It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman (1975) (TV)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Jack Regas

Writers:

Jerry Siegel (characters) &
Joe Shuster (characters) ...

Release Date:

21 February 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

Tagline:

The funniest Superhero story ever!

Plot:

TV adaptation of the campy 1960s Broadway musical about the Man of Steel, his friends, his enemies, and his self-image problems. |

Plot Keywords:

Based On Comic | Perry White | Based On Play

Cast

Elvia Allman	...	Martha Kent
George Chandler	...	Jonathan Kent
Stuart Goetz	...	Jerry (as Stuart Getz)
Danny Goldman	...	Newsroom Copy Boy
Geoffrey Horne	...	Ray Clive
Phil Leeds	...	MIT Technician
Harvey Lembeck	...	Gangster
Michael Lembeck	...	Joe
Allen Ludden	...	Perry White
Kenneth Mars	...	Max Mencken
Al Molinaro	...	Gangster
Gary Owens	...	Narrator (voice)
Loretta Swit	...	Sydney
Irene Tedrow	...	Martha Kent
Malachi Throne	...	Boss
Lesley Ann Warren	...	Lois Lane (as Lesley Warren)
David Wayne	...	Dr. Abner Sedgwick
Lou Wills Jr.	...	Gangster
David Wilson	...	Superman / Clark Kent

Also Known As:

Superman the Musical (Australia)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:G

Trivia:

This show was based on a failed Broadway musical of the same name which closed after only 123 performances. This special was an attempt to make some the money back that was lost due to the show's lackluster performance. But few people saw it as it aired at 11:30pm (EDT) and was never rerun.

Quotes:

Superman: Lois is in danger, I must split!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Pow! Bam! Zonk!

Good show, clever lyrics

The Broadway show was not the greatest contribution to the Superman myth, but it was enjoyable. Peggy Lee recorded "You've Got Possibilities" but I don't remember if that was the one I heard several times on the radio. The show had many clever lyrics. My favorite was "It's a satisfying feeling when you hang up your cape/to know that you've averted murder, larceny, and rape!" And the rhyme of "quite a dish" with "solid as a knish." And in "Revenge," where Prof. Sedgwick bemoans being passed over for the Nobel Prize, laments: ....They gave the prize to Harold Urey./The shocking thing about the matter is/My heavy hydrogen was heavier than his! And plenty more. I remember many of the songs pretty well, almost 40 years later.