johnson: Chris had the
self-confidence, self-assurance.

He knew that he was destined
for big things...

And I think he thought
this was part of the way to get there.

Why are you here?

Yes, I'm here to fight for truth,
for justice and the American way.

Narrator: For the role of Lois Lane,
donner heeded an actress.

With the right mix of steely
determination and romantic vulnerability.

Numerous actresses were tested,
including Ann Archer.

Superman.

Narrator: Stockard Channing.

No, no. Please, please, don't move.
I mean, just don't go anywhere.

I mean, move if you want to,
just don't fly away.

Narrator: Debra raffin

where do you hail from?

Narrator: And Lesley Ann Warren.

Man 1: Test 54, take 11.
Pick up.

Man 2: All right,
right where you were. Action!

Oh, would you like...

Uh, a cookie?

Superman: Oh, what kind?
- Macaroons.

I was actually a little nervous
about carrying over...

What I had done in the musical special
into this piece...

Because I wanted to make sure

that I wasn't bringing the largeness
that a musical requires.

- How about a glass of wine?
- I never drink when I fly.

You never drink when you fly.

- Is it true, you can see through anything?
- Mm-hm. Pretty much.

- And you are totally impervious to pain.
- Well, so far.

What color underwear am I wearing?

What color underwear am I wearing?

- What color underwear am I wearing?
- Pink_

Do you like pink?

- Do you like pink?
- I like pink very much, Lois.

- You could take a ride with me.
- You mean, I would fly?

This is utterly fantastic.

This is incredible.

Onl

Clark said you were rigged with wires.

- Like Peter Pan?
- Peter Pan flew with children, Lois.

In a fairy tale.

Ultimately Canadian margot kidder
won the part.

Donner had been impressed
by her unique chemistry with reeve...

And her creative approach
to the role.

Take 6.

What color underwear am I wearing?

Pink.

Lois was one way with Superman...

Just cockeyed, a little girl
and kind of phony baloney...

Because she couldn't
pull her head together...

Enough to think
when she was around him.

- Do you like pink?
- I like pink very much, Lois.

Oh.

And just sort of dismissive and curt
when she was with Clark...

Seventy-six take 2.

It's not my fault you put
yourself down all the time.

- Oh, yeah, how?
- For starters, look, you're slouching.

Stand up straight. Here.

There, stand up. That's better.

And I was very conscious
of doing that...

Because I was very conscious
around that time

of my revolting tendency to do that
around men in my own real life.

Clark said that you
were rigged with wires...

Like Peter Pan.

Peter Pan flew with children, Lois.
In a fairy tale.

Man: Print it.

Narrator: When production began
at pinewood studios in england...

Two facts became apparent:

The film would be the most ambitious
comic-book movie ever made.

And shooting it
would be next to impossible.

Especially difficult
were the film's crucial flying sequences.

Flying... it certainly wasn't
romantic to do it

because you're hanging 50 feet up
from a soundstage...

In an extremely uncomfortable
leather harness

that's cutting into your armpits
and your everything else.

We'd be whirled back and forth
across the ceiling on these wires...

And I would be smashing
into Chris in midair.

In those days, because there was
no computers there were...

It was hard effects.

You had to... practically had to do it
in the camera.

There were a few optical houses,
but things were limited.

You had to convince the audience
a man could fly.

At one point, somebody dropped
a clapperboard on the wire...

And cut off the electric current.
And we quickly went:

And were hanging upside down
held in only by our safety belts...

And Christopher actually did this.

He reached out, in character,
and held the pole.

As if he was gonna hold us both up
from gravity.

And afterwards, I went,
"Chris, do you know what you did?"

And he went, "oh, yeah."

And I said, "I think you're just
3 little too much in character.

This is going too far."

Narrator: The production presented
countless logistical challenges.

Locations stretched
from the soundstages of London...

To farmlands in rural Canada.

To evoke Superman's
three separate worlds...

Of Krypton, Smallville
and Metropolis.

The film is very much a three-act play.

On Krypton,
everything was shot through fog.

And people spoke
in almost shakespearean language.

And I wrote everybody the same way.

My friends, you know me
to be neither rash nor impulsive.

And I tell you that we must
evacuate this planet immediately.

Mankiewicz: When we go
to young Clark growing up...

It becomes like Andrew wyeth.

It's sepia colors
and everybody is "pa" and "ma."

And there's one thing I do know, son,
and that is you are here for a reason.

And then all of a sudden, bang, you hit
Metropolis and the jokes start flying.

Clark Kent may seem
like just a mild-mannered reporter...

But listen, not only does he know
how to treat his editor in chief

with the proper respect, not only does
he have a snappy, punchy, prose style...

But he is, in my 40 years
in this business.

The fastest typist I've ever seen.

Excuse me, miss Lane.

You could tell in the first hour.

It was gonna be one of the most
pleasurable experiences...

That, that... that as an actor
I hadn't gone through.

I was surprised to hear Chris
hadn't all that much acting experience...

Because he was so professional.

Also, unlike a lot of actors,
he was so well-mannered.

Not at all, I'd say it's been swell.

Swell? Yeah

you know, Clark, um...

There are very few people left
in the world

who feel comfortable
saying that word?

What word? Swell.

