Superman Stories from Peter Pan Records (1978)

 

Welcome back!

I'm way late to the party on posting a Superman item, as it's been six weeks since the release of the brand-new movie in theaters, but it's now available on digital, so maybe it's still timely.

Here is an album-length collection of Superman audio stories from 1978 (the year of the first Christopher Reeve film release) by classic children's record company Peter Pan Records. I have a 45 RPM of a Superman story that curiously isn't on this album, but they're all a lot of fun.

Enjoy! And stay tuned this fall, as I plan on more frequent blog articles and, of course, the Countdown to Halloween.

You can check out the YouTube video below or directly on YT here.

Thanks!

Adventures of Superman First Two Radio Episodes

 

Welcome back!

Today has been the 85th anniversary of the release of Action Comics #1, the very first Superman comic! In honor of Big Blue's big anniversary, I present the first two episodes of The Adventures of Superman, the radio series that really made Superman a part of American pop culture.

The era of old time radio is getting farther and farther away from the present more and more, and I believe reminding people of this era of entertainment and mass media is important, as it affected American culture long before TV did. And the importance of the Superman radio show to the character's methos can't be understated. The show was huge! So much so that two significant parts of Superman's legend, Jimmy Olsen and kryptonite, originated not in the comics, but on radio.

Here I present the first two episodes of the series. Surprisingly, as much as I love both superheroes and old time radio, I've listened to very little of this series. I hope this article inspires me to listen to more. I hope it inspires you too.

Enjoy!

Superman, "The Mummy Strikes" (1943)

 

Our next Halloween treat for you this month is a short cartoon from the Famous Studios series of Superman cartoons.

In this one, Clark Kent and Lois Lane investigate to learn who murdered a famed Egyptologist. In typical Clark and Lois fashion, they run afoul of undead mummies! Those crazy kids!

Enjoy!

List O' Links for Friday, January 30, 2015

Football! Super Bowl! Halftime show! Deflation! Commercials! It's Super Bowl Weekend!

Eh, I don't watch football.

But I do follow the Internet, and here are some fun things I found whilst doing so!

My former employer, TV GUIDE magazine, has an awesome part of their Web site dedicated to all of the amazing covers they've published in their 50+ years of existence. Get lost in them here!

With all the buzz surrounding the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot, it's a good time to check out this rad Pinewood Derby car made to look like the Ecto-1 car from the first movie. Fantastic!

Des Taylor is a great artist, and no where is this fact more evident than in this series of renderings of Supergirl. Beautiful work!

If he were a real person and not a fictional character, The Rockford Files's Jim Rockford would disapprove of this blog, and Facebook, and Twitter, and all of social media. See him go on a rant about the dangers of data mining back in the mid-70s!

Finally, this is as much a work of art as anything. A cake made to look like an Atart 2600! Brilliant!

Have a great weekend! Don't drink and drive! Don't eat too many buffalo wings! Go [insert favored football team here]!

Saturday Matinee: Captain America Movie Serial, Part 3

It's Saturday, but not just any Saturday--today is Free Comic Book Day! I hope you have a great one! Get out there and get some comics!

After that, settle in right here for part 3 of the Republic serial Captain America!

Plus, here's some other great serials playing in the theater of your mind!

List O' Links for Friday, September 27, 2013

This is the last weekend of September. It's been a busy month for all, I'm sure (it certainly has been for me), so we've all earned a fun, relaxing weekend. Especially since the rest of the year is going to be even busier, but also a lot of fun. The last three months are my favorite of the year: we've got Halloween (and the Countdown to it), Thanksgiving, and my favorite holiday of the year, Christmas!

And appropriately enough, my favorite time of the year kicks off Saturday, which is my birthday! Happy Birthday to me! :)

OK, enough on the passage of time, let's get right to the links!

Check out an actor dressed as Superman at the 1939 World's Fair. This unnamed actor is likely the first live action representation of the hero.

I'd love to hear what the grammar police would say about this author's punctuation proclamation--"Kill the Apostrophe!"

I know it's early, but new Christmas music releases start coming out strong in October. Keep track with Amazon's list of new Christmas music releases here.

Remember Freedom Rock, man? Here's an update on what one of the actors in that famous commercial is doing these days.

