TAC, Jr. #3
From the publisher of The Adventures Continue
www.jimnolt.com

Good Tuesday morning, April 8, 1997--

The deadline for ordering TAC #13 and #14 is next Friday, and I'm still
sitting here at my computer trying to put it all together so I can take it
to the printing company next week. There are, however, a couple interesting
things to pass on:

1. TODAY'S NEWS --
The current issue of the National Enquirer carries a story about Jack Larson
and how Superman ruined his career. I haven't yet seen the article, but Jan
Henderson told me it's worth reading. You are welcome to share your thoughts
with me for a future issue of TAC, Jr.

2. GREAT PHOTOGRAPH --
Yesterday I received a great photo from Chuck Harter for inclusion in The
Adventures Continue. It is an outtake from "Money to Burn" and shows George,
Noel, Jack, John, and Dale Van Sickle standing next to the Fireman's Friend
truck. George must have said something funny because he has a grin on his
face. Noel has completely broken up, and Jack is smiling. Perhaps the funny
remark was at Hamilton's expense because he's not reacting. I love
photographs like this and hope that I can find a space for it in TAC #13 or
#14. If not, it will surely appear in TAC #15 later this year.

F F: How about a cup for you, Superman?
WHITE: He can't put it out with coffee, you idiot!
SUPERMAN: Perhaps I can using a basic ingredient of coffee -- water. Jimmy,
would you turn it on back there, please?

later...

WHITE: Incredible, he's put out every lick of the flame.
OLSEN: Don't forget who got the water turned on.
WHITE: Olsen, just because you help avert one catastophe... that doesn't
make up for the hundreds you've created!

3. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL --
Through the years several people have asked about the rumor that George
Reeves has a part in The Day The Earth Stood Still as a newspaper reporter.
It seems that once rumors get started they are hard to quell. The following
is from a letter to me dated 3/23/97 from writer and film researcher, Allan
Asherman. "Sometime ago Cinefantastique magazine did an issue devoted to The
Day The Earth Stood Still, and in that issue they printed a photo of a TV
reporter talking to Mr. Carpenter and Bobby while the two were visiting the
spaceship. This is a scene from the film, and the interviewer is played by
an actor named Glen Hardy. Elsewhere in that issue was a detailed list of
cast and credits from the film. Someone probably looked at the photo of Glen
Hardy and concluded that he was George Reeves, but no matter how it happened
George Reeves does not actually appear in the film at all. Anyway, since
that magazine was published, at least one reference book on science fiction
films has published a cast list of The Day The Earth Stood Still listing
George Reeves. Considering the exposure and coverage on this wonderful film,
I have seen some other surprising errors, including casts listing 'Bobby'
Gray (instead of Billy Gray) and Hugh 'Beaumont' (instead of Hugh Marlowe).
But the George Reeves error is a most glaring bit of misinformation and a
fine example of how faulty research can lead to one mistake spreading into
other books and articles."

4. JERRY SEINFELD --
TAC contributor Nelson Jimenez recently sent me a page from Jerry Seinfeld's
book, SeinLanguage. Jerry remarks that "of all the Supermans, comic books,
movies, cartoons, George Reeves will always be my favorite. Because the real
thing about being Superman, the thing that makes it so interesting is it's a
thing you're saddled with. On his planet he was normal. But here, he's
Superman. And it was that way for George Reeves. Being Superman was a thing
he just ended up with." Jerry goes on to list some questions he'd like to
ask of the Adventures of Superman. I've picked out my favorites:
a. Where were the other police besides Inspector Henderson?
b. Why were the crooks always, and only, in groups of two, a dumb one
and a smart one? Often with names like "Lefty" and "The Boss." Who was "The
Boss" the boss of? Lefty?
c. Why did Superman have no feet in the opening sequence?
d. What was that planet in the background that looked like a "C"?
e. Why didn't Superman ever just tell Lois and Jimmy, "Look, you're not
helping. You're only making my job harder. Would you both please let me deal
with crooks? Believe me, I can handle it."

5. SUPERHOMBRE --
This note from TAC reader Alan Kaminski: About 18 years ago one of the local
television stations in Atlanta was running the Adventures of Superman in
late afternoon. I watched it when I got home from school. One day I sat down
to watch and noticed immediately that the show was in Spanish! This went on
for more than 15 minutes. I couldn't understand why the station did not pull
the plug on it. A few days later there was a story in the newspaper about
it. The station had received a Spanish version of the show mixed in with the
others. However the man running the board at the time of the broadcast was
from Cuba and he got so into the show he didn't realize it was not in
English! It was not until another person at the station came running in
saying that they were getting phone calls that he realized what had
happened.

