History Detectives features Superman Sketch

[Red Oak Kid]

There is a show on PBS called the History Detectives. Locally, it is shown on Monday nights, and according to the TV guide, tonight's show will feature a Superman sketch.

I don't have any other details.

[Cei-U!]

I watch it every week anyway so I'll check it out and report back.

Cei-U!
I summon the curiosity!

[Red Oak Kid]

The way the media screws up the facts when discussing the history of comic books, this will probably involve Stan Lee.


I summon the Biff!, POW!, WHAM!

[Kan-Man]

Here's a link with more info on the segment including a scan of the sketch...

http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigations/411_superman.html

As a side note, I used to work with one of the hosts of the show, Elyse Luray.

[Red Oak Kid]

As a side note, I used to work with one of the hosts of the show, Elyse Luray.

Would you ask her if she would marry me?

[Kan-Man]

Would you ask her if she would marry me?

Not sure how her husband would feel about that, but sure, why not?

[gentlesatirist]

...and thought it was pretty well done.

Revolved around a Superman sketch signed by Siegel and Shuster that a woman in Ohio inherited from her dad.

The host took it to a few collectibles experts who verified that it looked like a Shuster drawing and like Siegel's signature, but likely wasn't Shuster's signature.

The host did some research and eventually determined that the woman's dad was working in a movie theater in Dayton OH at a time when S&S were making public appearances to help sell war bonds. There wasn't a confirmed Dayton appearance, but he found a newspaper clipping from an appearance in Cleveland (their hometown) where they were meeting fans and doing sketches. The host then surmised that S&S must have done the same thing at the Dayton theater.

As part of segment, program showed at least 20 propaganda-style DC covers - mostly Superman, Action and World's Finest - from WW2.

Good exposure from a comics history angle.


- FE

[Cei-U!]

For the record, Jerry Robinson was among those interviewed and he said the signature *was* Shuster's. It was the dude from Comic Art Appraisal who said otherwise and used his copy of an almost identical sketch to "prove" it. Sorry, but I'm skeptical. I was also pleased they didn't whitewash the financial and professional screwings Jerry and Joe took, something completely ignored in A&E's Superman history. Mostly, though, I was happy that the segment treated Superman, and comic books, respectfully without any POW! ZAP! nonsense. And they never once mentioned how much an Action #1 is worth!

Cei-U!
I summon the sigh of relief!

[gentlesatirist]

...there were 2 sides to that argument. I didn't see all of Robinson's segment.

And the photos of S&S that they used drove home the point. Joe had dark glasses on from his waning vision, but Jerry looked worse in a crazy uncle kind of way.


- FE

[shaxper]

I was also pleased they didn't whitewash the financial and professional screwings Jerry and Joe took, something completely ignored in A&E's Superman history.

That would be because DC co-produced the A&E segment. They work very hard to control documentaries on their characters and histories. The only times I've ever heard anything from Shuster and Siegel's points of view were in reading books or internet articles, both of which can be produced inexpensively and without the temptations of financial support from Warner Bros.