In 1966, a Broadway musical adaptation of Superman was supposed to be a sensation. I can't say for sure how well it did, but nearly a decade later, it was adapted for television.
"It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!" was adapted by veteran cartoon writer Romeo Muller for ABC's Wide World of Entertainment, and shown in February 1975 with a decidedly different cast than in the original Broadway production. Newcomer David Wilson was cast as Superman & Clark Kent, with Lesley Ann Warren swooning as Lois Lane. Our ensemble also includes David Wayne (a few months away from Ellery Queen), Loretta Swit (M*A*S*H), Kenneth Mars, who would also appear in "The New, Original Wonder Woman" later that same year, Allen Ludden (Password) as Perry White, Al Molinaro (ex-The Odd Couple), Phil Leeds, and the father & son team of Harvey & Michael Lembeck. Michael was recurring on Barney Miller around this time, more than a year and a half before The Krofft Supershow. Gary Owens (ex-Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, The Green Hornet) is our narrator-announcer.
2 comments:
Fun Facts:
- When this show opened on Broadway in 1966, it was sold as a star vehicle for Jack Cassidy as Max Mencken.
Cassidy was the only Name Star in the production back then; when his contract ran out and he left to do the He And She series, that was that.
- Fast forward to 1975, when ABC was looking for something - anything - to fill the Wide World Of Entertainment slots.
It's A Bird ..., a certified Broadway near-miss, became available at a bargain price, and the producer hit on the nation of the "all-star" tab remake that you see here.
By keeping the budget down to TV-size, ABC was able to get some rerun use out of it, So There Too.
I saw this when it first ran, and I seem to recall that the closing credits included a brief photo and mention:
"And Gary Owens, transcribed."
So the Broadway show was a bomb, after all. I had Owens listed in the original post among the familiar names in the cast.
BTW, Mike, are you familiar with the Magic Castle Halloween radio shows from 1981-5 on NBC Radio? I have the first one, and would like to find the others.
Post a Comment