Three sheet movie poster: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Everyone loves a good treasure hunt, including Hollywood. Here are ten treasure hunting films that no movie fan should ever miss. It’s an eclectic bunch, ranging from the classics to the light-hearted, with a scuba diving Elvis Presley even searching for lost Spanish gold!
The Deep (Columbia, 1977)
Based on the 1976 best-selling novel by Peter Benchley, The Deep is a slam-bang shipwreck mystery movie featuring Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset as vacationing New Yorkers David Sanders and Gail Berke who stumble upon sunken treasure in Bermuda. Throw in Robert Shaw as veteran treasure hunter Romer Treece, Louis Gossett Jr. as evil Hatian drug lord Henri Cloche, Eli Wallach as old salt Adam Coffin, a deadly 12-foot moray eel and a boatload of impressive pyrotechnics, and The Deep is sure to satisfy the most hardcore action-adventure movie buff. There are actually two treasures pursued in The Deep: the untold riches of the sunken Spanish galleon El Grifon and the 98,000 ampules of morphine resting nearby in the World War II cargo ship Goliath. Look for real-life treasure hunting legend Teddy Tucker, who plays the harbor master in the film. “Is anything worth the terror of The Deep?” the movie’s tagline asks. Yes, lost Spanish treasure!
Director: Peter Yates
Great line: “Hey, boy, this is Goliath trash! What the bastard hell were you doing diving down there?” – Robert Shaw as Romer Treece to Nick Nolte
On DVD: The Deep (Columbia/TriStar, 1999)
Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte in The Deep (1977)
Trespass (Universal, 1992)
An old treasure map leads Arkansas firefighters Vince Gillian (Bill Paxton) and Don Perry (William Sadler) to an abandoned factory in rough-and-tumble East St. Louis, Illinois. The building may hold lost golden artifacts stolen from a church by a hysterical old man the two had encountered during a fire. One problem: the decrepit building is occupied by a scheming homeless man named Bradlee (Art Evans) and is also the home turf of a vicious street gang led by King James (Ice-T). Murder, running gun battles, a psychotic killer named Savon (Ice Cube), a test of wills and the search for hidden booty make this film a no-miss entry in Hollywood’s treasure hunting sweepstakes.
Director: Walter Hill
Great line: ” I don’t know what this stuff is anymore. Our gold. God’s gold. Fool’s gold.” – William Sadler as Don
On DVD: Trespass (Fox, 2004)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Warner Bros., 1948)
Two down-on-their-luck buddies, Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Bob Curtin (Tim Holt), go to work for a notoriously corrupt businessman (Barton MacLane) in 1925 Mexico. The pair meet up with an old, grizzled prospector (Walter Huston) who insists that there’s gold in them thar hills. The men set out and eventually hit paydirt, with each collecting his share of the shiny stuff. What follows is treasure fever gone mad as the rich prospectors make their way back to civilization, consumed by greed and distrust and pursued by a Mexican bandit named Gold Hat (Alfonso Bedoya), who eventually ends up on the wrong side of a firing squad. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre won three Academy Awards: Best Director (John Huston), Best Screenplay (John Huston) and Best Supporting Actor (Walter Huston). The moral of the story: all that glitters isn’t necessarily gold – or good.
Director: John Huston
Great line: “Ah, as long as there’s no find, the noble brotherhood will last but when the piles of gold begin to grow… that’s when the trouble starts.” – Walter Huston as Howard
On DVD: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Two-Disc Special Edition (Warner, 2003)
National Treasure (Buena Vista, 2004)
Nicolas Cage plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian/cryptologist who’s descended from a long line of treasure hunters. Gates’ current pursuit is a long-lost treasure trove of artifacts allegedly hidden by the Founding Fathers. Beginning with clues from his family history, Gates embarks on his treasure quest with buddy Riley Poole (Justin Martha) and financial backer Ian Howe (Sean Bean). An old colonial shipwreck frozen in the Arctic, a riddle-engraved meerschaum pipe, a clue on the back of The Declaration of Independence and a cryptic 0 bill eventually lead to a hidden treasure chamber under Trinity Church in New York City. Toss in the FBI, the Freemasons, the Department of Homeland Security and pretty Diane Kruger as Abigail Chase, and National Treasure delivers as one of the best treasure hunting/action movies in the genre. Just bring your own scorecard in order to keep running track of the movie’s many clues.
