Happy 40th, ‘Superman' the Movie

Several of the film's stars will Q&A ahead of a TCL Chinese Theatre 6 screening.

What to Know

  • Tuesday, Feb. 27
  • $10
  • TCL Chinese Theatre 6

Iconic blockbusters, the huge, genre-influencing movies that inspired fans to queue up and then return, again and again, to see the film, have a few things in common.

A memorable lead performance, or lead performances, yes, most definitely. Some thrilling music, and a stirring climax, and a few quippable lines, you bet.

And did the movie very likely play at a certain Hollywood Boulevard landmark, the one with the hand- and footprints out front?

You can count on it. "Superman" The Movie did, as historic photos and local memories reveal, and now the superheroic Christopher Reeve-starring treat is ready to fly back into Tinseltown to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

In addition to rolling at the TCL Chinese Theatre 6 on Tuesday, Feb. 27, there shall be insightful Q&Aing with a number of actors, as is tradition for those flicks that screen at the legendary spot in honor of their major anniversaries.

Scheduled to show on Feb. 27 and chat? Mark McClure, who played Jimmy Olsen, Jack O'Halloran, the dastardly Non from the planet Krypton, and Aaron Smolinski, who we can say, with 100% confidence, was the most famous toddler to ever singlehandedly lift a car on-screen.

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A ticket is ten bucks, the film soars — er, screens — following the Q&A, and if we don't mention one of the most beloved lines in the film — "You've got me? Who's got you?," spoken as Superman and Lois escape the tumbling helicopter — then we'll surely be as sad as Lex Luthor is crafty. 

Which leads us to this final thought: Cheers to Margot Kidder, and Gene Hackman, and Valerie Perine, and Ned Beatty, and the great Christoher Reeve, a superhero among superheroes, for their spritely and movie-changing performances in the Richard Donner-directed film.

A film that still influences major superhero movies today, which seem to be tacking, in recent months, to a vibe that is more buoyant and light-of-heart. Thank this 1978 film, still a giant in the genre, for supercharging the classic superhero story with both humor and hope.

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