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Superman Store - Superman vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon (Cappella Books)
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List Price: $16.95
Our Price: $10.50
Your Save: $ 6.45 ( 38% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Chicago Review Press
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 791.43651
EAN: 9781556527319
ISBN: 1556527314
Label: Chicago Review Press
Manufacturer: Chicago Review Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 352
Publication Date: 2008-02-01
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Studio: Chicago Review Press
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Comment: Author does a great job of telling the story of the struggles and successes of bringing Superman to TV, radio and the movies. The detail is rich, and he captures succinctly the essence of key events spanning 60 years. A fast and entertaining read.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Superman Returns
Comment: Hands down the most interesting 'behind the scenes' book I have ever read. Despite my thinking I knew alot of the background to the controversial development of the Superman movies this book has so much new information I couldn't stop reading it and knocked it off in 3 days. The history on the Reeves's Serial and Reeve's Film series is incredibly detailed (The 'Dinner with Brando' story is a highlight) while including an interesting commentary on how the charater's portrayal by hollywood relates to the character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. I had no idea the amount of grief they were put through by Warner so it is a very interesting read in terms of the ongoing legal battles between their respective estates and Warner.
The sections on Smallville and Superman Returns are unfortunately brief compared with the other parts of the book but that is a slight criticism on a book that was otherwise thoroughly engrossing. A very welcome addition to my superhero library.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A very informative and tragic look at Hollywood's treatment of Superman
Comment: This was a great book and a very quick read! It is also a very scary and eye-opening look into the world of Hollywood in general, not just with Superman. And it seems that anyone who's not a corporation who becomes associated with Superman projects historically gets screwed in some way. Sadly, it began with Superman's creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who unfortunately fought for their rights to the character until their deaths. (this was recently ruled in their favor, but sadly it went to their descendants so the two men didn't live to see their life long struggle victorious). Even the Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons of the 1940's came with their share of bad luck for Max Fleischer who was forced to hand over profits made. Then, when George Reeves died mysteriously after participating in 1950's show, The Adventures of Superman, the legend of "The Superman curse" spread. When Richard Donner created his memorable Superman movies ,they were already mired in conflict with the studios which is why they degraded in quality until Superman IV killed the franchise for 20 years. And for all those Superman Returns nay-sayers, there was a whole load of crap that could have been made during those years, so I have a new appreciation for that movie. Overall, a great book which also goes into Smallville (for those of you who still watch).
Customer Rating:
Summary: If you read one book ....( make it this one)
Comment: This was one of the most enjoyable books about a comic icon that I have ever read. I won't bore you with what I liked as others posting reviews have done so already and much more thoroughly than I ever could...If you are a Superman fan, read this book. I am sure you will find many things you did not know. It was very hard to put it down. Enjoy
Customer Rating: 
Summary: You would believe a man could (almost) fly
Comment: I was expecting a picture laden history of the large scale Superman movies from the 70's and eighties when I first thought about buying this book and was a little put out by the fact there were not a lot of pictures in it. However, the information inside the covers of this book was eye opening indeed and didn't need pictures to illustrate the point.
If you're looking for all the juicy, digging up the dirt on celebrities trivia on what went on behind the scenes in any of the incarnations of Superman, this really isn't the place to look.
If you're looking for a well researched history on all the trials and tribulations involved in getting Superman off the pages of comic books and up into the sky via radio serials, TV live action series and cartoons or cinemas, this is the book for you.
The author has dug deep and gathered together a wide cross section of information that shows just how hard it is to get a idea past the post. From writers who have no idea how to write the Superman character to studio execs who are only interested in the after market merchandising and how to save a few million dollars by compromising the vision.
The fact that Superman actually got to fly is pretty amazing.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Superman has fought for nearly seven decades to conquer radio, television, and film—but his battles behind the scenes have proved a far greater threat than any fictional foe. For the first time, one book unearths all the details of his turbulent adventures in Tinseltown.  Based on extensive interviews with producers, screenwriters, cast members, and crew, Superman vs. Hollywood spills the beans on Marlon Brando’s eccentricities; the challenges of making Superman appear to fly; the casting process that at various points had Superman being played by Sylvester Stallone, Neil Diamond, Nicolas Cage, Ashton Kutcher, and even Muhammad Ali; and the Superman movies, fashioned by such maverick filmmakers as Kevin Smith and Tim Burton, that never made it to the screen.
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