Director: Jon Turteltaub (with an uncredited Jerry Bruckheimer)
Great line: “We have to steal The Declaration of Independence?” – Nicolas Cage on obtaining a vital clue to the treasure’s location
On DVD: National Treasure Widescreen Edition (Buena Vista, 2005)
One sheet movie poster: Nicolas Cage in National Treasure (2004)
The Log of the Black Pearl (NBC-TV, 1975)
This made-for-TV movie stars Kiel Martin as Christopher Sand, a Chicago stockbroker who inherits an old sailing ship called the Black Pearl and a mysterious medallion that may hold the key to a fortune in sunken Nazi gold. Chucking his business suit and tie, Sand takes ownership of the vessel and begins renting it out for the tourist trade. Piecing together clues afforded by the medallion, Sand pursues the lost treasure with the Black Pearl’s crusty Captain Fitzsimmons (Ralph Bellamy) and first mate Jocko Roper (Jack Kruschen) in tow. Also in the running for the treasure is villain Michael Devlin (Glenn Corbett), with femme fatale Lila Bristol (Anne Archer) in the mix as well. Seafaring treasure hunters will love this beautifully-filmed adventure movie, which was first telecast on January 4, 1975. The Log of the Black Pearl, loosely inspired by the old radio series The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen (1947-48), was the two-hour pilot film for a proposed weekly television series that went unsold.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
On DVD: Not commercially available
Into the Blue (Columbia, 2005)
While living in the Bahamas, American diver and aspiring treasure hunter Jared Cole (Paul Walker) discovers the remains of the legendary French pirate ship the Zephyr. Resting nearby the Zephyr’s priceless cargo is a downed airplane loaded to the gills with bricks of cocaine. Jared, along with his girlfriend Sam (Jessica Alba), visiting New York lawyer friend Bryce (Scott Caan) and Bryce’s gal pal Amanda (Ashley Scott), decide to salvage the shipwreck but leave the cocaine alone. Bryce, however, who is in trouble with a Las Vegas loan shark, hatches a plan to sell some of the smack to a night club owner. That brings trouble in the person of a vicious drug lord named Reyes (James Frain), who confronts the treasure hunters and demands that they return his cocaine. Into the Blue, a modern, sexier version of The Deep, is sure to entertain, with plenty of action and thrills as the Americans go for the gold while keeping Reyes and his henchmen in check. “Treasure has its price,” the movie’s tagline warns.
Director: John Stockwell
Great line: “You’ve dreamt about finding buried treasure ever since you were a little kid.” Jessica Alba as Sam to boyfriend Paul Walker
On DVD: Into the Blue (Sony, 2005)
Paul Walker and Jessica Alba in Into the Blue (2005)
The Long Ships (Columbia, 1964)
Viking adventurer Rolfe (Richard Widmark), brother Orm (Russ Tamblyn) and their rogue crew set sail in the king’s funeral ship to find the legendary great golden bell, known as “The Mother of Voices,” in this rousing Norse saga. Also seeking the magnificent bell is Moorish king Aly Mansuh (Sidney Poitier), who captures Rolfe and his crew and forces them to lead him to the treasure. The great bell is found, cleverly hidden in an old church on a remote island, and taken back to the Moorish capital. But waiting in the city are King Harald (Clifford Evans) and his Viking hordes, who had waded ashore the night before.
Director: Jack Cardiff
Great line: “I am informed that you know the whereabouts of a golden bell, the one people call the Mother of Voices.” – Sidney Poitier as Aly Mansuh to Richard Widmark
On DVD: The Long Ships (Sony, 2003)
Sahara (Paramount, 2005)
Based on the 1992 novel by Clive Cussler, Sahara stars Matthew McConaughey as adventurer Dirk Pitt. This time around Pitt and his old NUMA buddy Al Giordino (Steve Zahn) are in search of the missing Confederate ironclad CSS Texas which disappeared near the end of the Civil War and reportedly wound up in North Africa. The Texas was carrying a mysterious cargo, including rare Confederate gold coins. Pitt and Giordino locate the shipwreck in the Sahara desert of all places, with the Texas’ treasure and the onset of a deadly plague all linked together. There’s plenty of derring-do, not to mention Penelope Cruz as a little added eye candy, in this action movie made for a reported 0 million. Unfortunately, Sahara lost money at the box office, grossing only .671 million during its initial release. Author Cussler later sued producers, claiming that they had not consulted him regarding script approval as stipulated in the contract. Cussler, who was paid million for the movie rights, was later countersued and ordered in 2009 to shell out million in legal fees to Crusader Entertainment. That judgment was later overturned on appeal in March 2010, with the case now back in the California courts. Suffice to say, none of these people should ever band together for a real-life treasure hunt.
