Superman is a 1978 superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero Superman, played by Christopher Reeve. It is the first of four installments in the Superman film series starring Reeve as Superman. The film was directed by Richard Donner based on a screenplay by Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton. In addition to Reeve, the film features an ensemble cast including Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Jeff East, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Jackie Cooper, Trevor Howard, Marc McClure, Terence Stamp, Valerie Perrine, Ned Beatty, Jack O'Halloran, Maria Schell, and Sarah Douglas. It depicts the origin of Superman, including his infancy as Kal-El of Krypton, son of Jor-El (Brando), and his youthful years in the rural town of Smallville. Disguised as reporter Clark Kent, he adopts a mild-mannered disposition in Metropolis and develops a romance with Lois Lane (Kidder) while battling the villainous Lex Luthor (Hackman).
Leslie Bricusse OBE was a British composer, lyricist, and playwright who worked on theatre musicals and wrote theme music for films. He was best known for writing the music and lyrics for the films Doctor Dolittle; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; Scrooge; Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory; Tom and Jerry: The Movie; the titular James Bond film songs "Goldfinger" and "You Only Live Twice"; "Can You Read My Mind? " from Superman; and "Le Jazz Hot!" from Victor/Victoria.
Hans Hugo Harold Faltermeyer is a German musician, composer and record producer.
"Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by the Jackson 5. The song was originally written and intended for the Supremes; however, Motown decided it would be better for the Jackson 5. It was the first single released from the group's 1971 album Maybe Tomorrow, and was one of the group's most successful records. It has been covered numerous times, most notably in 1974 by Gloria Gaynor and in 1987 by British pop group the Communards.
Love & Kisses is a 1970s disco group assembled by European producer Alec Costandinos, with a variety of male and female singers.
Thank God It's Friday is a 1978 American musical-comedy film directed by Robert Klane and produced by Motown Productions and Casablanca FilmWorks for Columbia Pictures. Produced at the height of the disco craze, the film features The Commodores performing "Too Hot ta Trot", and Donna Summer performing "Last Dance", which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1978. The film features an early performance by Jeff Goldblum and the first major screen appearance by Debra Winger. The film also features Terri Nunn, who later achieved fame in the 1980s new wave group Berlin. This was one of several Columbia Pictures films in which the studio's "Torch Lady" came to life in the opening credits, showing off her moves for a few seconds before the start of the film.
Domenico Monardo, known as Meco, was an American record producer and musician, as well as the name of his band or production team. Meco is best known for his 1977 space disco version of the Star Wars theme from his album Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk; both the single and album were certified platinum in the US.
Anthony Carmine Bongiovi Jr is an American record producer and recording engineer. He is the cousin of musician Jon Bon Jovi.
The various film and theatre appearances of the Superman character have been accompanied by musical scores.
William Harold Wheeler Jr., is an American orchestrator, composer, conductor, arranger, record producer, and music director. He has received numerous Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominations for orchestration, and won the 2003 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations for Hairspray.
"Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" is a song recorded by Meco, taken from the album Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 1, 1977, holding on to the spot for two weeks and peaked at no. 7 on the UK Singles Chart, remaining in the charts for nine weeks. The single was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, having sold a million units.
Superman is a 1989 arcade action game released by Taito and featuring the DC Comics character Superman. While not directly based on the original film series, throughout much of the game the "Superman Main Theme" and "Can You Read My Mind" from the Superman films are used as background music.
Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk is the debut studio album of American musician Meco that was released through Millennium Records in summer 1977. Meco, who had a steady career as a session musician and producer, was an avid science fiction fan. Upon watching Star Wars (1977), he conceived the idea of re-working its score; he later had a meeting with Neil Bogart of Casablanca Records who approved the project. By June 1977, Meco was working with Tony Bongiovi and Harold Wheeler, recording at MZH Studio, New York City, for three weeks. Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk is a disco and jazz fusion album that consists of two medleys; "Star Wars" consists of nine sections and recreates sounds from the movie and "Other Galactic Funk" is made up of three sections.
"Crazy Rhythm" is a thirty-two-bar swing show tune written in 1928 by Irving Caesar with music by Joseph Meyer and Roger Wolfe Kahn for the Broadway musical Here's Howe.
I've Got You is the third album by vocalist Gloria Gaynor released in 1976. It was her first on Polydor Records, which had absorbed her previous label MGM Records and soon became a force in the disco genre. The album charted in the US Billboard at #107 in the US Pop chart and at #40 in the US R&B chart.
Superman III: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, based on the film Superman III, features contributions by Ken Thorne and various artists and was released in 1983. A CD of this album coupled with the Superman II album was released in Japan.
Santo J. "Sonny" Russo was an American jazz trombonist.
Encounters Of Every Kind is an album by Meco, released in 1978. It was recorded after the success of Meco's platinum-selling album Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk and contains two sides of linked songs. In contrast to the previous album and contrary to an album title that suggests a similar focus on the music from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, this album is presented as a musical trip through time with stops in the age of the Dinosaurs, ancient Rome, medieval England, the Old West, 1920s Chicago and others, with no special focus on any particular film until the final track which is a version of the theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
"Doctor's Orders" is a song written by Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway and Geoff Stephens which, in 1974, was a hit in the UK for Sunny of Sue and Sunny; in the US the song was a hit for Carol Douglas.