Really? I always thought
it was kind of natural.

Onl

I'm sorry.

- Clark?
- Don't worry. It's all right.

Chris was very specific about Clark
never behaving like Superman.

Lois, I think maybe you better.

Lois, what are you doing?

Kidder:
Clark's shoulders are held differently...

And his walk is different.

Then there's this wonderful, confident
upright being that Superman has...

And he strides in a certain way.

Good evening, miss Lane.

Oh, hi.

Chris was a very earnest young man...

And he did very much feel obligated
to the myth, to the movie.

He worked really, really, really hard.

Is it true that you can
see through anything?

Yes, I can, pretty much.

And that you're totally impervious
to pain?

Well, so far.

What color underwear am I wearing?

Pink.

Do you like pink?

I like pink very much, Lois.

Narrator:
But as the production dragged on...

The mood on the set
was far from relaxed.

The movie's special effects
and flying scenes pushed the film...

Tar over schedule and over budget.

Tensions Rose between
Richard donner and the salkinds.

And by the end of production,
they were barely speaking.

The tension started to escalate.

Because of course the budget
was going completely out of control.

It was everybody's fault and nobody...

Because there were
so many things...

That were new,
that had never been done.

Narrator:
After shooting more than 70 percent...

Of the movie's intended sequel...

The decision was made to focus
entirely on finishing the first film...

And hope for the best.

Man: Take, take, cut, print.

Narrator: On December 10, 1978,
more than 40 years...

After the publication
of action comics ♪71

ouperman: The movie was unveiled
at a gala premiere in Washington, D.C.

Enhanced by academy award winner
John Williams' stirring score...

The film impressed even its creators.

Donner: When "Superman” comes up
on the screen

all of a sudden
the music went, "Superman."

It actually said...
I heard it say, "Superman."

- Oh!
- Easy, miss, I've got you.

You've got me”? Who's got you?

I was blown away by the movie.

I absolutely fell in love
with the movie.

Head over heels in love
with the movie.

Which was kind of amazing...

Because I thought all the way
through it I was just screwing up.

My good friend, Pierre, said
we'll never make the guy fly.

And after 120 million dollars,
we made him fly.

Narrator: Superman: The movie
took in a staggering...

300 million dollars worldwide

making it one of the most popular
and successful films of the 1970s.

Christopher reeve
had become a movie star.

The film inspired a new wave
of Superman merchandise.

From toys to hit records.

The sequel was inevitable.

And fortunately, most of Superman il
was already shot.

But by now, the creative differences
between Richard donner.

And the salkinds
seemed irreconcilable

so the producers turned to
the three musketeers director.

Richard Lester to finish production.

I believe this is your floor.

Narrator:
Lester brought his trademark wit...

And comic flair to the project...

And delighted moviegoers
with dynamic action scenes.

Woman: Superman?

Narrator: But some fans and critics
voiced concern that the man of steel

was beginning to get lost
in the mayhem.

Audiences were also divided
over the choice to have Clark Kent

reveal his true identity to Lois Lane.

Clark?

- No, no, no. It's okay.
- Let me see your hand. Give it to me.

- No, no. It's all right, Lois.
- I et me look at it.

- You are Superman.
- Lois, come on, don't be s...

Narrator: Even more outrageous
was the sight of Superman...

Enjoying a sexy sleepover with Lois
in the fortress of solitude.

I'm gonna go change into something
more comfortable.

Kidder:
I think people were horrified.

I think, were I
to revisit that process now...

I would think, "you know what.

Sshe wasn't supposed to sleep
with Superman.”

I would come down
with the prudes on that one.

Narrator: Superman il
was another box-office triumph...

Earning over 120 million
dollars worldwide.

The salkinds quickly prepared
another sequel.

Once again,
with Richard I ester at the helm.

Instead of helping others, all the four
of you want to do is help yourselves.

Narrator:
Superman lll co-starred Hollywood's...

Reigning comic actor,
Richard pryor...

As Gus gorman,
a bumbling computer programmer...

Wait, wait a minute.

Who is forced against his will to build
a machine to destroy the man of steel.

Superman, no!

It works, so real. It works.

Narrator: Most of the film's emotion
came from its subplot...

In which Clark Kent makes a nostalgic
pilgrimage back to Smallville.

There he rekindles his boyhood crush
on local girl Lana lang...

Played by Annette O'Toole.

Do you know how lucky you are
to live in Metropolis? The big apricot.

- Well, Lana you could...
- Easy to say. But how? What about Ricky?

- Ricky?
- My little boy.

You? Oh, that's great. Yeah

I was into Superman,
Betty and Veronica and Archie.

Those were my favorites.
And I loved Lana lang.

I liked Betty more than Veronica
and Lana more than Lois.

I don't know why. Because
they were underdogs, I guess.

So when I got to play Lana,
it was like, "oh." It was huge.

It was such a big deal to me.

This is nice.

Narrator:
For most of the production...

O'Toole did her scenes with reeve
when he was portraying Clark Kent.

Something that made her first sight
of the actor in his Superman costume...

All the more astonishing.

Lana, I think I'll just go see
if Ricky is all right.

Are you okay? Yeah

I worked with him quite a while
as Clark Kent...

