{"id":883,"date":"2016-06-19T23:17:59","date_gmt":"2016-06-19T17:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/?p=883"},"modified":"2021-06-18T02:21:20","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T20:21:20","slug":"if-id-be-a-superman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/?p=883","title":{"rendered":"IF I’D BE A SUPERMAN"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Hands up if you ever wanted to be Superman. \u00a0For those of you who put your hands out in front of you as if you were flying, you are true Superman fans. \u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\"Scott<\/span><\/strong> The point of this blahg was not inspired by the recent blockbuster film “Batman V. Superman, Dawn of Justice” (which I changed to “Batman V. Superman, Bowl of Mucus” for reasons I’ll explain in a bit). \u00a0The inspiration for this blahg actually comes from the fact that I’ve had a close tie with Superman over the years. \u00a0Hang onto your capes kiddies because here comes another chapter in the Saturday morning serial of the life of Uncle Scotty.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I guess I’ve always had a fascination with Superman.\u00a0\u00a0\"Rocket<\/a>When I was a child he was the greatest superhero there was…next to Rocket Robin Hood.\u00a0 I was born in 1962 and I don’t recall if we had a television set at our house in the 60s but I must have come across Superman somewhere.\u00a0 Maybe it was\u00a0 re-runs of the Fleischer Superman cartoons from the 1940s or the Filmation Superman cartoons of the 1960s.\u00a0 It might even have been some comic books but I was in my early reading stages and was probably immersed in Plato, Dostoevsky, or Tolkien.\u00a0 Who am I kidding, I was probably out in the garage advancing my education with early copies of Playboy.\u00a0 Regardless, I had a fascination with Superman.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I remember a story that my Mother was known to tell of me running around with a towel tied around my neck and proclaiming to be Superman or Superboy.\u00a0 \"Noah<\/a>One story also has me standing in the window of a second or third floor building and ready to leap into the skies before being pulled back in by my Mother.\u00a0 Another story has me leaping down a long flight of stairs and landing in a pile of laundry at the bottom that was ready for the washer.\u00a0 Boy am I glad my Mother hadn’t got to that chore yet!\u00a0 Unfortunately there are no pictures of me with my towel cape but there is this wonderful picture to the right of my son Noah dressed in a Superboy costume my wife made for him when he was around three years old.\u00a0 I must have passed on my Superman fixation to him.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If you think about it, Superman was probably one of the first superheroes.\u00a0 \"Popeye\"<\/a>Sure there was Tarzan and The Phantom and the greatest of them all, Popeye, but Superman really started the generation of superheroes to come.\u00a0 He had powers beyond the mortal human being.\u00a0 He had a great origin story with his home-world of Krypton being destroyed and being rocketed to Earth as an infant.\u00a0 He was found and raised by Smallville couple Jonathan and Martha Kent.\u00a0 They must have raised him right, too, because he didn’t go on to be a super villain.\u00a0 Who could have stopped him if he’d gone a crime spree?\u00a0 It wasn’t like Kryptonite was easily accessible at the local five and dime store.\u00a0 Superman was and is the greatest.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Now, I want to skip ahead a few years to 1978 and the release of Superman The Movie.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\"Superman_(1978)\"<\/a><\/span><\/strong> My friend Steve Dafoe and I were the first ones in line at the Quinte Mall Cinema to see this phenomenal movie.\u00a0 We had heard that it was coming out and we were both huge Superman fans.\u00a0 With a tag name of “You’ll Believe A Man Can Fly”, we certainly weren’t disappointed.\u00a0 We were 16 and it was close to Christmas when the movie was released.\u00a0 Talk about Christmas miracles, they pulled it off.\u00a0 In an age when there was no CGI to fall back on, they managed to show us a man flying…a Superman.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I want to jump back in time to a period before the movie.\u00a0 I want to talk about “The Great Superman Movie Contest.”\u00a0 “\"Winners<\/a>The Great Superman Movie Contest” asked readers to clip out letters appearing in special coupons inside DC Comics to spell the words “Superman” and either “Kal-El” or “Clark”, glue them to a card, and send the to DC.\u00a0 There were two first prizes of a cameo role in the upcoming movie\u00a0 and lucky young contest winners Tim Hussey and Ed Finneran were picked from entries numbering in the tens of thousands before eventually appearing in the movie as members of the Smallville football team.\u00a0 Lucky stiffs!\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Of course, I wasn’t aware of that contest before the movie came out.\u00a0 I did manage to get wind of the second contest, “The Second Superman The Movie Contest.”\u00a0 \"The<\/a>This time we had to provide the answers to 25 questions culled from two months worth of DC Comics<\/em> titles.\u00a0 1st Prize this time?\u00a0 Christopher Reeve\u2019s screen-worn cape!\u00a0 There were other prizes, too.\u00a0 Second prize, of which there would be 10 winners, was a page of original Superman artwork.\u00a0 Third prize was a subscription to our favorite DC comic.\u00a0 There is a very interesting Blog about this particular contest and an explanation how the the third prize changed somewhat.\u00a0 You can read about it here:\u00a0 http:\/\/bobrozakis.blogspot.ca\/2013\/02\/bobro-archives-superman-movie-contest.html<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This was another particular difficult contest for Steve Dafoe and I because the questions were spread out across many different DC Comics titles and no one really knew which titles contain the different questions.\u00a0 \"The<\/a>I remember that Steve and I haunted our local comic shop and checked out corner stores or cigar shops or any store that carried comics.\u00a0 We didn’t always buy the comics we sought but we perused them in the store and between us managed to memorize the questions.\u00a0 Some of the questions were tough and we didn’t always know the answers.\u00a0 Try this one on for size:\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Q: Women with the initials \u201cL.L.\u201d have always played a part in Superman\u2019s life. He met one such woman, Lori Lemaris, the mermaid from Atlantis\u2026<\/h4>\n
    \n
  1. \n

