Posted By Dan Greenfield on Oct 8, 2025 | 5 comments

A BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE to screendom’s first live-action Man of Steel…

By PAUL KUPPERBERG

I met Superman on July 3, 1971, at the New York Comic Art Convention.

He was a fit, good looking man of around 60 in a suit and tie, seated behind a table to meet and greet fans and sell copies of A Job For Superman, his newly self-published autobiography, and sign publicity photographs of his famous roles. He was an early if not pioneering comic-con “media guest.”

In 1971, I was a 16-year-old fan/fanzine publisher who knew my comic book history but not always what that history meant. I knew that Kirk Alyn had been the first actor to play Superman on the screen in two late-1940s Columbia Studios movie serials, but as a child of the 1960s, there could be only one Superman for me, and that was George Reeves. And I probably wouldn’t have even bothered getting on the short line waiting at his table if the friend I was with hadn’t wanted to meet the actor and buy his book.

Alyn in 1971, in Houston

While we waited, someone else joined the line behind me. When I glanced back, I saw it was an adult, a grown man in a sport jacket and tie, and then I did a double take because I recognized him as Bob McAllister, the magician and kid’s show host who a few years earlier replaced Sonny Fox on Channel 5’s popular Sunday morning children’s show, Wonderama. I probably blurted out something subtle like “Hey, you’re Bob McAllister!” but whatever I said, it led to a conversation.

Bob McAllister and friends

McAllister, a collector of 1930s and 1940s pop culture premiums and giveaways, told me how much he was looking forward to meeting the actor. Kirk Alyn in Superman (1949) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950) had been to his childhood what George Reeves in the Adventures of Superman was to mine. Besides, only two actors had ever been cast in that iconic role, and we’d never have a chance to meet the other one (Reeves died in 1959), no matter how iconic his portrayal.

I learned (though not in such detail) that Kirk Alyn began as a chorus dancer and singer on Broadway, appearing in stage productions such as Girl Crazy (1930), Of Thee I Sing (1931), and Hellzapoppin’ (1938), developing the graceful athleticism he would display as Superman.

He went to Hollywood and appeared in supporting roles in films and serials throughout the 1940s for studios like Columbia Pictures and Republic, including My Sister Eileen (1942), Sweethearts of the U.S.A. (1944), The Mysterious Mr. Valentine (1946), Heading West (1946), and starred in Radar Patrol vs. Spy King (1949) and Blackhawk (1952), the serial based on the popular Quality Comics series.

In his later career, he made appearances in numerous B-movies and television shows, and, of course, famously appeared in a cameo role (along with Noel Neill) as Lois Lane’s father in Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie (1978).

By the time we got up to the table, I’d been infected with McAllister’s enthusiasm for the moment. He introduced himself and then me, his “friend Paul,” including me in their grown-up, showbiz to showbiz conversation. Alyn couldn’t have been nicer, wishing me luck on my vaguely expressed hope of someday writing Superman comic books and winning me over enough that I happily forked over $10 of the money I had earmarked for back issues for a copy of his book!

I never got the opportunity to thank Bob McAllister for encouraging me to take that opportunity to literally shake hands with comics history. I had no idea if I would ever succeed at my dream of writing Superman comics (spoiler: I did!) or any knowledge of the historic hands I would go on to meet and shake, but this is one moment where I’m especially grateful to have had the opportunity.

Here then, for his birthday — he was born 115 years ago, on Oct. 8, 1910 — MY 13 FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT KIRK ALYN’S SUPERMAN:

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1. He was the first Superman. George Reeves will always be my Superman, but Kirk Alyn set the standard for every actor who followed.

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2. He was all-in. The serials were fast-paced entertainment, keeping things moving so the audience didn’t have a chance to stop and think about all the silly stuff happening on the screen. Alyn was the right, energetic performer to keep things moving.

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3. Two roles, one actor. He played Superman and Clark Kent with distinct personalities, mild-mannered reporter by day, superhero by night. But for all his mild manner, you never got the sense his Clark was a wimp.

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4. Stage-trained and skilled. You can see the confidence and presence gained from his theatrical background on the screen.

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5. More than just Superman. Alyn was a trouper. He went where the work was, in Westerns, adventures, and dramas, whether it was as one of a group of Merchant Marine cadets in My Sister Eileen or the high-flying lead in the 1952 serial, Blackhawk.

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6. A superhero pioneer. Along with Tom Tyler in 1941’s Adventures of Captain Marvel, Alyn was a trailblazer for actors portraying superpowered comic-book characters on screen. All the other comic and pulp-based serials like Batman, The Phantom, Captain America, Dick Tracy, Spy Smasher, Congo Bill, The Shadow, and Green Hornet had just been regular guys in costumes, but Tyler and Alyn had to make you believe men could fly!

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7. A genuine hero. Kirk Alyn wore the costume with conviction, without flashy special effects or high-tech trickery. For the flying scenes, they turned to animation. It’s OK. We bought it.

GIF by Walt Grogan

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8. He didn’t get a screen credit! Alyn didn’t receive a screen credit for Superman or Atom Man vs. Superman because Columbia Pictures decided to promote the films with the gimmick that Superman was portraying himself, so Alyn’s name was left off to maintain the illusion.

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9. The 1978 cameo. Just seeing the star of those low-budget serials make it into the big screen adaptation was kind of sweet.

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10. Action-packed performances. He brought athleticism and energy to every fight scene, making them fun to watch.

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11. That Superman smile. Who can turn the world on with their smile? Alyn’s easy, confident grin set the standard for the Supermen to follow.

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12. An inspiration to others. Every actor who’s worn the cape since owes something to what Kirk Alyn started. I hope they knew who he was.

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13. His legacy endures. At least I hope it will!

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MORE

— GIF-MANIA! Dig 13 Times KIRK ALYN Changed into SUPERMAN and Back Again. Click here.

— A BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE to KIRK ALYN: The First Live-Action SUPERMAN — and Much More. Click here.

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PAUL KUPPERBERG was a Silver Age fan who grew up to become a Bronze Age comic book creator, writer of Superman, the Doom Patrol, and Green Lantern, creator of Arion Lord of Atlantis, Checkmate, and Takion, and slayer of Aquababy, Archie, and Vigilante. He is the Harvey and Eisner Award nominated writer of Archie Comics’ Life with Archie, and his YA novel Kevin was nominated for a GLAAD media award and won a Scribe Award from the IAMTW. Check out his new memoir, Panel by Panel: My Comic Book Life. 

Website: https://www.paulkupperberg.net/

Shop: https://www.paulkupperberg.net/shop-1