And I was on the set one day...

And he was doing another scene
as Superman.

And I hear this voice say,
"hello, Annette."

- There you go.
- Ricky.

He's all right, but you should have
him checked by a doctor.

And I turned around and it seemed
to me as if I looked up at a mountain.

I looked up at this man and it was him.
I get chills thinking about it.

- Oh, I'm Lana lang and this is Ricky.
- Nice to meet you.

O'Toole:
Because this was the Superman...

0of my youth, of my childhood.

He wasn't Clark Kent, he wasn't Chris.
He was Superman.

Narrator: Written to showcase
Richard pryor's unique comedic abilities...

Watch the trees. “Whoa!

Superman lll
was ultimately a disappointment...

For fans of the first two films.

- Gesundheit.
- Thank you.

Narrator: And although it opened
to strong box office...

Reviews were often harsh.

Faring worse was the salkinds' next
foray into the comic-book universe...

Oupergirl starred Helen slater
as Kal-El's Kryptonian cousin.

The movie crashed at the box office.

I said,
"I don't want to do Superman iv."

So then, we were able to sell the rights
for an option to Cannon...

And Chris reeve had the original idea
for the story and came back.

Narrator: Directed by Sidney j. Furie,
Superman iv: The quest for peace...

Showed the man of steel

tackling the real-world problem
of huclear disarmament.

Effective immediately, I'm going to rid
our planet of all nuclear weapons.

Narrator:
But despite the best of intentions...

Ouperman lv delivered a bomb
in more ways than one.

Many critics thought the film
was more tiresome than topical.

And for the first time

a Christopher reeve Superman movie
failed both critically and commercially.

You can't make a good movie out of
a bad script and it simply didn't work...

And fell flat on its face,
but I thought its ambitions were good.

I would say that if there's one film...

That killed Superman at that point,
it was Superman iv.

Superman ill
made 100 million dollars.

Ouperman iv
killed the franchise, sadly enough.

I never saw Superman...
Was there a Superman iv?

I didn't even see that one.

Narrator: Superman iv marked
the final time that Christopher reeve...

Appeared as the man of steel.

What began as one
of the hottest movie series of all time.

Had now simply burned out.

By the mid-1980s it was obvious
that Superman was in desperate need...

Of a makeover.

Comic-book readers
weren't just kids anymore.

Many were now adults and for them
Superman seemed too clean-cut.

They demanded their heroes
have dimension.

Depth and decidedly
human problems.

In 1986, DC comics hired
writer-artist John byrne...

To reinvigorate their franchise.

Byrne purged the Superman universe
of its more outlandish elements.

Kal-El was once more the last survivor
of a lost world.

His costume
was no longer indestructible.

Waid: Our idea of what a strong man
was at that point...

Was no longer the circus acrobats.

It was Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Well, byrne gave Superman
that bulked-up physique.

Narrator: In this new reality,
Superman's archenemy, Lex Luthor...

Was no longer a mad scientist
but an evil billionaire.

That was definitely a reaction
to what was going on...

In corporate America in the '80s.

Lex Luthor's personality
is basically the same...

But you can identify
with a businessman type screwing you...

Or your favorite character, as opposed
to a mad scientist, which really was...

By the '80s
a little bit of a hackneyed idea.

Narrator: But when byrne
left the Superman books...

Sales declined once again.

By the end of the decade...

DC's Batman had eclipsed
the man of steel in popularity.

Superman's stories say the world
will get to be a better place.

It can happen, we have it within us.

Batman's is more of an unending
struggle to just stay in the same place.

Narrator:
Although Superman's 50th birthday...

Was celebrated in the media.

Batman was now considered
the coolest crime fighter in comics...

And at the movies.

Thanks to Tim Burton's
dark knight-inspired film.

Once again, Superman had been
left behind in a changing culture.

The man of tomorrow
now seemed like yesterday's news.

In 1988, Alexander and ilya salkind...

Brought their troubled
film franchise to television.

In the form of
the adventures of superboy.

After a rocky start in the ratings,
the series took off when hewcomer.

Gerard Christopher replaced John
haymes Newton as the boy of steel.

Who did this?

This was superboy, so I could do
it a little bit differently...

But it had to be on the same track
as what Christopher reeve had done.

George Reeves did it.

He was somebody I couldn't relate to
as much because he was older.

Christopher reeve, what he did
just seemed to be...

More the way to go with it.

One of the first things I did is, they
put me in this tremendous sound stage...

About 300 feet long. They made me
fly from one end to other.

And I remember being on a crane
with nothing under me.

And I have to tell you, I was never afraid
because it was just a cool thing to do.

I mean, you're Superman.

I must speak with superboy.

There is a terrible, a terrible evil in
your midst, an evil that you must fight.

I did three episodes of the superboy
television series with Gerard Christopher...

As superboy and that was cool.

I played this evil genius, kind of
a Luthor type, named Tommy puck.

Nobody calls me a simp.

I was bad. I was really bad.
I was a nasty, mean guy.

I would very much like to conduct some
experiments on superboy's cadaver.

It was good.
You had to be there.

Narrator: While superboy flew
through the airwaves of syndication...

The editors at DC were once again
struggling to make Superman relevant...

Both to male
and female comic book readers.

