Someone I know claims that in the credits to Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, it says it was based on a comic book. I however am pretty sure that the movie is not based on any single comic book, but was meant simply to evoke a comic book “feel.”
Which of us is right, if either?
Do the credits say anything about comics at all, if not that the movie is based on some particular comic?
-FrL-
AFAIK, it was not based on a comic book. It was inspired by the serials that were popular in the 30s & 40s.
“Curse you, Red Baron!”
… I got nothing.
imdb.com says the mechanical monsters were inspired from the Max Fleischer SUPERMAN serial cartoon. Polly Perkins may have partially been inspired by Lois Lane, but I’ve heard it was either Lauren Bacal or Rosiland Russell news reporter roles.
Another thing thing that might apply, broadly, is Dave Stevens’ ROCKETEER – and if that’s so, Gwyneth Paltrow makes a shitty stand in for Bettie Page.
It was inspired by the classic adventure serials and obviously influenced by some comics, particularly Blackhawk with his squadron of daredevil pilots, and Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D., with the flying helicarriers and the eye patch-wearing no-nonsense leader (Angelina Jolie standing in for Nick Fury). Polly was obviously based on Lois Lane, but the “plucky, annoying girl reporter” is a pulp/adventure genre archetype. But Sky Captain was never an actual comic before–it was Kerry Conran’s original idea.
Luckily, Jennifer Connelly was as close to perfection as possible!
The Rocketeer (an excellent adaptation of the comic, and a good–if underrated–movie in its own right) would make for an excellent double-feature with Sky Captain.
**Voodoo Lou ** I like the cut of your jib, glib – let’s see some more your geek-fu. WHAT fictional character originated r the snoopy reporter archetype, if not Lois Lane?
The Rocketeer
Sky Captain
The Phantom
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Would there be a better way to kill a rainy afternoon with friends?
Just add The Shadow (which isn’t as bad as all that), and see if anyone can find the obscure made-for-TV movies of Doc Savage (starring Ron Ely) or The Spirit (starring Same “Flash Gordon” Jones)!
Man o man, I have no idea. Did Brenda Starr, Reporter predate Lois Lane? There’s a Brenda Starr movie made in the '80s, starring Brooke Shields of all people, but I’ve never actually seen it.
Obviously I meant “Sam” Jones directly above (the actor who played Flash Gordon and The Spirit), not “Same.”
Sob Sisters: The image of the female journalist in popular culture has a great summary.
Nelly Bly and Adela Rogers St. John were probably the most famous real life reporters, and both would appear in various forms in movies.
His Gal Friday came out in 1940, the same year that Brenda Starr debuted, but both could have influenced Lois Lane. There were lots of earlier examples though. Think of Jean Arthur in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.
And the Torchy Blaine movies are mostly forgotten now but were important back then:
It’s not true, BTW, that The Shadow’s girlfriend Margo Lane was the inspiration for Lois Lane. Although the show started in 1939, it appears that Margo wasn’t introduced until 1941 to give a female character to the radio show.
Has anyone ever noticed that Superman’s first and last names resemble the most popular pulp heroes of the day: CLARK Savage Jr. (Doc Savage) and KENT Allard (The Shadow)? Just a thought.
Add at least 1 Tarzan movie (preferably Weismuller)
Also, a gangster flick, ciraca 1930, would be pretty good.
Many people, in fact, and it’s been suggested by Ron Goulart and others that these are the origins of the Clark Kent name.
But it’s probably not so. In Superman at Fifty! The Persistence of a Legend, edited by Dennis Dooley and Gary Engle, Dooley gives a more mundane expanation, based on an interview Jerry Siegel gave in the August 1983 issue of NEMO: the classic comic library.
The most popular guy in their class, Irv Schabel -which rhymes with Gable - was given the nickname Clark after the suave actor. They used that as a private joke along with the first name of actor Kent Taylor.
Lois came from class beauty Lois Amster.
Brenda Starr was a good guess Voodoo Lou, but** Exapno ** nailed it in one by getting Torchy Blaine and her male reporter inspiration, Kennedy. I’m very impressed – we have plenty of comic book geeks on the boiards but not always people who know/can reference the origins of stock characters who preceded superheroes in the pulps and science fiction. Yes, the Geek is strong in that one…
Just wanted to say that the Rocketeer is an underrated classic. Best comic-book (if it’s based on one) adaptation ever. If it’s not then is also a very orginal movie.
Yeah, but don’t you suspect that she got her last name from The Shadow’s Margo Lane?
If that’s the case, there might be something to the idea that Doc Savage’s and the Shadow’s names influenced “Clark Kent”, too.
I think Sin City is the best comic-to-movie adaptation EVER, but The Rocketeer is damn close. I think it has been overlooked for so long because it was a Disney movie, and people automatically assumed Disney = for the kiddies. Little do they know it would really appeal to all the Indiana Jones/classic adventure fans out there, if it had been marketed better.
I think part of the reason it’s so overlooked is that it was greatly over-hyped as Disney’s answer to Batman before its release. It pretty much tanked in the theaters, as I recall, so most people just filed it mentally in the same drawer as “Howard the Duck”.
Which is a damn shame, because it’s a really great movie. Every once in a while I haul it out and show it to friends who are blown away that they’ve never heard of it before.
One look at my sig oughta tell you what I think of it…
… or your User ID…