The Punch…
Was there ever a more striking iconic image to help define pop-culture of the 1970’s?
The only images that spring to mind are Farah Fawcett’s smiling poster and the cover of the ‘Grease’ album. There had been long speculation in the press at the time that ‘newcomer’ Christopher Reeve was ‘too skinny’ for the role so the Producers response was to send Reeve on special photo shoots in New York to pose on the banks of the East River and overlooking Central Park to prove the Man Of Steel was indeed real. The first hint that the production was a serious take on the legend is the fact Superman is presented here without a hint of irony in a contemporary setting in broad daylight looking as if he’s just walked off of the front page of his own comic book. Reeve’s steely gaze in the spectacular new Superman costume is the kind of cover editors dream of and so was used repeatedly all over the world to announce his arrival on the big screen…