6. SUPERMAN SCRIPTS --
I've been reading over many of the scripts from the Adventures of Superman
and am intrigued by the several differences between the script and the film.
The script for "Superman In Exile" does not include Clark's final comment,
"It's no wonder you wonder, you're a pretty wonderful girl." Instead, writer
Jackson Gillis has Lois absolutely convinced that Clark is Superman. In
fact, when Clark starts to explain how the plane was forced down and that it
may have traces of radioactivity, Lois replies, "Never mind, Superman, I
understand." Lois is under the assumption that Superman is still
radioactive, and only after turning the geiger counter in Clark's direction
and hearing no clicks, does she change her mind and laugh at her silly idea.

Continuity between episodes of the Adventures of Superman was not common.
For instance, in "Great Caesar's Ghost," Perry White agrees with the
delivery man that he takes two lumps of sugar in his coffee, yet in "Money
to Burn," he barks at Lois, "You know I never drink coffee!" However, when I
read the script to "The Ghost Wolf," I noted that Garvin tells the operator
he wants to place a person-to-person call to Perry White at Metropolis 9-5700.
In the finished episode, that is changed to Metropolis 6-0500, the number used
consistently through the series.

The script to "The Evil Three" indicates the call number to Perry White's
car phone is MX 4762, yet in the finished film, it becomes MX 39162. This is
a portion of the script:

VOICE: Mobile radio-telephone exchange. Come in, please.
WHITE: This is Perry White. Call number MX4762. Get me Clark Kent or Lois
Lane at the Metropolis Daily Planet. Metropolis 6-0500.
VOICE: One moment, please.
KENT: Kent speaking. Why hello, Chief! I was just leaving the office when --
WHITE: Kent, listen to me! Jim and I are at the Bayou Hotel in South
Lordsville. There's something screwy going on here.
KENT: What is it, Chief? Do you need any help?
WHITE: No, no! Now listen! Check the morgue files and see what you can dig
up on a man named George Taylor. They say he drowned a couple of years ago
but I seem to recall he disappeared. See what you can find out about him.
KENT: George Taylor, you say?
WHITE: Now there's no phone here at the hotel. I'm calling from my car. It's
eight o'clock now. Call me back in an hour. I'll be in the car waiting.
KENT: What's your call number?
WHITE: MX 4762.
KENT: Right.

More incredibly, the script doesn't have the opening scene of Jimmy and
Perry discussing the mosquitos.

WHITE: Mosquitos, mosquitos! Is that all you can think about?
JIMMY: I'd stop thinking about them if they stopped biting! It'll be a sad
day when I go fishing again.

Instead, the script opens with Macy Taylor napping in his chair, but spying,
in a small round mirror, the Colonel sneaking up on him from behind. There
are also lengthy scenes in the script which are not included in the finished
episode.

7. WHITNEY ELLSWORTH ON DABBS GREER --
The following is from a letter from Whitney Ellsworth dated February 17,
1980:

Dabbs Greer -- good actor, nice man. Next time you write to him, ask if he
remembers the touching scene where he says good-bye to his wife and small
son before being taken off to die in the electric chair for a crime he never
committed. His "son" was playing what is called a "silent bit." Dabbs tells
him to be a good boy and to take care of his mother. Unable to speak, the
lad nods sadly. The reason he is unable to speak is that if he does, he is
entitled to slightly higher pay -- and automatically becomes eligible for
residuals. Well, Dabbs' boy had it explained to him that he was to keep mum,
and he said he understood. The scene went well -- very moving -- and I guess
Junior got caught up in the spirit of the thing: when Dabbs said his last
goodbye, the boy looked up at him and said his own clear "goodbye." The
director said "Cut!" and everybody laughed. The boy's real mama looked
embarrassed. Question: Did she or did she not tell him to slip in that
single word? Nobody would have accused her of such a thing, of course. In
any event, "time is money" on a movie set, and it would have cost more to
re-shoot the scene than to pay the boy the few dollars involved. So the
youngster had his one-word "speaking part" instead of a "silent bit."

This, from the script:

WINTERS: ...and remember what I told you about Billy's education.
CLARE: (being brave, smiling) I'll remember.
WINTERS: As soon as you can I want you to move out of this state - get away
fom here.
CLARE: Yes, Joe.
WINTERS: I'll write a list of things I'd like you to do - I don't want to
talk about them now. (he looks off) I guess it's time for you to go, honey -
there's the Warden.

At these words Clare almost breaks down completely. She clings to his hands
as she sobs bitterly.

CLARE: Joe! Joe! What will I do?
WINTERS: Take care of Billy for me - see that he gets his chance.
CLARE: I will.

Winters reaches out and puts his hand on Billy's head and speaks to him.

WINTERS: Goodbye, Bill -- be a good boy.

Billy looks wide eyed at his father but doesn't speak. Clare rises, buries
her face in her handkerchief and sobbing audibly she starts for the exit.
Billy is clinging to her.

(Now, compare that to what you see in the filmed episode.)

8. CLOSING -- Published in Lancaster, USA.

-----
The Adventures Continue . . .

. . .with George Reeves

www.jimnolt.com