I saw the interview when it first aired in 1982. I had grown up watching The Adventures of Superman and was very happy to see Jack Larson on television again after all those years. This was one of the first times that Mr. Larson abandoned his low profile and embraced his Jimmy Olson legacy. He passed away in 2015 and will always be fondly remembered.
@@stevescontriano860 That wasn't 'today', and the residual system is ridiculous. I still get resids from shows I did in the mid-eighties. Can you imagine how ridiculously intricate that residual system has to be to distribute even small resids (I got one recently for $.86)?
@@stevescontriano860 I believe it's b/c contracts were written that way. Actors didn't demand it b/c nobody thought re-runs would amount to anything. I understand Jerry Lewis had it in his contracts for movies, a very smart move.
Me too. I'm 67. When I got married, my wife came to understand that she had to watch every episode of every season of "Superman." I don't think she minded, though. She began saying things like, "Golly, Superman, are we glad to see you!"
Nice to see an interview that is just a simple adult conversation without an apparent need for constant quips and "funny" comments/asides of the type that characterize almost all late night interviews these days. Very interesting guest and chat.
I was 2 when this interview happened. RIP Jack bka Jimmy. One love. Thank God for Nick @ night, loved those shows that came before me. Superman is the best!!
And Phyllis Coates was the best Lois Lane...she played the part as a quite aggressive female reporter...she was ahead of her time, in that regard...She also was quite a babe!
Alby 52 Your condolences for the Superman cast are very thoughtful, but you should have had the decency to spell Noel Neill's name correctly. Pathetic.
Superman was my first hero as a small boy. At one point Kelloggs was selling a Superman costume which I very much wanted but was told we couldnt afford. Instead of that I remember going around the neighborhood wearing a towel as a cape and believed I could fly, even jumping from trees. Was so pleased to see this interview on Letterman. Like most I'm sure, I had no idea of the real man and his many talents. Remarkable how young he still looked.
Those Letterman shows from the beginning were great, he was doing 'alternative' Late Night and it was so entertaining. I still liked Johnny but Letterman, as a 21 yr old was someone I could call my own.
Does anyone remember the cold open to this show? Jack Larsen is seen sitting in the green room, and a file cabinet falls on top of him. "Help!" I can't remember if Dave was in costume or not, but he comes, moves the file cabinet, and saves Jack, who says, "Thanks Letter Man!"
It just hit in this video. George Reeves reminded me of President Franklin Roosevelt in his voice and delivery. Oh George I wish you could have seen a way out of your misery.
It should be noted that the Opera law-abiding was pretty pricey back in those days to go see you couldn't touch front roll or mid ochre seat but it was very good I never knew a Jack Lawson actually wrote this a tip of a hat to you sir wherever you may be
I'm not lying...I actually watched that stamp episode on youtube today!!! I stumbled onto this and had to see it...Jack always spoke so highly of George and the cast/crew in general of that show...you can see how important it was in his life.
Larson's last dramatic television appearance was in "Quickie," an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," in January 2010 - which aired on NBC. Larson played Dewey Butler, a grandfather of a young suspect allegedly taking revenge on women by spreading AIDS. He was actually quite good.
I really don't know how he got so type cast because he really was a talented actor, and actually played the original Corporal under Frank Sutton's Sergeant Carter on Gomer Pyle USMC in it's beginning seasons, for one episode. I think he chose not to continue with the show because he didn't want to get involved with another TV series, although I understand, but I think that might have been a career mistake as that role would have brought him out his type casting. He was a very convincing Marine Corporal
Anyone else notice how the George Reeves Clark Kent character on the classic tv show was a pretty cool guy while the Christopher Reeve Clark Kent character in the movie was a clumsy geek,and Jack also played on some episodes of Gomer Pyle USMC.
Unfortunately residuals were several decades away. The only way an actor could really get rich in those days was if he owned the show. William Boyd mortgaged everything he had to buy up his old "Hopalong Cassidy" movies and edited them into TV shows. He made huge money doing that.
@@daveconleyportfolio5192 You can thank Ronald Reagan for that. He was the president of the screen actors guild and SCREWED many famous actors & actresses out of residuals. The Three Stooges were the most well known as being screwed out of royalties related to their short subject films. Thank you Ronnie.
