Cast the Gold and Silver Age of Comics

[Praetor]

This was the result of some thinking my part combined with the recent discussion over who should play Hal Jordan. Hal Jordan's creators chose to base the character directly on the apperance of Paul Newman, so I've been thinking about who I would cast as the other major superheroes of the eras and I'd like to hear everyone else's ideas too.

Now for the sake of this discussion, let's try to keep to actors who were alive and around the correct age for whichever era they are supposed to be from. Let's also assume that they would actually do it, and money is no object, so we avoid any 'but they would have never taken that part' arguments. And even if a charcter (e.g. Superman) had someone play them in the era, you are by no means obligated to keep that casting.

So here are the ones I've thought of so far, for the Silver age. I've provided some pictures where helpful.

DC:
Superman/Clark Kent: Steve Reeves

World's greatest bodybuilder. I think the picture says it all.

Batman/Bruce Wayne: Pernell Roberts

Not entirely happy with this one, but I think it could work, especially for the Silver Age.

Wonder Woman/Diana Prince: Diana Rigg.

Would fit really well if she was shown in her 'I Ching' getup. The British accent wouldn't bother me if she couldn't hide it, maybe all of the Amazons sound like that - could make them seem smarter.

Flash/Barry Allen: Steve McQueen

This one was a little weird at first, but now I think it's genius. The man had a fascination with speed, after all.

Green Lantern/Hal Jordan: Paul Newman

Duh.

Martian Manhunter/John Jones: Yul Brynner

For the obvious reasons. Etcetera, etcetera.

Aquaman/Arthur Curry: Ty Hardin

Green Arrow/Oliver Queen: Robert Redford

To match Paul Newman's GL.

Black Canary/Dinah Lance: Elizabeth Montgomery

Captain Marvel/Billy Batson: Peter Lupus/Jerry Mathers

Jerry Mathers would be from 'Leave it to Beaver' and was just off the top of my head. Lupus and Reeves could also switch Superman/Capt. Marvel

Adam Strange: Peter Graves

Marvel:
Spider-man/Peter Parker: Pete Duel

Maybe a little old but he had the personality.

Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards: Robert Culp

My head hurt now. Most of these are ones I've thought of before. I'll probably have some more Marvel suggestions later.

 

[Broccoli]

What a great idea for a thread! Sadly, I cannot contribute to it as I am largely unfamiliar with the actors of the period (other than the ones who have made their stamp in time) to slot legitimate choices.

 

[btflash]

This was the result of some thinking my part combined with the recent discussion over who should play Hal Jordan. Hal Jordan's creators chose to base the character directly on the apperance of Paul Newman, so I've been thinking about who I would cast as the other major superheroes of the eras and I'd like to hear everyone else's ideas too.

Now for the sake of this discussion, let's try to keep to actors who were alive and around the correct age for whichever era they are supposed to be from. Let's also assume that they would actually do it, and money is no object, so we avoid any 'but they would have never taken that part' arguments. And even if a charcter (e.g. Superman) had someone play them in the era, you are by no means obligated to keep that casting.

So here are the ones I've thought of so far, for the Silver age. I've provided some pictures where helpful.

DC:
Superman/Clark Kent: Steve Reeves

World's greatest bodybuilder. I think the picture says it all.

Batman/Bruce Wayne: Pernell Roberts

Not entirely happy with this one, but I think it could work, especially for the Silver Age.

Wonder Woman/Diana Prince: Diana Rigg.

Would fit really well if she was shown in her 'I Ching' getup. The British accent wouldn't bother me if she couldn't hide it, maybe all of the Amazons sound like that - could make them seem smarter.

Flash/Barry Allen: Steve McQueen

This one was a little weird at first, but now I think it's genius. The man had a fascination with speed, after all.

Green Lantern/Hal Jordan: Paul Newman

Duh.

Martian Manhunter/John Jones: Yul Brynner

For the obvious reasons. Etcetera, etcetera.

Aquaman/Arthur Curry: Ty Hardin

Green Arrow/Oliver Queen: Robert Redford

To match Paul Newman's GL.

Black Canary/Dinah Lance: Elizabeth Montgomery

Captain Marvel/Billy Batson: Peter Lupus/Jerry Mathers

Jerry Mathers would be from 'Leave it to Beaver' and was just off the top of my head. Lupus and Reeves could also switch Superman/Capt. Marvel

Adam Strange: Peter Graves

Marvel:
Spider-man/Peter Parker: Pete Duel

Maybe a little old but he had the personality.

Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards: Stephen Culp

My head hurt now. Most of these are ones I've thought of before. I'll probably have some more Marvel suggestions later.

i commend you! those are some good picks. i especially like steve reeves as superman. i always though he had the superman look!

 

[Cicero]

Golden Age DC Heroes:

Wonder Woman/Diana Prince: Myrna Loy

Captain Marvel: Chester Morris

Green Lantern/Alan Scott: Alan Ladd

Green Arrow/Oliver Queen: Errol Flynn

 

[Praetor]

Thanks for the compliment btflash! I have always quite admired Steve Reeves, recently more than ever. For a time I thought Peter Lupus would be a better Superman... he is taller and maybe a better actor. But Reeves nails it, IMHO.

And Cicero, those are great, especially Errol Flynn as GA.

Looking back, I wonder if I should have went with the more obvious Bette Page for Wonder Woman.

 

[Kelso]

Silver Age:

Bruce Wayne + Dick Grayson = Chuck Connors + Johnny Crawford

Commissioner Gordon= Paul Fix

Yeah, I've been watching The Rifleman tonight.

 

[Dick Whitman]

It very clear from looking at Action Comics #1 that Joe Shuster's original visual model for Superman was Buster Crabbe.

 

[Gojirob]

Leseee : Young Harry Morgan for the older Jay Garrick/The Flash. Harry Morgan ages like we all do, but his face is almost never unrecognizable, and that Sherman T. Potter-esque talk would be perfect for a WW2-era hero. Clint Eastwood as the 60's revival Jim Corrigan/Spectre. Jimmy Stewart as Mr. Terrific, and John Wayne as Wildcat. Buster Crabbe as the younger Jay Garrick.

 

[Praetor]

Kelso: I like that, more than my own. Nice!

Donald Draper: I believe I recall reading that before, now that you mention it. A good Golden Age Superman, methinks.

Gojirob: All othose suggestions are awesome, particularly Clint Eastwood as the Spectre. I might have to Photoshop that.

 

[Gojirob]

I write a semi-serious (More semi than serious) xover series called J*L*A*, which features the MASH crew as the Justice League. Potter is Sherm Garrick, and most of the rest you can likely guess. Eventually, I ran out of MASH regulars and had to use characters from other shows. I made the Spectre out of Forever Knight's Nicholas Knight, (Geraint Wyn-Davies) figuring an undead cop is an undead cop. But Eastwood was born to either play Corrigan or his ultimate role, unlikely in the extreme now, of Stephen King's Roland Deschain.

To keep it going, I suggest William Schallert as the older Alan Scott, Charlton Heston as Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate, Fred Macmurray as Captain Marvel (wow big leap there) with the actor who played the young George Bailey as Billy Batson, and Mickey Rooney as Al Pratt/The Atom.

 

[Praetor]

That's a cool idea... all of those are really good. Fred MacMurray would be an excellent GA Captain Marvel. And Mickey Rooney is a natural Atom. Clint would have been great as Roland Deschain too but like you say I don't see that happening now, or Corrigan.

I've thought of another one now:

Invisible Girl/Ms. Fantastic: Gena Rowlands

 

[Supervisor 194]

For a period Fantastic Four (mid to late-Sixties), I'd cast:

Jeffrey Hunter as Reed Richards. Solid actor, necessary gravitas to make the fantastic world of the FF seem plausible. Very close resemblance to Kirby's Reed.

Susan Oliver as Sue Richards. Great chemistry with Hunter, right look, skilled as an actress. Can be 'motherly' and sexy at the same time.

Ross Martin as Ben Grimm. Grew up in Lower East Side of New York, great with accents, great with make-up and prosthetics, could bring humor and pathos to role.

Troy Donohue as Johnny Storm. Teen hearthrob aspect of Johnny.

 

[Gojirob]

The Big Red Cheese was in fact modeled after MacMurray.

 

[Praetor]

For a period Fantastic Four (mid to late-Sixties), I'd cast:

Jeffrey Hunter as Reed Richards. Solid actor, necessary gravitas to make the fantastic world of the FF seem plausible. Very close resemblance to Kirby's Reed.