The TV series Marvel's Agents of SHIELD debuted this week (and I thought it was awesome!) and Iron Man 3 was released on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital HD download this week as well. But did you know that prose novels starring the Avengers were available way back when? Check out their nice cover art here.

Finally, this wouldn't be a decent geek-related blog without some Star Wars cosplay. Here is a video featuring an awesome wookie outfit!

Have a great weekend, and please come back Monday, as next week kicks off--the COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN! See you then!

Superman Week: List O' Links for Friday, June 14th, 2013--Superman Edition!

If it's Friday, it must be List O' Links! Being Superman Week, let's keep the theme going with these super links!

Here is the new Man of Steel movie's official site.

A great source for all things Superman is The Superman Homepage, a long running fan site that has tons of great stuff, including articles, images, podcasts, and more!

Here's a fun site devoted specifically to collecting Superman toys and other artifacts.

If you're a devotee of the Christopher Reeve Superman films, Supermania is for you! It's a tribute site for the four Reeve movies with all kinds of interesting facts and images.

Acclaimed comic book writer Mark Waid is an expert on all things Superman. Can you match your Superman kung fu next to his? Give it a try with this tough trivia quiz!

I posted some fun Superman images earlier this week, but Comics Alliance posted some great ones earlier this spring. Take a look!

Superman has a great supporting cast, including his female teenage cousin Kara Zor-EL, aka Supergirl. She has her own fans, such as the author of the Supergirl Comic Box Commentary blog. Check it out!

Finally, it's important to note how Superman's early popularity and influence was created by the classic radio series. You can listen to the very first episode here.

I hope you enjoyed Superman Week. If you see the film, feel free to post a (spoiler-free) review in the comments section of this post. Have a "super" weekend!

Superman Week: Superman Images

The title says it all. Here, without comment, are fun, awesome, and beautiful images of the Man of Steel and his supporting cast for your ocular amusement. Enjoy!

Superman Week: Tuesday's Overlooked TV: Superman the Musical

Superman Week rolls on with Tuesday's Overlooked TV: The 1975 ABC-TV adaptation of the Broadway Musical It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman.

The musical was a flop on Broadway when it premiered in 1966, but nonetheless, ABC produced a version for television, starring David Wilson as the Man of Steel, Lesley Ann Warren as Lois Lane, and Loretta Switt and David Wayne in supporting roles. The TV version was quite different from the Broadway show that inspired it, featuring a more 70s sensibility (disco-like songs, etc.) and is much shorter than the stage version. The show is admittedly quite tacky, but I enjoy it as a cultural artifact that represents its time.

Fun fact: Warren later screen tested for the role of Lois Lane for the 1978 theatrical film.

The show aired only once--and in late night, no less--as an installment of ABC's Wide World of Entertainment, but is available on video and DVD via the comic con circuit.

Here is a trailer for the presentation. Thanks!

Superman Week: Monty Python, "Bicycle Repairman"

Hello everyone! In celebration and anticipation of the new Man of Steel movie coming to theaters this Friday, I've decided to spend a week in tribute to the granddaddy of modern-day superheroes. Let's get to it--"up, up, and away!"

I start the week off with this fun clip from Monty Python's Flying Circus. In a town where everyone is Superman, how do you stand out? By being Bicycle Repairman, noble fixer of all things bicycle. A hilarious clip I didn't know existed until a couple of months ago, despite being a Python fan. Enjoy!

Tuesday's Overlooked Film: Street Smart

This week's Tuesday's Overlooked Film is the 1987 drama Street Smart.

Christopher Reeve stars as once promising newspaper reporter Jonathan Fisher, who is looking for a big story to revitalize his career. Deciding to do an expose on prostitution, he hits the streets to investigate, but no one will talk to him. He therefore fabricates a story about a pimp and a murder, which becomes a big success. Unfortunately for Fisher, his phony story too closely mirrors a case involving a real pimp named Fast Black (Morgan Freeman). Both the police and Fast Black close in on Fisher to find out how he knows what he knows.

