Superman Stunt Doubles
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- George Reeves did most of his own stunts in the "Adventures of Superman," but there are moments in some of the early episodes when even the Man of Steel needed a little help.
Saul M. "Sol" Gorss spent the better part of his career at Warner Bros. One of Saul Gorss' most notable credits of the 1950s was in "The Thing." In the summer of 1951, he doubled for George Reeves in "A Night of Terror," and he can be seen as one of the sailors (uncredited) in "The Golden Vulture" two years later.
Dale Van Sickle had his first on-screen stunt role in the Marx Brothers' 1933 film "Duck Soup," and then went on to appear as an extra and occasional leading man in over 280 films and television episodes. He was a stunt man and on-screen extra in such Hollywood classics as "The Searchers," "North by Northwest," and "Spartacus." He is probably best remembered by "Superman" fans as the one who ducked when a gun was thrown in "The Mind Machine." He also played Baker in the episode "Five Minutes to Doom" and Slim's partner in "Money to Burn." He was a founding member and the first president of the Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures.
Cary Loftin was one of Hollywood's greatest stunt drivers. His skills are showcased in the thrilling car chase sequences featured in such films as "The Love Bug" (1968), "Bullitt" (1968), "Vanishing Point" (1971), "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971), and "The French Connection."
2:05 I like how Superman stands there as a gun is unloaded at him, but ducks out of the way when the empty gun is thrown at him.
I even wondered that as a kid, seeing it on my grandma's TV in the early 1950s.
In the last scene when Superman is flying, did you notice the stitching under his left arm?
In the first season he was hung by wires for the flying scenes. That’s why there were slits in his Superman suit. Season two and on he laid on a board specially contoured to his body.
@@kevinobrien9271 -Thanks!
@@kevinobrien9271 In close-ups during the color years, you can see the outline of the flying mold thru Superman's leggings. But thanks to the design of the mold and the costume fabric, those outlines just look like seams on his costume, so it doesn't really break the illusion.
Good eye ! First thing I thought of is it seems like they'd at least use similar color thread for those Frankenstein stiches whatever the reason for them were.
Do now
Takes 6 shots from a gun , but doesn't blink, when the gun was thrown, he ducks....lol
That is something I could never understand
The second guy looked just like George! It's even hard to tell now. Thanks for giving credit to those who would have never gotten it. What a great show.
Dale Van Sickel was one of the greatest. He was one of the stalwarts at Republic who made the fight scenes in their serials so entertaining and memorable. Good actor, too.
Looks like somebody had to sew Superman’s costume back together in that last flying sequence looked like my sewing too lol
@@michaeloliver8790 Makes you wonder...if his costume is as indestructible at him, how could a sewing needle penetrate it? And where did they get indestructible thread? File that under "Questions you're not supposed to ask" 😁
@@silverhammer7779In order to fully enjoy the show, you have to have a willing suspension of disbelief.
@@kevinobrien9271 Well, yeah, obviously. I have watched plenty of old movie serials and 50s and 60s schlock sci-fi, so I'm no stranger to suspending disbelief for purposes of enjoying the show. But, still, you have to wonder about some of the more glaring plot holes. It's still fun to watch regardless.
My All Time Favorite Show Growing Up In The 50's And 60's I Still Remember Every Episode . Every One
Those of you who've seen the Spielberg classic "Duel" w/Dennis Weaver are already familiar with Cary Loftin. Besides being one of Hollywood's top stuntmen, he played the sadistic, faceless trucker who tormented Weaver all thru the movie.
What thrilling episodes! 1951 - the first and best year. “The Mind Machine” remains one of my favourites. Regardless of the scripts in the colour episodes, however, George Reeves remains the best Superman (and Clark Kent) of all!
Completely agree. And Phyllis Coates was a better Lois Lane than Noel Neill. I’m not saying that Noel was bad, she wasn’t, she was good, it’s just that Phyllis was much better.
@@GalapagosPete Totally agree with you about Phyllis Coates. And as the colour series progressed, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen became even more insipid!
he was the best Clark Kent as he made Clark a force as a reporter.
@@rlkinnard Very true. His version of Kent was as much of an enemy to the bad guys, as was Superman. Take a look at “Czar of the Underworld” - another classic.
@@thomaschacko6320 I think that Chris Reeves played a better superman though his Clark Kent was just a dweeb. George Reeves' Kent deserved his job as a reporter.
The runaway bus scene was filmed at the Inglewood Oil Field, Culver City California. I love that Nash.
Its always nice to see George Reeves and Phyllis Coats.
A totally amazing serial. These old California scenes are so old and remarkable!
