Reeve leaves a super legacy, not just on film

When the news of Christopher Reeve's death made the rounds early Monday, it was really a shock.

I suppose it shouldn't have been, as Reeve had been seriously in harm's way ever since the horseback-riding accident that paralyzed him nine years ago.

But he had become such an amazing public figure and advocate for spinal-cord research, and he was now such an inspirational figure on the lecture circuit, and by continuing his career in show business against all odds, that I guess I had started to take him for granted.

The thought that he might die in his early 50s just wasn't on my radar.

My only personal encounter with Reeve was in 1981, when he was stumping for "Superman II," which was a big summer picture that year.

In 1981, I had been reviewing films part-time for a couple of years and had just begun the job full time, and my first movie junket was a trip to Niagra Falls to see "Superman II" and interview the stars.

Tough gig.

Reeve was charming and funny, and he held his own quite easily with the other celebrities in the room — including Gene Hackman and director Richard Lester, who were just as witty and also gave great interviews.

A lot of the questions at that time were aimed at the possibility of Reeve being typecast as the Man of Steel — as were actors Kirk Alyn and George Reeves before him. But Reeve fielded them with grace, saying he already had a new film, "Deathtrap," in the can, and that he hoped to make a variety of films in all genres.

Reeve's acting career undoubtedly did suffer somewhat from the "Superman" image, but he managed to shine in his one-on-one confrontation with Michael Caine in "Deathtrap," which was released early the next year. And he did pursue a variety of roles, from the shady priest in the epic melodrama "Monsignor" to the sleazy journalist who fakes a story in the thriller "Street Smart" to the hilariously humorless sporting-goods tycoon in the manic comedy "Switching Channels" . . . and, of course, two more films as Superman.

Though those are probably Reeves' most high-profile non-"Superman" movies, only "Deathtrap" was a box-office success.

"Monsignor" was a laughable mess, which critics hated and moviegoers ignored.

"Street Smart" was a pretty good film, and Reeve was excellent — but he was overshadowed by a then-unknown actor named Morgan Freeman, who was singled out by critics and rode the film to an Oscar nomination, despite the fact that it was a box-office failure.

And "Switching Channels" (a remake of "His Girl Friday") was well-reviewed, with Reeve and co-stars Kathleen Turner and Burt Reynolds all getting good notices for their fine comic performances. But it didn't bring in the business, either.