I’ve got another great behind-the-scenes story about Richard Donner’s Superman movie to share with you, and this one comes from the film’s star Christopher Reeve in his 1999 autobiography “Still Me.” I’ve been sharing stories about this classic 1978 movie for a while and this one is easily the most charming and adorable.
The actor recalled a time when he was rehearsing for a scene in New York City's Brooklyn Heights, and how he had an interaction with a young boy who 100% believed that Reeves was Superman. The scene they were rehearsing involved Superman rescuing a little girl’s cat that was stuck up in a tree.
Reeve spent all afternoon rehearsing the scene and during that time the crane that was holding him and allowing him to fly, it took him all the way up by seventh-story windows of an apartment building, and at one point there was a young boy watching him fly up and down.
Every time Reeve passed the boy’s window, the kid would look outside and talk to him like it was just a “normal day in Metropolis.” Here’s how Reeve described it:
"My flight path took me past the seventh-story windows of an apartment building. I was wearing street clothes and the flying harness with my hair done Superman style as I flew over and over again past the same windows. At around five o'clock a kid of about seven pulled up the window in his room and called out, 'Hey, Superman, how ya doing?'"
Reeve continued to talk about the several interactions that he had with the boy over the course of the day and even invited him to eat some spaghetti for dinner:
"As I flew past him again, he called out, 'Hey, Superman, my mom says come on in, we're having spaghetti!' I thanked him but said I still had work to do. At about eight I was still rehearsing the shot (one of our problems was that the cat was getting restless), when my young friend opened the window again and said, 'Hey, Superman, take care, I gotta do my homework.' Finally, we started to film the scene. Take after take this kid would look up from his desk and wave as I floated by, trying to catch the elusive white cat. At eleven o'clock we were still shooting. (By this time the cat had been replaced by a dummy.) The window opened one last time. 'So, Superman, I gotta go to bed. I'll see ya!' I guess from his point of view it was just a normal day in Metropolis."
How freakin’ cool that must’ve been for the kid, what a great memory to have! A memory of watching and talking to Superman as he worked all day. I also love that Reeve never forgot that experience and shared it in his book. What a magical time for both Reeve and the young boy.
Via: /Film
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