I think you have it backwards. He didn’t screw performers out of residuals. When he was president of the Screen Actors Guild, Ronald Reagan staged a showdown with studio executives and won the creation of the residual payment system that lives today. @@martinlutherbling424
Jack Larson aged very well! I also notice when they show the black & white clip, you see flashes of color, that's a problem TV stations had years ago. Many of them would cut the color completely during a B&W broadcast for this reason.
The circumstances involving Georges death are highly suspect. Many folks leave the case open to foul play based on circumstance and lack of clear evidence regarding suicide. Evidently Jack went along with the official story. Perhaps he did this in order not to make any waves which might had affected his career negatively. Aside of that Jack Larson was a fantastic Jimmy Olsen and was good friends with his leading cast member George Reeves.
I always liked Jimmy Olsen's voice and delivery. I'm curious if the poster of this video substituted the entire PSA, as it seemed a bit long for the Letterman Show.
I substituted nothing. This is what aired. This was just over a month into Late Night’s run, where long clips were used, simply to fill airtime, because, at this time, guests were difficult to book.
I had such a crush on him as Jimmy Olsen when I was a kid. I wish I'd known he was gay at the time. Would have made growing up a little bit easier. Seems like a really kind guy. Thanks for posting!
Phyllis Coates was the hottest ... unfortunately she only played the first season... due to her decision to leave.. and then was replaced.. still hot @ 90+ years...
@@michaelgasiciel9317 as a kid, I always liked Noel better, she seem more likable as Phyllis was too rigid and serious. Phyllis was definitely a more serious actress and beautiful...her Lois was no nonsense...and I enjoy her episodes more today and appreciate her acting contrasting to Noel's which was more fun and friendly for kid viewers.
@@michaelgasiciel9317 Phyllis had been a successful pin-up girl, during the mid-to late 1940s...She made a few movies in the 1950s, after her stint as Lois Lane, but her career never really took off. She was a fabulous-looking woman.
I was always a fan of Dave and his show. This was the first year of Late Night on NBC following his failed daytime show. He was minding his p’s and Q’s still in his probationary first year and not taking the liberties and license that later became his hallmark. Lucky for Jack, but Letterman always did maintain a reverence for certain sports figures, and show biz types that had made an impression on him as a young man growing up in the Midwest so Jack being the solid citizen that he was had carte Blanche and was going to be in Dave’s good graces no matter what era he had guested on.
He said he would never do another television series again, but did not say why. Would love to have learned why his experiences turned him against wanting to be a regular in a series (it seemed that he was open to being in an episode of a television series, but not a daily, regular character).
@@StevieStitches I remembered he was in one episode of Gomer Pyle, but I had no idea which one. Thank you so much. You identified which episode, and I looked it up on CZcams and watched it, something I wanted to do for years. Thanks again.
Typecasting is a problem in Hollywood. That said, I get the feeling that many of these actors who hit it big on a show tend to get a little full of themselves, they turn down parts because those parts are now "beneath them". Not saying that typecasting isn't a real issue and does hurt careers. But I think a character actor, or supporting actor, should take as many different parts as he can and never feel a part is not big enough or challenging enough. I recall after Bonanza became a hit Pernell Roberts starting mouthing off about the plots and scripts, saying they didn't "challenge" him as an actor. He quite the show in season 6 to go on to bigger and better things. Or so he thought. He wound up drifting to guest spots on TV shows for almost 15 years before hitting it big again with Trapper John, MD. I also recall Claude Akins saying he was never invited to any Hollywood parties. But his career spanned 40 years and he worked steadily as a first rate, reliable character actor that entire time before his untimely death at 67 of cancer.
Seems like Larson wasn't being offered much because he was too typecast. So not only were the parts not coming, but what he was offered was not interesting enough (or financially viable) for him to continue, especially since he had a (sounds like) greater love for writing over acting. He was very successful as the latter, and apparently happier for it.
Jack Larson was a multi-talented individual who unfortunately ended up typecast as Jimmy Olsen. Not only that but he, and the rest of the 'Superman' cast, were paid peanuts and locked into a contract that made it impossible to find other work during the 1950s when Superman was on the air.
As 'Blue Skye' said, "Serious interview with a few light-hearted moments." I kinda wish there were one more: "When was it that you realized Superman was Clark Kent?" 😃
Jack Larson was always a class act. He was a real mover behind the scenes. He was gay and in a long-time committed relationship, which must have been difficult at times.