In 1990, they reached
a momentous decision.

After half a century
of romantic banter

between Lois Lane
and her caped colleague...

DC decided it was time for the pair to
take their relationship to the next step.

Clark Kent would propose to Lois
and reveal his true identity.

Carlin: That came from
the writing team and myself...

Being a little tired
of Lois not figuring it out.

I mean, it was starting
to make her look a little stupid.

And you can't be a top reporter
and be stupid.

Thibert:
I got to ink the engagement.

And so this is Lois showing Jimmy
for the first time her rock.

And announcing her engagement.

You can kind of see how I took
some major liberties on this page.

This is my wife. This is me, you know,
a little, couple of pounds lighter...

And this is Elvis and Priscilla.
So that was very cool.

Narrator:
Hardcore fans were stunned.

But the superhero's popularity soared...

With young female readers.

He is prince charming in a cape, the
dark-haired, blue-eyed, handsome...

Rpped-abs man
who you feel safe with...

And he can fly you
to Hong Kong for dinner.

Narrator: But before Lois and
Superman walked down the aisle...

The wedding ceremony
would be delayed...

Carlin: The world was
taking Superman for granted.

We literally said:

"Let's show the world what
it would be like without Superman.”

Narrator:
In Superman issue number 75...

The unthinkable finally happened.

The man of steel was beaten to death
by the monster called doomsday.

In less than two weeks, fans and
collectors bought nearly 3 million copies.

No one at DC honestly thought...

We were gonna kill Superman forever.
As luck would have it.

The day that "the death of Superman”
comic hit the newsstands

hothing else happened in the world.

It hit the wire services

and it was a huge, huge, gigantic
cultural touchstone moment.

And the guys at DC
are now freaking out, like:

"Oh, god, what do we do now?"

For us it was just gonna be the next
story and the world really reacted.

The real world acted the way
the characters acted in the story.

They were shocked...

And sad and worried, "what would
the world be like without Superman?"

They played it off well. They kept him
out of the comics for a few months

and dealt with what the world
would really be like...

If Superman suddenly didn't exist
and built up that need for him again...

So his triumphant return marked
a whole new era for Superman.

I have four different creative teams
on the character at the time.

And they all had a different idea
about how to bring Superman back.

Eventually, we just said,
"I et's do them all"

we always knew that the real Superman
was not one of those four.

And that he was gonna come back.

Narrator: But the man of steel
wasn't just resurrected in the comics.

1993 also saw his return
to television.

This time in a romantic comedy.

Lois & Clark:
The new adventures of Superman...

Starred Dean Cain
and Terry hatcher.

In this incarnation, the emphasis
was placed not on the man of steel...

But on his alter ego Clark Kent.

This 1s Clark Kent, in the newsroom.

In Lois & Clark,
it was Clark Kent playing Superman.

I think I need some kind of outfit.

You know, like a disguise I could wear
when things like that explosion happen.

The idea that we had while
we were shooting the show was...

That Clark Kent is the main guy...

And then he becomes Superman
as an invented character.

And that's where we differed from a lot
of the films and such in the past.

What do you think?

One thing's for sure,
nobody's going to look at your face.

Mom.

Well, they don't call them tights
for nothing.

Narrator:
Never before had the situations.

Between Lois, Clark and Superman...

Been so deliberately sexy.

All you have to do is look up.

Narrator:
I ois & Clark's focus on romance...

Was mirrored in
the Superman comics.

And in October 1996,
after a courtship of nearly 60 years...

Lois Lane became Mrs. Clark Kent.

Thibert:
We did "the wedding album."

So this was the book
that they had past, present...

You know, everybody that ever worked
on Superman that was still around...

And able to hold a pencil
or pen, work on.

Narrator: The wedding issue
sparked a bump in sales...

But many Superman fans
just couldn't accept the idea...

O0f their hero being domesticated
by marriage.

We still have a good debate
on that in the office.

There's a lot of people on the
creative staff who'd like to find a way...

To have him wake up one morning
and that just be a dream.

Narrator: TV's Lois & Clark
also married off its title characters.

But shortly after the ceremony,
ratings began to fall...

And the series was canceled
after four seasons.

And get crazy
and explore new territory...

And see what those children
would be.

It opens up this whole new realm
of Superman lore...

And we didn't really get to do that.

Narrator: But by the time
Lois & Clark was canceled...

Ouperman fans had been dealt
a far greater blow.

On may 27, 1995, the actor who had
embodied their hero for a generation...

Became the victim
of a horrible accident.

Christopher reeve had been
critically injured...

While riding a horse in an exhibition.

His spine was injured and his body
was paralyzed from the neck down.

Almost immediately there were rumors
of a Superman curse...

As Christopher reeve's
tragic accident...

Was now linked
with George Reeves' death.

The irony isn't lost on everybody
that here is this person who played...

The most powerful man on earth
in the most vulnerable

and weakest position
he could possibly be in.

But that's where he showed
such incredible strength.

Narrator: Surprisingly,
instead of validating a Superman curse...

Reeve's accident would do much
to redeem Superman's legacy.

The actor became
a tireless activist for spinal research.

His courage and optimism
reminded people around the world...

That human beings could be
as courageous and influential...

As any superhero.

