Original Superboy At Superman Celebration Luncheon

Above, Johnny Rockwell as Superboy in 1961.

One of the guests at the Superman Celebration Luncheon last August was Johnny Rockwell (or John Rockwell).

Who is Johnny Rockwell, you may ask?

Above, Jim Walsh with John Rockwell at the Superman Celebration Luncheon. Photo courtesy of Jim Walsh.

Rockwell was the first live-action Superboy. He was chosen for his resemblance to the late George Reeves. After Reeves's death in June 1959, National Comics (now DC Comics) and producer Whitney Ellsworth got the idea to chronicle the early career of Superman when he was a boy in the Adventures of Superboy.

In 1961, a pilot episode was filmed featuring Rockwell as Superboy/Clark Kent and Bunny Henning as Lana Lang.

Unfortunately, the series was not picked up. Superboy did not get his own televised show until 1988. This was the only episode of the 1961 Adventures of Superboy filmed.