In June, 2003, for the first time in almost four decades, Bob Holiday was honored for having worn Superman's cape. It was an honor long overdue.

Just how did this happen? It was a two-step process. After retiring from show business in the mid-1970s, Bob grew to love working with Real Estate. He started this second career as a Realtor, but he didn’t abandon his creative side. After selling homes that other people designed and built, he began to design houses on his own. As Bob wrote …

Sometime in 1987, I visited Washington D.C. on a vacation and took a tour of the Smithsonian Institution. Imagine my surprise and delight to see a large Superman exhibit that contained, among other things, the Playbill and a poster from the Broadway Musical. I felt very proud that my part in the Superman saga was honored in this way.

Exciting news! We just acquired the promotional flyer for this Smithsonian display from Ebay.

BobHoliday

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This was a few years before the Internet hit the world. Once we all had access to the the World Wide Web, Bob used it to full advantage. He wrote in his Autobiography Superman on Broadway (co-authored by Chuck Harter):

In the fall of 2002, I was surfing the Internet, and for kicks entered Superman Bob Holiday, and hit search. I was delighted to see myself menioned on several Superman web sites.

Bob connected with a number of Superman fans, including Jeff Germann and Chuck Harter.

I found ... there really was a Metropolis! ... [Chuck] suggested it might be fun to make my first appearance at the 25th Annual Superman Celebration in June '03.

So 2003 became a pivotal year in Bob Holiday's life. He discovered that his time as Superman hadn't been forgotten. Old fans found out where Bob had been all these years. And Bob's visit to the 2003 Metropolis Superman Celebration created new fans of Broadway's Superman. As Bob prepared to attend that historic event, he said:

I was very proud to "take care" of Superman in the 1960's and as I look forward to meeting the fans in Metropolis this year, I am reminded of what I used to say on stage:

UP, UP and AWAY!

Please check out other articles and photo collections from Bob Holiday's 2003 visit to Metropolis, Illinois!