On September 6, 1996...

Warner Bros. Animation division
joined forces with DC comics...

[O produce an ambitious
new Saturday morning...

Ouperman cartoon series
for the wb network.

Superman: The animated series...

Stylishly updated
the classic art direction featured.

In the landmark fleischer cartoons
of the 1940s.

The fleischer cartoons are
phenomenal-looking but not a lot of story.

I definitely think that the Superman
animated show

was just strong written material.

And if they shot them as movies people
would always think Superman was cool.

Narrator: The series' success
later paved the way...

For another animated TV hit.

Justice league unlimited,
which brought an edge...

To the former super friends.

In the year 2000
as a hew millennium dawned.

DC comics consented
to let the wb network give...

Their superhero franchise
an even more innovative interpretation.

What's happening, Jonathan?

Narrator:
Smallville would tell the story...

Of Superman's boyhood on a farm
in rural Kansas.

John Schneider and Annette O'Toole.

Were cast as a young
Jonathan and Martha Kent

sweetheart, we can't keep him.

What'll we say?
We found him in a field?

We didn't find him.

He found us.

Gough: What DC had told us was.

Ouperman is who he is
because of his parents...

Which struck us and we decided

to make the parents
as opposed to grandparents.

So we made them younger so that
they would have more interaction...

You know, and more of a presence.

O'Toole: They cast me and they
didn't really realize it at first...

That I had been in Superman III.

I went and just talked
to them about doing it.

I was talking a lot about Superman
and they thought:

"Well, she knows a lot about this."

And I said,
"you know, I did play Lana."

He said, "what? Well, then,
you've got to do it."

I said, "well, I guess I have to."

She actually was a much bigger fan
than we were.

She knew much... she knew all
the history. It was incredible.

It was like Bible-quoting with a nun.
It was a little scary.

Narrator: In the series, Clark Kent
played by Tom welling...

Would be depicted as
a confused teenager just on the verge...

Of developing superpowers
and his dual identity.

It's time, son.

Time for what?

The truth

your real parents weren't
exactly from around here.

Why didn't you tell me
about this before?

We wanted to protect you.
Protect me from what?

You should have told me.

Clark.

Clark!

Narrator: To distinguish
their Superman from earlier portrayals...

The series' producers promised viewers
no tights, no flights.

Gough: We said,
"we don't wanna do superboy...

We don't wanna have the suit."

Lois & Clark had just gone off the air...
Yeah

and that point in time superheroes
were sort of still not cool

- right.
- So we thought this is...

"How do we do Superman
in a fresh way?"

Gym teacher:
Whoa, Kent, are you all right?

Gough: So we came up with the idea
of puberty with superpowers.

You know, the sort of the ultimate alien
and when you're a teenager...

You feel alienated.

You guys, I can see through things.
How do you control that?

You gotta practice, Clark. Your eyes
have muscles just like your legs.

Your mom is right, son.

All you have to do
is you have to figure out a way...

To condition them so that
you don't get these random flashes.

That sounds great.

How am I gonna do that?

There is no Superman in our show.
Superman doesn't exist.

We don't know what
he's gonna become.

That's the whole idea of the show:
"How is he going to live in the world?

What is he going to be?

Will he have to keep
this secret forever?"

Did it happen again?

Let's go home.

Let her go.

Smallville found a way
to do Superman...

Without the costume,
without the stuff

that people think are the normal
trappings of superhero stories.

And the character is still a hero
as far as I'm concerned.

No

Narrator:
To advertise the new series.

The wb devised
a bold marketing strategy...

That showed their
24-year-old star stripped to the waist...

And tied to a post.

The startling image suggested
more than a passing similarity...

Between Clark Kent
and a crucified Jesus Christ.

Millar: He's Christ-like. - He's
Christ-like. You see him three times.

You see him, you know, at birth, once
when he was in his teenage years...

And then when he suddenly appears
at 30, ready to take on his mantle...

And save the world. So I mean,
that it's all... it's all through there.

- Yeah.
- We definitely heightened it.

But when we saw
that campaign we were shocked.

We thought, "they're gonna crucify us
for this," but it was really compelling.

And people remember that campaign.

Help me.

Narrator:
But on September 11, 2001...

One month prior
to the premiere of Smallville...

The twin notions of truth
and justice were put to the ultimate test.

Within minutes, a powerful nation was
brought to its knees and the concept...

Of heroes and heroism
was stunningly redefined.

Didio: A lot that you see
from September 11th...

1s a redefinition of what a hero is.

A lot of people used to throw that
term around very loosely prior to that.

A hero is a guy who scored the most
touchdowns, hit the most home runs.

But when you look at the selflessness
and sacrifice that average people made...

In an extraordinary time,
it forces you to go back and examine...

Now our heroes are supposed
to act and behave.

What we need is a sense of purpose
for our characters.

A reason for our characters
to be heroes.

How do we make these characters
do things that matter?

Superman is the greatest hero
we have.

He's our fireman in the DC universe.

He sits and he waits to help others.

He doesn't pass judgment.

He helps fix that situation, then he goes
back and waits to be called again.

He's a person you know
you can always count on...

To be there if you need him.

We shot Smallville in early 2001 and we
premiered them a month after 9/11.

