CHARACTERS AND CARICATURES (PART TWO) - TV TRIVIA WITH TIM LEATHERBARROW

Last week, I was allowed to present you with a series of satirical sketches created by Tim Leatherbarrow (click here for a sneak peek), all of which were complemented by a filmic fact associated with the person (or people) Tim skillfully illustrated. On average, Tim has been an artist for over 40 years, and during that time, he’s peddled his wares at a variety of different venues, including special events, weddings, christenings, bar mitzvahs, and other occasions of that nature. So, if you’d like to see more of his stuff, here, check out the following article that’s focused on TV-related trivia. Please enjoy.

TV Trivia: Did you know that the first actor to play Superman was a song and dance man with Hungarian parents? Well, not many people do, apart from those who are familiar with Kirk Alyn, otherwise known as the first man to play a live-action version of the Last Son of Krypton. Initially, in the serialized adventure, ‘Superman’, which was released in 1948, and then in its subsequent sequel, ‘Atom Man vs. Superman’, which was released in 1950. Afterwards, he went on to play another character published by DC Comics... 'Blackhawk' (1952).

TV Trivia: According to the biographer, Matthew E. Polly, Bruce Lee didn't invent the 'Kung Fu' TV series, but rather, it was Ed Spielman. What Bruce created instead was a show called ‘Ah Sahm’, which he later retitled, ‘The Warrior’, and it followed a similar premise about a ‘wise man’ fighting 'bad guys' in the Wild West.

TV Trivia: The second actor to play Superman on the small screen was the late, great, George Reeves, and by all accounts, he didn’t want to play the part because he was more focused on a career in film. Well, before he took up the mantle, George starred in a number of notable Hollywood classics, such as, ‘Gone with the Wind’ (with Clark Gable), ‘The Strawberry Blonde’ (with James Cagney), and ‘Lydia’ (with Merle Oberon). But when ‘Lydia’ briskly bombed at the box office, his career suddenly took a nose-dive and George found himself desperate for regular work. So, to cut a long story short, up, up, and... away? 

TV Trivia: Not to be confused with their comic book counterparts, ‘The Avengers’ was a sixties television show from the UK which starred a variety of actors who also appeared in several James Bond films. This included Honor Blackman, who played Pussy Galore in ‘Goldfinger’ (1964), Dame Diana Rigg, who played Tracy in ‘On Her Majesty's Secret Service’ (1969), and Patrick Macnee, who played Sir Godfrey Tibbett in ‘A View to a Kill’ (1985).

TV Trivia:  It’s often been said that many of the actors who’ve played Superman have been cursed for taking on his mantle. After all, Kirk Alyn's career was destroyed after he played the part, George Reeves committed suicide at the end of his tenure, Christopher Reeve died from paralysis caused by a horse-riding accident, and Dean Cain now works for Fox. So, is there any truth to this curse? Or is it all a load of malarkey? Well, I suppose time will tell.

TV Trivia: Some people have speculated that Raymond Cusick didn't design the Daleks, but rather, Ridley Scott (the Oscar-nominated director), because he was working for the BBC at the same time they were created. But no. Ridley didn’t design the Daleks, as he left just before he could carry out this editorial assignment, only to go on and develop more evil-looking Aliens for the big screen, hint-hint!

In closing, I would like to thank Tim for allowing me to use his art in this article, before encouraging you to check out his Blog, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages.