Truth, Justice, And A Very Red And Blue Cake

Two of my favorite comics bloggers, Bully and Mark Engblom, remind us that today is Superman's birthday! (Yes, yes-- I know that comic book characters don't have "real" birthdays, but tell me-- when exactly did you lose your soul?). Mark marks the day with a great Dwight Howard clip, while Bully offers a wonderful summary/analysis of a great Alan Moore Superman story, so I thought (being a film guy and all) I'd offer some of my favorite cinematic moments from Superman's long multimedia history (while enjoying the unplanned serendipity of showing the Fleischer Superman cartoons for my comics and animation class this Sunday).

First, the fabulous Fleischers:



Next, a trailer for the little-seen 1948 film serial:



A wonderfully innocent and strange commercial starring TV's first Superman, George Reeves:



A very special Superfriend warns of the health risks of pill-popping:



Christopher Reeve proves himself the best Superman of all time by turning back time! You, sir, are both "bad" and "ass":



On the other hand, Dean Cain wasn't bad either, opposite Teri Hatcher in the underrated, screwball romance version of Superman, Lois and Clark:



Finally, a wonderfully cinephiliac scene from the unfairly maligned Superman Returns: