Speeding Home…

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With their collective eye set firmly on the upcoming (and potentially very lucrative) 50th anniversary celebrations of The Man of Steel in 1988, Warner Home Video went the extra mile with promotional material including the fold out brochure shown above.

This Super-rare glossy pamphlet was presumably an industry handout for the rental boom of the mid to late 80’s and may well have doubled up as advertising in-store.  Although mostly devoted to the latest cinematic instalment Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, this would also mark the first appearance on tape of the 1950’s TV series ‘The Adventures of Superman’  with the first two volumes containing ‘Best of’ episodes alongside new transfers of the beloved Max Fliescher Superman cartoons…

 

Colour B…

One of the many memorable scenes in The Making of Superman II is the walkaround shot demonstrating the plethora of capes for The Man of Steel hanging proudly in the wardrobe department.  As we know, many of the scarlet drapes were produced for very specific purposes such as flying or walking, and also made from a variety of fabrics to highlight movement.

It would be easy to claim the pics above are of one of the few pieces left from the production but alas, it is instead the work of talented Superfan Greg Vasilof, who, frustrated with the lack of detail on the various replica capes on the market, sought out to make his own (top pic).

Buying up a healthy portion of the tried & true red wool gaberdine fabric used by Action Costumes to create their replicas – Greg refined details such as the pleats and padding while adding an authentic, finishing touch – the handwritten interior label (second pic).

Famously noted as ‘Colour B’ (red) these sewn in patches (Greg even replicated the handwriting and copied the haphazard stitching) were mounted in most capes so the costume dept. could distinguish one from the other as often they would need to be changed scene by scene.

Not content with producing the cape labels, Greg also went on to reproduce the famed interior Bermans and Nathans costume labels with authentic details (bottom pic) to stitch into his own display costume to give it the accurate finish.  As a conscientious Superfan, however, Greg is neither selling nor distributing these labels to avoid them being used as provenance for counterfeit costumes (the sales of which I’m proud to say has eroded considerably in recent years thanks to growing awareness) but is indeed producing capes to sell privately.  Should any discerning Superfan wish to add one of these quality props to their collection feel free to contact me…

 

In Anaheim…

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And signing autographs for Superfans as I type, the lovely Margot Kidder is currently reunited with her co-stars from the Superman Movie series for the ‘Superman – The Richard Donner Years Celebrity Super Reunion’ taking place at Wondercon this weekend.

For those lucky enough to attend, you will be treated to the largest single gathering of Superman stars under one roof ever at a con, always friendly and keen to meet the fans and during Saturdays Q&A panel, the star guests were joined by director Richard Donner in a rare appearance by videolink.

The event was the brainchild of Jim Bowers of capedwonder.com, who over a period of months worked diligently to enlist Margot, Jack O’ Halloran, Sarah Douglas, Valerie Perrine, Diane Sherry, Marc McClure, Aaron Smolinski and even producer Ilya Salkind for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the classic movies.

Be sure to visit capedwonder.com in the coming weeks for full coverage of the event including an unmissable video of the Super Panel..!