    as Clark Kent while on assignment at sea for the Daily Planet<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  2. \n

    when he saved the underwater city from destruction<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  3. \n

    when she telepathically contacted him for help<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n
  4. \n

    while Clark was a student at Metropolis University<\/h4>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The correct answer to that one is 4.\u00a0 while Clark was a student at Metropolis University.\u00a0 I’m not sure if we knew the answer to that one but lucky for us, something else debuted in December of 1978.\u00a0 It was the “Superman Quiz Book” by Bruce Nash.\u00a0 We obtained a copy of it and it really helped to provide us with some answers.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I don’t \"Super<\/a>remember how many questions Dafoe and I were able to answer but I know it was more than 20 but less than 25.\u00a0 We both sent in entries and we hoped for the best.\u00a0 Apparently there were only 21 fans who scored 100% on the quiz.\u00a0 That left us out.\u00a0 If you read the blog that I linked above you will find out what happened to the second and third prizes.\u00a0 Here’s a quote:\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    “We were going to have to contact every one of the winners and ask which comic they wanted their subscription to. (Another job\u00a0— and expense — no one had figured on.) The DC library at the time was overflowing with extra copies of books, I pointed out to Sol. Suppose, as an alternative to a subscription, we offered the winners a \u201cDC Prize Pack\u201d of\u00a0twenty books that would include \u201cclassics from DC\u2019s library,\u201d some foreign editions (of which we had plenty) and at least one autographed comic.”<\/em><\/h4>\n