Susan Oliver as Sue Richards. Great chemistry with Hunter, right look, skilled as an actress. Can be 'motherly' and sexy at the same time.

Ross Martin as Ben Grimm. Grew up in Lower East Side of New York, great with accents, great with make-up and prosthetics, could bring humor and pathos to role.

Troy Donohue as Johnny Storm. Teen hearthrob aspect of Johnny.

These are all excellent choices. I think I prefer them to my own, in fact, particularly since I'd gotten stuck on the Thing and Johnny.

The Big Red Cheese was in fact modeled after MacMurray.

I did not know that! Fascinating...

 

[Gojirob]

I really can picture Jimmy Stewart as Terry Sloane/Mister Terrific :

"Aw, none of you get it! I've seen and done it all. Since I was a boy, I set out to accomplish everything, and everything is what I've accomplished. For me, there's nothing left. Not a single blasted thing. Everyone praises me. They talk about the money I have, the accomplishments I've made, the powerful men who all want to hear my words and the beautiful women who all but swarm to me. Everybody just heaps praise on the man who overcomes all challenges. But I don't even know what a challenge is anymore, and there's no question I don't know the answer to---"

(He chokes up )

"---except for that very last one. The one you don't get on this side of the veil. Well, maybe its time I just went ahead and found out, don't you think? The only challenge then will be to keep anyone from stopping me. Then, either there will be whole worlds of answers waiting for me, or maybe just a rest that doesn't include waking up, crying from the sheer boredom of having done all a mortal man can hope to do!"

 

[Praetor]

Heh, ah, good ole Jimmy Stewart.

 

[Corwwyn]

Mr. Fantastic/Reed Richards: Stephen Culp

Erm, except that picture is actually of Robert Culp, not Steven...

 

[btflash]

It very clear from looking at Action Comics #1 that Joe Shuster's original visual model for Superman was Buster Crabbe.

actually, according to shuster he modeled superman after douglas fairbanks sr.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Great topic for a thread and some great suggestions.

For Green Arrrow, I'd certainly second Errol Flynn, who was, after all, the definitive Robin Hood, GA's obvious inspiration. Flynn would also have made a good Batman. I've long thought that he was the ideal Tony Stark, but going with the rules of the thread, he doesn't work - Flynn died in 1959, 4 years before IM made his debut.

Burt Lancaster had the looks, the body, the athleticism and the charisma to play many a superhero but I think of all of them, he might have been best fitted for Batman. Other actors who might have made interesting Batman would be Tyrone Power, Cary Grant or the young Sean Connery.

The obvious Joker candidate is Conrad Veidt, whose appearance in The Man Who Laughs inspired the Clown Prince of Crime. Veidt died in 1943, 3 years after the comic villain first appeared. Had they done a serious Batman movie in the 1960s, then Peter O'Toole would have been ideal.

I could see Stan Laurel as The Riddler. We only think of Stan as the dopier friend of Olly Hardy but in reality, he was the brains behind the operation, a talented writer, director and actor. He was a fairly troubled soul in real life, alcoholic and much-married and might have been able to channel some of that torment into the role. For Two-Face, someone like James Cagney or Kirk Douglas, equally adept at playing villains and heroes?

Charlton Heston would have made a great Nick Fury (before his Ultimates makeover), as might Clint Eastwood, Lee Marvin, Chuck Connors or even James Coburn.

Yul Brynner as The Martian Manhunter I can see, but I also could imagine him as Professor Xavier. The Prof used to be drawn with a bit of an ethnic tinge to him, before everyone started basing him on Patrick Stewart. For Magneto, what about Jack Palance?

Given that Johnny Weissmuller was an Olympic swimmer before playing Tarzan, he'd have been a shoe-in for Aquaman. And what about a young Leonard Nimoy as Prince Namor? Or might Brynner - with a wig - have been well fitted for this role too?

I can't think of any potential Supermans beyond those already suggested. Maybe Victor Mature?

If they'd made Blade in the 1970s, then Richard 'Shaft' Roundtree would have been the man. In the Marvels comic, Alex Ross drew Luke Cage to look like Bernie Casey.

Dr Strange - Christopher Lee?

 

[Nick Ryder]

Well Stan and Jack did say they based Prof X on Yul Brenner visually. So here ya go.