And all the press
before the show was all about:

"How can you take Superman
out of the suit?"

- And, you know, who cares... 7
- And who cares about Superman?

Gough: After 9/11, it was suddenly,
"America needs a hero."

Millar: So overnight, it's like,
it just fits the time.

Narrator: Smallville's premiere set
a new ratings record for the wb.

Over 8 million viewers.

And week after week,
audiences, including teenagers...

Who'd never read a comic book,
came back for more.

- Lex, what's going on?
- Get out of the way.

Narrator: In the series, Superman's
arch Nemesis, Lex Luthor...

Played by Michael Rosenbaum,
appeared as a boyhood friend of Clark's.

It was a nod to a 1960 superboy story
that established.

The two had been friends in Smallville
before Luthor's jealousy of superboy...

Sent him down the path of evil.

I'm sorry you got thrown
through that window.

- I promise I'm not a criminal mastermind.
- I know.

A criminal mastermind
would have worn a mask.

Maggin: They get it.
They understand the mythology of it.

They have this Luthor and Superman
character and they're friends.

It's inevitable that they'll be enemies.

We have a complicated relationship,
Clark.

My father wants me to believe
it's built on trust, but it's not.

It's built on lies and deceit

any relationship
with that foundation is destined to fail

lucky we don't have that problem.

Lucky us.

Maggin: They have the farm,
the iconic American values

whereas the Luthor character is raised
by an evil, wealthy man...

Fated to grow up to be
an evil, wealthy man.

What happened, Lex?

The two theories seem to be

I either ran the plant into the ground
through incompetence...

Or did it deliberately
to go back to Metropolis.

Your dad already offered you a job in
Metropolis. Just tell people the truth.

Then I get stuck
with the incompetence rap.

Being reviled is the lesser evil.

Season one, the question
of that season would be, "who am 1?"

You know, that's when he sort of
finds out where he's from

and sort of takes on his mantle
in Smallville.

Season two really became about,
"where am I from?"

It became sort of the ultimate,
you know...

Adopted-child search
for his real parents.

What am I doing here?

Swann:
Looking for answers, I assume.

Hello, Clark.

I've been expecting you.

Narrator:
In Smallville's second season.

Christopher reeve made
an unforgettable quest appearance...

Activate screen.

As the mysterious Dr. Virgil Swann,
a scientist who tells Clark

of his Kryptonian origins.

It says, "this is Kal-El of Krypton.

Our infant son, our last hope.

Please protect him
and deliver him from evil."

Narrator: The episode was one
of many that reminded young viewers...

That growing up, like being Superman,
involved tough choices.

Why me?

There must be a reason
why I was sent to this planet.

You won't find the answers
by looking to the stars.

It's a journey you'll have to take
by looking inside yourself.

You must write
your own destiny, Kal-El.

Season three was the darkest season.

I think that was sort of Clark,
you know, the end of the season...

He put on
the red kryptonite ring...

Which, in the show,
takes away his inhibitions.

Season four was
the last year in high school...

And it was about sort of
putting away childish behavior...

And sort of moving
towards your destiny.

Narrator:
But just as young Clark Kent...

Was facing his destiny
in an uncertain future.

The world was stunned
by another tragedy.

On October 10, 2004...

Christopher reeve died after his
nine-year battle with paralysis.

The actor's nobility
and optimism had suggested...

That a man really could fly even if
fate had denied him the ability to walk.

Kidder:
The thing that was great about Chris...

Is not that he was a hero
and something superhuman.

But that, in fact,
a very ordinary human...

Did these incredibly strong,
transcendent things.

Johnson:
Chris was a hero to a lot of people...

In the last part of his life...

And I admire him enormously
for that.

Chris is my Superman.

He was on this earth
for a lot of reasons.

He wasn't here just to be an actor.

He was Superman.

Swann: You won't find the answers
by looking to the stars.

It's a journey you'll have to take
by looking inside yourself.

You must write your own destiny.

Seinfeld: Boy, this is a great way
to see the country.

Yeah, it's amazing
how much you miss at superspeed.

Yeah.

Narrator: In 2004, comedian
and Superman fan Jerry Seinfeld...

Appeared with
an animated man of steel.

0nn a series of commercials
for American express.

I wanna hear this thing.
It's got surround sound.

- I've always wanted that.
- You've got superhearing.

Yeah, but it's not surround sound.

I mean, surround sound.

It's like...
It's like you're there.

Narrator: The success of the ads and
the continued popularity of Smallville...

Suggested that perhaps
the time was right...

For Superman to return
to movie screens as well.

But attempts to get a new film
off the ground...

Brought new meaning
to the phrase, "never-ending battle."

Among those on the front lines,
producer Jon Peters...

Secured the rights to the property
in the early 1990s.

Peters:
I knew that the character was hip.

Over 11 or 12 years, four or five
number-one records all about Superman.

Superman. Superman. Superman.

They're writing songs about it. The kids
in the street have tattoos on them.

We've got to get it."

Narrator:
In trying to make Superman relevant...

To a jaded new generation...

Producers tried to avoid
almost everything that had come before.

I always got the sense that some
of these other attempts didn't take off...

Because they weren't sticking true
to what Superman really was.

