Although 44) Jack Larson will forever be associated with the character of photographer-reporter Jimmy Olsen he was as much a playwright as he was an actor. He was encouraged to write by his tutors at the Pasadena City College in the 1940s, and act in them.
In 1947 a talent scout from MGM Studios spotted Jimmy in a college production and offered him a small role in the film “Scudda Hoo, Scudda Hay” (aka “Summer Lightning”). At the last minute the director changed Jimmy’s character from male to female. Thus Jack Larson lost his screen acting debut to his replacement, Marilyn Monroe.
Back in college Jimmy starred in a musical comedy he wrote called “Balguna del Mar”. After one performance an agent from Warner Brothers offered Jack an audition for “Fighter Squadron”, a film about an American air force squadron in England. Jack got the part.
In 1950 Jack hoped to go to New York to concentrate on a Broadway career. However, his agent persuaded him to audition for a new television series called “Adventures of Superman”. Jack agreed, thinking that non-one would watch it, but at least it would finance his move to New York.
When the series aired it was an instant success. Jack’s contract stated that he was committed to any future season and plan to go to New York was abandoned. Although his character of Jimmy Olsen was very popular Jack considered him to be a cliché and one-dimensional. Superman himself was played by George Reeves. As I mentioned last time George was also a former Pasadena City College student, though he was there a decade before Jack Larson.
Sadly, George Reeves died in 1958 after season 6. By this time Jack had become typecast and it took a while to find other work. It did, however, give him an opportunity to return to writing plays, musicals and operetta. He appeared in handful of films, and produced others that were directed by his life partner, James Bridges. In later years Jack appeared on the comic-con and Superman circuit and guest-starred in films and tv.
The Superman series revitalised the superhero genre on television and every generation has their favourite Superman. For me it is Christopher Reeve. He played him in the 1978 film “Superman - the Movie”. He wasn’t the weak hero we see today who has to team up with others to defeat the villain. He did it on his own.
DC Comics, who own the character, and Warner Brothers who distributed the film, went all out to promote the film, though not to the saturation level we see today. One product was a tabloid magazine-book of the film. The front cover (below) was designed by 45) Neal Pozner (1955-1994).
Neal’s major contribution was in the redesign of Aquaman’s costume. The one shown in the recent live-action films is based on the original gold and green costume that Aquaman wore when he first appeared in 1941. Neal gave him a tight-fitting blue outfit. This was subsequently changed back to the original design but last month DC Comics revived Neal’s blue costume for Pride month. Neal continued to work on Aquaman comics until his death.
Sadly, Neal died from AIDS complications. His Aquaman work was continued by Phil Jimenez, among others. Phil is one of the leading comic artists of our time, and Neal gave him his first job at DC Comics. Despite a 15 year age gap they became partners, a fact not known to their colleagues until Neal’s funeral.
Aquaman, like other superheroes, has been revised and re-invented over the years. All of his incarnations share one fact, that he has some connection to Atlantis, even being its king for a while.
Atlantis has captured the imagination for many centuries. For most of these centuries Atlantis was a place from the past, not a place of the present or future. The gay statesman Sir Francis Bacon is probably the first to imagine a future utopian world based on what he believed to have been the Atlantean culture. Later various pseudo-scientific theories were developed, mainly by the author Ignatius Donnelly in 1882 and the theosophists, who believed humanity can communicate with Earth’s guiding deity by receiving knowledge of the ancients by extra-sensory and paranormal experiences.
One of the leading theosophists was 46) Charles Webster Leadbeater (1854-1934). See here for my interpretation of his coat of arms. He was instrumental in bringing Atlantis into theosophist belief. They believed that the Aryan race were the reincarnations of the Atlanteans and were superior to other races. Looking at Charles Leadbeater’s dates you can see who picked up on that idea went.
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| Map produced in 1910 in a book by theosophist William Scott-Elliott to show the extension of Atlantis (in pink) at the height of its power and influence, based on the psychic communications between Charles Webster Leadbeater received from the ancient Atlanteans themselves. |
The Nazis weren’t the first nor the last to look for Atlantis. Obviously, the middle of the Atlantic Ocean has been the preferred location, but all there is at the bottom of the Atlantic is a mid-ocean ridge created by two continental plates splitting apart. This idea of continents moving has been around a long time. The above-mentioned Sir Francis Bacon noted the coastlines of Africa and South America matched but went no further. But among 20th century scientists continental drift was laughable.
In the 1960s a survey dating the geo-magnetism of the rocks across the bottom of the Atlantic proved that there was no continent there and that the continents were moving. Scientists stopped laughing after that. The geophysicist who led the research was 47) Allan Cox (1926-1987).
Next time of “80 More Gays”: We discover the South Pole on the equator, a botanist looking for Nazis in the South Atlantis, and a governor who wants his islands back.
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