Reeve wanted to produce and star in this film for awhile but had trouble acquiring financing, until the opportunity to appear in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace came along. Reeve agreed to do Superman only if the producers also financed Street Smart, to which they agreed. The film, released in March of 1987, several months before Superman IV, went nowhere at the box office, but received good reviews, and Freeman was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

Here is the film's trailer. Thanks!

Summer Movie Preview 2013

"Summer's here, and the time is right..." for taking in the latest Hollywood blockbusters. Or at least what the studios hope will be blockbusters.

Although we're still experiencing occasional chilly temperatures here in the mid-Atlantic region, Hollywood likes to pretend the first weekend of May is the start of the summer season. Here's part one of a two-part look at some of the major motion pictures screening at your local multiplex.

Opening this Friday, Robert Downey Jr. once again dons the red and gold duds of Tony Stark, facing off against Ben Kingsley's Mandarin in Iron Man 3.



A new screen version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's acclaimed novel The Great Gatsby graces the silver screen this summer, courtesy of actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and director Baz Luhrmann. The film's soundtrack is provided by...Jay-Z? Hmm.  Gatsby opens May 10th.



On May 17th, the long-awaited sequel to J.J. Abrams' rebooted Star Trek franchise finally arrives, Star Trek Into Darkness. It's rumored that the villain in the film is "KAAAAAAAAAHN!" We'll see!



On May 24th, the start of Memorial Day weekend, two films that are sequels to highly popular film series drop simultaneously, Fast and Furious 6 and The Hangover Part III. I haven't seen any installment in either of these series, so I'll leave it to their respective fans as to how hotly they're anticipated.



Fellow Philadelphian Will Smith and his son Jaden star together in the sci-fi film After Earth, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, opening May 31st.



On June 14th is the release of the highly anticipated Man of Steel, the reboot of the Superman film franchise. Produced by Christopher Nolan and directed by Zack Snyder, it will be very interesting to see how the film is received. With the exception of the underwhelming 2005 release Superman Returns, this is the first live-action big screen epic to feature Superman since the wrap-up of the Christopher Reeve series in 1987. As a fan of Supes, I have high hopes for it. Don't let me down, Hollywood!



This is just a sampling of the many movies to hit theaters this summer. Tune in for part 2 of my summer movie preview later this week!

List O' Links for Friday, January 11, 2013

The first list o' links of the year. I hope you think it's a good one!

“Oh, Yeaahh!” 6 Things You Didn’t Know About Kool-Aid

Superman and Friends Greet Fans in Hilarious Greeting Cars from 1978

This is a great site for those with an interest in forgotten or obscure rock from the late 60s and early 70s, The Rising Storm. It gives reviews of albums that fit in that category and lets you know of upcoming reissues. They also have video and a podcast. Highly recommended!

In the spirit of my article on Jaws movie posters, here is a list of 12 completely awesome movie posters featuring sharks

Finally, here's a deep question to begin your weekend: does quantum physics make it easier to believe in God?

Have a great weekend!

Challenge of the Super Friends: Swamp of the Living Dead

With today's post, my first week of the Countdown to Halloween comes to an end. Wow, that went fast! But don't worry, there are still 3+ weeks to go, so there are still plenty of scares on the way!

When at our most frightened, our thought is usually, "I need a hero!" That's just what you get today, as I present a fun episode of one of my favorite Saturday morning shows of all time, the Super Friends. Today, the Justice League once again faces the evil Legion of Doom; this time, however, the Legion has command over a horde of zombies. Please enjoy the Challenge of the Super Friends episode "Swamp of the Living Dead." Thanks!

Superman Classic and Bizarro Classic Fan-Made Cartoons

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July this year and that you are safe and sound today!

Today I offer two fantastic fan-made cartoons. They are made to emulate the classic style and tone of Superman projects of the past, especially the Fleischer cartoons of the '30s, from which the musical score for  these cartoons are derived. They are very brief, unfortunately--I wish the creator, Robb Pratt, would make longer versions--but they are awesome!

Here are "Superman Classic" from 2011, and Pratt's brand new cartoon, "Bizarro Classic." Enjoy!

Random Images of Awesomeness

I had such high hopes for blogging this week, but once again, life got in the way, so today I'm just going to post various images I've collected off of the 'Net that I think are cool, funny, or just eye-catching.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I hope so. Enjoy!