What a great guy. It is too bad he got typecast. But worse that he didn’t get residuals from the reruns. It seems inconceivable that those who had worldwide admiration don’t get a penny from reruns but faceless, untalented opportunists are making millions. Back then they didn’t even have the concept of reruns. Even though they didn’t know their show would be re-aired billions of times and be so valuable they still should have been compensated.
You can thank Ronald Reagan for that. He was the president of the screen actors guild and SCREWED many famous actors & actresses out of residuals. The Three Stooges were the most well known as being screwed out of royalties related to their short subject films. Thank you Ronnie.
@@martinlutherbling424 True, Reagan destroyed millions of people’s lives. He was a psychopath. I think everyone involved in a movie should get residuals. They are the ones who created the program. I looked on Prime to see what a season of Superman cost. It was $16!!! And not a penny of that will go to the people who made the program popular. Like I said in my earlier post the people who are making millions off shows are non talent crooks. They do absolutely nothing. Same for Prime and other streaming services. It doesn’t cost anything to add programs to their databases. I’m so sick of greed and capitalism. We should tax the hell out of the extremely rich and impose extremely tough regulations on corporations. The tax rate under Eisenhower was 91%. That’s what we need to return to and we need to force corporations to pay workers livable wages. And give residuals to all actors and production teams even if it is a small percentage. Those percentages would add up over a person’s career so they could retire without worrying about affordable housing or healthcare. But to do that we need to throw all corporate owned politicians out of office and replace them with progressives. Progressives are the only ones who work for other people. Teddy Roosevelt was a progressive. So was FDR. Todays republicans would call them communists and socialists today. But republicans don’t even know what those words mean. They’re brainwashed dolts. Outlaw greed!
Poor guy was still desperate to be separated from that character. Success. I didn’t know all that about him. Don’t really care but recognize the human component of that which affects most of us at some time.
Noel Neil followed him 10 months later in 2016 in her 90's. I find it odd that Phyllis Coates is her age now just turned 94 on Jan 15th...Lois before Noel in that series, but Noel was the original Lois with Kirk Allyn prior serials and that's how they selected her after Phyllis quit.
Good interview. George Reeves might have been frustrated by being typecast, but obviously he had other problems that drove him to suicide. I’m not surprised that the discussion didn’t go into those kinds of details.
I don't! I believe Jack just gave an easy answer, to an uninformed Letterman; &, his equally, mostly uninformed audience. Far more tragically tjough, is that as one commenter said here, that he doesn't even care; whatever the subject: typecasting; shady deaths; residuals, ballet; opera; writing, theatre; plays; acting; literature; silent movies; Etc.; for nearly all Americans, they do NOT care; except, for beer, hotdogs, football, sports, sex, pop culture tv., cartoons, violence; &, all things: mindless; lazy; very stupid; &, braindead.
The Superman series made my child hood a great , and happy experience... I loved it then ,I still love it now !!!💝
I saw the interview when it first aired in 1982. I had grown up watching The Adventures of Superman and was very happy to see Jack Larson on television again after all those years. This was one of the first times that Mr. Larson abandoned his low profile and embraced his Jimmy Olson legacy. He passed away in 2015 and will always be fondly remembered.
He took a stance against the Vietnam war when it wasn't popular to do so!!!
Ts CR
Jack was 54 at this interview. He looked great.
He looked great 👌🏻
Looked great. 👍
☝️Looked really good. 👆
A real class act Jack Larson. My Moms last name was Larson. I grew up watching Superman back in the 50's. Great memories.
He was an elegant, intellectual man.
Yes !! Yes he was. It’s terrible that he got so typecast. And got no residuals from Superman. What a joke. That wouldn’t happen today.
@@stevescontriano860 That wasn't 'today', and the residual system is ridiculous. I still get resids from shows I did in the mid-eighties. Can you imagine how ridiculously intricate that residual system has to be to distribute even small resids (I got one recently for $.86)?
May I ask who you are please. I’m intrigued !! Thank You !! Jack ???
@@stevescontriano860 I believe it's b/c contracts were written that way. Actors didn't demand it b/c nobody thought re-runs would amount to anything. I understand Jerry Lewis had it in his contracts for movies, a very smart move.
It’s funny that he is sounds like a very bright person in Jimmy Olsen’s body.
love how serious and professional this interview was.. Not rushed no real motive, just a celebration of his carrer
Yeah, it's obvious Dave had a lot of respect for Jack Larson here.
