The Superman Curse

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 6:42pm

A little article appeared the other day in a NY paper re "The Superman Curse"

1. George Reeves - Suicide or murder killed him
2. Christopher Reeve - Horse Riding Accident
3. Richard Pryor - Got MS
4. Margot Kidder - Had nervous breakdown
5. Kirk Alyn (Played him in 2 cliffhanger serials) - Unable to
find work after & was typecast
6. Dana Reeve - Cancer at very young age 2 years after he died

By the way. interesting book re George Reeves called Hollywood Kryptonite & what may have really happened

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 6:45pm

Gene Hackman -- respected actor, stellar career


That is a weird coincidence about all those former Superman performers though

Updated On: 3/10/06 at 06:45 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 6:49pm

It obviously does not apply to all but I thought it was interesting not more/nothing less

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 6:50pm

It is pretty interesting...it is a lot like the Our Gang/Little Rascals curse where many of them met untimely ends as well.

[pab]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 7:00pm

If you wait long enough you can find a curse in almost every movie.

How about a "Gone With The Wind" curse:

Clark Gable - Heart Attack
Vivien Leigh - chronic tuberculosis (also was a bit mad)
Leslie Howard - casualty of war
Hattie McDaniel - breast cancer
Butterfly McQueen - died when her clothes caught fire while she was lighting a lantern.

[orion59]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 7:07pm

Not so much a weird coincidence as it is just normal life events that happen every day to thousands of people. When you think about teh number of people involved in all the superman movies and tv series over so many decades, it's only natural that there would be a long list of deaths and tragedies.

Conveniently, the list fails to find death and tragedy connected with "Lois and Clark" or "Smallville" (Is that the latest Superman show?). However, over the next twenty years or so, I'm sure that people from those shows wil be added to "The Curse"

[grizzabella]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 7:40pm

These sorts of theories are fascinating, but logically, given the number of people who worked in the various tv shows and movies over the years, some measure of calamity is statistically probable. It is odd that so much of it happened to high-profile people in the productions, however, and the events which have transpired in the Reeve family are heart-breaking. But as you say, Mr. Roxy, it is interesting.
"There are more things in heaven and on earth than are dreamed of in your philosphy" said Will Shakespeare.

Updated On: 3/10/06 at 07:40 PM

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 8:31pm

Well, Kirk Alyn worked in serials and b-westerns mostly, neither of which required actors of much talent. That's probably why he didn't get much work -- he was a really crummy actor most known for movie forms that died off in that same general era.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 3/10/06 at 9:54pm

Reeves part in From Here TO Eternity was cut drastically, as the story goes, because preview audiences kept yelling at the screen "There's Superman"

It was a steady paycheck for awhile but after that he was typecast . From a bit part in GWTW to what may have been a bigger role in Eternity to flying around in a funny suit.

[Jon]

Posted: 3/11/06 at 4:37am

I attribute Richard Pryor to the Gene Wilder curse. Consider the following Wilder co-stars:

Gilda Radner - died of cancer
Madeline Kahn - died of cancer
Cleavon Little - died of cancer
Richard Pryor - died of MS
Marty Feldman - die of ...something
Teri Garr - has MS