10 Days Of Smallville - Day 9

I thought it was about time we had a look at the man of steel himself.  We have headed in to the past to see who has brought Lois to life over the years and now it is Superman's turn in the spotlight.....

In 1948 the first TV version of Superman appeared - aptly titled Superman. It ran for 15 episodes in total and starred actor Kirk Alyn.

Kirk was the first man to don the suit on screen and had the pleasure of teaming up with Noel Neill as Lois Lane. 

               

Next up was George Reeves who played Superman/Clark Kent in the 1951 Adventures Of Superman.  


George shares a surname with another famous Superman but they never knew each other and rumours of them being related are unfortunately false.
George was a man who personified many of Clark Kent's traits - he insisted on equal billing for his Lois Lane - Phylis Coates, and later, Noel Neill. - and stood by fellow actors when they were harshly treated.  He tried to live up to his status as a role model even quitting smoking so as to not influence his fans.

              

Christopher Reeve was Superman in 4 feature films and his is possibly the most enduring portrayal of the Man Of Steel.

Superman - 1978
Superman II - 1980
Superman III - 1983
Superman IV, The Quest For Peace - 1987

The movies spanned from 1978 through to 1987  and interestingly Christopher was not chosen because of his resemblance to Superman but to Clark Kent.  At 6'4" and only 86kgs, Christopher Reeve started a hard workout schedule and doubled his food intake to bulk up another 14kgs because he didn't want to wear the padding under his suit.

One of Smallville's greatest moments was when Christopher Reeve agreed to join the show.  He played Dr Virgil Swann in season 2 and gave Smallville the seal of approval it needed.  to this day Tom Welling says that meeting and working with Christopher was the greatest moment of his career.

         

Back to the small screen and Dean Cain took on the role in 'Lois and Clark', from 1993 - 1997.
He and Terri Hatcher as Lois Lane brought us a more lighthearted view of the Superman story.
Dean also graced the set of Smallville in the seventh season playing  Dr. Curtis Knox.

Dean Cain's portrayal of Superman was also notable for having the reverse of the traditional distinction in hairstyles between Clark Kent and Superman; here, it is Superman who has the slicked-back hair, and Clark whose fringe falls more naturally, perhaps to reinforce the notion that Kent is the 'genuine' personality whereas Superman is the artificial disguise.



               

And although I'd love to save him until last, in chronological order the next man to play Clark Kent was Tom Welling.
Before Superman, there was just Clark Kent. teenage boy from Smallville, Kansas and this is the Superman that Tom took on in 2001.
Smallville is the longest running science fiction show ever with 10 season completed in 2011, due in large part to Tom's portrayal.


Tom has managed to convey the sweetness and integrity of Clark Kent, while allowing the character to grow into his legacy over the 10 years. 

              

In 2006  Brandon Routh donned the red and blue suit for the movie 'Superman Returns' proving an unpopular choice to Smallville viewers who thought Tom Welling should be Superman on the Big Screen as well as the small. 
When Warner Bros went looking for the new Superman, they wanted someone who was more of a no-body rather then a big name star just like it was for the most popular Superman Christopher Reeve and once they met Routh, it was agreed, not only did he resemble Reeve but his personality reminded them of Reeve too.

         

So there you go - 6 Men Of Steel with another one on the way.
Which is your favourite?