The Many Faces Of… Jimmy Olsen

We all know that Superman has some super friends. Being a member of the Justice League means that he gets to hang out with Batman, run races with the Flash, and even occasionally flirt with Wonder Woman. So with friends like these, who actually gets the honor of holding the title “Superman’s Pal”? It’s a young, freckle-faced, redheaded cub photographer with a bow tie and a signal watch. His name is Jimmy Olsen.

Jimmy made his first appearance in the comic books in 1941, in Superman #13. Despite being a supporting character, Jimmy eventually gained enough popularity to land his very own comic book series. “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen” debuted in 1954 and ran for 20 years. The series often featured wacky adventures that involved Jimmy being transformed into various creatures, such as a Turtle Boy, a wolfman, a gorilla, and the super-stretchable Elastic Lad.

When Superman made his initial live-action appearance in the 1948 movie serials starring Kirk Alyn, Jimmy was there to lend a hand at the Daily Planet as well. Jimmy was played by Tommy Bond, who was previously best known as Butch from the “Our Gang” shorts. Bond continued to play Jimmy in the follow-up serial in 1950, “Atom Man vs. Superman.”

For “The Adventures of Superman” TV series in 1952, Jack Larson stepped into Jimmy Olsen’s suit and bow tie, occasionally accompanying Lois Lane and Clark Kent on stories and frequently finding himself in need of rescuing. Mister Larson would go on to make guest appearances in several other incarnations of the Superman legend. He appeared in an episode of “Superboy” in 1991, played an aged Jimmy Olsen on “Lois and Clark” in 1996, and had a cameo as a bartender in the 2006 “Superman Returns” movie.

When Superman and his friends got animated in the 1960’s, Jack Grimes, the voice of Sparky from “Speed Racer,” provided the voice of Jimmy. Grimes held the role throughout various animated incarnations that included “The New Adventures of Superman,” “The Batman/Superman Hour,” and “The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure.” Some of Mister Grimes’ live-action appearances on television include episodes of “All in the Family” and “Maude.”

In 1978, Superman burst onto the big screen in the first epic film starring Christopher Reeve in the title role. Here, he was joined by Marc McClure as Jimmy. McClure returned for all three sequels, in 1980, 1983, and 1987, respectively. In addition to this, he also appeared as Jimmy Olsen in the “Supergirl” movie in 1984, which starred Helen Slater as Superman’s cousin, Kara. McClure was the only cast member from the Superman movies to appear in this spin-off film. He has also appeared in the “Back to the Future” movies, “Apollo 13,” and episodes of “ER” and “Cold Case.”

In 1988, Ruby Spears premiered a short lived animated version of the Man of Steel’s adventures. Jimmy appeared here as well, voiced by Mark L. Taylor. Current audiences would probably recognize him from has appearances as Mister Steinberg on “Desperate Housewives,” which of course stars a former Lois Lane, Teri Hatcher. Mark L. Taylor has also appeared on “Joan of Arcadia,” “Summerland,” and “Malcolm in the Middle.” Jimmy wasn’t the only friend of Superman’s that Mister Taylor has voiced, however. He had previously provided the voice of Firestorm, one of Superman’s teammates on the “SuperFriends” cartoons, just a few years earlier.

The next live action version of the Superman story had not just one Jimmy Olsen, but two. When “Lois and Clark” premiered in 1993, Michael Landes played the role of Jimmy. With jet-black hair and no bow tie, the Landes Jimmy referred to Clark as “C.K.” and tried to pursue Cat Grant, Lois’s sister Lucy, and several other women, usually with minimal success. He used the catch phrase “smooth,” and often found himself trying to prove himself as a reporter to Perry White.

When the series returned for a second season, fans were surprised and confused to find Lois and Clark calling someone else “Jimmy.” For reasons that still are not quite clear, Landes was replaced by Justin Whalin in the role of the cub photographer. Reasons that are often given are that the producers wanted a younger, more “teen heart-throb” type to rival Jonathan Brandis, who starred on “SeaQuest DSV” in the same timeslot, or that Landes and Dean Cain looked too much alike.Whalin’s Jimmy had more of a “hip” attitude, occasionally wearing cowboy boots and even riding a motorcycle in one episode. His Jimmy seemed to have a little more luck with the ladies than Landes did, landing a date with Denise Richards in one episode (well, a character played by Denise Richards at least). Whalin played the role of Jimmy for the remainder of the series.