Director: Breck Eisner
Great line: “Well, we’re in the desert, looking for the source of a river pollutant, using as our map a cave drawing of a Civil War gunship, which is also in the desert. So I was just wondering when we’re gonna have to sit down and re-evaluate our decision-making paradigm?” – Steve Zahn as Al Giordino to Matthew McConaughey
On DVD: Sahara Widescreen Edition (Paramount, 2006)
Three Kings (Warner Bros., 1999)
At the end of the 1991 Gulf War, Major Archie Gates (George Clooney) hatches a plan to snag a fortune in stolen Kuwaiti gold. Gates, along with fellow soldiers Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg) and Chief Elgin (Ice Cube), lead their small band in a mad dash for the treasure amidst the chaos of Saddam’s brutal put-down of the U.S.-inspired Kurd uprising. Tough, funny and at times extremely violent, Three Kings may be the best movie in the small Gulf War genre, with the allure of a fortune in hidden gold adding to the suspense. And those who are reminded of Kelly’s Heroes (1970), in which a decommissioned Clint Eastwood leads his small band of “treasure hunting” soldiers in a bold dash for Nazi gold 20 miles behind enemy lines, would not be far off in their comparative thinking.
Director: David O. Russell
Great line: “My guess is he’s divided these bricks into several different stashes. Just one of these stashes will be easy to take from Saddam’s deserting army, and that will be enough to get us out of our day jobs. Unless, of course, you reservists are in love with your day jobs.” – George Clooney as Major Archie Gates
On DVD: Three Kings Special Edition (Warner, 2000)
Easy Come, Easy Go (Paramount, 1967)
Elvis Presley plays Lt. (j.g.) Ted Jackson, a Navy diver who discovers an old shipwreck. No longer on active duty, Ted later goes after the sunken ship, believing that a fortune in gold coins rests in her rotting hull. With the help of Jo Symington (Dodie Marshall) and nightclub owner Judd Whitman (Pat Harrington Jr.), Ted pursues the treasure, with villain Gil Carey (Skip Ward) and his buxom girlfriend Dina Bishop (Pat Priest) also in the hunt. This is an Elvis Presley movie, with the King belting out a number of spirited tunes and hip, scantily-clad girls clamoring for his undivided attention, but wait till you see what Elvis and company actually bring up from the bottom of the ocean. Viva Las Vegas – not!
Director: John Rich
Great line: “Every chick I’ve ever known digs money.” – Pat Harrington Jr. as Judd Whitman to Elvis Presley
On DVD: Easy Come, Easy Go (Paramount, 2003)
Lobby card: Treasure hunting Elvis Presley in Easy Come, Easy Go (1967)
Ten More Treasure Hunting Movie Favorites
Sharks’ Treasure (1975)Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)Fool’s Gold (2008)The Evil Below (1989)The Treasure of Jamaica Reef (1975)Caboblanco (1980)Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)The Goonies (1985)Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986)
One sheet movie poster: Sharks’ Treasure (1975)
Images Credit
All movie poster art images courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas
Written by William J. Felchner
Professional Writer
Three sheet movie poster: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
Everyone loves a good treasure hunt, including Hollywood. Here are ten treasure hunting films that no movie fan should ever miss. It’s an eclectic bunch, ranging from the classics to the light-hearted, with a scuba diving Elvis Presley even searching for lost Spanish gold!
The Deep (Columbia, 1977)
Based on the 1976 best-selling novel by Peter Benchley, The Deep is a slam-bang shipwreck mystery movie featuring Nick Nolte and Jacqueline Bisset as vacationing New Yorkers David Sanders and Gail Berke who stumble upon sunken treasure in Bermuda. Throw in Robert Shaw as veteran treasure hunter Romer Treece, Louis Gossett Jr. as evil Hatian drug lord Henri Cloche, Eli Wallach as old salt Adam Coffin, a deadly 12-foot moray eel and a boatload of impressive pyrotechnics, and The Deep is sure to satisfy the most hardcore action-adventure movie buff. There are actually two treasures pursued in The Deep: the untold riches of the sunken Spanish galleon El Grifon and the 98,000 ampules of morphine resting nearby in the World War II cargo ship Goliath. Look for real-life treasure hunting legend Teddy Tucker, who plays the harbor master in the film. “Is anything worth the terror of The Deep?” the movie’s tagline asks. Yes, lost Spanish treasure!
