MovieChat Forums > Superman (1948) Discussion > Screaming Lois!!!!

Screaming Lois!!!!

posted 17 years ago by shall01
5 replies | jump to latest

(It’s true that the animated Lois kept this up into the mid 1970’s, but……….)

Up until the end of 1954, all versions of Lois Lane seem to have done a LOT of screaming and hollering. Everytime a vicous fiend attacked that she couldn’t handle, or shegoes and falls into a trap, out it comes (AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!).

It didn’t matter if it was any of the animated Lois Lanes (1940-1970’s), or the live action ones (up until 1/1/1955).

So which Lois do you think had/has the best screams? (Rank them.)

Joan Alexander (Animated Lois’ voice – 1940-1970)

Noel Neill (Live-Action Lois in the Serials and AOS TV series)

Phyllis Coates (Live-Action Lois in SATMM Movie and AOS TV series)

Julie Bennett (Animated Lois’ voice – 1967-1970)

(Any other Lois' that you want to add……)

[–] Grant_Gardner 17 years ago

My roommate was bothered by Margot Kidder's scream in the helicopter sequence.

[–] shall01 17 years ago

Your roommate's not the ONLY one bothered by that. Here's my opinion and rankings in the different Lois' screams that I posted on a diferent thread....

1.) Phyllis Coates!!!- dadoo4050, you're absolutely right! And we have PLENTY of evidence because fans can see her scream or 60-80% of the first season episodes of AOS. (KEY EPISODES: "The Unknown People/Superman and the Mole Men," "The Runaway Robot," "Ghost Wolf," & "Mystery of the Broken Statues.")

2.) Joan Alexander - She was a pretty good screamer too as the FIRST "animated" voice actor (and 3rd or 4th radio voice) for Lois Lane. There Plenty of evidence of how good her screams were too, as she screamed on every cartoon she was in (from 1941 to 1970) and several radio episodes. (KEY CARTOONS: early ones like "Superman/The Mad Scientist," "The Mechanical Monsters," "The Mummy Strikes," & "The Magnetic Telescope."

3.) Noel Neill (Serial Lois Version) - Her Lois did a great job in screaming in the serials, but her Lois' screams in the TV series wasn't too great. After the 2nd Season, her Lois stopped screaming. She does scream on a bunch of episodes in the second season as well as all through both serials. (KEY EPISODES: "The Man Who Could Read Minds," "The Machine Who Could Plot Crimes," "The Golden Vulture," & "Superman in Exile.")

4.) A Three Way Tie!!! It's between Noel Neill (TV Lois Version), Teri Hatcher, and Juile Bennett - All I can say is nice attempt. However, that it appears to me that the only TV Lois' with great screams were Ms. Coates & Ms. Alexander. (Not that the other screams were not good, they just weren't great.)

5.) All other Lois' - I don't have enough evidence to judge their screams. However, they're NOT in last place! (WHY???) I have as a distant last........

6.) Margot Kidder - Her screams in the Superman films of the 1970's & 80's were horrible! The difference between Ms. Kidder's screams and Ms. Coates' screams are complete opposites in quality!!!! So when I got to those scenes in the films I press MUTE untill she stops.

Ms. Kidder's screams for Lois Lane would Never be used in even a bad horror film so why were used in Superman: The Movie?????

[–] ppitta2 11 years ago

Margot Kidder's screams were very hoarse.Just like some people can't sing some people can't scream. Phyllis Coates was the best screamer in my opinion.Joan Alexander did good in the animated feature.Noel's screams were good but she didn't scream enough in my opinion.Of the 78 AOS episodes she did she only screamed in 4 of them.Plus the Golden Vulture scream was dubbed by another actress.

[–] Alamviva25 10 years ago

This is an easy question. Phyllis Coates is by far the best screamer of any Lois Lane; she's considered the all-time best screamer in the movies. I think that Phyllis' first scream in The Ghost Wolf is her best scream from the Superman series. It was so piercing and intense. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xwtvkd_superman-1x23-ghost-wolf_shortfilms Phyllis' first and second screams are around 14:30. Her third scream is at 16:27. However, Phyllis' all-time greatest screams can be heard in Teenage Frankenstein. It appears that her screams improved over the course of her career. In Teenage Frankenstein, Phyllis' screams were even louder, more resonant, and more bloodcurdling than they were in Superman.

Margot Kidder was that bad at screaming? Does anyone have a clip of her scream? Interestingly enough, there are incompetent screamers in the movies. Film historian Gregory William Mank said that Ilona Massey's screams are the worst of the Frankenstein series because she screamed "like an opera singer trying to save her voice." Ilona's incompetent screams can be heard beginning at 0:27 in this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnS23JW24no

[–] ppitta2 10 years ago

Yes Lindoro,I agree.Phyllis Coates was number 1.Teenage Frankenstein was the best.