I remember those oil derricks in Long Beach when I was a kid.
California in the 1950’s must have been so beautiful. I wish I could have been there.
Luckily Alec Baldwin wasn't around. Poor George wouldn't of had a chance with all those fake bullets bouncing off Suoerman.
I always thought , even as a young boy, that Superman would have knocked the bad guy's heads clean off when he punched them.
Lol. Superman takes on bullet shots, but ducks for a thrown handgun. That's funny!
So many things I missed as a kid but I see as an adult. No way I could have ever picked up the stunt double but as an adult, I can usually pick them out now relatively easy. Then I never questioned why Superman would dodge when the gun was thrown at him but bullets would bounce off....then there was the issue of punches...had Sups punched a human like that he would have literally crushed his body into atoms....then the knife bending on his chest.....imagine taking a real knife and stabbing a piece of steel - yeah, no bending of the blade then the very last scene after rescuing the kids on the bus then he jumps and goes flying....under his left arm his costume is stitched with what looks like black thread.....Oh the joys of being a kid.....and the agony of being an adult.
He always pulled his punches but that gun scene always cracked me up everybody talks about that I guess the directors couldn't think of anything else for that scene at the time
And the bad guy somehow had the strength to hold onto the blade as it was bending. I also noted the black stitching under his left arm as he banked to the right.
I especially like the take off scenes in the runaway school bus footage. They’re practically seamless.
Thanks you so much for this video. I inquired about the identity of George’s stunt double in The Mind Machine. Never in a million years would I have thought it was the same stuntman who drove the truck in Duel. I guess you just never stop learning, even if it’s just trivia. Thanks again, Jim. Someday I’ll get to meet you at a TAOS reunion.
You may find it interesting that George Reeves is also in a little known movie called,
"Gone With The Wind".
He plays one of Scarlett's suiters in the beginning of the movie.
@@im1who84u
That's Right,
George Reeves had a Small part in the beginning of, "Gone with the Wind".
Other than the Superman series, had George Reeves been given the chance, I believe he would've been Great in Other Series On TV, And Especially movie 🍿.
Such a Shame, that he Died at such a young Age,
George Reeves
R.I.P. 🙏🌹
He was also in from here to eternity @@im1who84u
The original Superman was so much more entertaining than the techno drivel of today. They would say hokey but I would say old school art.
I just love the way Superman punches that crook @ 1:33. Beautiful trajectory lol.
Two things stand out to me about the Time Machine. The first is the kid saying GOLLY IT'S SUPERMAN. And Lois always gives Clark Kent a hard time and doesn't do what he tells her but let SUPERMAN suggest she do something and she eagerly says ALRIGHT.
Thanks Jim these are great - Yeah, I know that George liked to do stunts himself but you can tell that the stuntmen in the long shots were probably a little more agile in some ways but of course George was a great actor - and, underrated in his fairly brief lifetime.
Look closely at the last scene.
Superman has a small sewing repair in his costume.
( Look at the sew job you would usually miss on T.V.)
It's at the flying scene in the last one shown.
@@johnbockelie3899, most likely that "costume repair" was necessary because the crew had to put the costume on George over the very large flying apparatus he used in the first season. George was in a harness suspended from a pole that extended between his legs and then up over his back. The Superman costume was worn over both the pole and the harness. Then it was stitched up to "make it fit." It must have been quite a chore for George to get into that rig for the flying scenes.
Even as a little kid watching reruns on tv you could spot the stunt men but the second guy and George could have passed for brothers easily great video.
I may be in the minority, but I always liked Phyllis better than Noel
I always thought that Noel was like the "church lady" while Phyllis was a REAL woman with spunk. I believe Phyllis is still living being well into her nineties. The day that shes passes will be really sad for us Phyllis fans!
@@TheOzthewiz she died a couple of years ago. 98, I believe.
I think Phyllis was a little better actress but Noel was more personable and likeable.
i just noticed.....there's padding under his superman shirt, to increase the size of chest. The outline of the padding is apparent.
2:06 I like when he stands for the bullets hitting him, but ducks for the throw of the gun. LOL
Didn't know of the stunt doubles, good vid.
I like this: "Superman's real name is Kal-El, son of Jor-El. The suffix El means “of God” in Hebrew, with Kal-El defined as “Voice of God”. Before Krypton's doom, Kal-El's parents put him in a Moses-like basket, sending him down the Nile of intergalactic space until he landed safely on Earth".
The original creators of Superman were Jewish. No coincidence. Superman was a modern day Golem, a created super being whose mission was to protect the persecuted Jews of Prague. .
