Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway

February 1, 2008
This June, Superman becomes a septuagenarian, and as these two new titles reveal, Kryptonite has nothing on Hollywood when it comes to the ignominious and deflating treatment of the iconic man of steel. Freelancer Rossen reveals innumerable seedy backstories in Superman's history in Hollywood. From the shameless corporate and economic disenfranchisement of Superman's creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, to the machinations of various producers, Rossen's narrative is replete with scams, lawsuits, megalomaniacal egos, and neurotic actors, with plenty of juicy gossip. The bulk of the story appropriately dwells on the trilogy of Superman films produced by Ilya and Alexander Salkind, featuring Christopher Reeve, and the behind-the-scenes stories concerning the casting, filming, fighting (verbal, legal, and physical), and economic aftermath of these films make for entertaining reading.

Film historian and producer Scivally takes the reference high road to the same material, in the dry but comprehensive way characteristic of McFarland that librarians have come to depend upon. Scivally covers Superman's many media incarnations, going into greater depth in the radio, television, and Broadway venues than Rossen does. At times, the detail is numbing (e.g., credit histories for each new actor introduced), but Scivally is thorough, and he has clearly done his research. Chapters covering TV star George Reeves and Bob Holiday in the 1960s Broadway production of "It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman" are especially wonderful. Also provided are appendixes for Superman books, web sites, and cast lists. Extensive chapter notes and an excellent bibliography add to the value for dedicated fans and researchers. Scivally's text is the detailed, dry, and exceptionally sturdy yang to Rossen's gossipy and fun yin. Scivally is enthusiastically endorsed for all pop culture reference collections; Rossen gets the popular vote for public libraries.Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.