February 20, 2006
The Superman Curse
Much like the Kennedy curse, there seems to be a belief that there is indeed a "Superman Curse" as well. Apparently working on a Superman film carries some severe consequences. The history goes something like this (courtesy of the good folks over at M&C;):
TV Superman George Reeves was found dead of a single gunshot wound and gained momentum when Christopher Reeve had his riding accident and Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane, suffered a nervous breakdown.But that's not all. Apparently lots of bad things are happening to people working on the new Superman Returns flick as well:
Producer Rob Burnett was mugged by four guys who broke his ribs, giving him a concussion and a black eye. Editor Adam Robitel fell through a closed window and was impaled by a glass shard that punctured his lung and injured his spine. Associate producer and cameraman Todd Stanley tumbled down a flight of stairs, fracturing his skull and tearing his pinkie finger so badly it had to be partially amputated.Holy crap! That is one heavy run of bad luck. I'd love to be on set of this film... but if I were a part of the crew, I'd see if I could do my work from inside a solid steel bubble and away from everyone else. Yikes.
Posted by John Campea at February 20, 2006 01:38 PM
Comments
Posted by: Trey Cranson at February 20, 2006 02:33 PM
I love Superman! Love. Love. Love.
BTW, The Dude Blog is one year old! We made it blogging for a year! Yay!
Posted by: Fredo Teabaggins at February 20, 2006 03:35 PM
I know this is a superman thread but it's the most recent column on the site, and I just wanted to make sure John see's it.
"Zambian-born star Thandie Newton won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the BAFTA's for her powerful portrayal of a racially abused woman in Crash"
Oh John, as if that doesn't shit you mate!
Posted by: Koko at February 20, 2006 04:09 PM
Ok bearing in mind that HOW MANY people work on film sets...there's bound to be accidents or mishaps with people. I bet if there was enough research to go into this you could find that most films have one or two stories with cast/crew that injure...get mugged...die etc.
Spiderman 1 had that unfortunate death when a crew member got crushed under a part of the set...OOOHHHH spidey curse spidey curse :D
I don't believe a word of it..AGHHH i just got cramp from typing to much!!! ;)
Posted by: Jason at February 20, 2006 05:24 PM
"but if I were a part of the crew, I'd see if I could do my work from inside a solid steel"
Wouldn't the curse get u in there trap u in and let u die for lack of o2 or ur die of hearstroke in there
Posted by: Scott at February 20, 2006 05:38 PM
Well, Daniel Craig lost two teeth in the Bond movie. I hope the curse is not generalized to all the movie industry.
Did I sound ironic?
Posted by: Peter at February 20, 2006 06:06 PM
Yes, there is a Superman curse! In the new film, the actor lost his package!
:p
Posted by: darren seeley at February 20, 2006 08:31 PM
There is no superman curse!
The first man to played Superman was Kirk Alyn in the 40s. He started in over a dozen pictures and had a number of TV appearance nearly 30 years after playing Superman. He passed away in 1999 at the ripe old age of 88.
George Reeves was an alcoholic who battled depression for most of his life before ever being Superman. Rumors said he couldn’t find work out side of being the character. This wasn’t true. Like many actors in TV shows, he was only able to take roles in films during the off-season, which he did take, and the series was still going when he lost his battle with depression.
Christopher Reeve frequently participated in high-risk sports for years before and after Superman. He had several close calls with hang gliding and horse riding before his crippling accident. Career wise, he starred in nearly 20 movies outside of Superman before his accident and made some appearances since, including directing.
Dean Cain after Lois & Clark had 2 series, and many TV and theatrical movies. Today, Cain is more connected to his work with Ripley’s Believe it or not than Superman.
Gerard Christopher and John Newton were just low-end TV actors who managed to get the role and fade away. Hardly anyone recognizes them these days as anything let alone Superman. Most TV actors have short careers. It’s the nature of the business, not the role. Just because Lewis Van Bergen has no career, people aren't claiming there is a Sable curse.
Posted by: Rob Merritt at February 22, 2006 06:17 PM
This has Final Destination 8 written all over it!!