THE OTHER MEN OF STEEL PART ONE

Before Christopher Reeve took flight as The Man of Steel on the silver screen in 1978 there was a short-lived TV series called THE WORLD’S FINEST starring Curtis Weathers as Superman and Roderick Donaldson as Shazam.

 THE WORLD’S FINEST aired on NBC from January to July 1977. The shoe’s tone veered wildly between WONDER WOMAN camp and the character-driven power of Kenneth Johnson’s INCREDIBLE HULK that debuted a few months later. This was due to Johnson script-editing several episodes.

 Former TV cowboy Curtis Weathers referenced George Reeves’ portrayal of Supes from the 50s with the easygoing 70s charm of Robert Redford.

 Weathers directed the show’s final two episodes, LAST RITES and THE WAY BACK. In the 80s Weathers went on to direct more than 50 episodes of MURDER SHE WROTE and MAGNUM PI.

 He co-scripted and directed the 1988 revival, THE RETURN OF THE WORLD’S FINEST.

The two-hour telemovie, aired on March 18^th, saw Weathers as an middle-aged Superman donning the costume alongside Sam J Jones as Shazam. Roderick Donaldson had died from an AIDS-related illness in 1987.

 Roderick Donaldson, the son of 50s film director Al Donaldson, started his career in 60s sitcoms before becoming a bodybuilder in 1971, winning the title of Mr California in 1972 and 1973.

 As Shazam, Donaldson captured the character’s immense power and child-like innocence. He worked well with Weathers despite the pair’s well-known political differences. Donaldson was a staunch conservative while Weathers was a liberal.

 Donaldson had been plagued for years about rumours regarding his sexuality. In 1984 he declared that he was homosexual.

 THE WORLD’S FINEST is available on Warners Bros DVD. Joss Whedon and Kevin Smith are big fans of the show.

 Whedon said: “I cried over the final episode,” and Smith added: “Supes and the Big Red Cheese together? Man, what’s not to like, dude?!”