Director: Peter Yates
Great line: “Hey, boy, this is Goliath trash! What the bastard hell were you doing diving down there?” – Robert Shaw as Romer Treece to Nick Nolte
On DVD: The Deep (Columbia/TriStar, 1999)
Jacqueline Bisset and Nick Nolte in The Deep (1977)
Trespass (Universal, 1992)
An old treasure map leads Arkansas firefighters Vince Gillian (Bill Paxton) and Don Perry (William Sadler) to an abandoned factory in rough-and-tumble East St. Louis, Illinois. The building may hold lost golden artifacts stolen from a church by a hysterical old man the two had encountered during a fire. One problem: the decrepit building is occupied by a scheming homeless man named Bradlee (Art Evans) and is also the home turf of a vicious street gang led by King James (Ice-T). Murder, running gun battles, a psychotic killer named Savon (Ice Cube), a test of wills and the search for hidden booty make this film a no-miss entry in Hollywood’s treasure hunting sweepstakes.
Director: Walter Hill
Great line: ” I don’t know what this stuff is anymore. Our gold. God’s gold. Fool’s gold.” – William Sadler as Don
On DVD: Trespass (Fox, 2004)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Warner Bros., 1948)
Two down-on-their-luck buddies, Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Bob Curtin (Tim Holt), go to work for a notoriously corrupt businessman (Barton MacLane) in 1925 Mexico. The pair meet up with an old, grizzled prospector (Walter Huston) who insists that there’s gold in them thar hills. The men set out and eventually hit paydirt, with each collecting his share of the shiny stuff. What follows is treasure fever gone mad as the rich prospectors make their way back to civilization, consumed by greed and distrust and pursued by a Mexican bandit named Gold Hat (Alfonso Bedoya), who eventually ends up on the wrong side of a firing squad. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre won three Academy Awards: Best Director (John Huston), Best Screenplay (John Huston) and Best Supporting Actor (Walter Huston). The moral of the story: all that glitters isn’t necessarily gold – or good.
Director: John Huston
Great line: “Ah, as long as there’s no find, the noble brotherhood will last but when the piles of gold begin to grow… that’s when the trouble starts.” – Walter Huston as Howard
On DVD: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Two-Disc Special Edition (Warner, 2003)
National Treasure (Buena Vista, 2004)
Nicolas Cage plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, a historian/cryptologist who’s descended from a long line of treasure hunters. Gates’ current pursuit is a long-lost treasure trove of artifacts allegedly hidden by the Founding Fathers. Beginning with clues from his family history, Gates embarks on his treasure quest with buddy Riley Poole (Justin Martha) and financial backer Ian Howe (Sean Bean). An old colonial shipwreck frozen in the Arctic, a riddle-engraved meerschaum pipe, a clue on the back of The Declaration of Independence and a cryptic 0 bill eventually lead to a hidden treasure chamber under Trinity Church in New York City. Toss in the FBI, the Freemasons, the Department of Homeland Security and pretty Diane Kruger as Abigail Chase, and National Treasure delivers as one of the best treasure hunting/action movies in the genre. Just bring your own scorecard in order to keep running track of the movie’s many clues.
Director: Jon Turteltaub (with an uncredited Jerry Bruckheimer)
Great line: “We have to steal The Declaration of Independence?” – Nicolas Cage on obtaining a vital clue to the treasure’s location
On DVD: National Treasure Widescreen Edition (Buena Vista, 2005)
One sheet movie poster: Nicolas Cage in National Treasure (2004)
The Log of the Black Pearl (NBC-TV, 1975)
This made-for-TV movie stars Kiel Martin as Christopher Sand, a Chicago stockbroker who inherits an old sailing ship called the Black Pearl and a mysterious medallion that may hold the key to a fortune in sunken Nazi gold. Chucking his business suit and tie, Sand takes ownership of the vessel and begins renting it out for the tourist trade. Piecing together clues afforded by the medallion, Sand pursues the lost treasure with the Black Pearl’s crusty Captain Fitzsimmons (Ralph Bellamy) and first mate Jocko Roper (Jack Kruschen) in tow. Also in the running for the treasure is villain Michael Devlin (Glenn Corbett), with femme fatale Lila Bristol (Anne Archer) in the mix as well. Seafaring treasure hunters will love this beautifully-filmed adventure movie, which was first telecast on January 4, 1975. The Log of the Black Pearl, loosely inspired by the old radio series The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen (1947-48), was the two-hour pilot film for a proposed weekly television series that went unsold.
