Superman Day at the New York World's Fair
"Superman Day" was celebrated at the New York World's Fair in Flushing
Meadows, Queens on Wednesday, July 3, 1940. The event was sponsored by
Superman Inc. and
Macy's Toyland.
The New York Times reported 3,000 people in attendance. The total
attendance at the World's Fair on "Superman Day" was approximately 36,000.
An estimated 1,000 children competed in races, rope-skipping contests, and
various other events to determine a "Super-Boy" and "Super-Girl" of the day.
The celebrity panel of contest judges included famed bodybuilder Charles Atlas
and Broadway performer Ray Middleton.
Contest winners William Aronis and Maureen Reynolds were awarded trophies and
a meeting with Superman creators
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Semi-finalists were given two complimentary passes to the
"Superman Adventure"
from Macy's Toyland. Other participants received a "Superman Day" Certificate
of Merit.
Both of Superman's creators attended the festivities. As a fan of
bodybuilding, Joe Shuster was most excited to have met Charles Atlas. Jerry
Siegel and Detective Comics co-founder Jack Liebowitz were filmed together
that day. The Kodachrome color footage of the event is from the Siegel estate.
A midday parade was led by the first actor to portray Superman in costume.
Photos of the unknown Superman were published in
Amazing World of DC Comics #7 (July–August 1975). Editor Allan Asherman
asked readers for help identifying the mystery man. Many sources credit
contest judge Ray Middleton based on information received by Asherman, but the
secret identity remains under debate.
Some sources attribute the actor based on a first day of issue envelope that reads, "Ray Middleton appeared as Superman at the fair for a live radio broadcast." However, The Adventures of Superman was not broadcast live on July 3, 1940. A transcription disc of the episode, "Hans Holbein’s Doll Factory" part 5 of 6, was played twice during the day in an event hall. WOR 710 gave away free Superman comic books during the afternoon awards presentation.
Some sources attribute the actor based on a first day of issue envelope that reads, "Ray Middleton appeared as Superman at the fair for a live radio broadcast." However, The Adventures of Superman was not broadcast live on July 3, 1940. A transcription disc of the episode, "Hans Holbein’s Doll Factory" part 5 of 6, was played twice during the day in an event hall. WOR 710 gave away free Superman comic books during the afternoon awards presentation.
Ray Middleton starred as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the World's
Fair production of "American Jubilee" from May 11, to October 27, 1940. Milton
Braker of The New York Times reported Middleton as a contest judge, but was
unable to identify Superman. Bracker also reported that the Superman actor
wore a helmet, but no photographs or video of this have surfaced. Later that afternoon, Ray Middleton was photographed by different
sources in front of the "American Jubilee" entrance. According to a
1946 interview with Bud Collyer , the Superman costume was filled by a "brawny, muscle-bound ex-pugilist."
The Superman float was accompanied by a procession of Boy Scouts, clowns, and
midget autos from the Theme Center to what is now Meadow Lake Bridge in
Flushing Meadows Corona Park. During the parade, 10,000 balloons were released
containing 150 randomly inserted Superman prize coupons. A trio of trained
Asian elephants were provided by "Frank Buck's Jungleland" exotic animal
exhibit. DC Comics owner Harry Donenfeld was filmed while riding an elephant.
"Superman Day" was organized by Allen Ducovny and Robert Joffe Maxwell,
developers of
The Adventures of Superman
radio serial. "The Man of Tomorrow" seemed like an obviously choice for the
"The World of Tomorrow" theme. The producers sought to attract sponsorships
and network syndication for the new program. Ducovny and Maxwell co-wrote the
iconic opening:
“Faster than an airplane, more powerful than a locomotive, impervious to
bullets. ‘Up in the sky – look!’ ‘It’s a bird.’ ‘It’s a plane.’ ‘It’s
Superman!’ ”
The following afternoon, a ticking satchel disguised as a radio was discovered
in the British Pavilion. Detectives Ferdinand Socha and Joseph Lynch moved the
bag to an area behind the Polish Pavilion. At 5:20 PM, the dynamite inside
detonated, killing both officers. A British agent was suspected of planting
the bomb to disrupt the July 4 celebration and provoke America into entering
World War II. The
terrorist act remains unsolved in the New York Police Department open files.
The New York World's Fair permanently closed on October 27, 1940. The first
giant Superman balloon appeared in The 17th Annual
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
on November 21, 1940.
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In high school, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster published a one-page preview of
the 1933 Chicago World's Fair in their early fan magazine,
Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization. "The World Fair '33" appears in issue No. 4, mailed to subscribers in
February 1933. The fanzine includes a fictional review of the RKO feature
King Kong. The print run was limited and very few copies still exist.
"Superman at the World's Fair" is featured in the 96-page
New York World's Fair Comics (April 1939). The 12-page story was
written by Jerry Siegel and illustrated by the Joe Shuster Shop. The team also
contributed 12 pages for Slam Bradley, an earlier Siegel and Shuster feature.
Superman appears on the cover of New York World's Fair Comics with blonde
hair. The cover image was penciled by DC editor Vin Sullivan and inked by Fred
Guardineer.
The second issue of New York World's Fair Comics was released in April
1940. The second issue features "Superman at the 1940 World's Fair," written
by Jerry Siegel and illustrated by Jack Burnley. Burnley was the first
Superman artist hired by DC from outside of the Joe Shuster Shop. Siegel also
contributed stories for Slam Bradley and the Red, White, and Blue team.
The cover illustration by Burnley depicts the first appearance of Superman
with Batman and Robin. A similar image was later used on advertising materials
for the
Superman Junior Defense League of America
and Superman Victory Kid Club.
In February 1941, DC released a quarterly magazine titled
World's Best Comics featuring solo stories for Superman and Batman. The
second issue was renamed World's Finest Comics. The series remained in
publication for 45 years, ending with issue #323 (January 1986).
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Asherman, Allan. "Superman at the World's Fair."
Amazing World of DC Comics, vol. 2, no. 7, National Periodical
Publications, July–August 1975.
Bracker, Milton.
"'Superman' Day is Held."
The New York Times, 4 July 1940, p. 13.
Brown, Tweed.
"He Makes Like Superman."
Tune In, September 1946, pp. 27-29.
Daniels, Les.
Superman: The Complete History: The Life and Times of the Man of Steel.
Chronicle, 2004.
Hayde, Michael J.
Flights of Fantasy: The Unauthorized but True Story of Radio & TV's
Adventures of Superman. BearManor Media, 2009.
"Kids Compete for Superman Awards." World's Fair Daily, no. 54, 3 July
1940, p. 1.
Kobler, John.
"Up, Up and Awa-a-y! The Rise of Superman, Inc."
The Saturday Evening Post, 21 June 1941, pp. 14-15, 73-76.
Pasko, Martin.
The DC Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book Featuring Rare Collectibles from the DC
Universe. Running Press, 2008.
"Police Die in Blast - Timed Device Explodes After It Is Taken Out of
Pavilion."
The New York Times, 5 July 1940.
Ricca, Brad.
Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster–the
Creators of Superman. St. Martin's Griffin, 2014.
Siegel, Jerry. Creation of a Superhero. Draft. 1979.
