The First Daily Planet Building
by Armand Vaquer
The first Daily Planet Building in the Adventures of Superman televison show (1951-1957) was the E. Clem Wilson Building at the northeast corner of Wilshire Blvd. and La Brea Avenue.
Left, the Wilson Building as the Daily Planet, 1951.
The building was designed by Meyer and Holler (of Grauman's Chinese and Egyptian Theatre fame), the Streamline Moderne and ZigZag tower is the tallest of the three 1920s high-rises on the Miracle Mile. At one time, it was the tallest commercial building in Los Angeles. It also had a dirigible mast at the top, but Mutual of Omaha removed the mast when the insurance company owned the building.
In 1951, the Wilson Building was used as The Daily Planet Building in the Adventures of Superman television show starring George Reeves, Phyllis Coates, Jack Larson, John Hamilton and Robert Shayne.
The top of the Wilson Building was designed for the placement of advertising signs, and when one was added (above), the Superman show producers were forced to find another building to be the Daily Planet. They settled on the Los Angeles City Hall when the 1953 shows were filmed. Along with a new Daily Planet Building, 1953 saw Noel Neill replace Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane when Coates opted to do another television show.
Efforts are currently in progress to place a sign at the building's location commemorating its history and its association with the Adventures of Superman.
Additional info: A Great Metropolitan Newspaper
UPDATE(6/7/09):
I received this nice note from Superman: Serial To Cereal author Gary Grossman on this blog two days ago:
by Armand Vaquer
The first Daily Planet Building in the Adventures of Superman televison show (1951-1957) was the E. Clem Wilson Building at the northeast corner of Wilshire Blvd. and La Brea Avenue.
Left, the Wilson Building as the Daily Planet, 1951.The building was designed by Meyer and Holler (of Grauman's Chinese and Egyptian Theatre fame), the Streamline Moderne and ZigZag tower is the tallest of the three 1920s high-rises on the Miracle Mile. At one time, it was the tallest commercial building in Los Angeles. It also had a dirigible mast at the top, but Mutual of Omaha removed the mast when the insurance company owned the building.
In 1951, the Wilson Building was used as The Daily Planet Building in the Adventures of Superman television show starring George Reeves, Phyllis Coates, Jack Larson, John Hamilton and Robert Shayne.
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| Above, the Wilson Building adorned with an advertising sign is shown from an early opening of "Dragnet." Michael Hayde, a noted Superman historian, dates this photo at early 1952 (see link at bottom of this article). This provides proof that the building was rendered unusable for the Superman producers. |
The top of the Wilson Building was designed for the placement of advertising signs, and when one was added (above), the Superman show producers were forced to find another building to be the Daily Planet. They settled on the Los Angeles City Hall when the 1953 shows were filmed. Along with a new Daily Planet Building, 1953 saw Noel Neill replace Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane when Coates opted to do another television show.
Efforts are currently in progress to place a sign at the building's location commemorating its history and its association with the Adventures of Superman.
 |
| Above, the Wilson Building today. |
Additional info: A Great Metropolitan Newspaper
UPDATE(6/7/09):
I received this nice note from Superman: Serial To Cereal author Gary Grossman on this blog two days ago:
Armand,
Loved the story. I drive by the building almost every day. It always brings heartfelt memories to mind. Also, there's the area in Culver City my family calls "Superman Mountain," where "The Mind Machine" (runaway bus scene) and other episodes were filmed. It's right across where my kids went to school and still do gymnastics!
Hope all is well with you. Keep 'em coming.
Sad anniversary coming on in another 11 days. 50 years. Amazing.
Best,
Gary
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