Book review by Scott Bleiberg

Phyllis Coates
Not Just Lois Lane
Author: Bill Cassara

I never had the privilege of meeting Phyliis Coates, but like most fans of the Adventures of Superman, I admired her tough as nails portrayal of Lois Lane during the first season. Fans have differing opinions as to whether Phyllis or Noel Neill was the best, or their favorite, Lois Lane. I’m in the category of loving them both for their different qualities. Noel’s story has been told in two books, and we are grateful for them. Now the time has come for someone to tell Phyllis’ story, and Bill Cassara has done that. He uses the historical record and his personal remembrances, as her friend, to tell us about an interesting, and sometimes bumpy life.

The author uses two methods to tell Phyllis’ story. He chronicles her early life and career through contemporary records and articles about Phyllis. This includes quotes from interviews she gave at the time those events took place. One can see that a lot of research was done to gather that information, much of which was obscure and long forgotten. It is very clear that Phyllis’s early life was rough. Her start as an actress was a product of good breaks and hard work. Early marriages and children presented challenges as she sought to balance a family and a career. For the latter part of the book, Bill Cassara shares anecdotes of his personal friendship with Phyllis, augmented by some information provided by mutual friends. He discusses her last and longest marriage, the latter, more sporadic part of her acting career, and her interaction with fans as she finally accepted the love they felt for her. Naturally, there are gaps in the information, especially in this latter part, because the information is limited to what Mr. Cassara knew firsthand.

Fans of the Adventures of Superman are probably most interested in what the book says about that part of Phyllis’ life. To be clear, that is not the focus of this book. The time she worked on Superman is discussed, including her friendship with George Reeves, and her relationship with the rest of the cast and crew. There is more written about it than any other individual role, but it is apparent that for her it was a role that had its time and place. She came to appreciate its significance much more when she had the opportunity to meet the fans who were so affected by her performance.

It is also important to note that while he knew Phyllis as a friend, and that though it did occur to him that he might do it, Mr. Cassara was not working on a book about her during their friendship, and Phyllis’ declining health prevented any later effort on his part. So, detailed information that might have been gleaned from author/subject interviews is not available here. This is less a formal biography than a chronicle of her life, and the remembrances of a friend. It shows her in a positive light, while acknowledging there were problems in her life. Still, it is well written, well organized, and full of information that lets us know Phyllis better! What more can you ask? It is the first and may well be the only book that will ever be written about her. I recommend this book for anyone interested in Phyllis’ life.

Posted: September 3, 2024
Jim