Director: Andrew V. McLaglen
On DVD: Not commercially available
Into the Blue (Columbia, 2005)
While living in the Bahamas, American diver and aspiring treasure hunter Jared Cole (Paul Walker) discovers the remains of the legendary French pirate ship the Zephyr. Resting nearby the Zephyr’s priceless cargo is a downed airplane loaded to the gills with bricks of cocaine. Jared, along with his girlfriend Sam (Jessica Alba), visiting New York lawyer friend Bryce (Scott Caan) and Bryce’s gal pal Amanda (Ashley Scott), decide to salvage the shipwreck but leave the cocaine alone. Bryce, however, who is in trouble with a Las Vegas loan shark, hatches a plan to sell some of the smack to a night club owner. That brings trouble in the person of a vicious drug lord named Reyes (James Frain), who confronts the treasure hunters and demands that they return his cocaine. Into the Blue, a modern, sexier version of The Deep, is sure to entertain, with plenty of action and thrills as the Americans go for the gold while keeping Reyes and his henchmen in check. “Treasure has its price,” the movie’s tagline warns.
Director: John Stockwell
Great line: “You’ve dreamt about finding buried treasure ever since you were a little kid.” Jessica Alba as Sam to boyfriend Paul Walker
On DVD: Into the Blue (Sony, 2005)
Paul Walker and Jessica Alba in Into the Blue (2005)
The Long Ships (Columbia, 1964)
Viking adventurer Rolfe (Richard Widmark), brother Orm (Russ Tamblyn) and their rogue crew set sail in the king’s funeral ship to find the legendary great golden bell, known as “The Mother of Voices,” in this rousing Norse saga. Also seeking the magnificent bell is Moorish king Aly Mansuh (Sidney Poitier), who captures Rolfe and his crew and forces them to lead him to the treasure. The great bell is found, cleverly hidden in an old church on a remote island, and taken back to the Moorish capital. But waiting in the city are King Harald (Clifford Evans) and his Viking hordes, who had waded ashore the night before.
Director: Jack Cardiff
Great line: “I am informed that you know the whereabouts of a golden bell, the one people call the Mother of Voices.” – Sidney Poitier as Aly Mansuh to Richard Widmark
On DVD: The Long Ships (Sony, 2003)
Sahara (Paramount, 2005)
Based on the 1992 novel by Clive Cussler, Sahara stars Matthew McConaughey as adventurer Dirk Pitt. This time around Pitt and his old NUMA buddy Al Giordino (Steve Zahn) are in search of the missing Confederate ironclad CSS Texas which disappeared near the end of the Civil War and reportedly wound up in North Africa. The Texas was carrying a mysterious cargo, including rare Confederate gold coins. Pitt and Giordino locate the shipwreck in the Sahara desert of all places, with the Texas’ treasure and the onset of a deadly plague all linked together. There’s plenty of derring-do, not to mention Penelope Cruz as a little added eye candy, in this action movie made for a reported 0 million. Unfortunately, Sahara lost money at the box office, grossing only .671 million during its initial release. Author Cussler later sued producers, claiming that they had not consulted him regarding script approval as stipulated in the contract. Cussler, who was paid million for the movie rights, was later countersued and ordered in 2009 to shell out million in legal fees to Crusader Entertainment. That judgment was later overturned on appeal in March 2010, with the case now back in the California courts. Suffice to say, none of these people should ever band together for a real-life treasure hunt.
Director: Breck Eisner
Great line: “Well, we’re in the desert, looking for the source of a river pollutant, using as our map a cave drawing of a Civil War gunship, which is also in the desert. So I was just wondering when we’re gonna have to sit down and re-evaluate our decision-making paradigm?” – Steve Zahn as Al Giordino to Matthew McConaughey
On DVD: Sahara Widescreen Edition (Paramount, 2006)
Three Kings (Warner Bros., 1999)
At the end of the 1991 Gulf War, Major Archie Gates (George Clooney) hatches a plan to snag a fortune in stolen Kuwaiti gold. Gates, along with fellow soldiers Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg) and Chief Elgin (Ice Cube), lead their small band in a mad dash for the treasure amidst the chaos of Saddam’s brutal put-down of the U.S.-inspired Kurd uprising. Tough, funny and at times extremely violent, Three Kings may be the best movie in the small Gulf War genre, with the allure of a fortune in hidden gold adding to the suspense. And those who are reminded of Kelly’s Heroes (1970), in which a decommissioned Clint Eastwood leads his small band of “treasure hunting” soldiers in a bold dash for Nazi gold 20 miles behind enemy lines, would not be far off in their comparative thinking.
