Richmond Illustration Inc.
Men of Steel- George Reeves!
July 2nd, 2015 | Posted in General
Here’s the second of my “Men of Steel” caricatures- George Reeves.
As I mentioned yesterday, my rules here include caricaturing the actor as they looked onscreen as Superman when they first appeared as the character, including the year on the chest. Reeves’ first appearance was in the 1951 theatrical film “Superman and the Mole Men”, which served as a “pilot” of sorts for the television series “The Adventures of Superman” (1952-1958), which also starred Reeves.
Although the later seasons of the TV show where filmed in color, they did not appear in color to the public until the show was in syndication in 1965. Thus, I went with the black and white version.
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Love this! Do you do commissions?
The costume Reeves wore was grey and maroon because blue and red were too close chromatically in BW film. Also the boots he wore were made from the same red suede Kirk Alan had in the Superman serials. As a kid I preferred the earlier B/W costume because of the high contrast and Reeves wasnt paunchy yet from drinking on the job…also the episodes were darker and scarier and superman didnt make an appearance until at least halfway through each episode.
In researching this I learned that Alyn’s outfit was also brown and gray, with white for the yellow parts, for the same reasons. Alyn’s boots had weird side lacings almost like moccasins, whereas Reeves’s zippered up the back. I didn’t know they were of the same material.
Nice! Too bad they weren’t all in the 50s, the 5 looks great in the logo!
Tom this is spectacular! Love the values in the face. Maybe I just haven’t been paying attention but will these prints be available for purchase?
Great job, Tom. I remember watching on our first 12′ TV back then. Liked Perry White best. “Great Caesar’s ghost!”
Tom,
This is a wonderful depiction of George Reeves. He was Superman when I was growing up.
I had not seen the color versions of the show until just recently. A print would be excellent.