I STILL WATCH SUPERMAN 2 THIS DAY WHENEVER IT'S ON TV !!!!! AND I'M 71 !!!
Same here!
ME TOO. And I'm also 71!!
Me too and I'm 77. I have the complete set of the DVD's.
Me too. I'm 67. When I got married, my wife came to understand that she had to watch every episode of every season of "Superman." I don't think she minded, though. She began saying things like, "Golly, Superman, are we glad to see you!"
I loved that show along with the Rifleman
Nice solid interview. David was interested in what Jack Larson had to say & Jack seemed to appreciate that.
What a class act....God bless his soul...
What's god????
Who would ever suspect that Jimmy Olsen's alter ego, Jack Larsen, was in real life a cultured successful playwright and poet.
And gay, not that it matters. Simply FYI.
That would explain the goofy bow tie.
@@georgepruitt637 I knew someone would mention that. Who cares
@@georgepruitt637 No wonder He wasn't interested in Lois Lane.
😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁
Well said.
Nice to see an interview that is just a simple adult conversation without an apparent need for constant quips and "funny" comments/asides of the type that characterize almost all late night interviews these days. Very interesting guest and chat.
I saw this when it first aired and that’s exactly what I thought after seeing it and taped it.
Ùùùùùùuùùùùùùùu
So true.
True. just ordinary conversations can be interesting when it comes from celebrities we've known from media all of our lives.
You are correct. He had nothing to sell. Would love to have seen him interviewed by someone like Dick Cavett
Amazing. He hardly aged. Appeared in great physical shape.
Exactly
He had the same smile.
I was 2 when this interview happened. RIP Jack bka Jimmy. One love. Thank God for Nick @ night, loved those shows that came before me. Superman is the best!!
Jack Larson, Thank You for playing the character of Jimmy Olsen R.I.P.
He was the best actor for the show. He had great chemistry and talent
And Phyllis Coates was the best Lois Lane...she played the part as a quite aggressive female reporter...she was ahead of her time, in that regard...She also was quite a babe!
@@curbozerboomer1773.....and that woman could SCREAM! She's still alive now, in her nineties!
Comic book acting
@@howiecricket52 And she's the only one left from the show
Jack Larson seemed like a very smart and thoughtful man. It says something when Letterman sets aside his usual shtick to have a serious conversation.
jack larson always comes across as a real nice guy rip jack . nole .george and the rest of the superman t.v show xxx
Alby 52, Yes, a very down to earth actor.
Alby 52
Your condolences for the Superman cast are very thoughtful, but you should have had the decency to spell Noel Neill's name correctly.
Pathetic.
@@michaelmantle6043 shut up. Rude jerk.
He had such a distinctive voice.
Dave obviously liked and respected Jack. Great interview
THE GREATEST JIMMY OLSON R.I.P JACK
Serious interview with a few light-hearted moments. 📺🎬📽️🎞️☺️😉
What a nice gentleman..
Jack Larson was adorable on Superman! Remember the show well! And this video shows how serious a writer he was.
This. Is. Excellent.
Rest In Peace Superman character actor cast Jimmy Olsen aka Jack Larson 1928-2015
Jeepers Mr. Kent!
Was great to see Jimmy Olson aka Jack Larson.
Never knew he wrote such serious works. Just thought of him as "Jimmy".
Wow his voice is amazingly like the Jimmy Olsen I remember.
He must be the luckiest guy in the world, not a scratch. He must weigh a ton
He took a stance against the Vietnam war when it wasn't popular to do so!!!!
Jack Larson was my favorite character on superman
Excellent interview
That was a great interview.
Superman was my first hero as a small boy. At one point Kelloggs was selling a Superman costume which I very much wanted but was told we couldnt afford. Instead of that I remember going around the neighborhood wearing a towel as a cape and believed I could fly, even jumping from trees.
Was so pleased to see this interview on Letterman. Like most I'm sure, I had no idea of the real man and his many talents. Remarkable how young he still looked.
TV stations began airing reruns of Superman in 1978 when the Chris Reeve movie came out. I watched them all as an Eight-year old.
TV Stations have bean airing reruns of Adventures of Superman long before 1978.
Those Letterman shows from the beginning were great, he was doing 'alternative' Late Night and it was so entertaining. I still liked Johnny but Letterman, as a 21 yr old was someone I could call my own.
