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Acknowledgements
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(1928– ). American actor and writer.
Appeared in documentaries: Superman's
50th Anniversary (Robert Boyd 1988); "Who Killed Superman?" (1995), episode
of Unsolved Mysteries; "George Reeves: The Perils of a Superhero"
(2000), episode of Biography; The China Syndrome: A Fusion of Talent
(Laurent Bouzereau 2004); The China Syndrome: Creating a Controversy (Bouzereau
2004); "Writing, Rehearsing, and Recording" (2005), episode of
TV Land Confidential; In a Single Bound (Ross Marroso 2006).
Since his is the sort of acting that rarely earns awards or critical
analyses, it may be difficult to articulate the skills that made Larson's work
so memorable. Certainly, there is the quality identified by no less than Sir
Laurence OLIVIER in a personal conversation with Larson, the undeniable "energy"
of his performance. One also notes a determination to treat his material with
the utmost respect and a constant attentiveness to what the actors around him
are doing. Finally, while the other Jimmy Olsens may
be tempted to occasionally endow their characters with a bit of maturity and
gravitas, Larson wholeheartedly embraced his role as a stupid bumbler and all-around nice guy and made himself the emotional
centerpiece of the series; viewers could respect George REEVES's
Superman or Noel NEILL's Lois Lane, but the character
they really loved was Jimmy Olsen. No other performer has ever had a greater
impact on the entire Superman saga, for Larson single-handedly transformed what
was originally a minor character (first created only to give the radio Superman
somebody to talk to) into a central figure of the mythology who became the star
of his own long-running comic book and an essential presence in all subsequent
Superman adventures.
Despite the brilliance of his portrayal of Jimmy Olsen, however, Larson's
most impressive performance may have come away from the camera, after the
series was ended by Reeves's suicide and he found that, indelibly identified as
Olsen, he could no longer find other roles. Other actors in similar situations
have drifted into alcoholism, or have turned into global vagabonds, searching
out ever less and less prestigious venues willing to give them one more chance
to relive old glories. Larson would have none of that. Calmly accepting his
situation, he gave up his acting career, came out as a gay man, settled into a
long-term relationship with writer-director James Bridges (best known for
The China Syndrome), and devoted himself
to writing for the stage. If he missed standing in front of the camera, he gave
no sign of it, although if any documentary filmmakers ever came along with
questions to ask about his experiences with Superman, Larson was always willing
to provide them with thoughtful, intelligent answers. Furthermore, if the
makers of later Superman adventures (like the series Superboy and Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and the film
Superman Returns) invited him to make a
cameo appearance, he accepted graciously and gave them a good performance; if
the makers of other Superman adventures (like the Christopher Reeve films)
issued no such invitations, he made no public complaints. It was
so good to see him again in Superman Returns as Bo the Bartender,
serving beers to the latest Clark Kent (Brandon Routh)
and the latest Jimmy Olsen (Sam Huntington) and, in between takes, no doubt
giving Huntington some excellent advice about how to play Jimmy Olsen and,
perhaps more importantly, about how to give up the part when the proper time
comes.
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