Viking Magazine - August 2013 - 46

Q&A
Super Woman
Noel Neill got her start in Hollywood with a little help
from Bing Crosby, and soon became a triple threat in the
entertainment industry. BY DAVE TOMPKINS
he's been a singer,
dancer, model and
has portrayed dozens
of roles from cowgirl to the
All-American girl next door.
During WWII, one of her
photos became a favorite of
GIs. For baby boomers and
others who have seen her in
the classic 1950s television
show, " The Adventures
of Superman, " Noel Neill
will forever be known as
Lois Lane-Superman's
love interest and intrepid
girl reporter. Crediting her
health and longevity to her
Norwegian roots, the 93-yearold
Minneapolis native is
still active, appearing in fan
conventions throughout the
country. Viking spoke with
Neill about her career.
S
Q How did you get your
start in the entertainment
business?
A I've been a professional
singer and dancer since I was
10 years old. I performed in
vaudeville at Minneapolis' RKO
Orpheum Theatre with the
then-unknown Andrews Sisters.
Eventually, I went to Los Angeles
and began singing at a hotel.
Bing Crosby heard me and hired
me to perform at his place, the
Turf Club.
46 VIKING AUGUST 2013
Q How did your career go
from singing to acting?
A I was singing at a Phoenix
hotel when I met the fi lm crew for
the Bill Holden western " Arizona. "
A publicist took photos of
me sitting on one of the horses.
Even though I didn't appear in
the fi lm, the photos were used in
promotions and seen by studio
heads who offered me roles in
movies like " Henry Aldrich for
President. " I signed a seven-year
contract with Paramount, and it
just took off from there.
Q How did you get cast as
Lois Lane?
A Because of my work in movie
serials like " Brick Bradford " and
" The Adventures of Frank and
Jesse James, " I won the Lois Lane
role in the 1948 " Superman "
series. It was one of the most
successful series that year and
saved [Columbia Pictures] from
bankruptcy. The follow up serial,
" Atom Man vs. Superman, " in
1950 was even more successful.
I didn't appear in the follow-up
Superman feature fi lm ( " Superman
and the Mole Men " ), which
led to the television show. Phyllis
Coates took over as Lois, so I
worked on other projects. When
Phyllis decided not to return after
the fi rst season, I returned and
I've been Lois ever since.
sonsofnorway.com
Q The " Adventures of
Superman " ended in 1959.
What did you do afterwards?
A I retired from show business
and enjoyed being a beach bum.
Eventually I returned to work
for MGM, helping to sell TV
programs to individual stations.
In the 1970s, I went to colleges
and conventions to talk about
my time as Lois Lane. For steady
work, I answered fan mail for a
television actor who was falling
behind due to fi lm demands in
Hawaii. I became the coordinator
of Tom Selleck's mail, and was I
busy! I kept acting with bit rolls
in other Superman related movies
and shows.
Q What are your thoughts
about your Lois Lane fame?
A I'm still stopped by women
who thank me for my role as
Lois. She was one of the few
women on television who had a
real job and could compete with
a man. She helped girls dream of
careers and become more than
they thought they could. I'm
proud to be part of that.
Name: Noel Neill
Ancestry: Sandnes,
Norway
Born: Minneapolis,
Minnesota
Profession: Singer,
dancer and actress
Most Famous Role:
Lois Lane from the classic
1950s TV series " Adventures
of Superman. "
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - August 2013

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