Today I want to take a look at one scene from Superman: The Movie that resonates with fans everywhere, and yet it’s one of a number of scenes that has yet to be released in an official version in any format, whether VHS, laserdisc, DVD, Blu-Ray, 4K UHD, or digital streaming.

It was on this day 45 years ago that portions of the Concorde sequence were filmed.

The scene was shot at Pinewood Studios with Christopher Reeve and actors Michael Berh and John Rees as the Concorde pilots. (At one point David Michael Petrou, in his book The Making of Superman: The Movie, had even suggested that producers Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler were set to play the Concorde pilots.) Almost next to nothing is known about Berh and Rees except for the fact that their appearance in the scene is minimal, as the pilots spot Superman outracing the Concorde and marvel at his speed.

The scene was intended to be the first of a three-part sequence of Superman flying and performing various feats. According to Tom Mankiewicz’s shooting script from 1977, the sequence also included Superman rescuing an oil rig from disaster, then flying alongside a bald eagle. Of those three clips, only the Concorde scene was completed with full visual effects in place.

However, the scene would be cut from the film and not seen until February 1984, when it was included as an extra scene in the extended TV cut of Superman II on ABC and in various overseas territories. Here is the scene in its entirety as it appeared in the ABC broadcast (and later in the Restored International Cut of the film):

The second of these scenes—Superman saving the oil rig at sea—was never filmed, as no footage or photographs have ever surfaced. But we do have a couple of ideas of how the scene may have appeared. First, there’s this variation as it appears in Superman III:

Thirty years later, this moment occurs in the 2013 film Man of Steel where he saves the men aboard the oil rig from disaster:

While the latter is certainly more visually impressive thanks to modern technology, the former seems to fit in step with the Mankiewicz script.

Finally, once Superman saves the oil rig, he spots a bald eagle covered in oil. He cleans the oil from the eagle, and the two enjoy a flight together. Portions of this scene were filmed using a Saker falcon, but the scene was never completed.

However, we have an indication of how the scene might have looked. Years ago the BBC broadcast a news report on the development of the Zoptic system that was used in the first three Superman films, along with an interview with designer Zoran Perisic. This report had been broadcast around the time of filming on Superman II, as part of the news report included blue screen footage of Terence Stamp walking along a platform (which was for the scene of General Zod confronting Superman during the Metropolis battle). What made this report even more interesting was that a series of outtakes and alternate shots from the first Superman film were included, and to this day it is the only source of these unused alternate outtakes.

At the end of the report was a gag clip of Superman flying alongside a stuffed bird. Christopher Reeve laughs and playfully punches the stuffed bird away, as evidenced in these shots. I apologize for the poor quality of the shots, as they were taken from a post by Oliver Harper on the CapedWonder Network Facebook page, but at least they are viewable.

These shots give you an idea of how the scene of Superman flying alongside the Saker falcon might have looked, had the sequence been completed for the final film.

Over the years some fans have mistakenly assumed that the Concorde scene was intended for Superman II the entire time, but it is clear based on the Mankiewicz script that it was part of the first film. In the early 2000s Mike Matessino further stated that the Concorde scene was filmed for the first movie, and if anyone knows his Superman movie information, he definitely does.

These lost scenes would have added about three or four minutes altogether to the overall film, and should the rest of the actual footage be found in the Warner vaults somewhere, they would make a great addition to a future release of the film down the road, along with any other outtakes, deleted scenes, or alternate footage, before they’re lost to time. Lots of fans would love to see all of this unreleased footage, as well as any extended versions of the sequels. I know that I would.