The Hollywood Reporter article splashed on the Drudge
Report right now contains a factual error: It's not true that
"[e]ver since artist Joe Shuster and writer Jerry Siegel created
the granddaddy of all comic book icons in 1932, Superman has fought
valiantly to preserve 'truth, justice and the American way.'"
In fact, as Erik Lundegaard explains in a NYT op-ed today, Superman
originally stood simply for "truth and justice." In the radio show
that ran from 1940 to 1951, it became "truth, justice, and the
American way" in 1942, then went back to simply "truth and justice"
by 1944. In a 1948 screen serial, it was "truth, tolerance, and
justice." On the 50s TV show, it was "truth, justice, and the
American way" again. On the 1966 Saturday morning cartoon, it was
"truth, justice, and freedom."
After reading Lundegaard's op-ed, I thought maybe the
Superman Returns line-- "Does he still stand for truth,
justice-- all that stuff?" was an in-joke about this history. Nope:
The HR report makes clear that all the screenwriters had
in mind was the international audience. Just be glad they didn't
take a cue from the comic book writers who've infused the Man of Steel with lefty
politics in recent years and go with something like "truth,
justice, and the United Nations."
topics:
Hollywood, United Nations