Director: David O. Russell
Great line: “My guess is he’s divided these bricks into several different stashes. Just one of these stashes will be easy to take from Saddam’s deserting army, and that will be enough to get us out of our day jobs. Unless, of course, you reservists are in love with your day jobs.” – George Clooney as Major Archie Gates
On DVD: Three Kings Special Edition (Warner, 2000)
Easy Come, Easy Go (Paramount, 1967)
Elvis Presley plays Lt. (j.g.) Ted Jackson, a Navy diver who discovers an old shipwreck. No longer on active duty, Ted later goes after the sunken ship, believing that a fortune in gold coins rests in her rotting hull. With the help of Jo Symington (Dodie Marshall) and nightclub owner Judd Whitman (Pat Harrington Jr.), Ted pursues the treasure, with villain Gil Carey (Skip Ward) and his buxom girlfriend Dina Bishop (Pat Priest) also in the hunt. This is an Elvis Presley movie, with the King belting out a number of spirited tunes and hip, scantily-clad girls clamoring for his undivided attention, but wait till you see what Elvis and company actually bring up from the bottom of the ocean. Viva Las Vegas – not!
Director: John Rich
Great line: “Every chick I’ve ever known digs money.” – Pat Harrington Jr. as Judd Whitman to Elvis Presley
On DVD: Easy Come, Easy Go (Paramount, 2003)
Lobby card: Treasure hunting Elvis Presley in Easy Come, Easy Go (1967)
Ten More Treasure Hunting Movie Favorites
Sharks’ Treasure (1975)Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)Fool’s Gold (2008)The Evil Below (1989)The Treasure of Jamaica Reef (1975)Caboblanco (1980)Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)The Goonies (1985)Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986)
One sheet movie poster: Sharks’ Treasure (1975)
Images Credit
All movie poster art images courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas
Jumbo lobby cards: Superman – The Movie (1978)
Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the Superman character first made his appearance in the June 1938 edition of Action Comics #1. The always popular Man of Steel subsequently branched out into radio, serials, movies and television.
Here are ten Superman films that no fan should ever miss. Look, up in the sky…
Superman – The Movie (Warner Bros., 1978)
Christopher Reeve has the dual role of Superman/Clark Kent in this million spectacular that promised, “You’ll believe a man can fly!” Also on hand are Marlon Brando (Jor-El), Gene Hackman (Lex Luthor), Ned Beatty (Otis), Jackie Cooper (Perry White), Glenn Ford (Pa Kent), Phyllis Thaxter (Ma Kent), Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) and Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen). The Superman legend is all here, from baby Kal-El’s blast-off from the dying planet of Krypton to his eventual coming of age in Metropolis as the Man of Steel. Christopher Reeve is superb in the title role, with Gene Hackman providing the requisite evil as the renegade scientist Lex Luthor. Superman earned three Academy Award nominations: Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Original Music Score. Superman won a Special Achievement Oscar for its stunning visual effects.
Director: Richard Donner
Review: “Superman is a pure delight, a wondrous combination of all the old-fashioned things we never really get tired of: adventure and romance, heroes and villains, earthshaking special effects, and — you know what else? Wit…” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (12/15/78)
On DVD: Superman – The Movie (Warner, 2001)
Superman II (Warner Bros., 1981)
In this sequel to the wildly successful 1978 film, Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper and company return for a rousing encore. In order to marry Lois Lane, Superman/Clark Kent agrees to give up his super powers. It proves to be bad timing, however, as three Kryptonian villains escape their imprisonment from the Phantom Zone following a nuclear explosion in space. Now endowed with super powers, the trio – Ursa (Sarah Douglas), General Zod (Terence Stamp) and Non (Jack O’Halloran) – begin their conquest of Earth with the backing of evil genius Lex Luthor. The scene featuring a now mortal Clark Kent/Superman taking a very human beating at a diner is both painful and humbling.
