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Kirk Alyn (October 8, 1910 - March 14, 1999) was an American actor, best known for being the first actor to play Superman on screen, in the 1948 film serial Superman, and its 1950 sequel Atom Man Vs. Superman. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Year 1910 ( MCMX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1489 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials or Film serials, were Short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a Feature The Superman serial was a 1948 15-part Black-and-white Movie serial starring an uncredited Kirk Alyn (but billed only by his Atom Man vs Superman ( 1950) Columbia 's 43rd serial, finds Lex Luthor ( Lyle Talbot) secretly the Atom Man

Contents

Early life

Born John Feggo, Jr. in Oxford, New Jersey, Kirk Alyn was educated at Columbia University. see also Oxford CDP New Jersey Oxford Township is a Township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States Columbia University is a private University in the United States and a member of the Ivy League.

In 1942, he married actress Virginia O'Brien, with whom he had two daughters and a son before they divorced in 1955. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Virginia O'Brien (born April 18, 1919 in Los Angeles, died January 16, 2001) was a popular American singer and actress Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar)

Career

Kirk Alyn started out as a chorus boy on Broadway, appearing in notable musicals such as Girl Crazy, Of Thee I Sing, and Hellzapoppin' in the 1930s. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located This article is about the stage musical For other uses see Girl Crazy (disambiguation. Of Thee I Sing is a musical with a score by George and Ira Gershwin and a book by George S The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression.

He also worked as a singer and dancer in vaudeville before moving to Hollywood in the early 1940s to make feature films, where he was successful only in gaining bit parts in low-budget films before landing the role of Superman in 1948. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [1]

He had a similar problem after playing Superman, apart from starring in some similar comic book-type serials such as Blackhawk, landing a few (some even uncredited) roles in TV series and movies until he retired after making his final film in 1983, Scalps. Blackhawk, a long-running Comic book series was also a Film serial, a radio series and a Novel. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar)

He died in 1999 in Woodlands, Texas of natural causes. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The Woodlands is not a Census-designated place (CDP and large master-planned community of Montgomery and Harris counties in the U

Superman

Some critics argue that Alyn's portrayal of the Man of Steel was superior to that of George Reeves, because (in the tradition of radio's Superman, Bud Collyer) he played Clark Kent and Superman very differently, adding to the disguise. George Reeves ( January 5, 1914 &ndash June 16, 1959) was an American Actor, best known for his role as Superman in the Bud Collyer (born Clayton Johnson Heermance Jr, June 18, 1908 &ndash September 8 1969) was an American Radio actor/announcer Clark Joseph Kent (middle name is also Jerome according to some versions is a Fictional character created by Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon As pointed out in Gary Grossman's book, Superman: Serial to Cereal, Reeves' characterizations of the dual roles were much more alike. Also, Alyn looked much more like the comic book version of the character than Reeves, with his chiseled face topped by a mop of black hair with the curl over his forehead. While George Reeves did resemble a statuesque Greek god, critics maintain that Reeves' fleshier facial features didn't look much like the Superman of the comics, while Alyn looked more or less exactly like the comic book rendition of Superman's appearance. A listing of Greek mythological beings Many of the gods and goddesses had Roman and Etruscan equivalents. Many fans were upset that they never really got to see Alyn fly in the serials; as he jumped up, turned into an animated character by way of rotoscoping, and flew off. Rotoscoping is an Animation technique in which Animators trace over live-action film movement frame by frame for use in Animated films Originally (The same thing was done in Superman Returns, but modern computer-graphic animation is infinitely more realistic. Superman Returns is a 2006 Academy Award -nominated Superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character ) Alyn tried "flying" while suspended by hidden wires for the first serial but the wires turned out to be clearly visible after all and that footage was scrapped. When Superman moved to television in 1951, Alyn reportedly was offered the part, but turned it down.

In 1974, Alyn published an autobiography, entitled A Job for Superman. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar.

Alyn shared a very short cameo with his serial co-star, Noel Neill, as the parents of the young Lois Lane in the 1978 feature film, Superman. Noel Neill (born November 25, 1920) is an American actress in motion pictures and television best known as Lois Lane in the television series Lois Lane-Kent is the primary love interest in the DC Comics ’ Superman stories Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) Superman (also known as Superman The Movie) is a 1978 Superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the He explains his method of portraying "Superman" and "Clark Kent" in a brief on-set interview contained in a documentary narrated by Ernie Anderson, "The Making of Superman: The Movie" (1978). Ernie Anderson ( November 12 1923 &ndash February 6 1997) was an American Television and Radio, voice announcer

In 1981, Alyn appeared as "Pa Cant" in the parody film Superbman: The Other Movie—a role that lasted only seconds, as Cant dies from a heart attack immediately after discovering the strange visitor from the planet Krapton. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981

Kirk Alyn also starred in the following movie serials:

Honors

Kirk Alyn was the Grand Marshal of the Metropolis, Illinois Christmas parade and Annual Superman Celebrations several times. Blackhawk ( 1947) is a Columbia movie serial based on the Comic book Blackhawk now owned by DC Comics Metropolis is a city located along the Ohio River in Massac County Illinois, in the United States.

References

  1. ^ Katz, Ephraim (2005). Ephraim Katz ( March 11, 1932, Tel Aviv — August 2, 1992, Manhattan) was a writer journalist and filmmaker who devoted The Film Encyclopedia, 5th Ed. New York City: Harper Collins, p. The City of New York HarperCollins is a Publishing company owned by News Corporation. 32. ISBN 0062730894.  

Bibliography

External links

Preceded by
Bud Collyer		Played Superman/Clark Kent
1948-1951		Succeeded by
George Reeves
Allmovie (previously All Movie Guide) is a commercial database of information about Movie stars movies and television shows. Bud Collyer (born Clayton Johnson Heermance Jr, June 18, 1908 &ndash September 8 1969) was an American Radio actor/announcer George Reeves ( January 5, 1914 &ndash June 16, 1959) was an American Actor, best known for his role as Superman in the
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