He sounds exactly the same,,,,rip sir
Wow...he really looked good here! What a normal guy! Loved him and Noel watching in the early 60's.
Does anyone remember the cold open to this show? Jack Larsen is seen sitting in the green room, and a file cabinet falls on top of him. "Help!" I can't remember if Dave was in costume or not, but he comes, moves the file cabinet, and saves Jack, who says, "Thanks Letter Man!"
I'd put this interview right up there with the Pete Best talk. Two of Daves best - he was genuinely interested in these guys lives and it showed.....!
Thanks again for the upload.
the guy who played superman looked very much like the guy who played clark kent.
Funny how Lois and Jimmy never noticed that........
I'm old enough to remember when "Superman" was on in the 50's. It was huge!
It just hit in this video. George Reeves reminded me of President Franklin Roosevelt in his voice and delivery. Oh George I wish you could have seen a way out of your misery.
Never missed this show
This is a great interview!
He seems so nice!
It should be noted that the Opera law-abiding was pretty pricey back in those days to go see you couldn't touch front roll or mid ochre seat but it was very good I never knew a Jack Lawson actually wrote this a tip of a hat to you sir wherever you may be
I'm not lying...I actually watched that stamp episode on youtube today!!! I stumbled onto this and had to see it...Jack always spoke so highly of George and the cast/crew in general of that show...you can see how important it was in his life.
Larson's last dramatic television appearance was in "Quickie," an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," in January 2010 - which aired on NBC. Larson played Dewey Butler, a grandfather of a young suspect allegedly taking revenge on women by spreading AIDS. He was actually quite good.
I really don't know how he got so type cast because he really was a talented actor, and actually played the original Corporal under Frank Sutton's Sergeant Carter on Gomer Pyle USMC in it's beginning seasons, for one episode. I think he chose not to continue with the show because he didn't want to get involved with another TV series, although I understand, but I think that might have been a career mistake as that role would have brought him out his type casting. He was a very convincing Marine Corporal
Would LOVE to view it!!!
Terrific man
Jack Larson, great actor, awesome Job performing Jimmy Olsen all those years.
Jack Larson died at age 87: Jack Edward Larson (February 8, 1928 - September 20, 2015) From Wikipedia.
Anyone else notice how the George Reeves Clark Kent character on the classic tv show was a pretty cool guy while the Christopher Reeve Clark Kent character in the movie was a clumsy geek,and Jack also played on some episodes of Gomer Pyle USMC.
All these years later, I still think Jack Larson was the best Jimmy Olsen.
He was more talented than i ever knew. If he got residuals he would have been well off.
Unfortunately residuals were several decades away. The only way an actor could really get rich in those days was if he owned the show. William Boyd mortgaged everything he had to buy up his old "Hopalong Cassidy" movies and edited them into TV shows. He made huge money doing that.
@@daveconleyportfolio5192 You can thank Ronald Reagan for that. He was the president of the screen actors guild and SCREWED many famous actors & actresses out of residuals. The Three Stooges were the most well known as being screwed out of royalties related to their short subject films. Thank you Ronnie.
I think you have it backwards. He didn’t screw performers out of residuals. When he was president of the Screen Actors Guild, Ronald Reagan staged a showdown with studio executives and won the creation of the residual payment system that lives today. @@martinlutherbling424
@@martinlutherbling424 He thought they were a buncha commies lol
Actually The Adventures of Superman originally ran on tv from about 1952 to 1959.
Jack Larson aged very well! I also notice when they show the black & white clip, you see flashes of color, that's a problem TV stations had years ago. Many of them would cut the color completely during a B&W broadcast for this reason.
Larson played a bartender in Superman Returns in a nod to his Jimmy Olson days.
Check out Jack Larson's superb last acting role on an episode of Law and Order
So ahead of their time... like Hawaii 5-0..(68-80)
RIP RIH Angel Awesome Actor ❤❤
Bless you Jack !!
welcome back! It's been awhile...
The circumstances involving Georges death are highly suspect. Many folks leave the case open to foul play based on circumstance and lack of clear evidence regarding suicide. Evidently Jack went along with the official story. Perhaps he did this in order not to make any waves which might had affected his career negatively. Aside of that Jack Larson was a fantastic Jimmy Olsen and was good friends with his leading cast member George Reeves.