    \"Autographed<\/a>Well, I am proud to say that Dafoe and I each won a “DC Prize Pack”. \u00a0I don’t remember what all was in the prize pack and most of my pack has been lost, donated, or sold over the years with the exception of one item. \u00a0I kept my autographed copy of The Super Friends #21 autographed by E. Nelson Bridwell.\u00a0 Bridwell was the writer of this particular comic and he may not be famous but it was what I valued the most from the prize pack so I’ve held onto it all these years.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I still have a great affinity for Superman The Movie.\u00a0 Recently, I read online that there was an extended version of the film that aired on television in Europe and Australia.\u00a0 The original theatrical print ran 143 minutes and both the theatrical print and an extended 151 minute print have been released on DVD.\u00a0 There was, however, more footage shot for the film that was cut then put back into the European and Australian print that the “International Cut”, as it has now been referred to, runs a whopping 188 minutes.\u00a0 I was able to track it down recently and saw a number of extended and deleted scenes that I had not been able to view before.\u00a0 I highly recommend it to anyone if you can track it down.\u00a0 Also, do yourself a favor and view the Richard Donner cut of Superman II.\u00a0 Richard Donner had directed Superman The Movie and had filmed that movie and the sequel at the same time so there would be continuity of stories and actors.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the film was taken away from Donner and the story ran differently when released in theaters than was intended by Donner.\u00a0 In 2006 the film was compiled from various elements and released on DVD to match Donner’s vision and released as Superman II:\u00a0 The Richard Donner Cut.\u00a0 It runs like a part two of Superman The Movie and enhances the story better than the theatrical release.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So why all of this information and ramblings about Superman The Movie?\u00a0 Well, I promised I would comment on “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”.\u00a0 This 2016 blockbuster is a follow up to the 2013 “Man of Steel” film and a prelude to the future Justice League film that will feature Superman, Batman, Wonderwoman, Aquaman, Flash, and other major DC heroes.\u00a0 Unfortunately “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” was a hot mess.\u00a0 It had too much in it and too much CGI that it made me pity what Superman has become.\u00a0 The character of Superman in “Man of Steel” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is second to the CGI.\u00a0 We are really not invested in this Superman nor do we get his human Clark Kent side.\u00a0 The only positive thing I can say about either of these films is Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Superman’s adopted earth father.\u00a0 Costner is my second favorite Jonathan Kent after Glenn Ford’s turn in, you guessed it, “Superman The Movie.”\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\"Phyllis<\/a><\/span><\/strong> The late Glenn Ford is one of my favorite actors and I’ve enjoyed him in everything I’ve seen him in but even he probably couldn’t have saved “Man of Steel” nor “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”.\u00a0 (By the way, bonus marks to anyone who recognized Phyllis Thaxter as Martha Kent along side Glenn Ford as Jonahtan Kent and Aaron Smolinski as young Clark Kent in the photo.)\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Before I close this blahg, I want to post two other related Superman related items.\u00a0 The first is by me and is a reprinting here of one my favorite poems (meaning one I wrote):\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    if you\u2019d be a superman<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    He works long hours
    \nand he don\u2019t ever get paid
    \nor remuneration or thanks sometimes
    \nbut that\u2019s all part of his job
    \nbeing a protector of the good<\/h3>\n

    If you wanta be Superman
    \nyou gots to be more than human
    \nnot necessarily superhuman
    \nbut better than most folks
    \nwho are always trying to do good
    \nand put you out of a job<\/h3>\n

    In the center of that man\u2019s faith
    \nis himself
    \nand he\u2019s pretty sure
    \nthey\u2019ll all worship him always
    \nfor being a hero and not a villain
    \nbecause Superman is where it\u2019s at<\/h3>\n

    Yeah Superman\u2019s this guy
    \nwho flies you know
    \nbut when he walks
    \nhe walks among us
    \nand is one of us
    \nlike he wants to be
    \nand drinks a little
    \nand he tells dirty stories
    \nbut he\u2019s perfect on duty<\/h3>\n

    Superman\u2019s got no hang-ups
    \nmaybe hang-outs maybe
    \nlike getting in free at the drive-in
    \nbut then who\u2019d really ask him to own up?<\/h3>\n

    If you\u2019d be a Superman
    \nyou\u2019d be just a guy in tights
    \nbecause you gotta hate the job
    \nlike it was the only thing evil
    \nand you couldn\u2019t defeat it<\/h3>\n

    If you\u2019d live a Superman
    \nyou\u2019d be out of work
    \nbecause there\u2019s only room for one
    \nand we\u2019d all be Supermans if we could<\/h3>\n

    Yeah Superman\u2019s\u2019 this guy
    \nwho flies you know
    \nbecause they draw him that way
    \nand he can\u2019t object
    \nlike you would
    \nif you\u2019d be a Superman<\/h3>\n

    Yeah Superman\u2019s this guy
    \nwho fights crime and evil
    \nand is always looking to be put out of business
    \nbut not everyone wants to be a Superman
    \nand he cries at night
    \nwhen he\u2019s flying
    \nbut you think it\u2019s rain
    \nand he\u2019s still up there
    \nand he wonders what it would be like
    \nif Superman\u2019d be a you<\/h3>\n

     <\/p>\n

    I never had the opportunity to be Superman since my fascinations in early youth with a towel around my neck nor did I get a chance to win a cameo in Superman The Movie.\u00a0 I think the above poem does explain a little of my feelings about Superman and what it would be like to be him.\u00a0 You can also see a video of me reading this poem in a previous blahg:\u00a0 MORE POETRY FROM THE MIND OF SCOTT HENDERSON<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The final piece that I want to end on is one of my favorite songs about Superman.\u00a0 It’s called “Superman’s Song” by the Crash Test Dummies.\u00a0 The Crash Test Dummies is a great Canadian band and the song is from their 1991 debut album “The Ghosts That Haunt Me”.\u00a0 Check out the official music video below:\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong>
    \n