Kirk Alyn
As Superman/Clark Kent.
Date & Place:
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Kirk Alyn 1910 - 1999
Kirk Alyn of Spring, Montgomery County, TX was born on October 8, 1910 in Oxford, Warren County, New Jersey United States, and died at age 88 years old on March 14, 1999 in The Woodlands, Montgomery County, TX.
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Kirk Alyn's History: 1910 - 1999
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Kirk Alyn Born John Feggo Jr. October 8, 1910 Oxford, New Jersey, U.S. Died March 14, 1999 (aged 88) The Woodlands, Texas, U.S. Occupation Actor Years active 1942–1988 Spouse: Virginia O'Brien (m. 1942; div. 1955) Children 3 Kirk Alyn (born John Feggo Jr., October 8, 1910 – March 14, 1999) was an American actor, best known for being the first actor to play the DC Comics character Superman in live-action for the 1948 movie serial Superman and its 1950 sequel Atom Man vs. Superman, as well as Blackhawk from the Blackhawk movie serial in 1952, and General Sam Lane in 1978's Superman: The Movie. Early life Kirk Alyn was born as John Feggo Jr. on October 8, 1910 in Oxford, New Jersey, to Hungarian immigrant parents. In his youth he lived in Wharton, New Jersey. A plaque commemorating his life in the borough is hung in the municipal building. Career Alyn started as a chorus boy for Broadway plays, appearing in notable musicals such as Girl Crazy, Of Thee I Sing, and Hellzapoppin' during the 1930s. Alyn appeared in the film The Trap (1946). He also worked as a singer and dancer in vaudeville before relocating to Hollywood during the early 1940s to act for feature movies, but he was successful only in gaining bit parts for low-budget movies before obtaining the role of Superman in 1948. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy. Alyn also featured in movie serials, including Federal Agents Vs. Underworld Inc. (1948), Radar Patrol Vs. Spy King (1950) and Blackhawk (1952). Alyn recalls the day producer Sam Katzman asked him to play Superman: I thought it was a publicity stunt. I didn't think you could ever put Superman on film. They brought the people from D.C. Comics over and they said, 'Hey, he looks just like Clark Kent.' They said take off your shirt, so I did and flexed my muscles. Then the guy said, 'Take off your pants' and I said, 'Wait a minute.' I was 37 when I played Superman. I picked up that girl and ran up that flight of stairs like it was nothing." Alyn played Superman for the first live-action Superman movie serial, released in 1948. The serial consisted of 15 episodes which recounted Superman’s arrival on Earth, getting a job as a reporter at the Daily Planet newspaper, and meeting Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. The main plot consisted of Superman’s battle against the arch criminal the Spider Lady. Two years later, Atom Man vs. Superman was released, featuring Lyle Talbot as Superman’s arch-villain Lex Luthor. This serial also included a sequence involving an eerie alternate dimension, not unlike the Phantom Zone, which would not appear in the comics for another 11 years. Alyn gave the Man of Steel a different portrayal to Clark Kent, adding to the element of disguise. This was in the tradition of radio's Superman, Bud Collyer. By contrast, his successor George Reeves played the dual roles more alike, as pointed out in Gary Grossman's book, Superman: Serial to Cereal. The character's flight was effected by having Alyn jump up, at which point he becomes represented by an animated character by way of rotoscoping, which flew away. Alyn had tried "flying" while suspended by hidden wires for the first serial but the wires turned out to be clearly visible and that footage was scrapped. After playing Superman, he again suffered casting problems. Apart from featuring in some similar comic book-type serials, he had few roles in television series and movies, some even with no credit, until he retired. Alyn was reportedly offered the part of Superman for the television version of 1951, but refused it. In 1971, he published an autobiography entitled A Job for Superman. Alyn shared a very brief cameo with his serial co-star, Noel Neill, as Sam and Ellen Lane, the parents of the young Lois Lane for the 1978 feature movie, Superman. In a brief on-set interview, he explains his method of portraying Superman and Clark Kent, contained in a documentary narrated by Ernie Anderson, The Making of Superman: The Movie (1978). In 1981, Alyn appeared as "Pa Cant" in the parody movie Superbman: The Other Movie, a role that lasted only seconds, as Cant dies from heart failure immediately after discovering the strange visitor from the planet "Krapton". Alyn made his final movie, the horror movie Scalps, In 1983. In 1988, he participated in the 1988 TV special Superman 50th Anniversary Special as himself. He also had a very brief appearance