Colin Wishneski curated this story by Kathy Chaffin, which The Appalachian published January 16, 1979.
I’m not the editor of The Daily Planet, but o-o-oh I wish I were. It’s not that I’m lacking in clumsy Clark Kents. My staff is full of them…but what I wouldn’t do for a Superman.
I just can’t understand why Superman has been raking in so many bad reviews. The only good one I’ve seen was by Rex Reed, and being the egotist that he is, that’s easy to understand. (Reed makes a very brief appearance in the movie.)
But for what it’s worth, I loved Superman. I never expected to love it. In fact, I never even expected to like it.
I walked into The Flick Sunday night wishing that I hadn’t promised my features editor that I’d write something on it. I walked up to the third row (What a view!) with blue and nearly frostbitten hands after losing my gloves on the way over.
But after flying for 2 ½ hours with Superman, I never even noticed the cold on the way home. You see, I fell in love. I swore it would never happen again, but there’s something about watching a cute boy with dark hair and freckles grow up into a 6’4” oh-so-good-looking Superman…that gets to me.
From the very beginning of the movie with the Star-Wars like effect to the romantic flight with Lois Lane to his dramatic scene in which he turns back the world to bring his dead love back to life, I was impressed and totally fascinated with this “super” man.
And about this man. Christopher Reeve was not only great in the movie; he was sensational in his preparation for it. Reeve got the role with his handsome Roman face and his acting talent (which was super in itself.), but his body just didn’t get it. Talk about determination, instead of wearing a padded suit, Reeve insisted upon body building techniques to fit into the role.
Well, you know the rest. Not only did he succeed in building a body that could compare with Clint Eastwood’s, but he also succeeded in stealing the hearts of thousands.
Marlon Brando and Glenn Ford both proved to be great fathers and for the young wonder from Krypton. Of course, the movie did get a little carried away – a little, who am I kidding – at times, but all of us could use some fantasy now and then.
The photography and special effects were excellent and very cleverly done. There was one scene that just carried me into space. But why, of all people, did Superman have to pick a tacky, mouthy Lois Lane to fly through the air with?
No matter how cynical you are, you had to love that subtle surprise on Superman’s face when he saw the modern boothless telephone booths.
Although the movie was lacking in content, there are some lessons to be learned from it. Among them: Never drink when you fly.
The human heart is very fragile.
Truth, justice, and the American way isn’t all bad.
When you love someone, you’ll go to any extreme to get them back.
(However, I wouldn’t recommend turning the world backwards.)
I could go on. I cried four times and lost count laughing. I see Superman as more than just an enjoyable movie. I see it as the beginning of a new trend, a step back to the just plain entertaining movies with happy endings. And no matter what all the critics say, it is not such a bad step.
Oh well, I’m not Perry White of the Daily Planet, just Kathy Chaffin of The Appalachian. And I don’t have Clark Kent on my staff. But who knows, Maybe some of my clumsy writers could be another……No, on second thought, I’ll just keep looking to the sky for a “blue bird with red boots” and very sexy eyes.
