ALL SCI-FI

[Pow]

Helen Slater makes for an awesome Supergirl but the movie was a box office dud and rightly so.

The film never really comes together well with its awkward mix of science fiction and magic. Hit and miss special effects also hurt the production.

SG Trivia. Supergirl was originally going to make her debut in "Superman III," but that idea was dropped.

In the original story, Brainiac was going to flee the exploding Krypton taking Kara Zor-El with him. They would exist in a pocket dimension.

Brainiac wants Kara for his bride; she wants no part of him and flees to Earth.

On Earth she meets Superman and they begin a romance!?! Obviously the writer was either unaware of the fact that Kal-El & Kara were first cousins...or they simply didn't give a hoot.

Mr. Mxyzptlx was also going to appear in the film.

The script was rejected by the studio.

Thank God!

In a new script, Christopher Reeve was going to make a cameo as Superman as he welcomes his cousin to Earth. They would have had a flying scene together.

Chris Reeve was disappointed with "Superman III" and wanted nothing more to do with the superhero character anymore. So he refused to make a cameo in "Supergirl."

In the "Supergirl" movie, Superman's absence is explained over the news on a car radio that SM is on a mission to another planet.

At one time, another script was to have had Superman made ill by the witch Selena and Supergirl coming to the rescue.

Both Brooke Shields & Melanie Griffith were considered for the role of SG. Eventually the producers felt the movie would work better by casting an unknown. After all, it had worked with Chris Reeve for the Superman movie.

Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Goldie Hawn were all considered for the role of the villainous Selena.

The cast and crew did not like Faye Dunaway who played Selena.
Her diva behavior was well known throughout the movie industry and SG was no exception.

Early screen tests show Helen Slater in a different SG costume which was closer to the one that was then currently in DC Comics.

Helen wore a red headband, hot pants, and the Super logo on her chest was higher up and blended into her cape.

The Midvale town was entirely built from scratch on the Pinewood lot in England. Later on, the site for Midvale would become Gotham City for the "Batman" movie.

I recall thinking that this was an actual town the production filmed in as it was so large and realistic looking. Impressive feat by the production.

One million dollars was spent on just the opening credits for the movie.

When Linda Lee (Supergirl) meets Lucy Lane (Lois Lane's kid sister), Lucy is reading The Incredible Hulk comic book.

Wow! I did not remember that. Amazes me due to DC Comics and Marvel Comics being fierce competitors. Can't imagine why a Marvel comic would have been allowed in a DC feature film?

Marc McClure's Jimmy Olsen was the only Superman film character to be shown in "Supergirl."

[scotpens]

[Bud Brewster]

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Fascinating! I knew that marrying close relatives was considered a big no-no, but I never knew it had a legal status . . . much less one that varied so much from state to state.

In the case of Superman and Supergirl, the situation is quite complicated. First of all, both individuals are aliens, not humans. In fact, I'm not sure Superman could have legal status as a U.S. citizen!

Articles about this question state that DC comics describe efforts on the part of the Kents to have baby Clark registered as an orphan so they could adopt him. But since they knew he's neither human nor born in the U.S., they had to lie make that registration occur.

Supergirl's case is also a problem! She came to Earth after Argo City (located in space on a fragment of Krypton that survived destruction) was damaged by meteoroids. Clearly she's an immigrant. Naturally she could apply for citizenship under her real name, Kara Zor-El — but then how would "Linda Lee" acquire all the legal documents she'd need without revealing that she was actually Kara Zor-El?

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And finally, how could anybody legally prove that Kal-El and Kara Zor-El were biologically related?

If the two of them wanted to deny it (or just withhold the info), I don't think a "legally proven" family relationship could be established in the absence of any records from Krypton.

Even a DNA test would be impossible to attain without their permission. Or even WITH it! They're indestructible!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Gord Green]

Yes, it's true.....

SUPERMAN and SUPERGIRL are ILLEAGAL ALIENS !

They should make a movie where they get deported.
Of course there could be a plea that their place of origin no longer exists....but they could be banished to the bottle city of Kandor!
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Pow]

[Bud Brewster]

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The clip below from the movie is very impressive!

It starts with a long and beautiful scene of Supergirl flying over the city in a manner I don't think we've ever seen Superman do in any of the movies or TV shows!

She's flying with her arms outstretched . . . Peter Pan style . . . and the different camera angles (along with Goldsmith's music) make this whole scene a joy to behold! Her slow, shallow banks left and right, along with the faint smile on her face, make it obvious that she's flying for the pure joy of it.





These are better flying scenes than in any of the Superman movies!

I was struck by the way her pose was so obviously feminine — which makes it the perfect way for the Girl of Steel to fly when she's doing it just for fun!

