Superman (1978)
Christopher Reeve: Superman, Clark Kent
Photos
Quotes
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[Superman and Lois are standing on opposite sides of a large planter]
Lois Lane : What color underwear am I wearing?
Superman : [looking] Hmmm...
Lois Lane : Oh, I'm sorry, I embarrassed you, didn't I?
Superman : Oh, no, no, no, not at all, Miss Lane, it's just that this planter must be made of lead.
Lois Lane : Uh, yes it is. So?
Superman : Well, you see, I, uh, I sort of have a problem seeing through lead.
Lois Lane : Oh, that's interesting.
Lois Lane : [Writing] Problem seeing through lead. Hmmm. Uh, d-do you have a first name?
Superman : What do you mean, like, uh, Ralph or something?
Lois Lane : No, no, I mean like...
[walks away from the planter]
Superman : Pink.
Lois Lane : Huh?
Superman : Pink.
[Lois walks back to the planter]
Superman : Um, sorry, Miss Lane, I didn't mean to embarrass you.
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Lois Lane : Any more at home like you?
Clark Kent : Uh, not really, no.
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Clark Kent : Really, Lois, supposing that man had shot you? Is it worth risking your life over ten dollars, two credit cards, a hairbrush, and a lipstick?
Lois Lane : How did you know that?
Clark Kent : Know what?
Lois Lane : You just described the exact contents of my purse.
[Clark peeks in her purse]
Clark Kent : Hmm. Uh, wild guess.
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Superman : Is that how a warped brain like yours gets its kicks? By planning the death of innocent people?
Lex Luthor : No, by causing the death of innocent people.
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Clark Kent : Excuse me, Mr. White. I was wondering if, if, uh, perhaps you could arrange for half my salary to be sent to this address on a weekly basis.
Lois Lane : Your bookie, right?
Clark Kent : My what?
Lois Lane : Don't tell me: he sends a check every week to his sweet, grey-haired old mother.
Clark Kent : Actually, she's silver-haired.
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[a thug strikes Superman from behind with a crowbar, it vibrates his hands]
Superman : Bad vibrations?
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Jor-El : [in the Fortress of Solitude] You... enjoyed it.
Superman : I don't know what to say, Father. I'm afraid I just got carried away.
Jor-El : I anticipated this, my son. I...
Superman : [surprised] You couldn't have! You couldn't have imagined...
Jor-El : ...How good it felt.
[Clark nods]
Jor-El : You are revealed to the world. Very well, so be it. But you must still keep your secret identity.
Superman : But why?
Jor-El : The reasons are two. First, you cannot serve humanity twenty-eight hours a day.
Superman : Twenty-four.
Jor-El : Or twenty-four, as it is in Earth time. Your help would be called for endlessly, even for those problems which human beings could solve themselves. It is their habit to abuse their resources in such a way.
Superman : And, secondly?
Jor-El : Secondly, your enemies will discover their only way to hurt you: by hurting the people you care for.
Superman : Thank you, Father.
Jor-El : Lastly... Do not punish yourself for your feelings of vanity. Simply learn to control them. It is an affliction common to all, even on Krypton. Our destruction could have been avoided had it not been for the vanity of some who considered us indestructible. Were it not for vanity, why... at this very moment...
[sadly]
Jor-El : I could embrace you in my arms. My son.
[Kal-El reaches yearningly toward his father's image; Jor-El fades, leaving Kal-El alone]
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[after Luthor has explained his master plan to Superman]
Lex Luthor , Superman : Well. What do you think, "Supe", baby? Interesting?
Superman : Well, your theory's quite impressive, Luthor.
Lex Luthor : [to Otis] Otis, would you go to the viewing room, please?
[Otis departs]
Superman : But as for the rest, it's nothing but a sick fantasy.
Lex Luthor : [chuckles] Fantasy? No, no. It's *history*. It's *happening*, Superman.
[screams]
Lex Luthor : Miss Teschmacher!
