It used to be that Superman was generally associated with
telephones, because in the 1950s television show Superman (which was syndicated on UHF
stations when I was a little kid), Superman usually jumped into a phone booth
to change into his Superman getup, and he was very well-known for doing this.
So I’m surprised we haven’t seen any Superman-related cellular telephone ads
before (or at least, I haven’t seen any on TV; maybe because he’s too expensive
to license). But with the news and rumors about the upcoming iPhone 5, I
thought it might be fun to bring this old Superman trope back, pressed into
service to help promote a “Super-smartphone”. So here’s a proposed TV ad of
mine for the iPhone 5 with a Superman scenario:
At the Daily Planet, Perry White is welcoming new hire Clark
Kent to the paper. (Clark Kent is dressed in a 1940s suit and hat, like in the
comics and the old TV show.) As the welcome ends, Lois Lane happens to walk
past the open door of Perry White’s office, and Perry White calls her in. As
Lois walks in the door, Perry White and Clark Kent walk towards the door, and
Mr. White introduces Kent to Lois Lane, suggesting that they go to lunch
together to get better acquainted, and to show Clark the city a bit. So off Lois
and Clark go together.
As Lois and Clark exit the Daily Planet building, Clark Kent
hears (with his Super hearing) someone scream for help as a bank is being
robbed across town. So Clark says he just remembers something he has to do
quickly, and he asks Lois Lane where the nearest phone booth is. So Lois says
for him to use her phone: an iPhone 5, and she hands it to Clark. Clark looks
at the phone in bewilderment, and says he needs the phone for something else,
and hands it back to Lois. So Lois says: “What do you need? This phone can do anything!” And she goes to the apps page and hands the phone
back to Clark, who looks at it confusedly for a moment, until he sees an app
logo that looks like his Superman “S”. So Clark presses the “S” button, and it
changes him into Superman, and he flies off (with Superman music trumpeting,
like from the old TV show). Lois cries: “Hey! Where’s my phone?” So Superman
flies back, hands Lois the phone, and flies off again to go save the day. Lois
then nonchalantly puts her phone back in her purse while saying to herself: “I
told you it could do anything!”
(This ad is basically an updating of the joke from the first
Christopher Reeve Superman movie, where he walks up to the little NYC phone
sconce and wonders what to do, because in the TV show and the comic book,
Superman used to change his clothes in a full-length telephone booth with the
closing door. This movie scenario was a big laugh in the theaters, and
hopefully this commercial would have a similar effect.)
Here is an example of a Superman cartoon where Clark Kent changes into his Superman suit in an old-style full-length phone booth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtpX1Yaq3JI
Here is an example of a Superman cartoon where Clark Kent changes into his Superman suit in an old-style full-length phone booth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtpX1Yaq3JI
