DC's Superman has been appearing in movie theaters for a long time. Back in the early 1940s, Fleischer and Famous studios produced several Superman animated shorts. Later, Kirk Alyn starred as Superman in the live-action serials Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950). George Reeves would later take over the role for Superman and the Mole Men (1951) which served as a pilot for Reeves’ popular Adventures of Superman TV series.
The 1960s, however, were curiously devoid of a Superman film, and the Man of Steel wouldn’t appear in cinemas again until Christopher Reeve’s classic Superman: The Movie (1978). Had Hollywood decided to do a big-budget Superman movie during the 1960s and recruit A-list talent, what famous actors from yesterday could have embodied the Man of Tomorrow’s cast? Here are our ten picks.
10 Gregory Peck – Superman/Clark Kent
Watch Gregory Peck’s Academy Award-winning performance as Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, and you’ll see a man who radiates the strength and decency audiences expect from Superman and Clark Kent. Seeing Peck stand up against racism and prejudice in his defense of wrongfully accused Tom Robinson – while also being a father to his two children – makes him the paternal Superman everyone would want.
Notably, the comic book version of Superman has said that To Kill A Mockingbird is his all-time favorite film. If that isn’t a sign that Peck was born to play the Superman of the 1960s, we don’t know what is!
9 Doris Day – Lois Lane
Gifted in playing both dramatic roles (The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)) and comedic (Pillow Talk (1959)), Doris Day would bring plenty of attention to a 1960s Superman movie if the studio chose to cast her as Lois Lane.
Day would undoubtedly bring her own unique take on the Daily Planet’s star reporter, one that differs from Margot Kidder’s acerbic performance or Amy Adams’ hard-edged interpretation. Having acted opposite big stars like Rock Hudson and Jimmy Stewart, Day could easily hold her own next to Gregory Peck and other A-list talent.
8 Kurt Russell – Jimmy Olsen
Russell entertained audiences recently as the villainous living planet Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), but back in the 1960s, he would have been a teenager and about to become Disney’s biggest stars of the 1970s.
Depending on when the 1960s Superman movie would be filming, Russell could be the perfect age for a fresh-faced Jimmy Olsen ready to take photos of his pal Superman.
7 Telly Savalas – Lex Luthor
The original script for 1978’s Superman: The Movie allegedly included a cameo by Savalas meeting Superman and saying his trademark line, “Who loves ya, baby?” Considering Savals’ bald head and intimidating demeanor certainly makes him resemble the Man of Steel’s arch nemesis Lex Luthor, why not cast him as the villain in an earlier Superman film?
Notably, Savalas played James Bond supervillain Ernst Stavro Blofield in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). His ability to simultaneously frighten and amuse would be great assets to a Lex Luthor character.
6 John Wayne – Perry White
Let’s be honest – how many movie studios would pass up a chance to cast the Duke himself as the Daily Planet’s tough-but-fair editor-in-chief Perry White? Wayne basically exemplified the tough guy hero in multiple Westerns and war films during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Seeing him bark orders to Clark Kent and Lois Lane is something few audiences would forget.
5 Jimmy Stewart – Jonathan Kent
Jimmy Stewart would have been in his early 50s during the 1960s, the perfect age to play Clark Kent’s salt-of-the-earth father Jonathan Kent in flashbacks. Stewart epitomized virtue and idealism in Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and It’s A Wonderful Life (1946), and it would be fantastic to see him impart his wisdom to a young Clark Kent.
4 Donna Reed – Martha Kent
And since we’re casting Jimmy Stewart as Jonathan Kent, why not go all out and reunite Stewart with his It’s A Wonderful Life co-star Donna Reed as Martha Kent? The two displayed great chemistry in the holiday classic (Reed even won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mary Bailey).
Reed was busy with her TV show The Donna Reed Show during the 1960s, but she’d likely jump at the chance to reunite with Stewart for a big-budget production of Superman!
3 Orson Welles – Jor-El
Marlon Brando made such a big impression on audiences as Jor-El in the 1978 Superman movie that it would be tempting to just have him reprise (pre-prise?) his role for a 1960s Superman film. However, when looking through the list of big-name actors from the 1960s, one name also stands out – Orson Welles.
Given Welles’ famous voice, magnetic presence, and impressive credits, he’d be amazing as Jor-El. Some fans have even suggested a young Orson Welles would have been equally impressive as Bruce Wayne/Batman if such a film had been made during the 1940s. Naturally, he would have written, directed, and produced the movie as well.
2 Audrey Hepburn – Lara El
Hepburn displays a magnetically ethereal quality in Breakfast at Tiffany’s that would be perfect for Superman’s birth mother. The role likely wouldn’t be a big one as Lara would die shortly after the opening credits, but it’d be great to see Hepburn’s interpretation of a Kryptonian.
1 Steve McQueen – Batman/Bruce Wayne
Adam West was already wowing audiences during the 1960s with his goofy take on the Caped Crusader in the classic Batman TV show, but for a more serious take on the Dark Knight, Steve McQueen could bring his own signature style to Bruce Wayne and Batman.
Having starred in both The Great Escape (1963) and The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), McQueen has shown he’s equally adept at playing charming playboy characters and down-and-dirty tacticians. Given that Michael Keaton wouldn’t be playing Batman for a couple more decades, McQueen would have plenty of room to develop his own Dark Knight character.