RIP Jimmy Olsen

[jarnon]

Jack Larson, Jimmy Olsen on First Superman TV Show, Dies at 87

Mr. Larson became a writer and producer, often collaborating with his lifelong companion James Bridges.

[SpacemanSpiff]

Jack Larson, Jimmy Olsen on First Superman TV Show, Dies at 87

Mr. Larson became a writer and producer, often collaborating with his lifelong companion James Bridges.

He's someone I thought had already left us a couple of years ago. I know he had a cameo in Jerry Seinfeld's Superman-themed AMEX card commercial a decade or so back. He's at the :48 mark



Is he the last of the original TV Supes gang, or is one of the Lois portrayers still around?

[silverscreenselect]

Is he the last of the original TV Supes gang, or is one of the Lois portrayers still around?

Both Phyllis Coates (who played Lois in the first season, now 88) and Noel Neill (who took over in season 2, now 94) are sill alive. Noel pretty much retired from acting after the show ended, save for a couple of cameos in later incarnations of Superman. Phyllis continued to act on and off over the years, although she also went the Superman cameo route on the Lois and Clark TV show.

Other than Superman cameos, Jack Larson appeared and was quite effective as a guest star on an episode of Law and Order SVU about five years back.

[littlebeast13]

I guess this title is appropriate today...



lb13

[mrkelley23]

I found out on NPR that he was also a noted librettist, combining his talents with, among many others, the noted modern composer Ned Rorem on song cycles like this one:



I'm impressed.

Larson said on Fresh Air that he didn't publicize this part of his career, because he thought serious composers wouldn't take him seriously if they thought he was just Mr. Golly Gee Whiz.