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The
Many Faces Of... Jimmy Olsen Column
by Russ Dimino
We all know
that Superman has some super friends. Being a member of the
Justice League means that he gets to hang out with Batman, run
races with the Flash, and even occasionally flirt with Wonder
Woman. So with friends like these, who actually gets the honor
of holding the title "Superman's Pal"? It's a young,
freckle-faced, redheaded cub photographer with a bow tie and
a signal watch. His name is Jimmy Olsen.
Jimmy made
his first appearance in the comic books in 1941, in Superman
#13. Despite being a supporting character, Jimmy eventually
gained enough popularity to land his very own comic book series.
"Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen" debuted in 1954 and ran
for 20 years. The series often featured wacky adventures that
involved Jimmy being transformed into various creatures, such
as a Turtle Boy, a wolfman, a gorilla, and the super-stretchable
Elastic Lad.
When
Superman made his initial live-action appearance in the 1948
movie serials starring Kirk Alyn, Jimmy was there to lend a
hand at the Daily Planet as well. Jimmy was played by Tommy
Bond, who was previously best known as Butch from the "Our
Gang" shorts. Bond continued to play Jimmy in the follow-up
serial in 1950, "Atom Man vs. Superman."
For
"The
Adventures of Superman" TV series in 1952, Jack Larson
stepped into Jimmy Olsen's suit and bow tie, occasionally accompanying
Lois Lane and Clark Kent on stories and frequently finding himself
in need of rescuing. Mister Larson would go on to make guest
appearances in several other incarnations of the Superman legend.
He appeared in an episode of "Superboy" in 1991, played
an aged Jimmy Olsen on "Lois and Clark" in 1996, and
had a cameo as a bartender in the 2006 "Superman Returns"
movie.
When Superman
and his friends got animated in the 1960's, Jack Grimes, the
voice of Sparky from "Speed Racer," provided the voice
of Jimmy. Grimes held the role throughout various animated incarnations
that included "The New Adventures of Superman," "The
Batman/Superman Hour," and "The Superman/Aquaman Hour
of Adventure." Some of Mister Grimes' live-action appearances
on television include episodes of "All in the Family"
and "Maude."
In
1978, Superman burst onto the big screen in the first epic film
starring Christopher Reeve in the title role. Here, he was joined
by Marc McClure as Jimmy. McClure returned for all three sequels,
in 1980, 1983, and 1987, respectively. In addition to this,
he also appeared as Jimmy Olsen in the "Supergirl"
movie in 1984, which starred Helen Slater as Superman's cousin,
Kara. McClure was the only cast member from the Superman movies
to appear in this spin-off film. He has also appeared in the
"Back to the Future" movies, "Apollo 13,"
and episodes of "ER" and "Cold Case."
In 1988,
Ruby Spears premiered a short lived animated version of the
Man of Steel's adventures. Jimmy appeared here as well, voiced
by Mark L. Taylor. Current audiences would probably recognize
him from has appearances as Mister Steinberg on "Desperate
Housewives," which of course stars a former Lois Lane,
Teri Hatcher. Mark L. Taylor has also appeared on "Joan
of Arcadia," "Summerland," and "Malcolm
in the Middle." Jimmy wasn't the only friend of Superman's
that Mister Taylor has voiced, however. He had previously provided
the voice of Firestorm, one of Superman's teammates on the "SuperFriends"
cartoons, just a few years earlier.
The
next live action version of the Superman story had not just
one Jimmy Olsen, but two. When "Lois
and Clark" premiered in 1993, Michael Landes played
the role of Jimmy. With jet-black hair and no bow tie, the Landes
Jimmy referred to Clark as "C.K." and tried to pursue
Cat Grant, Lois's sister Lucy, and several other women, usually
with minimal success. He used the catch phrase "smooth,"
and often found himself trying to prove himself as a reporter
to Perry White.
When the
series returned for a second season, fans were surprised and
confused to find Lois and Clark calling someone else "Jimmy."
For reasons that still are not quite clear, Landes was replaced
by Justin Whalin in the role of the cub photographer. Reasons
that are often given are that the producers wanted a younger,
more "teen heart-throb" type to rival Jonathan Brandis,
who starred on "SeaQuest DSV" in the same timeslot,
or that Landes and Dean Cain looked too much alike. Whalin's
Jimmy had more of a "hip" attitude, occasionally wearing
cowboy boots and even riding a motorcycle in one episode. His
Jimmy seemed to have a little more luck with the ladies than
Landes did, landing a date with Denise Richards in one episode
(well, a character played by Denise Richards at least). Whalin
played the role of Jimmy for the remainder of the series.
After leaving
the show, Michael Landes was briefly on a failed sitcom called
"Union Square." The show co-starred Jim Pirri, who
had played Dan Scardino on "Lois and Clark" in season
two. Landes later had a role in the movie "Final Destination
2." Justin Whalin went on to star in a movie version of
"Dungeons and Dragons." Before his "L&C"
fame, Whalin had starred in the movies "Child's Play 3,"
"Serial Mom," and appeared on the show "Blossom."
In 1996,
a new animated version of Superman took flight on the WB. This
time out, David Kaufman provided the voice of Jimmy, who sported
a mullet of red hair. Kaufman continued to voice Jimmy when
the show spun off into "Justice League" and "Justice
League Unlimited" several years later. Mister Kaufman's
live-action appearances include "ER," "Boston
Legal," and "The Closer."