Adventures of Superman was a great show!
104 episodes Jack was in. That would be 10 seasons today! LOL
I always liked Jimmy Olsen's voice and delivery. I'm curious if the poster of this video substituted the entire PSA, as it seemed a bit long for the Letterman Show.
I substituted nothing. This is what aired. This was just over a month into Late Night’s run, where long clips were used, simply to fill airtime, because, at this time, guests were difficult to book.
I miss the old days of television.
he was in a relationship with Montogmery cliff, which would of been interesting to talk about!
SMALLVILLE should have had JACK LARSON as EDITOR JIMMY OLSON.
He was 54 at the time.
He was in a couple of the superman movies... One he was a bartender..
Jeepers - He's so serious.
I had such a crush on him as Jimmy Olsen when I was a kid. I wish I'd known he was gay at the time. Would have made growing up a little bit easier. Seems like a really kind guy. Thanks for posting!
Phyllis Coates was the hottest ... unfortunately she only played the first season... due to her decision to leave.. and then was replaced.. still hot @ 90+ years...
Me too!! I had a big crush on Jimmy Olsen...the the relationship between Jimmy Olsen and Clark Kent was over the top for me..
@@michaelgasiciel9317 as a kid, I always liked Noel better, she seem more likable as Phyllis was too rigid and serious. Phyllis was definitely a more serious actress and beautiful...her Lois was no nonsense...and I enjoy her episodes more today and appreciate her acting contrasting to Noel's which was more fun and friendly for kid viewers.
@@michaelgasiciel9317 Phyllis had been a successful pin-up girl, during the mid-to late 1940s...She made a few movies in the 1950s, after her stint as Lois Lane, but her career never really took off. She was a fabulous-looking woman.
@@michaelgasiciel9317 Phyllis Coates turned 96 in January! The last surviving cast member...
I was always a fan of Dave and his show. This was the first year of Late Night on NBC following his failed daytime show. He was minding his p’s and Q’s still in his probationary first year and not taking the liberties and license that later became his hallmark. Lucky for Jack, but Letterman always did maintain a reverence for certain sports figures, and show biz types that had made an impression on him as a young man growing up in the Midwest so Jack being the solid citizen that he was had carte Blanche and was going to be in Dave’s good graces no matter what era he had guested on.
He said he would never do another television series again, but did not say why. Would love to have learned why his experiences turned him against wanting to be a regular in a series (it seemed that he was open to being in an episode of a television series, but not a daily, regular character).
Jack did do an episode of Lois and Clark, and also appeared as a bartender in the film SUPERMAN RETURNS starring Brandon Routh.
@@bikefixer Thank you.
He did appear on the Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. episode "PFC Gomer Pyle" (1965).
@@StevieStitches
I remembered he was in one episode of Gomer Pyle, but I had no idea which one. Thank you so much. You identified which episode, and I looked it up on CZcams and watched it, something I wanted to do for years. Thanks again.
I just saw that episode just recently. At the end when he was holding back Sgt. Carter he was Jimmy all over again.
Typecasting is a problem in Hollywood. That said, I get the feeling that many of these actors who hit it big on a show tend to get a little full of themselves, they turn down parts because those parts are now "beneath them". Not saying that typecasting isn't a real issue and does hurt careers. But I think a character actor, or supporting actor, should take as many different parts as he can and never feel a part is not big enough or challenging enough. I recall after Bonanza became a hit Pernell Roberts starting mouthing off about the plots and scripts, saying they didn't "challenge" him as an actor. He quite the show in season 6 to go on to bigger and better things. Or so he thought. He wound up drifting to guest spots on TV shows for almost 15 years before hitting it big again with Trapper John, MD. I also recall Claude Akins saying he was never invited to any Hollywood parties. But his career spanned 40 years and he worked steadily as a first rate, reliable character actor that entire time before his untimely death at 67 of cancer.
Seems like Larson wasn't being offered much because he was too typecast. So not only were the parts not coming, but what he was offered was not interesting enough (or financially viable) for him to continue, especially since he had a (sounds like) greater love for writing over acting. He was very successful as the latter, and apparently happier for it.
Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) often spoke of this.
Jack Larson was a multi-talented individual who unfortunately ended up typecast as Jimmy Olsen. Not only that but he, and the rest of the 'Superman' cast, were paid peanuts and locked into a contract that made it impossible to find other work during the 1950s when Superman was on the air.
