I get a lot of e-mails from people asking me about television shows, made-for-TV movies or miniseries they remember from years or even decades past. I try to answer each question as best I can. Every now and then I like to pull out a few e-mails to answer here at Television Obscurities for everyone to enjoy. Keep reading for today’s questions and answers.
I received the following e-mail earlier today and decided to try to answer right away:
Want to know if WX2BS did any televised broadcast(s) at the NY World’s Fair, Flushing Queens on July 7, 1940–“Superman Day”–when actor Ray Middleton donned the first Superman costume and did a live appearance as the “Man of Steel” at the Futurama Pavilion. If so, and if ‘Superman’ appeared, even briefly, then arguably the distinction of being TV’s 1st Superman would automatically be changed historically from George Reeves to Ray Middleton. Any ideas? Keeping fingers crossed.
Alex
It’s an intriguing question. Unfortunately, I haven’t come up with a very satisfactory answer. “Superman Day” at the World’s Fair was held on Wednesday, July 3rd, 1940. Some sources say it took place in 1939, but it was definitely 1940. According to a World’s Fair program published in The New York Times, the day’s events began at 9AM with registration for athletic events, the finals of which took place at 1PM [1]. The “Super-Boy” and “Super-Girl” winners were announced at 4PM. For an in-depth look at “Superman Day” head over to Superman Through the Ages.
Here are the July 3rd television listings from The New York Times:
3:30-4:30PM – Film; Songs and Saddles.
9:00-10:00PM – Variety, From Worlds Fair. [2]
Thus, when the “Superman Day” finals were being held at 4PM, films were being broadcast over W2XBS. And at 9PM, when the big event at the World’s Fair was a musical water show, W2XBS was showing something from the World’s Fair. The question is what. There’s no indication that the hour-long broadcast was a live pick-up from the fair itself. It could have been film footage. If it was, there is no way of knowing whether it was shot on July 3rd and quickly processed for broadcast the same day or if it came from an earlier day.
It doesn’t appear that NBC/W2XB actively broadcast live from the Fair when it reopened in May 1940 the way it had during 1939, at least not on a regular basis. When the Fair first opened in April 1939, live pick-ups using mobile trucks were shown several times a week, although I can’t say how long this practice lasted. So, unfortunately, there’s no easy answer to Alex’s question. There was some sort of broadcast connected to the World’s Fair on “Superman Day” but it’s unknown whether it involved Ray Middleton’s appearance as Superman.
Perhaps someone who participated in “Superman Day” might recall if television cameras were around during the day’s events. So if anyone knows anyone who was there, ask them what they remember.
Works Cited:
Even if the television cameras did capture Superman’s parade through the Futurama Pavillion on July 3rd, 1940, the question would remain, as to who the first television Superman was. In fact, the history books already need to be rewritten on the subject of the first actor to play Superman. Although credited by many sources as the first to darn the red and blue tights, Ray Middleton is not the” World’s Fair Superman.” He was in attendance only as a celebrity judge at the Superboy and Supergirl contest held that day. Superman’s true identity remains a mystery. Regards, Nostalgia King, Rob C.
Ooops. Alright, what I meant to say was that Ray Middleton never donned the Superman costume. But in all fairness, he never darned it either. Hopefully someday the actor who really played the World’s Fair Superman will get the credit he deserves. Nostalgia King.