Superman: The Theatrical Serials Collection Who was first actor to play Superman in a live-action movie? You might say George Reeves or Christopher Reeve or -- if you've got a cultural memory of about 10 minutes -- Brandon Routh. But no, the first Earthling to portray the Man of Steel on screen was Kirk Alyn, whose birthday we note today. "Who?" we hear you ask. Well, Alyn had a career not unlike that of Reeves: He was a good-if-not-great character actor with a strong chin and an ability to sell ludicrous dialogue, and his career was basically over after he put on the cape and tights. In spite of the relative shortness of his career, Alyn remains one of the few actors to play more than one superhero: He appeared as Blackhawk in a 1952 serial. He shares that honor with Tom Tyler, who starred as The Phantom and also played the screen's first Captain Marvel -- ironically enough, Superman's greatest Golden Age rival. There may be some kind of curse in being the first to play a superhero. Louis Wilson, who was the screen's first Batman in 1943, didn't do much afterward. And does anyone remember Howard Murphy, who played Green Lantern, or Dick Purcell, the first Captain America -- or, god forbid, Ellie Wood Walker, who portrayed Wonder Woman? (Considering that last example came from the geniuses behind the "Batman" TV show, maybe she's best left forgotten.) The second actor to play a hero has usually fared better: Robert Lowery, the second Caped Crusader, had some longevity. John Wesley Shipp (TV's second Flash) has managed to find work. And even a guy named Sean Connery (who was, yes, the second James Bond (Barry Nelson was the first) hasn't done too badly. Does playing a superhero mean career suicide? Perhaps; perhaps not. Personally, we're just hoping that playing The Green Hornet does for Seth Rogen's career what it did for Van Williams’. Suggested Sites... Superhero Hype - the latest news and information about superhero movies -- good and bad. Superman TV: Kirk Alyn - information about Alyn's two Superman serials. Wikipedia: Kirk Alyn - a biography as brief as his career. Flixens: The Real Heroes of Superman - information about various creators and impersonators of Superman. Wikipedia: 1940s Superman Cartoons - lest we forget the first voice of Superman: Clayton "Bud" Collyer.

Directory categories: Superhero Movies, Comic Book-Based Movies, Superman, Superman Movies, Batman Movies

Archived under: Actors, Birthdays, Comic Books, Comics, Entertainment, Flops, Kirk Alyn, Movies, Superheroes, Superman, TV

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