1:29 Superman's costume looks a little worn and thread bare. Reeves still the best incarnation of Superman
Impossible. That costume is from Kryptonian cloth and
genuine Saskatchewan sealskin bindings.
Mind Machine. Probably one of the best filled into a 1/2 hr. Amazingly.
Wow! Good job on finding the names of the stunt doubles.
When I was a kid I couldn't wait for these episodes to come on TV
I'm curious to know when you first watched and how old you were. I started watching in early 1953 at the age of 6.
@@jimnolt-TAC, I was born in 1957, will be 66 on May 20th, don't know when I first saw this show, but I was hooked right away! GEORGE REEVES IS SUPERMAN! (It was many years ago!) I have the DVD collection now!
The early years: that great music ! So film noir, dark, serious and a bit scary .espec. when you are 7) . Great site Jim !!
Thanks, John. And I share your thoughts concerning the first season.
@@jimnolt-TAC Jim: I believe Phyillis is still alive. Do you know how she is doing ?
It IS great music. It's on RUclips somewhere as a compilation. I think they used over 50 different musical pieces for Season 1.
@@JOHNWLOUCKS Luv how Phyllis Coates smiles at the end of the episode RESCUE when she tells Kent, "Superman FINALLY took me out."
I didn't know who the first stuntman was, but Dale Van Sickle and Cary Loftin--who developed the stunts for a lot of movies including It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World--are very famous. Something else I didnt know.
I love it...knives and bullet's won't hurt Kal, but the fat gangster decided to punch him.😅 smh... Those take offs were pretty good for then. By time the colour episodes they became lazy with the takeoffs and landings.
Carey Loftin had a 60 year career as stuntman and stunt driver. He played the murderous trucker in 1972's " Duel. "
Qt 4:16 why was that guy checking out Superman's junk?
And if Superman was that strong, wouldn't one much to the jaw knocked the person's head off.
Funny, when I was a kid, I never noticed all these stand-ins, bloopers, continuity errors, etc.
Carey Loftin was best known for stunt driving. He's the only double here that was involved with a vehicle or actually jumped into the air from the ground to start a flying sequence..
I did see this TV series when I was a kid, but man they were stupid. If Superman could punch through stone walls, why wouldn't he knock guys heads clean off when he punched them. In Mind Machine, he ducks down after taking bullets to the chest, why ? In the same episode The Mind Machine controller is operating the device by radio, but how does he see the persons face at the actual hearing. Never once did Superman ever fight the villains that were in all the comics of the fifties. The TV series had him fighting the dumbest of street criminals the world has ever seen. Those criminals always boasted of controlling the city they were in, but control what, drugs, prostitution, gambling? Those criminals always just sat around and talked of things and never did anything.
When I saw the title of the video, my heart broke. (As a little girl , just old enough to understand it was an actor,) I was in love with Superman.
I knew the actor couldn't fly or stop a bullet, but surely he could do anything else another man could do.
It was traumatic for me to learn about stuntman! And now, 65 years later, the memories of a happy little girl suddenly emrged.
Thank you
Glad you like it. George was doubled in Night of Terror, Mind Machine, and No Holds Barred. All three were directed by Lee Sholem. Most likely it was his choice to use stunt men. Sholem is also the only director to use the wire liftoff (instead of the running jump).
6 bullets bounce off Superman. Then the guy throws the gun at him and he ducks!
Lmao
I always thought season 2 was the best, a lot because of the mood music. I like the double when whoever saves Corky in the well. Also In . The doubles sure did a good job. the face and the voice. I love the GD dm it when Solly gets punched by George, and when Ben hits his head on the desk. Sure wish I could go to CA. But too far cause of my meds.
Always liked when Superman ducked when a gun was thrown at him!
When Superman tried to find the crooks who stole the Mind Machine, once it was turned on, shouldn't Superman s Super Hearing picked up the unusual sound it made?
Bullets are bouncing off his chest left and right, but ducks when the gun is thrown at him.😅😅😅
As I recall, Cary Loftin also played the evil truck driver in Stephen Spielberg's first film, "Duel."
Cool to see stern 'Lois," Phyllis Coates in that last segment. That old guy seemed preoccupied with Supe's underwear 'til it was his turn to talk.
In the last flying scene in this video, looks like someone used a little needle and thread to fix Superman's left underarm seam. Hope they used super-thread.
As a kid, I loved this series... still do!
Dale Van Sickle was also the Frankenstein monster in Hellzapoppin 1941.
The second double was incredibly believable as Superman, physically.
Bullets bounced off Superman but he ducked when the gun was thrown at him!
Thank You I saw my favorite sean they shoot 6 bullets which has no effect on superman but he ducks when the revolver is thrown at him.