in a "Battlestar Galactica" episode. Personal life When he first went to Hollywood, Alyn met another dancer and actress, Virginia O'Brien. They were married in 1942, and had three children: daughters Terri O'Brien and Elizabeth Watkins and son John Feggo III. They were divorced in 1955. Death Alyn died on March 14, 1999 in The Woodlands, Texas, at the age of 88 from Alzheimer's disease. He was cremated. His ashes were scattered off the coast of California. Honors Alyn was the Grand Marshal of the Metropolis, Illinois Christmas parade and Annual Superman Celebrations several times. In 1985, DC Comics named Alyn as one of the honorees in the company's 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great. Alyn received the Inkpot Award in 1974. Kirk Alyn Famous memorial BIRTH 10 Oct 1910 Oxford, Warren County, New Jersey, USA DEATH 14 Mar 1999 (aged 88) The Woodlands, Montgomery County, Texas, USA BURIAL Cremated, Ashes scattered. Specifically: Remains were scattered off the coast of California MEMORIAL ID 7229984 · View Source Actor. Best remembered for being the first on-screen 'Superman.' As the superhero, he appeared in the film serials of the 1940s and 1950s, including. "Superman" (1948) and "Atom Man VS. Superman" (1950). Born John Feggio Jr., in Oxford, New Jersey, in 1910, he began his career as a chorus boy on Broadway and as an entertainer in vaudeville. Among his other films are, "Private Lessons" (1934), "Rooftop Frolics" (1937), "Lucky Jordan" (1942). "A Guy Named Joe" (1943), "Storm Over Lisbon" (1946), "Radar Patrol VS. Spy King" (1950), "Golden Hands of Kurigal" (1966), "P.J." (1968), "Scalps" (1983), and a guest appearance in the 1978 version of "Superman" starring Christopher Reeve. He also appeared on the television shows, "Battlestar Galactica" (1978-1979), "Naked City" (1958-1963), "Buffalo Bill Jr." (1955-1956), and "Annie Oakley" (1954-1956). He was married to actress Virginia O'Brien from 1942 to 1955.
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10/81910October 8, 1910BirthdateOxford, Warren County, New Jersey 07863, United StatesBirthplaceADVERTISEMENT BY
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In his youth he lived in Wharton, New Jersey. A plaque commemorating his life in the borough is hung in the municipal building.
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After second world war service in the US Navy, Alyn returned to Hollywood and was offered the Superman role.
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Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1930 Fast and Loose Man Seated at Table in Speakeasy Uncredited 1942 My Sister Eileen Portuguese Merchant Marine Cadet Uncredited 1942 Lucky Jordan Pearl's Boyfriend Uncredited 1942 You Were Never Lovelier Julia's Groom Uncredited 1943 Aerial Gunner Officer in Canteen Uncredited 1943 Action in the North Atlantic Brazilian Gun Captain Uncredited 1943 Swing Shift Maisie Victory Aircraft Official Uncredited 1943 The Man from the Rio Grande Tom Traynor - Editor 1943 The Iron Major John Cavanaugh Uncredited 1943 Is Everybody Happy? Larry Thew Uncredited 1943 Overland Mail Robbery Tom Hartley 1943 Mystery Broadcast Young Policeman Uncredited 1943 Pistol Packin' Mama J. Leslie Burton III 1943 A Guy Named Joe Officer in Heaven Uncredited 1944 Four Jills in a Jeep Pilot Uncredited 1944 Broadway Rhythm Escort Uncredited 1944 Once Upon a Time Attendant Uncredited 1944 Cowboy and the Senorita Lulubelle's Beau Uncredited 1944 Goodnight, Sweetheart Reporter Uncredited 1944 Forty Thieves Jerry Doyle 1944 Call of the Rockies Ned Crane 1944 The Girl Who Dared Josh Carroll 1944 Storm Over Lisbon Bandleader Uncredited 1946 Daughter of Don Q Cliff Roberts Serial 1946 The Time of Their Lives Dandy at Party Uncredited 1946 The Trap Police Sgt. Reynolds 1947 The Beginning or the End Scientist Uncredited 1947 Little Miss Broadway Det. Lt. Mel O'Brien 1947 Sweet Genevieve Dr. Wright 1948 Superman Superman / Clark Kent Serial 1948 The Three Musketeers Aramis' Friend Uncredited 1949 Federal Agents vs. Underworld, Inc Insp. David Worth Serial 1949 Bride of Vengeance Guard Uncredited 1949 Radar Patrol vs. Spy King Chris Calvert Serial 1950 Atom Man vs. Superman Superman / Clark Kent Serial 1950 Gambling House FBI Man Uncredited 1951 When Worlds Collide Rioter Bringing Guns Uncredited 1952 Blackhawk Blackhawk Serial 1952 The Savage Orderly Uncredited 1956 The Eddy Duchin Story Young Man at Wadsworths' Party Uncredited 1957 Beginning of the End B-52 Pilot Uncredited 1957 No Time to Be Young Mike, Gloria's Date Uncredited 1967 Banning Bidder Uncredited 1968 P.J. Supervisor Uncredited 1970 The Great White Hope Man in German Nightclub Uncredited 1978 Superman General Sam Lane Uncredited 1983 Scalps Professor Machen (final film role)
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College Circuits and Commercials.