In
the summer of 2006, "X-Men" director Bryan Singer
got a chance to bring the Man of Steel back to the big screen
in the blockbuster film "Superman Returns." Of course,
the return of Superman also meant the return of his supporting
cast, including Jimmy Olsen. Sam Huntington returned the character
to his more classic, slightly awkward, "Gee, Mister Kent"
roots, while still making him believable as a friend to Clark
as he fills him in on what he's missed while he's been away.
Huntington has also appeared on "Veronica Mars," "CSI:
NY" and "CSI: Miami," as well as the film "Not
Another Teen Movie."
With
the sixth season premiere of "Smallville" on the new
CW network on September 28th, 2006, another actor stepped into
the role of Jimmy Olsen. Aaron
Ashmore played Jimmy, who had previously been referred to
as a love interest of Chloe Sullivan in a fourth season episode.
Ashmore is scheduled to make several more appearances throughout
the season, as Jimmy and Chloe work together at the Daily Planet
in Metropolis. Interestingly, he refers to Clark as "C.K.,"
a trait originated by the Landes Jimmy on "Lois and Clark."
Ashmore
has several other connections both to "Smallville"
and the Superman mythology. He has previously appeared on "Veronica
Mars," just like Sam Huntington. In fact, the two Jimmys
appeared together in one episode, "You Think You Know Somebody."
He has also appeared on "The Famous Jett Jackson,"
which starred Lee Thompson Young, who played Victor Stone on
"Smallville" in the fifth season episode "Cyborg."
Aaron's twin brother is actor Shawn Ashmore, who played Bobby
"Iceman" Drake in the "X-Men" films, and
appeared in two episodes of "Smallville." Shawn played
Eric Summers, a classmate who stole Clark's super powers, in
the episode "Leech" in season one and "Asylum"
in season three.
So
after all this, we are still left with a question. Why Jimmy
Olsen? Why would Superman, a guy who can leap tall buildings
and outrun speeding bullets, need someone like Jimmy as his
pal? It's
not in spite of Jimmy's lack of super powers, but rather, because
of them. Jimmy
is just an ordinary guy who is trying to make it in the busy
world of Metropolis and the hectic pace of The Daily Planet.
Jimmy
is not just Superman's pal, but also Clark Kent's. He is someone
who Clark can go to a ball game with, or joke around about Perry's
latest tirade in the newsroom. He is also one of Superman's
biggest fans, and that gives the Man of Steel something to live
up to. Knowing that someone as honest and sincere as Jimmy Olsen
looks up to him keeps him doing his best to meet the high expectations
that the world has of him. And for the fans who have read Superman's
adventures in the comics and watched them on TV and the movies?
Jimmy Olsen is us. We all wish we could hang out with Superman,
too, and we get to do it vicariously through Jimmy Olsen, the
"average joe" who gets to call Superman his pal.
Note:
The views of Russ Dimino don't necessarily represent the thoughts
and feelings of everyone at KryptonSite.
The
Many Faces Of... Jimmy Olsen
When
Superman made his initial live-action appearance in the 1948
movie serials starring Kirk Alyn, Jimmy was there to lend a
hand at the Daily Planet as well. Jimmy was played by Tommy
Bond, who was previously best known as Butch from the "Our
Gang" shorts. Bond continued to play Jimmy in the follow-up
serial in 1950, "Atom Man vs. Superman."
For
In
1978, Superman burst onto the big screen in the first epic film
starring Christopher Reeve in the title role. Here, he was joined
by Marc McClure as Jimmy. McClure returned for all three sequels,
in 1980, 1983, and 1987, respectively. In addition to this,
he also appeared as Jimmy Olsen in the "Supergirl"
movie in 1984, which starred Helen Slater as Superman's cousin,
Kara. McClure was the only cast member from the Superman movies
to appear in this spin-off film. He has also appeared in the
"Back to the Future" movies, "Apollo 13,"
and episodes of "ER" and "Cold Case."
The
next live action version of the Superman story had not just
one Jimmy Olsen, but two. When 
Whalin's
Jimmy had more of a "hip" attitude, occasionally wearing
cowboy boots and even riding a motorcycle in one episode. His
Jimmy seemed to have a little more luck with the ladies than
Landes did, landing a date with Denise Richards in one episode
(well, a character played by Denise Richards at least). Whalin
played the role of Jimmy for the remainder of the series.
In
the summer of 2006, "X-Men" director Bryan Singer
got a chance to bring the Man of Steel back to the big screen
in the blockbuster film "Superman Returns." Of course,
the return of Superman also meant the return of his supporting
cast, including Jimmy Olsen. Sam Huntington returned the character
to his more classic, slightly awkward, "Gee, Mister Kent"
roots, while still making him believable as a friend to Clark
as he fills him in on what he's missed while he's been away.
Huntington has also appeared on "Veronica Mars," "CSI:
NY" and "CSI: Miami," as well as the film "Not
Another Teen Movie."
Ashmore
has several other connections both to "Smallville"
and the Superman mythology. He has previously appeared on 
Jimmy
is not just Superman's pal, but also Clark Kent's. He is someone
who Clark can go to a ball game with, or joke around about Perry's
latest tirade in the newsroom. He is also one of Superman's
biggest fans, and that gives the Man of Steel something to live
up to. Knowing that someone as honest and sincere as Jimmy Olsen
looks up to him keeps him doing his best to meet the high expectations
that the world has of him. And for the fans who have read Superman's
adventures in the comics and watched them on TV and the movies?
Jimmy Olsen is us. We all wish we could hang out with Superman,
too, and we get to do it vicariously through Jimmy Olsen, the
"average joe" who gets to call Superman his pal.