I don't know why that kept that scene in there. George so often got ribbed for ducking the thrown gun. David Brenner even mentioned it on the Mike Douglas Show years ago. But of course it wasn't George in that scene, it was Dale Van Sickle.
I like parodies of stunt doubles. The most famous is probably in "Space Balls" where the bad guy actually captures the stunt doubles. But there was another in a western saloon fight ("Blazing Saddles" maybe?) where the stunt doubles were all little people so you would see one of the actors start to throw a punch and they would cut to a little person continuing on with the mayhem and then cut back to the actor.
Funny how SM can take bullets, but ducks when a gun is thrown
The stitches at 04:38 near the armpit are interesting!
At about the 4:30 mark we can see dark thread in the suit. It is right at the edge of the picture. I guess Ma Kent ran out of blanket thread and had to use Earth made materials
Dale Van Sickle looked most like George Reeve. Cool to see all of those oil fields which were part of the L.A. landscape in the 50’s.
Is Craig Roberts your real name? As soon as I read it, I thought of a conversation between Perry White and Clark Kent in "The Birthday Letter."
White: (Looking at two photographs) Marcel and Marie Duval, eh? Where'd you get these?
Kent: The FBI. Craig Roberts sent them over. They're French counterfeiters.
He stood there and took the bullets but had to dodge the gun
On 04:33 the thing i noticed for a long time that when *"Superman flys there are white lines" on Superman's arm, chest, head, and foot.* I still don't understand because when the *"Color Series" appeared i can still see the lines but instead of "green" it was white.*
I really understand that they used "Green Screen" back then i still wanna find more informations on this white lines.
@ClaudeSpeedGTA3 From 1990 until 2001 I published a little magazine called The Adventures Continue. For issue #6, Paul Mandell wrote an article on how they made Superman fly in which he explains the reason for the white outline. If you care to, write to me at the email address on my website (www.jimnolt.com) and I'll share that with you.
@@jimnolt-TAC Thanks. 👍
George was an icon none better then him then or now suited the part down to the ground
Thanks for this. Given what footage is in this I'd think that George got stunt doubles for the take off owing to the wires being painful. I'd be thinking that I wasn't getting enough money to be pulled in two.
At 1:24 George reeves gives that guy an upper cut.
Other than the face you can see that the costume is baggy on the stuntman
Question: Superman stands there while he is being shot by a hail of bullets. How come when the bad guys throw the gun at him, he ducks?
I don't know why they set it up that way. I happened only once (and it was Dale van Sickel doubling for George in that instance). Other times the gun bounced off his chest.
I loved this show as a kid.
Thank you for this.
The Face and the Voice in Season 2 also had a stunt double. Was it one of these persons?
The double used in "The Face and the Voice" was not one of these men, but I haven't yet found out who it is.
@@jimnolt-TAC Jim, I looked up the names of the stunt doubles in this episode. It listed four people. So I assume it was George Fischer.
Stunts
George Fisher ... stunts (uncredited)
Sol Gorss ... stunts (uncredited)
Carey Loftin ... stunts (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel ... stunts (uncredited)
Thats fantastic ! Cary Lofton and Dale Van Sickle? The stunt driving team? Cary drove the truck and Sickle drove the red car for Dennis Weaver in Steven Spielberg's "Duel". Sickle again drove the Chevy nova for Roy scheider in "The Seven Ups" as he chased Bill Hickman in the Pontiac. Thats crazy trivia !
Great shows. I was a kid when they came out and the are shown on Sundays around here and I’ll still watch them. Hahaha. One funny thing I noticed in this vide that I never thought of before: IF Superman punched a human, well, the guy that was punched would have his head removed, not just knocked out .. haahahahh
Fun. But why does Superman duck when the bad guy throws the gun at him?
Superman ducking the gun is odd, indeed, and I don't have an answer for that except to say that part of the reason may have been because it was a real gun the Dan Seymour threw (and not a lightweight prop). It's also worth noting that it's not George Reeves who ducked, but Dale Van Sickel.
Lol! Superman takes the bullets but dodges the gun thrown at him. At that flying "speed" his eyes don't blink much. Missed all that when I watched the show.
Bus driver doesn’t seem to be paying attention to the conversation between Superman and Lois. Thinking to himself, “How does this guy fly?”
Cary Loftin played the murderous truck driver in Steven Spielberg's "Duel," starring Dennis Weaver.
Fantastic thanks- the scenes where the doubles come in for Reeves were not so difficult to what George was doing anyway, why were they needed? The first 2 seasons are dark episodes w/Robert Maxwell but are great nonetheless!