[She enters]
Miss Teschmacher : Yes, Lex?
Lex Luthor : [without turning to look at her] Where's the rocket now?
Miss Teschmacher : It's going like a bat over the Grand Canyon! So's the other one.
Superman : [concerned] The other one? There's two of them?
[Luthor snaps his fingers at Eve, and she departs as well as he sits on a lead-lined trunk]
Lex Luthor : Yes, Superman. Double jeopardy. Even you with your great speed couldn't stop both of them. While I, on the other hand, could stop them with my detonator.
[Superman crosses to Luthor, grabs him by the shirt and coat, lifts him up high]
Superman : Alright, Luthor, where is it? Where's that detonator?
[Superman drops Luthor and begins scanning the room with his X-Ray vision. He checks out the safe and the desk but finds nothing. He then turns and sees the lead-lined trunk Luthor is sitting on]
Superman : You diseased maniac! Did you really think you could hide it from me by encasing it in lead?
[He tosses Luthor off the trunk and onto the couch behind him]
Superman : I'll mold this box into your prison bars!
Lex Luthor : [faux warning] Don't touch that!
[Superman dismisses the warning, opens the trunk and finds a glowing, green rock with a chain attached around it. He then looks pale and weak]
Lex Luthor : [smiling victoriously; chuckling] I told ya. It's kryptonite, Superman. A little piece of the rock you were born on. I've spared no expense to make you feel right at home.
[Luthor gets up, pulls the rock out of the box by the chain, Superman desperately tries to raise his arm to shield himself from the rays]
Lex Luthor : You were great in your day, Superman. But it just stands to reason. When it came time to cash in your chips, this old... diseased maniac... would be your banker. Mind over muscle.
[Superman is trying to slide himself along the wall when Luthor finally places the chain around Superman's neck]
Superman : [weakly] You... don't even care... where the other missile's headed, do you?
Lex Luthor : Certainly, I do! I know exactly where it's headed. Hackensack, New Jersey.
[Luthor pushes Superman over the crumbled railing bordering the office portion of his complex. He falls into the pool below]
Lex Luthor : [gleeful] I have to leave you now. No hard feelings. We all have our little faults. Mine's in California.
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Superman : Why did... why did you kiss me first?
Miss Teschmacher : I didn't think you'd let me later.
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Clark Kent : [in Superman's voice] Lois, there's something I have to tell you. I'm really...
[In Clark's voice]
Clark Kent : I-I mean I was, at first, really nervous about tonight, uh... but then I decided, darn it! I'm gonna show you the time of your life.
Lois Lane : [still infatuated with Superman] That's Clark, nice.
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Perry White : Now look. The Post: "It Flies." The News: "Look, Ma, No Wires." The Times: "Blue Bomb Buzzes Metropolis." The Planet. "Caped Wonder Stuns City." We're sitting on top of the story of the century here! I want the name of this flying whatchamacallit to go with the Daily Planet like bacon and eggs, franks and beans, death and taxes, politics and corruption.
Clark Kent : I don't think he would lend himself to any cheap promotion schemes though Mr. White.
Perry White : Exactly how you would you know that, Kent?
Clark Kent : Uhm... Just a first impression?
Perry White : Well, anyway, who's talking cheap? I'll make him a partner, if that's what it takes!
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Superman : I never lie.
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[a cat burglar is climbing up the side of a building. He looks up and sees Superman standing there]
Superman : Hi there. Something wrong with the elevator?
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[Superman lands holding a cat burglar]
Superman : Officer! Uhm, good evening, Officer...
[glancing at the officer's nametag]
Superman : Mooney. Well, they say confession's good for the soul.
[takes a handful of stolen jewelry out of the burglar's bag]
Superman : I'd listen to this man. He's all yours.
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Perry White : Olsen! Why am I paying you forty dollars a week when I should have you arrested for loitering? Go get Mr... er...
