From the Publisher of
The Adventures Continue

TAC, Jr. #42
May 23, 2000

1) BEHIND THE SCENES
Almost every day I learn something new about George Reeves and the
Adventures of Superman. So often it begins as idle curiosity on the part
of a reader of the web site and newsletter and ends up uncovering interesting
trivia indeed. That's exactly what happened after Jack Thompson sent me
e-mail last month. So that you can understand it fully, I'll let you read
Jack's letter along with the response I got from Randy Garrett when I
forwarded it to him.

~ Jack Thompson to Jim Nolt (April 24, 2000) ~

Jim,
After watching the TV Land marathon, I noticed something in the "Mind
Machine" episode. Clark Kent is up on a hill, getting ready to save a
runaway school bus, and way down below I spotted a very familiar looking
structure. Could this be the crumbling facade of Tara, sitting on the RKO
backlot? The mansion is just too well framed in the shot. I was wondering if
perhaps they did this as kind of an "inside" tribute to Reeves, as this is
where he filmed his scene in Gone With The Wind twelve years earlier.

I am familiar with this part of Culver City, and there are oil wells visible
on the hill earlier in the episode. This leads me to believe the scene was
shot on the hill above the RKO Forty Acres backlot. It definitely would be a
location that wasn't too far away for the crew, as they utilized the backlot
frequently. The only thing wrong with my theory is, I don't recognize any
other structures down below. Not a one. What do you think? Know anybody
that would know? I definitely watch television now with a different set of
eyes than when I was younger!

Thanks
Jack Thompson

~ Randy Garrett to Jim Nolt (April 25, 2000) ~

Jim,

It's possible. I suppose that the structure Jack Thompson saw in "Mind
Machine" was the remains of Tara. The oil well section was indeed "on the
hill above the RKO Forty Acres backlot". Tara was torn down in 1959 and the
aerial shot that I have of the backlot was taken in the early 1960's, so
it's impossible to be certain where it was located. The Atlanta Railway
Station is readily identifiable, however, and was very close to Tara as the
shot of David O. Selznick standing in an archway shows. I'm sending an image
of the main streets of "Metropolis" with the hospital from "Mole Men" (also
the Bayou Hotel) identified for reference. Also I've included a picture of
Tara taken shortly before it was torn down. I'll rewatch "Mind Machine" and
see what I think. If it is Tara, I'll bet it was just a coincidence. I doubt
if the hectic pace of production in 1951 would allow time to set up an
"inside tribute," but as I said, it's possible.

Randy

~ Randy Garrett to Jim Nolt (May 1, 2000) ~

Hi Jim,
It's me again. I wanted to tell you I studied "Mind Machine" over the
weekend and I think Jack Thompson is exactly right. That is Tara which can
be seen in the distance as Clark changes to Superman to catch the runaway
bus. It would be highly unlikely for any other building in the area to be
identical to Tara, same number of columns in the front and so forth. I was
puzzled at first why no other buildings from Forty Acres were visible,
especially the large Atlanta Railway Station which was nearby, but as I
studied the lay of the land, It was obvious that the Tara structure is on a
hill, standing above the rest of the lot, so the other buildings are hidden
in sort of a valley. Anyway, Jack certainly has "sharp eyes" to catch that
quick image on a TV screen. I have studied the earlier scene of Lois and
Clark walking down the street and I can identify most of the buildings and
where they were at Forty Acres, but I never even noticed Tara in the later
scene.

Later,
Randy

2) JOHN HAMILTON ON AMC
I'm sorry to say I fell down on this e-mail from Ken Dooley. I apologize for
that, but perhaps AMC will rerun the film and someone will alert us to it
again the next time.

~Ken Dooley to Jim Nolt (May 13, 2000)~

Dear Jim,
I thought I was the biggest George Reeves fan in the world because a day
doesn't go by that I don't think of him, but you are a treasure trove of
information. I have to applaud your knowledge and familiarity with so much
concerning this grand fellow.

I wanted to inform you of something you might like to see on television this
coming week, so get the VCR fired up! I think it has to be John Hamilton's
finest hour, or I should say his finest thirty seconds, since that's how
long the scene lasts. American Movie Classics is showing a western titled
Target on May 18 at 9:00 a.m. It was produced in 1952, the year after the
first season of Superman episodes were filmed. After the Second World War,
RKO produced a series of westerns, 29 in all, I believe, starring Tim Holt
and Richard Martin. Each is about an hour in length, and they are simply
wonderful. In this story Hamilton is a ranch owner who hires Holt and Martin
as bodyguards to protect him from thugs. One day, while they are away from
the ranch, Hamilton is forced to turn over his ranch and when they return
Hamilton delivers a rant that would put Perry White to shame. His intensity
in this scene is astonishing. I think even Holt and Martin were taken back
by the force of his delivery. The scene is exactly 35 minutes into the film,
so if you're not much of a western fan you can just fast forward to the
scene I'm referring to. What a gifted actor this man was. I think you'll
really appreciate his performance.

So long for now,
Ken Dooley

3) GEORGE REEVES IN "THE GREAT LOVER"
While we wait for John Hamilton to return in Target, John Bogle has
informed me that The Great Lover will run on AMC next Wednesday, May 31.
The Great Lover was directed by Alexander Hall and stars Bob Hope, Rhonda
Fleming, Jim Backus, Roland Young, Roland Culver, and George Reeves.

4) GEORGE REEVES PHOTO BEING AUCTIONED
~ Steve Flax to Jim Nolt (May 19, 2000) ~

Hi Jim,
Remember that autographed George Reeves picture I wrote you about a while
back? Well your readers might be interested to know that it's now up for
auction in New York City at Christies on May 24th as part of their "A
Century of Hollywood" sale. I've attached a copy. As you'll recall it's from "The Golden
Vulture." Christie's has estimated its value as between $2000 and $3000. As
item #7 it's in good company between items from the Howdy Doody Show and
Lassie. In fact there's quite a number of interesting items up! Here's the exact link at Christies.

Hoping this finds you well and keeping up all your good work,
Steve Flax

5) SUPERMAN IN THE SIXTIES
~ Peter Marino to Jim Nolt (May 23, 2000) ~
Here is an interesting and unusual fact for your next issue of TAC, Jr. that
you may or may not be aware of:

My daughter purchased "Superman In The Sixties" for my birthday last month.
One of the stories, published in 1962, is "The Sweetheart Superman Forgot."
In it Clark/Superman exposed to Red Kryptonite. He loses his powers and has
amnesia. So far, nothing new. The bizarre part occurs when Clark, as Jim
White, enters a rodeo contest and is thrown off the horse and becomes
paralyzed! We then see him in a wheel chair. I wonder if anyone has brought
this back issue up to Chris Reeve? Were you aware of this coincidence?

Peter

6) SUMMER HIATUS
As is my usual custom, I'll be taking time off from TAC, Jr. during the
months of June, July, and August. Although part of the summer will be spent
on getting the long overdue TAC #16 out and updating the web site, I also
want to take some time to relax and have a little fun. What I'm looking
forward to most is taking riding lessons and going trail riding again with
Gerri Shober. I've known Gerri for a number of years. She's an excellent
rider and a good friend, and even though I learned a lot last summer, she
still has much to teach me. I'm anxious to get back in the saddle.

See you in September (or before is something exciting happens).

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The Adventures Continue . . . with George Reeves