Raiders of the Lost Ark - Card #1

A change of card series....

The next few posts will be of the 1981 Topps movie photo card series of Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark.

There were 88 cards in this set including one title card and one checklist card. There were 4 character cards. The rest of the set was made up of colour scenes from the movie inside a snake design frame. On the back of the cards is some narrative describing the scene portrayed on the front of the card. This made a change from many other Topps sets which would usually have a puzzle-back.

Here is the title card and it's backing.

What's Topps about this card?

1. It's the title card...speaks for itself

2. A sort of rarity at the time as most card sets at the time jumped straight in with a character card or action card...but these were the 80's...crazy times!

3. The ladies (not that there would be many lady card collectors) could swoon over the handsome looks of Mr Harrison Ford in that famous adventurers hat.

Jackie Cooper as Perry White - card #7

Card #7 of the 1978 Superman: The Movie card set issued by Topps is the actor recognition card for Jackie Cooper, who played the role of Perry White, the editor of the Daily Planet newspaper that Clark and Lois worked for.

From memory, it wasn't the best of parts to play in the film, but it helped give Jackie Cooper renewed fame on front of the camera in the 1970's and 80's.

Coopers credits in film and TV are too long to mention all here, but he started as a child actor in the 1929 film 'Skippy' and even directed many episodes of the hit TV series M*A*S*H in the 1970's.

According to his bio he turns 89 this year and has survived 3 marriages, the last ending tragically when his 3rd wife, of 55 years passed away in 2009.

What's Topps about this card?

1. He's the only guy who can boss Superman around and get away with it

2. It's Jackie Cooper...he's a screen legend!

3. What other trading card can you find a cigar, a bow tie and eldow patches all on the same piece of cardboard.

Need Beatty as Otis - card #6

Superman: The Movie card #6 depicts Otis, played by Ned Beatty. Otis was of course Lex Luther's bumbling henchman.

This is where the bad guys in hero vs. villian stories never quite seem believable. What master criminal would have a fat, lazy, stupid side kick to do his bidding for him? Otis looks like he could easily be swayed with a block of chocolate....perhaps he was...but Luther was never going to go far with Otis at his side.

Ned Beatty, according to IMDB.com has appeared in over 100 films. His first being in the grim backwoods thriller Deliverance, way back in 1972. His character in that film was brutally sodomized by a hillbilly...so some beginning for him then.

What's Topps about this card?

1. You won't find many trading cards where the actor is wearing a hat like that.

2. Let's stick with fashion...what's he doing what that tie?

3. He's more hunchman than henchman...one day a super hero will run into a bad guy the likes of those in Guy Ritchie's London gangland flicks...they live for money, not a Hersey bar.

Valerie Perrine as Eve - card #5

The lovely Valerie Perrine adorns the 5th card of the Superman: The Movie card set series #1.

Valerie played the role of Eve Teschmacher, moll to super criminal Lex Luther. She was actually nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Saturn Awards (what ever they are?).

We all know that Eve really fancied Superman, but was torn between Luther and being the good girl that she most likely was.

Valerie Perrine reprised the Eve Teschmacher for Superman II and believe it or not but she was even once nominated for a Academy Award and BAFTA for her portrayal of Honey Bruce in the 1974 film Lenny. Contrastingly, she also starred in the Village People movie flop that was We Can't Stop The Music.

What's Topps about this card?

1. Well Valerie brings a little sexiness to the film that's for sure...she was a Playboy covergirl in 1972

2. A Hero vs Villain story isn't complete without a lady who tries to please both sides.

3. That so much looks like a wig she's wearing...it's just too blonde and too full

Zooming Across The Sky

Here we have card #4 from the Topps produced Superman - The Movie trading card set series 4.

CGI has certainly come a long way since this movie was filmed...sure they still use the famous 'green screen', but at least the backgrounds nowadays are fit more seamless with actors movement. Not to say Superman was poor in away...it was top rate CGI for the 1970's...can't get enough of it!

What's Topps about this card?

1. It's the first action picture in the card set.

2. If you were really drunk, you could attempt to fool your friends by holding this card up to a door with a peephole and make them think that Superman was about to come crashing in on them.

3. Technically, they've got the card slogan wrong...he's not really zooming across the sky as such...more like zooming up...but hey, I only write here :)

Behind every good man...there's a better woman. Card #3

Card #3 of the Superman The Movie trading card set saw the introduction card of Lois Lane...Superman's other Krytonite.

It's possible to say that if it weren't for Lois, poor old Clark wouldn't have been the bumbling fool that he was...I mean, if you had Lois Lane working in your office wouldn't you be falling over yourself to get yourself noticed.

Sadly Margot Kidder didn't get many other opportunities to shine on the silver screen outside of the Superman films. Believe it or not she married 3 times, each time for less than a year and now prefers the company of dogs...well don't we all.

What's 'Topps' about this card?

1. That's Lois Lane for christ sakes. The name speaks for itself.

2. Suzanne Street or Rebecca Road just weren't going to do for a catchy name...still though, the James Bond lasses had better movie names than Lois Lane.

3. Other actresses to have played Lois Lane include: Noel Neill, Phyllis Coates, Teri Hatcher and Erica Durance

Is it a wig? Is it a plane? card #2

Card #2 from the Superman The Movie trading card set released by Topps in 1978.

On this here card we see the lesser alter ego of Superman....Mr Clark Kent. What devilish charm and awkward sense of handsomeness he purveys. No wonder all the ladies had trouble in trying to resist his non-advances.

When we were trying to come up with name for our first born son....we wanted him to have the initials of C.K. ...for some reason or the other. My sister put forward the name of Clark Kent...with a sense of jest in her voice. But as good a name of it is, it wasn't quite what we were looking for.

What's 'Topps' about this card?

1. Is it the square chin, those larger than necessary glasses or maybe the reverse parting of the hair (you may note that Super parted his hair from the left, while Clark parted from the right).

2. Is that a wig he was wearing or was he doing his best to look like a lego man?

3. You just don't see enough men wearing a handkerchief in his suit pocket these days. Clark, your fashion was ahead of it's time.

You've got to start somewhere....post #1

Born on Krypton and raised on Earth, Superman is a being of immense power, strength and invulnerability who after realizing his destiny to serve mankind uses his powers to protect and save others.

This is card #1 from the official trading card set produced by Topps in 1978 to coincide with the release of the film. There were 2 series of cards produced for the movie.

Series one contained 77 cards and 12 stickers (6 of which were of the foil variety).
The Series two card set was released the following year in 1979.

What's 'Topps' about this card?
1. Come on! ..... It's the first card in the set

2. You can't beat that dazzling Man of Steel suit with the unique shade of blue

3. If you look close enough, it appears that they've photoshopped his waist...you have to admit he looks a little slim here...the days before 6 packs.