SuperMuseum (Illinois)

A unique little town lies in the midst of bottomland cornfields along the Illinois River. Metropolis, is by Illinois State declaration, the official home town to America's #1 super hero...SUPERMAN! At the foot of Market Street, behind the County Courthouse, stands a 15 foot bronze statue of Superman; a perfect compliment to the famous Superman Museum which houses the world's largest collection (3 million dollars worth!) of Superman memorabilia, celebrating the various incarnations of the ''Man of Steel''. Jim Hambrick, founder, curator and most avid of Superman enthusiasts...takes viewers on a passionate personal tour of his prized collection of Super memorabilia. Over 100,000 items are displayed within his 15,000 sq ft museum. Another 650,000 pieces are in storage ready for the museum's future expansion. DVDDASE1 REVIEW: SuperMuseum "Metropolis, perceived by many Superman fans as a big city, in reality is a small town in Illinois about 7,000 people. It is the home of Superman, and the SuperMuseum one of the largest collections of Superman memorabilia in the world. Metropolis is not on most vacation destination lists, so perhaps your library should provide patrons with the next best thing, Discoveries America, Special Edition - SuperMuseum, a new DVD tour of the SuperMuseum. Hosted by Jim Hambrick, Curator at SuperMuseum, this 30 minute DVD takes viewers on a walking tour of more than 75,000 Superman related items on display. The DVD features a variety of products that have something to do with Superman including cloths, belts, capes, shoes, dolls, games, puzzles, tops, rings, wristwatches, pictures and paintings, silverware, plates and of course original comic books. During the DVD tours you will see photos, props and wardrobes from Superman movies and television shows and signed pictures from actors that played roles of Clark Kent/Superman, Lois lane and Jimmy Olsen. The actual office furnishings and equipment used in the 1950's Superman television series The Adventures of Superman, staring George Reeves, are on display..." DVDDASE1 REVIEW: SuperMuseum "Sure it's kitschy, but what could be more fitting than a museum honoring Superman located in Metropolis, Illinois? Curator Jim Hambrick's SuperMuseum houses the world's largest collection of Superman memorabilia - Clark Kent's glasses, Marlon Brando's wig, the TV telephone booth - with over 100,000 items on display (and another 650,000 in storage for future expansion). Valued at close to $3 million, the SuperMuseum had a somewhat rocky beginning: in fact, the first statue of Superman was so ugly, it was used for target practice (the current statue is a 15-foot Man of Steel, or rather, bronze). In SuperMuseum - a "special edition" program in Jim and Kelly Watt's acclaimed Discoveries...America series - Hambrick takes viewers on an engaging tour of Metropolis' biggest attraction, which brings in fans from around the world. Recommended." DVDDASE1 REVIEW: Super Museum "The Discoveries America, Special Edition feature of Super Museum is an outstanding exploration of the Metropolis, Illinois museum for America's greatest super hero, Superman. Capturing a significant amount of what makes up over three-million dollars worth of Superman memorabilia, Super Museum is an engaging interpretation of the creative and fun dedication to Superman's history, progression, and memorabilia detailing of the life and adventures of this American popular icon."