And then she gets an alert signal on her wrist communicator, so she folds her arms back near her body — a gesture which clearly says, "Fun's over. Time to go to work."

I don't remember being the least impressed by this movie when I saw it decades ago, but the scene below is definitely worth watching.

______________ Supergirl vs Truckers (1984)




IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production.
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~ Christopher Reeve bowed out just before filming began. He was slated to make a cameo as Superman, but was unavailable. The film still features a picture of Reeve in costume in a brief cameo.

Note from me: Chris should taken a major role in this movie and skipped the last Superman movie HE made!

~ The scene where Supergirl flies out of the lake was actually a photograph of Helen Slater pasted on a wooden cut-out. The wire yanking her cardboard cutout can be briefly seen in the shot.

Note from me: Yes sir, nothing but the best FX for this classic motion picture . . .

~ Helen Slater had to train three hours a day for three months to do the outdoor flying sequences, where she was suspended by wires from a 200-foot tower crane.

Note from me: Well, that's' three months of her life she'll never get back.

~ John Williams's theme for "Superman (1978)" appears briefly in Jerry Goldsmith's score.

Note from me: Goldsmith's Supergirl somehow just doesn't measure up to John Williams' great music for Superman. It plods along like something at military ceremony with the troops passing in review. I feel like I should salute!

______ Supergirl • Main Theme • Jerry Goldsmith


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Ironically, Goldsmith most heroic theme is for the mediocre movie King Solomon's Mines (1985). It rocks!

__________ King Solomon's Mines (Main Theme)


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~ The film was completed by Warner Brothers. After Superman III (1983) had underperformed, the studio decided not to release it. Tri-Star Pictures, a subsidiary of Sony Pictures, picked it up, and cut it from 126 minutes to 105.

That being said, the original 126 minute cut was used for foreign theatrical releases, dubbed the International cut. Warner eventually regained full rights to the film and finally released it on DVD in 2006 in its international cut.

Note from me: Ah yes, the sure cure for a movie that a studio thinks the public won't like is to cut it down so the audience won't suffer as long.

~ Excluding the director's cut, which restored 21 minutes of footage, there is said to be well over an hour of missing footage of the film in the vaults of the studio along with the excised footage of "Superman II (1980)."

Note from me: With that much material to work with, I wonder if a brilliant filmmaker like James Cameron or Josh Whedon could sort of "start from scratch" and create a good movie? Just a thought, guys . . .

~ Peter Cook would later complain of Faye Dunaway's diva behavior on this film and her constant lack of punctuality resulting in delays. At one point the producers even considered replacing her with Angelica Houston or Jane Fonda.

Note from me: I don't know if that would actually help, but the thought of young Jane Fonda from around 1968 playing Supergirl tickles my fancy!

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Gord Green]

In the original continuity it has Supes granted citizenship by an act of Congress, later extended by the UN to all member nations.

Clark Kent, as a distinct legal entity, has citizenship under foundling statutes that presume American citizenship for any infant found in US territory.

This is especially applicable since the Kents legally adopted him through an orphanage. Of course, they never let on that they found him in a rocket ship!

In some stories it was said, as a cover story, that Clark was born to Martha at home during a snowstorm that trapped them at home for a couple of months.

So one way or another he's an American citizen!
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Bud Brewster]

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Right, of course! Superman is definitely a U.S. citizen!

Of course, it all depends on which bogus explanation for his existence that the authorities happen to swallow . . .

After all, claiming that Superman is just an illegal alien is like saying Jesus is just a Hebrew baby whose father was not really Joseph!

However, we true believers in the Last Son of Krypton know that "truth, justice, and the American way" had to be overlooked quite a bit to give Clark Kent citizenship papers after he snuck into this country and was given refuge by the Kents.

When you consider the desperate efforts of the many poor emigrants who struggled for years to reach America and finally earn citizenship through purely legal means, it seems a bit unfair to award Kal-El a free pass just because he can zoom in and save us when we're faced with a situation which seems impossible!

All I'm saying, gentlemen, is that there ought to be a legal way to fast-track citizenship to exceptional individuals who have proven their worth to mankind in general and America in particular.

These would have to be people of an extraordinary nature who can receive the special treatment they deserve.

Just a thought, guys . . .
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

Yes, a young Jane Fonda would have worked as Kara Zor-El once upon a time.

Two actresses that I thought would have made a splendid Supergirl when they were in their 20s were Sandra Dee and Tuesday Weld. They really looked the part like few others.

[Gord Green]

What I'm waiting for is a POWERGIRL movie or series!



She may not appeal to Bud....He is a "leg man" after all!
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Bud Brewster]

[Maurice]