Source: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-97)
Type: Television
Superman on a conservative TV budget... can it be done? Lois & Clark (a great pun) did it by making the show more about Clark Kent than about Superman, focusing on the romantic comedy aspect of the Clark/Lois/Superman triangle. We don't talk about it much these days, Smallville having taken over the Superman television ideal, but it was a fairly pleasant show. Of course, we mostly watched it for Teri Hatcher, didn't we?
We sure did.
However, while I'd be lying if I thought Dean Cain was in any way the best fit for either Clark or Superman, the show did feature my favorite Perry White in Lane Smith. K. Callan and Eddie Jones made a great Martha and Jonathan Kent as well. John Shea as Lex Luthor followed the post-Crisis businessman model, but with his curly hair, seemed like a younger version of Gene Hackman than comics' bald baddie. And this really WAS a post-Crisis (Byrnified) Superman. Clark became Superman, not the (Silver Age) opposite. His powers were weaker (a by-product of television, but still in keeping with his portrayal in comics post-1986). He had both his parents and they played an important part in his life. Cat Grant, Emil Hamilton, Baron Sunday, Bibbo... And as with the comics, Clark would start dating Lois, tell her his secret, and eventually marry her. Each season brought one of these events to the fore, allowing the romance to evolve. This wasn't a static show. In need of re-evaluation?
Superman Curse: DId the famous Superman curse ever hit Dean Cain? Well, he did wind up hosting the Ripley's Believe It or Not remake. If that sort of television limbo doesn't count as a curse...
Type: Television
Superman on a conservative TV budget... can it be done? Lois & Clark (a great pun) did it by making the show more about Clark Kent than about Superman, focusing on the romantic comedy aspect of the Clark/Lois/Superman triangle. We don't talk about it much these days, Smallville having taken over the Superman television ideal, but it was a fairly pleasant show. Of course, we mostly watched it for Teri Hatcher, didn't we?
We sure did.However, while I'd be lying if I thought Dean Cain was in any way the best fit for either Clark or Superman, the show did feature my favorite Perry White in Lane Smith. K. Callan and Eddie Jones made a great Martha and Jonathan Kent as well. John Shea as Lex Luthor followed the post-Crisis businessman model, but with his curly hair, seemed like a younger version of Gene Hackman than comics' bald baddie. And this really WAS a post-Crisis (Byrnified) Superman. Clark became Superman, not the (Silver Age) opposite. His powers were weaker (a by-product of television, but still in keeping with his portrayal in comics post-1986). He had both his parents and they played an important part in his life. Cat Grant, Emil Hamilton, Baron Sunday, Bibbo... And as with the comics, Clark would start dating Lois, tell her his secret, and eventually marry her. Each season brought one of these events to the fore, allowing the romance to evolve. This wasn't a static show. In need of re-evaluation?
Superman Curse: DId the famous Superman curse ever hit Dean Cain? Well, he did wind up hosting the Ripley's Believe It or Not remake. If that sort of television limbo doesn't count as a curse...
Comments
Also, I saw this Fwoosh custom today and thought of you.
You know, I don't get why anyone even thinks there's a "Superman curse," given that only George Reeves and Christopher Reeve had anything happen to them that could be considered a curse... what about Kirk Alyn, the first person to play Superman on the movie screen in two serials? Or Bud Collyer, who originated the voice of Superman on radio, and later did the voice of Superman on Filmation's animated series? Did something happen to either of the actors who played Superboy? Or is the curse so specific it only hits people who play Superman whose last name starts out with "Reeve"?
But I digress...
Kirk Alyn is apparently included because he couldn't find work afterward.
Curse pushers have invoked some kind of superman suit-wearing ratio necessary for the curse to come into effect, saving radio versions, Smallville stars and even Dean Cain from it.
I suppose those people also extend the curse to other stars, like Margot Kidder's stint as a bag lady. Anything to create a "pattern".
Was Cain partially Japanese? Like 1/4? I'm sure I read that somewhere, and if it's true I'm quite surprised that he was even considered to play America's Greatest Hero (sorry, Steve Rogers). Not because I think he shouldn't, but because I thought that the TV companies wouldn't go for it.
Either it wasn't on our minds, or I just wasn't plugged into the part of the internet that cared about this.
There was something else I found interesting about the L&C Superman - he had his hair reversed compared to previous versions. Clark had natural hair, whereas Superman had it "styled". Partly because we'd be seeing more of Clark than Superman, but also I guess to emphasise that Clark was the real person.
For example, Hogun always seemed Asian to me. I don't question it.
And for the record I didn't watch it for Teri Hatcher, I was more interested in Dean Cain's form fitting costume