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03/141999March 14, 1999Death dateUnknownThe Woodlands, Montgomery County, Texas United StatesCause of deathDeath locationADVERTISEMENT BY
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If Kirk Alyn, who has died aged 88, had known about the Superman Curse, he would never have taken on the role in two 15-part movie serials, Superman (1948) and Atom Man Vs Superman (1950). Alyn, the first actor to portray the Man of Steel on screen, recalled: 'Playing Superman ruined my acting career, and I was bitter for many years about the whole thing. I couldn't get another job in Hollywood.' When Columbia stopped making the very high-grossing Superman serials, the studio told Alyn that nobody would find him believable as anyone but Superman. So when he was offered the television role in 1951, he turned it down, in order to prove them wrong. The part went to George Reeves, who came to despise the role so much that at the end of each season he performed a ritual burning of the Superman outfit. Two years after the series ended in 1957, Reeves fatally shot himself. Christopher Reeve, who was Superman in the later movies, was paralyzed after a riding accident and Margot Kidder, who played opposite him as Lois Lane, was involved in a serious car crash and had a spell in a mental hospital. In 1977, Kirk Alyn sued the DC Comics publishing company and two film studios for $10 million for using a picture of him on a window ledge, attired in his Superman suit, with the words Super Schmuck. Needless to say, he lost the case. He was born John Feggo Jr in New Jersey. His father wanted him to be a carpenter, but he became a dancer instead. After appearing in vaudeville and in the chorus of a number of Broadway shows, he followed his friend, the comedian Red Skelton, to Hollywood. There he met and married poker-faced singer Virginia O'Brien, with whom he had two sons and a daughter, and played small parts in around half a dozen movies. These included a Portuguese sailor in My Sister Eileen (1942), a military officer in heaven in A Guy Named Joe (1943), and a spineless sheriff in a Hopalong Cassidy Western, Forty Thieves (1944). After second world war service in the US Navy, Alyn returned to Hollywood and was offered the Superman role. In order to make Superman fly, Alyn had to wear a metal harness attached to steel wires. In the first rushes, he said, 'you could see the wires plain as day' which led to the firing of the entire technical crew. The producers then turned to trick photography to create the illusion of flight. Alyn's dance training also helped him to dive out of windows onto a hidden mattress and leap over cameras. Sadly his name was omitted from the credits of the serials to make people believe that Superman was playing himself! The name Superman was placed above the rest of the cast in large letters. After the serials, Alyn went back to New York, where he appeared in a number of Broadway plays including Angel in Paris starring Ilona Massey. He returned to Los Angeles to do over a hundred commercials, and wrote a book A Job For Superman , which he published privately. A few years later, Alyn was cast as Lois Lane's father in Superman (1978), and although his scene was cut from the released film, it was added for the TV expanded version. Before Alzheimer's disease struck him down in the late 1980s, Alyn benefited from a wave of nostalgia for Superman when he found himself in demand on the college circuit and at comic book conventions. However, he was rather surprised to discover how seriously the fans took the Caped Crusader when he told some Superman jokes. No one laughed. 'They don't like anybody making fun of Superman,' Alyn said. 'They wanted me to be like the Superman they remembered on the Saturday afternoon matinee.'ADVERTISEMENT BYLooking for more information?
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9 Memories, Stories & Photos about Kirk
Amanda S. Stevenson
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09/13/2021
Kik Alyn
First Superman.
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Amanda S. Stevenson
16.8k+ favorites
09/13/2021
Kirk Alyn
As Black Hawk,
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Amanda S. Stevenson
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09/13/2021
Kirk Alyn in color.
Signing autographs.
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Amanda S. Stevenson
16.8k+ favorites
09/13/2021
Clark Kent on the phone.
He added the element of disguise.
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Amanda S. Stevenson
16.8k+ favorites
09/13/2021
Kirk Alyn as Superman.
I went to a first-floor office in an N.Y.C. building and Kirk Alyn opened the door and said, "What do you want?" I laughed out loud. He asked, "What's so funny?" I said, "You just looked at me with your X-ray eyes. You must be Kirk Alyn - SUPERMAN!" he smiled and was suddenly charming. "When I went to my Grandmother's house, they played Superman serials every Saturday afternoon and I loved them."
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