And no offense to the creators
who were involved in the stuff

but you don't give Superman
3 black latex suit with an "s" shield

that comes off and forms daggers
and things like that.

That's just not who Superman is.

The elements were, that I was
focusing on, away from the heart.

It was more leaning towards
star wars in a sense, you know.

I didn't realize the human part of it.

I didn't have that.

Narrator: But through the process,
Warner Bros and DC executives.

Were encouraged by a string of
comic-book-inspired films...

That were profitable
and critically acclaimed.

Many felt their success was due to one
simple rule: Don't mess with the basics.

It was a philosophy shared by
the director who was finally signed...

To bring Superman back
to the screen, Bryan singer.

Singer had twice successfully brought
marvel's X-Men to movie theaters.

And news of his involvement brought
a sigh of relief to Superman fans.

If you're in close-ups and then
you're seeing s's everywhere...

I don't know if that's too much.

He can handle the smartest material and
help us connect with these characters...

That have been, you know, beloved
for many, many years...

By several different generations.

Singer: You're dealing
with a 70-year-old universe...

With comic books and radio shows
and TV and a multiple of series...

That will exist long after I'm gone.

So at some point you have to
just choose the things...

That meant something to you.

He came in with the way
he wanted to make the movie.

It was so unbelievably
brilliant and perfect.

It was like, "I've been wrong for
12 years. This is the right way to go."

Narrator: To shape the story
under the codename red sun.

Olnger worked closely
with X-Men screenwriters.

Michael dougherty
and Dan Harris.

We want to contemporize
the character, at the same time...

There's a gee-whiz quality
about Clark and about Superman...

That you've got to maintain.

Dougherty: We felt like donner did
something really right in the first one.

He created, essentially,
the superhero genre of films.

And so I think it is a matter
of us trying to kind of put...

The Superman franchise back on track
and bringing it back...

You know, to a new generation.

Narrator:
But one important question remained:

Who would play Superman?

Superman has to feel, look
and sound as though...

Ne has stepped out of your collective
conscioushess of who that character is.

Narrator: Just as Richard donner
had done three decades before

Bryan singer decided
to cast a relative unknown:

24-year-old Brandon routh.

Man: Camera, action.

Taxi.

Well, maybe, you know,
saying goodbye was hard...

Because he wasn't sure
whether he was gonna be gone...

For a little while or forever.

And maybe he had to go
and he wanted to say goodbye...

But he couldn't find
the guts to do it...

Because if he saw you
even for one last time.

Or maybe he was afraid that
if he saw you just once...

Ne would never be able to go.

Singer:
He had height and breadth.

Then we almost knocked
into each other going out the front door.

Then I thought, "okay,
he's got Clark." And then I said:

"Are you afraid of the Superman curse?”
and he said, "well, it could be worse.

I could not get the role and
something terrible could happen to me."

I think I found my Superman.

With the fact that I came
from a small town in the midwest...

Much like Clark actually did.

Makes a lot of difference
to my portrayal and who I am.

Bryan liked that I had midwestern values,
you know, everybody has values...

But the midwest gets
a good rap for it.

Man: And action.

Singer: He has to be able to embody
Clark Kent on the farm.

Clark Kent in the newsroom,
the bumbling Clark.

And then finally, Kal-El,
the last son of Krypton...

With all the majesty and honesty and
virtue that you expect from Superman.

Brandon has those qualities
rather inherently.

Routh: It's great to wear the suit
when people bring their kids to set...

And you just see, you know,
a kind of sparkle in their eye.

Not because of me,
but it's because it's Superman.

- Look in the sky, chief.
- It's a bird.

- It's a plane.
- No, look it's...

You wanted to see me?

Narrator: Joining Brandon routh
would be an ensemble of actors.

Who seemed tailor-made
for their legendary roles.

Kate bosworth would be the new
Lois Lane, now a working mom...

Whose career ambitions
and engagement to another man...

Are challenged by her love
for Superman.

Bosworth: I knew it was gonna be
a tremendous challenge...

Because there's
a very fine balance...

With playing somebody
who is a comic-book character.

You can either be much more
of a caricature.

Or you can be very, very realistic.

I wanted to still have
that fun spunk that Lois Lane has.

But I also wanted to bring a heart to it
that everybody could relate to.

Can I ask you something?

Have you ever met someone
and it's almost like

you were from totally different worlds,
but shared such a strong connection...

You knew you were destined
to be with each other?

Then he just takes off...

Without explaining why
or without even saying goodbye.

Sounds cheesy, I know. Taxi. Hey.

Whoa. Thanks.

Narrator: Frank langella
would bring a new clarity...

To the role of daily planet
editor, Perry white.

I wanna know it all, everything.
I wanna see photos of him everywhere.

Does he still stand for truth”? Justice?
All that stuff.

Narrator: Sam huntington would play
the ever-eager Jimmy Olsen.

Huntington:
Jimmy is just a happy-go-lucky guy.

He's goofy and wants to make
people smile but I think he...

He wants to take a good picture
and do his job well.

Clark has been doing a little
soul-searching...

For the last couple of years.

Must be tough coming back.

Well, you know. Things change.

Narrator:
Kevin spacey was cast...

As Superman's diabolical
arch Nemesis I ex I uthor.

