JACK LARSON

by Steve Randisi

No retrospective of George Reeves or Superman would be complete without paying tribute to Jack Larson.  The actor has said it a zillion times: "My tombstone will probably read, 'He played Jimmy Olsen!"' Lovable, laughable Jimmy, the cub-reporter with the bow-tie and closely-trimmed locks, was an unforgettable fixture during the entire run of the Adventures of Superman (1953-57).  Jack’s clean-cut good looks and youthful exuberance struck a nerve with kids, thereby making him TV's first genuine teen idol.  In many respects, Jack's performance not only altered the course of the show, but the entire Superman family of comic books as well.  He brought a unique comic flavor to the series, and his growing popularity caused National Comics (later known as DC) to add a new title, Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, to its publication schedule in 1954.  The actor still recalls an incident in which a group of kids pressed their faces against the front window of the restaurant where he was quietly eating lunch.  It took the sudden appearance of a cop for Jack to realize that he was the cause of the escalating commotion!

Jack was born and raised in Southern California.  As a youth, Jack was very athletic and had an interest in sports, particularly baseball.  (Check out Curt Smith's book, What Baseball means to Me, and you'll notice Jack's name among the baseball cognoscenti.)  But he was also the creative type, with an appreciation for various forms of entertainment including film, theater and -- yes-- comic books.  He read Superman, but confides that he'd never heard of Jimmy Olsen (not surprising since Jimmy was a minor character that wasn't introduced until 1941).   

During his tenure at Pasadena Junior College, Jack wrote a play called Balguna Del Mar, which he brought to life on the stage.  A talent agent spotted Jack and offered him a small role in Warner Brothers' Fighter Squadron (1948), a film that also marked the screen debut of Rock Hudson.  Although this was a time of decline for the studio-contract system, Jack managed to land roles in good quality films such as Starlift (1951), in which he played a memorable scene opposite Doris Day.

What the young actor really yearned for was a career on the stage--not movies, and certainly not television (although he does have fond memories of working in several live dramas produced much like a stage play).  Jack's ambitions would be further thwarted upon meeting Harold Childes, the casting director for the Adventures of Superman.  It was 1951, and Childes thought Jack would be perfect for the role of Jimmy.  "I didn't see myself that way," Jack recalls.  "I didn't think the part was beneath me or anything, but by that time, I had the theater bug.  I wanted to be on Broadway doing plays instead."  Like his fellow cast members, Jack believed that no one was likely to see Superman; the series had not yet been sold to television.  However, when the show finally went on the air in 1953, Jack found that he'd become teen-idol famous.

Although he is wonderful in all the episodes, Jack's best work on Superman can be seen in The Haunted Lighthouse (1951); The Evil Three (1951); Semi-Private Eye (his all-time favorite, 1953); Jimmy Olsen, Boy Editor (1953); The Lady in Black (1953); King for a Day (1954); Olsen's Millions (1954); Jimmy the Kid  (1955): Whatever Goes Up (1956); and All That Glitters (1957).

For those who want to see more of Young Olsen (as Perry White often referred to him), there are several DVD compilations that feature classic TV commercials.  In the 1950s and '60s, it was common for regular actors in a series to do cast commercials. Accordingly, George Reeves, Jack, and John Hamilton were tapped into service to do several spots for Kellogg's, the show's sponsor.  Jack recalls: "I was only getting $350 a show, so the extra money from these commercials was wonderful."

For those who want to see more of Jack Larson, the consummate actor, check out the 1957 feature Johnny Trouble, with Stuart Whitman and Ethel Barrymore, the next time it airs on cable TV.

Following George's death in 1959, Jack was offered the opportunity to star in a video version of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen.  The proposed series would center around Jack's character, utilizing stock footage of George, in costume, and a look-alike stunt actor to convey the illusion that Superman was still alive.  Jack wanted no part of such chicanery and refused to do the show.   As an actor, he was considered typed, thereby making future acting assignments tough to come by.  He did, however, turn up in a 1965 color episode of TV's Gomer Pyle.  (Readers should be alerted to the existence of another actor named Jack Larson, who also made appearances on several '60s sitcoms, including The Dick Van Dyke Show.  This Jack Larson is not our Jack!)

When Jack retired his famous bow-tie (which, by the way, is now displayed in the Smithsonian Institute next to Judy Garland's ruby slippers) he found his niche in other areas of show business.  He became a highly respected playwright (Chuck; The Astronaut's Tale) and film producer (The China Syndrome; The Paper Chase; Urban Cowboy; Bright Lights, Big City).  He's also a renown librettist, having worked with some of the greatest American composers, including Virgil Thomson, with whom he collaborated on the acclaimed Lord Byron (available on CD).  Jack also had one of his early works performed by the Joffrey Ballet, and has appeared with various Philharmonic Orchestras around the nation.  Because he is a living link to the Hollywood of yore, Jack is constantly sought after by producers of various television documentaries; he has done several on-camera interviews for the E Channel's Mysteries and Scandals as well as A&E's Biography series.