"Superman Week": Almost A Decade Ago

Above, the front page of the Daily News on the day of the ceremony. Imagine my surprise seeing myself staring out of newspaper racks all around Los Angeles!

In a little over four months from now, ten years have passed since the 50th anniversary of the Adventures of Superman television show was celebrated at a meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles.

Plans for the July 10, 2001 event began in the late spring of 2001 when the editor and publisher of the fan magazine, The Adventures Continue Jim Nolt and I began discussing about doing something to commemorate the anniversary.

Above, Jack Larson and Noel Neill are interviewed before the ceremony. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, the ad in The Hollywood Reporter in December 2001.

I was able to reach Nolt when he began to solicit contributions for a full-page ad in Variety through The Adventures Continue website. (Due to costs, the ad ultimately was placed in The Hollywood Reporter.) I told him that a year before, we had organized "Godzilla Week" through the offices of L.A. County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. I felt we can likely get his support and sponsorship for a resolution commemorating the Adventures of Superman 50th anniversary since Supervisor Antonovich and I have known each other since the 1970s.


Sure enough, I contacted Supervisor Antonovich's office and they enthusiastically agreed to sponsor a ceremony. Coincidentally, the date chosen was the exact date that filming began on the "pilot" movie, Superman and the Mole Men in 1951.

From there, we began contacting the surviving stars of the show and Vice-President Paul Levitz of DC Comics inviting them to the ceremony. Later, Lou Koza was contacted by Laura Siegel Larson, the daughter of Superman co-creator Jerome Siegel asking if she and her mom Joanne may attend. Our response was an enthusiastic "Yes!"

Once the guests were all invited, we checked around for a suitable restaurant for an after-ceremony luncheon. Cafe Pinot, which sits next to the L.A. Central Library, was chosen for the luncheon.




The weeks dwindled into days before the event, and Superman historian Chuck Harter supplied some photographs from the show to use for publicity (one, of George Reeves and Noel Neill, was used on the front page of The Daily News). The Los Angeles Daily News published a big, above-the-fold front-page article on the day of the ceremony. I knew the article was coming out, since a few days before, a reporter for the Daily News came to my home to interview me and take photographs. I just didn't expect to get front-page treatment!






While the Daily News did a great article on the event, the Los Angeles Times only saw fit to publish a little blurb that focused on a misspelled word in a press release from Supervisor Antonovich's office. The Daily News published a photo article the following day on the ceremony. The Times was silent. Go figure!




The special guests and fans gathered at the Hall of Administration for the ceremony. The special guests included Jack Larson, Noel Neill, Robert Rockwell, Jeff Corey, Mrs. Joanne (Jerry) Siegel, Laura Siegel Larson, Mrs. Bettie (Robert) Shayne, DC Comics V.P. & Publisher Paul Levitz and Warner Bros. V.P. Michael Walbrecht.

In the ensuing years since the ceremony, we lost several of our special guests: Robert Rockwell (Jor-El in "Superman On Earth"), Jeff Corey (Luke Benson in "Superman and the Mole Men"), Bette Shayne (widow of Robert "Inspector Henderson" Shayne) and Joanne Siegel (widow of Superman co-creator Jerome Siegel). We are grateful we were able to give them this token of our gratitude.




The ceremony came off without a hitch. To those attending, it almost had a dream-like quality and an experience they've treasured ever since!