Tell me everything.

Narrator: And utilizing footage shot
for Superman: The movie...

Even though you've been raised as a
human being, you are not one of them.

They can be a great people, Kal-El.
They wish to be.

They only lack the light
to show the way.

Narrator: In the film.

Ouperman is forced
to find his place again...

In a world that's
almost forgotten him.

It was a conflict
that resonated not only in the script...

It also mirrored the many years
the caped superhero...

Had been out
of the pop-culture mainstream.

Singer: Superman has been
off the earth for five years.

He returns and finds
that Lois Lane has moved on.

She has a fiancé and they have child.

And he's taken a bit off guard by this.

I see you've already met the munchkin.
Clark, Richard. Richard, Clark.

Richard white. “Hi

well, it's great to finally meet you.
I've heard so much.

Oh, you have?

Yeah, Jimmy just won't
shut up about you.

The struggle of Superman is, he wants
to have that semblance of real life.

And of having Lois Lane,
of having a family, all those things.

Bosworth: They haven't seen
each other for five years...

And she has moved on
with her life.

She has everything you feel
when you have...

A great love in your life
come back

and everybody can relate to that.

- Were you in love with him?
- He was Superman.

Everyone was in love with him.

But were you?

Narrator:
Filmed at fox studios Australia

ouperman returns boasted a budget
of nearly $200 million...

But for Bryan singer,
more crucial than lavish sets or cg/I.

Was making sure audiences...

Emotionally connected
with his characters.

Bryan's always quick to say
that he's not a comic-book fan.

That it's not the universe he grew up in.
He didn't read comic books as a child.

But what I think he recognizes is that
they deal with issues and emotions...

That resonate with people in sort
of a very highly entertaining fashion.

Well, you're back, and everyone
seems to be pretty happy about it.

Not everyone.

You can no longer get away with
just great cg or great special effects.

You really need to have story.

You really need to have character,
relationship, emotion.

To feel like we're onto
something very special.

Oh, my boy.

Let me hear you say it, just once.
You're insane.

No, not that.
No, the other thing.

- Superman will never...
- Wrong!

Narrator: On June 30, 2006...

Audiences welcomed the return
of Superman to movie theaters.

The film also represented the return
of a dream

one born in the imaginations of two
young boys from Cleveland, Ohio...

A dream destined
to change the world.

Since his debut in 1938.

The man of steel
has survived and thrived.

During decades of reinvention
and reinterpretation.

Singer: Superman has had
a very diverse history.

He has been used to market,
as propaganda material.

He's been in good television.

He's been in bad television.

He's been in good movies.
He's been in bad movies.

- You didn't succumb to the kryptonite.
- I expected you to have it handy.

But the character Superman
has always been strong enough...

To survive his own history.

Larson:
I think the reason Superman endures...

I1s that it's the first character
that is an alien from outer space...

Who comes to save us
instead of to terrorize and defeat us.

Narrator:
Superman is the ultimate embodiment...

Of the American dream.

Proof that an immigrant
can come to a new land.

And achieve the greatest
in human potential.

Routh: His challenge
is to continually see the good in people...

And to keep on doing good
when others don't see it

he does have this vulnerable,
fumbling, geeky side that everybody has.

And yet, he has this heroic,
strong appearance as well.

And it's something that people can
relate to and people can look up to.

Narrator: Battered by changing times
and changing tastes...

Ouperman always seems to emerge
stronger than ever.

Kidder: Superman will be around
for a long time...

Because it captures the imagination
of little boys and little girls.

- Does it make you dizzy?
- Oh, no. I love it.

Like my grandson,
running around in their capes...

Leaping off the backs of couches
and running to save people.

O'Toole: Without question,
Superman will do the right thing...

Because he's just the best.

Cain:
At the end of the day, everyone...

Maybe they go on dates with Batman
but they wanna live with Superman...

Because Superman is about
being the most virtuous man on earth.

Donner: Superman is universal.

There isn't a country in the world
you can go to...

That they don't know Superman.

Because with the problems of today...

The world is in desperate need
of a hero.

Run for president, supey,
because god knows we need you now.

Take him away.

Singer: I think most people do believe
in that kind of integrity and virtue.

They wanna see goodness.

People have a deep need
to believe that it exists out there.

Jor-El: They can be a great people,
Kal-El, they wish to be.

They only lack the light
to show the way.

For this reason above all.

I have sent them you, my only son.

Narrator: Strong.

Powerful.

Invincible.

Superman is a hero
worth looking up to.

And to find him, we need only...

[Ook up in the sky.

Who unplugged my typewriter?

It's wonderful
to meet a new Jimmy Olsen.

- Now, you look at...
- No, no, no.

Superman, look at me.

- I don't know where they are, I swear.
- Don't force me to do humanity a favor.

You overblown, deluded creep.

Look, will you quit leaving your
half-eaten sandwiches in the drawer.

They attract mice.

Stop it.

There it is.

They're kellogg's new sugar smacks.
You'll like them.

Did you ever feel...

Like you couldn't
remember your lines?

I think that I shall never see
a poem as lovely as a tree

a tree whose branch
is wide and strong

the camptown ladies sing this song

do-dah, do-dah

man: Cut it