Comic Book Review: Action Comics #1

  

I'm more than a week late with my review of this, but better late than never.  As I did with the newly released Justice League #1, I'm examining the relaunched DC Comics through various titles that catch my eye.  Here, DC once again reboots the Superman mythos and reintroduces the character to the world.   Please read below for my review of the new Action Comics #1! Be forewarned, however, as possible mild spoilers may appear.

This incarnation of Superman, as written by Grant Morrison and penciled by Rags Morales, is a definite throwback to the Golden Age Superman: not nearly as powerful as his later versions, with a rougher, tougher personality and a penchant for being a social crusader, standing up for the little guy against the Powers That Be, even willing to bend the law to achieve his ends (something the Silver Age Supes would never do).

As with Justice League #1, this story is set in the past, 6 months after Superman's first appearance in Metropolis.  Clark Kent is working not at the Daily Planet, but at a rival newspaper.  He is friends with Jimmy Olson, but is, as in decades past, a rival to Lois Lane rather than husband or paramour.  One thing that hasn't changed, however: Lex Luthor remains a hardened nemesis to "the alien," as Lex refers to him (which is not inaccurate). The main focus of the story is Lex's first attempt to catch him, something he is hired to do by the military, led by Lois' father, General Lane.

While there was nothing terribly wrong with the issue (except I found the art lacking, especially with facial expressions), there is something about it that doesn't sit well with me.  That is likely because I don't think Superman needed rebooting--I think he was in a very good place creatively before the relaunch, rendering all of this highly unnecessary.  I don't mind seeing a more rough and tumble Superman, as long as he doesn't become an analog to Frank Miller's version of Batman.  I may just need to warm up to the idea of a freshened-up Superman, but that may take months.  DC will need to wow me with what they have planned for Clark if they want to win me over.

If you'd like to give the new Supes a try, pick up a print copy (3rd printings are on the way) at your local comic shop (which you can find at http://www.comicshoplocator.com/), or download a DRM-loaded digital copy at http://www.comixology.com/.

Up, up, and away!

Mego Superhero Doll Commercials

You know what I would've liked to have found underneath my Christmas tree this past Christmas? Some cool, good condition superhero dolls by Mego. Mego was a toy company, no longer in existense, that made some awesome superhero dolls in the 70s. Every member of Generation X I know had at least one, if not several; I had Spider-Man and the Hulk. They are highly sought after collectors' items today. Here are some commercials from back in the day displaying their awesomeness.







For everything you could possibly want to know about Mego, go to the Mego Museum here.

Thanks!

And now a public service announcement--from Superman!

Superman, fighting for truth, justice, and the American way. And doing so--by speaking out against society's ills. Sure, super strength, super speed, and the ability to fly come in handy here and there, but nothing beats the power of the spoken word. See below for proof!

First are two public service announcements (PSAs) against smoking. Both were created and aired in the United Kingdom, and you can tell by the children's accents. The voice actor for Superman, however, is trying to fake an American accent--and failing miserably. Still, smoking sucks, so the PSAs are worth it. The animation is pretty good for a PSA, and I like Superman's tough attitude.




Next we're back in America, and this time Supes is reminding us to watch our cholesterol. Or more accurately, Clark Kent is. Clearly inspired by the Superman movies, the actress portraying Lois Lane bears a very close resemblance to Margot Kidder.



Finally, this PSA is likely my favorite, because I remember this one from childhood. Superman is telling a group of children how they can stay active while taking care of their asthma. This was shown quite frequently on children's TV in the early and mid 80s. Please forgive Superman's blue hair.



If anyone knows of any other superhero related PSAs, let me know in the comments section and I'll try to showcase them here. Thanks!

Saturday Matinee: Batman, 1949 serial, part 7

I'm posting this week's installment of the Saturday Matinee a couple of days early, as I have a nice Labor Day post planned for Friday. Sit back and enjoy the next exciting chapter of Batman and Robin!

But first, how about a trailer for one of the Superman serials?

Chapter 7 The Fatal Blast
Uploaded by Herferd

I hope you'll stop by Friday before you begin your Labor Day festivities, as I'll post some material to get you ready. Until then, stop by the concession stand at this theater!