Clark Kent : Kent.
Perry White : ...Kent here a towel!
Jimmy Olsen : Right, Chief.
Perry White : And make mine black and no sugar!
Jimmy Olsen : Right, Chief.
Perry White : And don't call me 'sugar'!
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Lex Luthor : [DELETED SCENE: at his underground manor, Luthor is playing the piano and singing] "You must've been a beautiful baby, you must've been a wonderful child; when you were only startin' to go to kindergarten, you must've drove the little boys wild; And when it came to winning blue ribbons, you must've shown the other kids how; I can see the judge's eyes, when he handed you the prize, you must've made the cutest bow; Yeah, you must've been a beautiful baby... 'Cause, baby, look at you now."
[He looks over at Eve T., who is about to be fed to Lex's "babies"]
Miss Teschmacher : [in tears] You can't do this to me...! Why, Lex? WHY?
Lex Luthor : Because I love you, Miss Teschmacher.
[He signals for Otis to drop Eve, which the henchman does. Then a familiar blue-and-red streak follows her down... and reappears, depositing Eve safely on the floor]
Superman : By the way, Miss Teschmacher, your mother sends her love.
[He gazes over at Luthor, who sighs in defeat]
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[the warden of a prison is sitting in his office when he hears the alarms sound & the guard dogs barking. He steps onto his balcony to see Superman flying into the prison yard, holding Luthor & Otis by the scruff of their jackets]
Lex Luthor : You're messing up my suit, you lummox, you!
Lex Luthor : [to Superman] Watch the ground!
[They land with a start. Luthor & Otis are immediately cornered by the guards]
Superman : Good evening, Warden. I think these 2 men should be safe here with you now till they can get a fair trial.
Warden : Who is it, Superman?
Lex Luthor : [Lex rips off his wig to reveal his bald head] Lex Luthor! The greatest criminal mind of our time!
Otis : [repeating what Lex says] ... Of our time!
Lex Luthor : I hereby serve notice...
Otis : He's serving notice to you...
Lex Luthor : That these walls...
Otis : That these walls here...
Lex Luthor : Will you shut up, please!
Superman : [to the guards] All right, take them away, boys!
[the guards take Luthor & Otis to a cell]
Lex Luthor : [shouting at Otis as the guards lead them away] Neanderthal! Nitwit! Nincompoop!
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Man in Street : I said, that'll be the day when a guy could fly, huh?
Clark Kent : Oh, I don't know. You'd be surprised.
Man in Street : Yeah.
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Lex Luthor : Now. As you may or may not know, I am as they say, very heavy into real estate. In order to make money in that game you have to buy for a little and sell for a lot. Right?
Otis : Right.
Lex Luthor : Right. So. Problem: how to make the land more valuable in between the time you buy it and the time you sell it.
[Luthor points to a map of California and the San Andreas Fault on the floor]
Lex Luthor : Now this is California. The richest, most populous state in the Union.
Superman : I don't need a geography lesson from you, Luthor.
Lex Luthor : Oh, yes, of course, you've been there. I do forget you get around, don't you.
[chuckles; to Otis]
Lex Luthor : Where was I?
Otis : California.
Lex Luthor : California. Right... the San Andreas Fault. Maybe you've heard of it.
Superman : Yes. It's the joining together of two land masses. The fault line is unstable and shifting, which is why you get earthquakes in California from time to time.
Lex Luthor : Wonderful. Couldn't have said it better myself.
[pointing to San Andreas fault line]
Lex Luthor : Everything west of this line is the richest, most expensive real estate in the world: San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco. Everything on *this* side of the line is just hundreds and hundreds of miles of worthless desert land. Which just so happens to be owned by...
[whacks Otis on the backside]
Otis : Lex Luthor Incorporated!
Lex Luthor : Now, call me foolish, call me irresponsible...
[laughing]
Lex Luthor : It occurs to me that a 500 megaton bomb planted at just the proper point would, uh...