Director: Richard Lester
Review: “For all the production halts, setbacks, personnel changeovers and legal wrangling that paved its way to the screen, Superman II emerges as a solid, classy, cannily constructed piece of entertainment which gets down to action almost immediately.” – Variety
On DVD: Superman II Two-Disc Special Edition (Warner, 2007)
One sheet movie poster: Superman II (1981)
Superman Returns (Warner Bros., 2006)
Brandon Routh stars as Superman/Clark Kent in this mammoth 9 million extravaganza that thrilled fans of the Man of Steel. In this spectacular outing, Superman returns from the ravages of his native Krypton where he once again becomes a beacon of hope for struggling Earthlings while resuming his romance with Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth). Kevin Spacey plays a wicked Lex Luthor, with Frank Langella as Perry White and Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen. There’s even archival footage of Marlon Brando as Superman’s dad Jor-El. Superman Returns garnered one Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Visual Effects and won five prestigious Saturn Awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for Best Fantasy Film, Best Actor (Routh), Best Director, Best Music and Best Writing.
Director: Bryan Singer
Review: “Superman Returns is the Superman movie for everyone who was sitting around thinking, ‘I just wish someone would make another Superman movie.’ For everyone else, the picture has to cross one little threshold of skepticism: Why this again?” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle (6/27/06)
On DVD: Superman Returns Widescreen Edition (Warner, 2006)
Superman III (Warner Bros., 1983)
Christopher Reeve returned as the Man of Steel in this third installment of the Superman saga. Also returning were Jackie Cooper, Margot Kidder and Marc McClure as the gang from the Daily Planet, with Annette O’Toole as Lana Lang, Robert Vaughn as villain Ross Webster and comic Richard Pryor as computer whiz Gus Gorman. Superman III is full of sentimentality, with Clark Kent attending his Smallville High School reunion where he meets a now divorced Lana Lang. The action sequences are outstanding, as the Man of Steel is exposed to deadly Kryptonite and is split in two, resulting in an evil, dysfunctional Superman and a moral Clark Kent.
Director: Richard Lester
Review: “Superman III is the kind of movie I feared the original Superman would be. It’s a cinematic comic book, shallow, silly, filled with stunts and action, without much human interest.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (6/17/83)
On DVD: Superman III (Warner, 2001)
Superman and the Mole Men (Lippert Pictures, 1951)
George Reeves plays Superman/Clark Kent in this nifty little picture shot on a Hollywood back lot in a mere 12 days. In the town of Silsby, the world’s deepest oil well yields subterranean creatures who come to the surface in the dead of night. They are later confronted by town bully Luke Benson (Jeff Corey) and his lynch mob, who fear the “mole men” and wish to do them harm. Superman intervenes, stopping Benson and his followers and allowing the creatures to take their injured comrade and return home to their underground world. Phyllis Coates plays a pushy Lois Lane, with Walter Reed, J. Farrell MacDonald and Stanley Andrews also on board. One of the movie’s highlights: the mole men blast town hothead Luke Benson with a fantastic bazooka ray gun. Superman and the Mole Men was later telecast in two half-hour installments under the title “The Unknown People” on TV’s The Adventures of Superman (1952-58).
Director: Lee Sholem
Review: “Rather mild by today’s standards (the audience never gets to see Superman fly), Superman and the Mole Men served its primary purpose: to act as a theatrical pilot for the very popular Superman TV series, which also starred Reeves and (for the first season, at least) Coates.” – Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
On DVD: The Adventures of Superman – The Complete First Season (Warner, 2005)
Reissue lobby card: Superman and the Mole Men (1951)
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (Warner Bros., 1987)
Christopher Reeve, in his final role as Superman/Clark Kent, once again battles the evil Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman), who has created the radioactively-charged super robot Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow). The two super beings then do battle around the globe, with the Statue of Liberty, the Great Wall of China and Mt. Etna in the combat zone. The usual suspects are here, including Perry White (Jackie Cooper), Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and Jimmy Olsen (Mark McClure). Also on hand are Jon Cryer as Lenny Luthor, Sam Wanamaker as David Warfield and Mariel Hemingway as Lacy Warfield.
Director: Sidney J. Furie
Review: “More sluggish than a funeral barge, cheaper than a sale at K mart, it’s a nerd, it’s a shame, it’s Superman IV. Christopher Reeve, in his fourth consecutive role, wrote the story for this film – an unabashed nuclear disarmament message. But by the end of this movie (produced by the Golan-Globus conspiracy), nuclear winter seems more appealing than the prospect of Superman V. – Desson Howe, Washington Post (7/31/87)
On DVD: Superman – The Quest for Peace (Warner, 2001)
Superman (Columbia, 1948)
This 15-chapter movie serial featured Kirk Alyn in the starring role of Superman/Clark Kent, with Lois Lane (Noel Neill), Jimmy Olsen (Tommy Bond) and Perry White (Pierre Watkin) rounding out the Daily Planet principals. The early chapters deal with Superman’s origins on the planet Krypton, his rearing by the Kents and his first trek to Metropolis where he wins a job as a reporter for the Daily Planet. The unlikely villain in this entertaining serial is Spider Lady (Carol Forman) who commands a band of dapper thugs.
Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet, Thomas Carr
Review: “The action is goofy but plenty of fun, even if the use of a cartoon Superman as a visual effects cheat (used to show the Man of Steel in flight) grows tiresome quickly. As most serials tended to do, Superman zips by at breakneck pace, so even if you’re chuckling at one of the many missteps, your attention will quickly be diverted elsewhere, usually to more entertaining scenes.” – David Cornelius, DVD Talk
On DVD: Superman – The 1948 & 1950 Theatrical Serials Collection (Warner, 2006)
Atom Man vs. Superman (Columbia, 1950)
Kirk Alyn returned as the Man of Steel/Clark Kent in this 15-chapter serial, with Noel Neill, Tommy Bond and Pierre Watkin also reprising their roles. Lyle Talbot donned a rubber scalp to play Lex Luthor – the first actor to portray Superman’s evil nemesis – who becomes Atom Man, inventing a disintegrator that can reassemble the atoms in humans. Luthor gets the best of Superman in one chapter, felling him with Kryptonite and sending him to “The Empty Doom” – their version of the dreaded Phantom Zone.
Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet
Review: ” It’s well acted all around, with Kirk Alyn a very appealing Superman, and Lyle Talbot having a fun time as Lex Luthor. I found it very good for a serial from the fifties.” – David Sindelar, Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
On DVD: Superman – The 1948 & 1950 Theatrical Serials Collection (Warner, 2006)
One sheet movie poster: Atom Man vs. Superman Chapter 9 (1950)
Superman (Paramount, 1941-43)
Fleischer Studios/Famous Studios produced this series of 17 animated shorts. The first entry was Superman a.k.a. The Mad Scientist, which debuted on September 26, 1941. Other series’ titles include The Mechanical Monsters (11/28/41), The Arctic Giant (2/27/42), Terror on the Midway (8/28/42), Destruction, Inc. (12/25/42), The Mummy Strikes (2/19/43) and Secret Agent (7/30/43). Bud Collyer (also radio’s Superman/Clark Kent) provided the voice of the Man of Steel/Clark Kent, with Joan Alexander voicing Lois Lane and Jackson Beck as Perry White. There’s plenty of action here, including war period pieces in which Superman battles Nazi saboteurs and Japanese spies. Free downloads of the 1941-43 Superman cartoon series are available from the Internet Archive.
Directors: Dave Fleischer, Dan Gordon, Seymour Kneitel, Isadore Sparber,
Review: “Besides starring an underpowered Superman, these shorts are also notable for their lack of any compelling super villains. For the most part, Superman is pitted against technologically advanced gangsters and mad scientists. He fights robots and death rays. He also fights a thawed out Tyrannosaurus, a mummy come to life, and underground bird people, but most of his enemies are generic. The Superman of 1941 is a different superhero than he is today. Modern viewers should adjust their expectations accordingly.” – Erich Asperschlager, DVD Verdict
On DVD: Superman – The Movie Four-Disc Special Edition (Warner, 2006)
Supergirl (TriStar, 1984)
The real sleeper (or maybe red Kryptonite) in the genre, Supergirl stars Helen Slater in the role of Kara Zor-El/Supergirl/Linda Lee. The niece of Jor-El and a first cousin to Superman, Kara journeys from the Kryptonian survivor community of Argo City to Earth where she discovers her super powers. She then locks horns with the evil witch Selena (Faye Dunaway), who has her in possession the magical Omegahedron. Budgeted at million, Supergirl also features Peter O’Toole, Mia Farrow, Brenda Vaccaro, Peter Cook, Simon Ward, Hart Bochner and Marc McClure reprising his Superman movie series role as Jimmy Olsen.
Director: Jeannot Szwarc
Review: “Miss Slater makes a four-square heroine of unrelenting sincerity; a sturdy ingenue, she is great fun to look at but hardly a live wire. Peter Cook and Brenda Vaccaro have largish supporting roles in Miss Dunaway’s retinue, as opposed to the brief cameos for Peter O’Toole, Mia Farrow and Simon Ward.” – Janet Maslin, The New York Times (11/22/84)
On DVD: Supergirl (Warner, 2006)
One sheet movie poster: Supergirl (1984)
Images Credit
All images courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, Texas
Written by William J. Felchner
Professional Writer