As 'Blue Skye' said, "Serious interview with a few light-hearted moments." I kinda wish there were one more: "When was it that you realized Superman was Clark Kent?" 😃
Jack Larson was always a class act. He was a real mover behind the scenes. He was gay and in a long-time committed relationship, which must have been difficult at times.
What a great guy. It is too bad he got typecast. But worse that he didn’t get residuals from the reruns. It seems inconceivable that those who had worldwide admiration don’t get a penny from reruns but faceless, untalented opportunists are making millions. Back then they didn’t even have the concept of reruns. Even though they didn’t know their show would be re-aired billions of times and be so valuable they still should have been compensated.
You can thank Ronald Reagan for that. He was the president of the screen actors guild and SCREWED many famous actors & actresses out of residuals. The Three Stooges were the most well known as being screwed out of royalties related to their short subject films. Thank you Ronnie.
@@martinlutherbling424 True, Reagan destroyed millions of people’s lives. He was a psychopath.
I think everyone involved in a movie should get residuals. They are the ones who created the program. I looked on Prime to see what a season of Superman cost. It was $16!!! And not a penny of that will go to the people who made the program popular. Like I said in my earlier post the people who are making millions off shows are non talent crooks. They do absolutely nothing. Same for Prime and other streaming services. It doesn’t cost anything to add programs to their databases. I’m so sick of greed and capitalism. We should tax the hell out of the extremely rich and impose extremely tough regulations on corporations. The tax rate under Eisenhower was 91%. That’s what we need to return to and we need to force corporations to pay workers livable wages. And give residuals to all actors and production teams even if it is a small percentage. Those percentages would add up over a person’s career so they could retire without worrying about affordable housing or healthcare. But to do that we need to throw all corporate owned politicians out of office and replace them with progressives. Progressives are the only ones who work for other people. Teddy Roosevelt was a progressive. So was FDR. Todays republicans would call them communists and socialists today. But republicans don’t even know what those words mean. They’re brainwashed dolts.
Outlaw greed!
very much missed
The best episode was 'Panic in the Sky', and Jimmy had a big role.
Poor guy was still desperate to be separated from that character. Success. I didn’t know all that about him. Don’t really care but recognize the human component of that which affects most of us at some time.
RIP JIMMY OLSON.😢
Just looking at jack makes me think Superman is somewhere nearby.
i gota one of those fancy Black berry's type writer that fits in my pocket
4:50 PSA
Died At 87 had a long life...
Noel Neil followed him 10 months later in 2016 in her 90's. I find it odd that Phyllis Coates is her age now just turned 94 on Jan 15th...Lois before Noel in that series, but Noel was the original Lois with Kirk Allyn prior serials and that's how they selected her after Phyllis quit.
Phyllis recently passed away on Oct 11, 2023 at the ripe age of 96, RIP...
Jack got worse type-casted than George. Such a great guy.
Cheapers Mr. Kent! God Bless
Jeepers is the word
@@SueProv It’s the Ricky Ricardo pronunciation.
Type cast. That was TV he was so right
This was taped 43 years ago. Is Jack Larson still alive and kicking ?
41 years. Passed away in 2015.
Good interview.
George Reeves might have been frustrated by being typecast, but obviously he had other problems that drove him to suicide.
I’m not surprised that the discussion didn’t go into those kinds of details.
Oh, you buy the suicide story?
To this day, the death of Reeves is controversial.
I don't!
I believe Jack just gave an easy answer, to an uninformed Letterman; &, his equally, mostly uninformed audience.
Far more tragically tjough, is that as one commenter said here, that he doesn't even care; whatever the subject: typecasting; shady deaths; residuals, ballet; opera; writing, theatre; plays; acting; literature; silent movies; Etc.; for nearly all Americans, they do NOT care; except, for beer, hotdogs, football, sports, sex, pop culture tv., cartoons, violence; &, all things: mindless; lazy; very stupid; &, braindead.
Jack Larson was a close friend with Montgomery Clift
Just say it...he was gay
@@spaniardsrmoors6817 No wonder He wasn't interested in Lois Lane.
😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁
No kidding
He was the only Jimmy Olsen I really liked.
Jack Larsen Hated Flying in Planes.... Jack and Noel Neal were next door neighbors
Well, how about that!