Superman : [concerned] ... would destroy most of California. Millions of innocent people would be killed. And the West Coast as we know it would...
Lex Luthor : -- fall into the sea.
[gives a little wave]
Lex Luthor : Bye-bye, California. HELLO, new West Coast. My West Coast.
[Otis ducks down and overlays map with new map]
Lex Luthor : [reading from map] "Costa del Lex", "Luthorville", "Marina del Lex", "Otisburg"...
[looks at Otis]
Lex Luthor : "Otisburg"?
Otis : Miss Teschmacher, she's got her own place.
Lex Luthor : "Otisburg"?
Otis : [pleading] It's a little bitty place!
Lex Luthor : "OTISBURG"?
Otis : Okay, I'll just wipe it off, that's all. Just a little town.
Superman : You're a dreamer, Lex Luthor. A sick, twisted dreamer. Your plan couldn't possibly work.
Lex Luthor : I'll admit there were a few problems. Adjusting the precise trajectory of the missile, finding the optimum stress point for the fault line itself... which by the way is, uh, Target Zero, right
[smashes overlay of map with pointer]
Lex Luthor : here.
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[Superman bursts into Luthor's underground lair by breaking down the door]
Lex Luthor : [nonplussed] It's open, come in. My attorney will be in touch with you about the damage to the door.
[to Otis]
Lex Luthor : Otis, take the man's cape.
[Otis goes over to do so, but Superman shoots him a stern look]
Otis : I don't think he wants me to, Mr. Luthor.
Superman : Alright, Luthor. Where is it? Where's that gas pellet?
Lex Luthor : Somewhere.
[breaks into a smile]
Lex Luthor : It's in the back of my mind, actually. Just a little idea I was toying with.
Superman : Is that how a warped brain like yours gets its kicks? By planning the deaths of innocent people?
Lex Luthor : No. By causing the deaths of innocent people.
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Superman : I'm here to fight for truth, justice and the American way.
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Clark Kent : That doesn't seem to make sense.
Perry White : The world doesn't make sense, Kent. You ought to know that by now.
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Superman : Well, I certainly hope this little incident hasn't put you off flying, miss. Statistically speaking, of course, it's still the safest way to travel.
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Lois Lane : How'd you like your first day on the job?
Clark Kent : Oh. Well, frankly, the hours were sort of longer than I expected, but on the whole, I mean, meeting you and Jimmy Olsen and Mr White - gosh, I'd say it's been swell.
Lois Lane : Swell?
Clark Kent : Yeah.
Lois Lane : You know, Clark, there are very few people left in the world who feel comfortable saying that word.
Clark Kent : What word?
Lois Lane : "Swell."
Clark Kent : Really? I always thought it was kind of natural.
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Lois Lane : Gosh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shake it up like that.
Clark Kent : Oh, of course not, Lois. I mean, why would anyone want to make a total stranger look like a fool?
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Lois Lane : Do you like Mr White?
Clark Kent : Yeah, I thought he was a really nice guy. Jimmy Olsen was fantastic!
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Clark Kent : Oh, can I take you to the airport?
Lois Lane : Not unless you can fly.
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Clark Kent : Lois, I was wondering if maybe you would like to have a little dinner with me?
Lois Lane : Gosh, Clark, I'm sorry. I'm booked. Yeah, Air Force One's landing at the airport and this kid's there to make sure you-know-who answers a few questions he'd rather duck.
Clark Kent : My goodness, don't you ever let up?
Lois Lane : What for?
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Clark Kent : Frankly, I've never been able to understand violence in any form, Mr. White.
Perry White : I know that about you, Kent. That's one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you. I've been in this news game 40 years, man and boy. And I got where I am with guts, compassion, elbow grease, and something you're sadly lacking in, son.
Clark Kent : Humility?
Perry White : No, not humility. You got bags of humility. Aggression. Confidence! That's the ticket! Take charge. Let people know who you are.