I can't answer that... other than the director wanted to "play it safe." If you look carefully, you'll see that two of the heavies in "Night of Terror" are doubled as well.
@@jimnolt-TAC Yes your probably right about director concern, was also thinking that too. in the early episodes as your video said George Reeves wanted to do his own stunt scenes but with the TV show just taking off- if he got hurt it would have been detrimental to the series.
Yeah, the stunt doubles aren't doing anyting dangerous at all.
Interesting to see the repair job on the underarm area as he flies away at the end of the video. And I have to say, while Noel Neill was the definitive Lois, Phyllis Coates was a strikingly attractive woman.
Also in The Face & The Voice a stunt double was used & when Superman arrived on the scene & when Boulder was running way from Superman it was obvious that it was a stunt double & not George Reeves
Correct. I chose not to use that example because it was not a case of something that might have been perceived as dangerous. There was simply o other way to do it. Same could be said of some scenes in Divide and Conquer.
I had received autographs from you for Jimmy and Lois years back ..TAC I'm glad and saddened when I see clips from the 50s especially Superman how glorious the country was then versus the shape of the country now
Our Superman fought for three things that do not seem to exist anymore. Truth, Justice, and the American way. How sad indeed.
At 1:33 when Superman punches the bad guy, you can hear him (the bad guy) say "Ow. God dammit". I guess George must have clipped him with an elbow.
Yeah, let the kids stick around with a random dead guy at the wheel. It can wait til after the brakes are fixed.😂
All of these episodes were directed by Lee Sholem, who left after the first season. I don't think Tommy Carr, George Blair (who took over for Sholem) ever doubled for Reeves.
You are correct, sir.
About Tommy Carr, did you count the times his brother, Steve Carr, appears in Season 1? Strangely, I believe Steve is only listed in the credits as Script Supervisor or Dialogue Director.
I have always wondered why when bullets were being fired at him, Superman just stood there but when a gun was thrown at him he ducked. 🤔
After watching Chris Reeve as Superman in the movies it always jarred as a kid to see Superman punching people in the face! It made him seem less Superlike. More everyday bloke. I preferred Reeve.
When Superman breaks in fighting the villains in the Mind Machine, actor ben welden when falling hit his head on the table leg and actuality moves his arm grabbing his head because it hurt. Normally you never see reaction like this . He really got hurt .
Yes, I imagine he had a few words to say about that scene!
If nothing else it made the scene more realistic!
@jameshendricks2197 Ben would disagree with you, he unexpectedly got hurt . When you are play acting, you're not supposed to show a real reaction when you fall. It's not in the script.
Thank you, that was very interesting!
We had a stunt coordinator working in a factory with me years ago after being injured on a stunt. All this baloney about doing their own stunts is nonsense. The stuntmen's union wouldn't allow it, movies are shot out of order, so a tiny scar in 1 scene might not be there in a different part of the same scene shot later, and a slight or major injury could cost the studio a fortune in paying people to sit around while the actor heals, if he does.
Where superman took off and started flying at the end, I notice a really bad mending job on his uniform shirt.
The scene with cary lofton..look down the hill its the set from Gone with the Wind. TARA plantation
When Superman punches someone and with his immense strength..would'nt serious damage result to whoever is being punched ?...
If Superman punched out the bad guys wouldn’t he have knocked their heads off???
I don't know who got this but starting from 3:48 onward, the dude was chacking out Superman and Lois. Today, someone would accuse him of wanting a threesome.
Good thing Superman was rough on Commies, or our grandkids would be speaking Russian now, Right Comrades?
Near the end, the bus driver keeps looking at Superman's goods.
Wait......where were the scenes where stunt doubles were used/shown?
I do like season 1 and how the production team still did wire work on the live actors be it George or stuntmen. The springboard lift offs were to cringy and repetitive.
Don’t you think a short right hand hit from Superman would rip a guys head off? 😅
Why did superman duck the thrown gun when bullets bounce off?
Did anyone notice the last scene of Superman flying away, his suit was torn ans repaired with a dark coarse black thread?
Old TVs had a blurry picture so it was hard to see these things
No , no , no I don't believe it cause Mrs Kent didn't have enough material to make all those costumes..
Lol, it's pretty funny that a guy that can stop a train would have to punch someone more than once to knock them out 😅
I like the clip in the close up of Superman, under his armpit a repair to is costume in black cotton. Around 4:36
Look at 4:39. There's a very crude stitching repair job on his costume at the right edge of the shot.
They spared no expense when it came to SM's costume.
Superman had the best "bad Guy".
Kanes PARENTS and Kane remember them all 😊