Being Superman II
Flight to the North was originally filmed in 1954 as an episode of The Adventures of Superman TV series. For those of you who haven’t read my book, Superman On Earth: Reflections of a Fan, which contains a synopsis of the plot, hurry up and buy my book! My wife thinks it’s good! Oh, all right, stop begging and get up off your knees. Here’s the plot:
To give them some idea of how this thing should be played, I showed the actors a DVD of the original episode. That didn’t keep them from putting their own spin on the characters. I was delighted with the little variations, such as Greg’s delivery of Sylvester’s line, “He just jumped in the air…and kept on goin’!” Del not only gave his Louie a cigar to smoke, but a line to go with it: “One of these days, I’m gonna light this thing.” And Mike, who displayed great comic timing as Steve, added a hilarious “shave-and-a-haircut-two-bits” flourish to his morse code message.
As for Superman? Well, shucks, folks, that was me, of course. From the start, I’d wondered whether I should wear the costume I’d had for years or try something new. Since the old suit was starting to show wear and tear, I decided to go with a new number. I went to a costume shop in Jamestown, OH, and rented not only a different set of reds-and-blues, but Lily Belle’s head. The costume was fashioned in the style Brandon Routh wore in Superman Returns. The blues and reds were darker, the S-shield protruding slightly from the chest. In contrast to the costume I’d originally worn, muscle padding was sewn into the torso and sleeves. The cape, which buttoned to the shoulders, was dark and heavy. I called this ensemble my suit of armor. No way could I wear the top half of this thing beneath my Clark Kent clothes. It wasn’t the Superman I grew up with, but, I had to admit, the full garb was impressive.
Although the play (some called it a “skit,” which rankled a bit) was a shade over twenty minutes long, it required extensive blocking and intense rehearsals. Along the way, we had to come up with special props like a piano for Sylvester to lift and carry and an iron bar for him to bend. We needed wind and snow and, since our Supes couldn’t fly on stage, he sure as heck needed to ”whoosh” off. Here, we got invaluable help and support from our tech man, Harry “I Love a Challenge” Woolsey. Much more than a sound-and-lights man, Harry delighted in finding sound effects and constructing props for us. Further, he helped this novice director solve blocking problems with ease. Take it from Superman, friends; no stage production should be without a Harry Woolsey.
To be continued.