After leaving the show, Michael Landes was briefly on a failed sitcom called “Union Square.” The show co-starred Jim Pirri, who had played Dan Scardino on “Lois and Clark” in season two. Landes later had a role in the movie “Final Destination 2.” Justin Whalin went on to star in a movie version of “Dungeons and Dragons.” Before his “L&C” fame, Whalin had starred in the movies “Child’s Play 3,” “Serial Mom,” and appeared on the show “Blossom.”

In 1996, a new animated version of Superman took flight on the WB. This time out, David Kaufman provided the voice of Jimmy, who sported a mullet of red hair. Kaufman continued to voice Jimmy when the show spun off into “Justice League” and “Justice League Unlimited” several years later. Mister Kaufman’s live-action appearances include “ER,” “Boston Legal,” and “The Closer.”

With the sixth season premiere of “Smallville” on the CW network on September 28th, 2006, another actor stepped into the role of Jimmy Olsen. Aaron Ashmore played Jimmy, who had previously been referred to as a love interest of Chloe Sullivan in a fourth season episode. Ashmore made several more appearances throughout the season, as Jimmy and Chloe worked together at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. He then officially joined the cast as a series regular at the start of season seven. Interestingly, he refers to Clark as “C.K.,” a trait originated by the Landes Jimmy on “Lois and Clark.”

In the summer of 2006, “X-Men” director Bryan Singer got a chance to bring the Man of Steel back to the big screen in the blockbuster film “Superman Returns.” Of course, the return of Superman also meant the return of his supporting cast, including Jimmy Olsen. Sam Huntington returned the character to his more classic, slightly awkward, “Gee, Mister Kent” roots, while still making him believable as a friend to Clark as he fills him in on what he’s missed while he’s been away. Huntington has also appeared on “Veronica Mars,” “CSI: NY” and “CSI: Miami,” as well as the film “Not Another Teen Movie.”

Ashmore has several other connections both to “Smallville” and the Superman mythology. He has previously appeared on “Veronica Mars,” just like Sam Huntington. In fact, the two Jimmys appeared together in one episode, “You Think You Know Somebody.” He has also appeared on “The Famous Jett Jackson,” which starred Lee Thompson Young, who played Victor Stone on “Smallville” in the fifth season episode “Cyborg.” Aaron’s twin brother is actor Shawn Ashmore, who played Bobby “Iceman” Drake in the “X-Men” films, and appeared in two episodes of “Smallville.” Shawn played Eric Summers, a classmate who stole Clark’s super powers, in the episode “Leech” in season one and “Asylum” in season three.

With the seventh season episode “Persona,”another former Jimmy Olsen returns to spotlight on “Smallville.” Marc McClure, the Jimmy Olsen of the Christopher Reeve era, will play Dax-Ur, a de-powered Kryptonian living on earth. McClure joines the ranks of many other former Superman actors to guest star on the series, including Dean Cain, Margot Kidder, Helen Slater, and Christopher Reeve himself.

So after all this, we are still left with a question. Why Jimmy Olsen? Why would Superman, a guy who can leap tall buildings and outrun speeding bullets, need someone like Jimmy as his pal? It’s not in spite of Jimmy’s lack of super powers, but rather, because of them. Jimmy is just an ordinary guy who is trying to make it in the busy world of Metropolis and the hectic pace of The Daily Planet.

Jimmy is not just Superman’s pal, but also Clark Kent’s. He is someone who Clark can go to a ball game with, or joke around about Perry’s latest tirade in the newsroom. He is also one of Superman’s biggest fans, and that gives the Man of Steel something to live up to. Knowing that someone as honest and sincere as Jimmy Olsen looks up to him keeps him doing his best to meet the high expectations that the world has of him. And for the fans who have read Superman’s adventures in the comics and watched them on TV and the movies? Jimmy Olsen is us. We all wish we could hang out with Superman, too, and we get to do it vicariously through Jimmy Olsen, the “average joe” who gets to call Superman his pal.

Note: The views of Russ Dimino don’t necessarily represent the thoughts and feelings of everyone at KryptonSite.

Many of these past Superman actors and events are featured in the documentary “Look! Up In The Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman.”