Look, up in the sky!

Check out the latest films on your streaming service, or go to the movies (remember that?) and you’ll find that a lot of the fare is about the adventures of guys and gals in tights, saving the world (or universe) from the latest dire straits.

But it wasn’t always that way.

Early superhero movies were low-budget affairs. (The Batman, 1943)

Superheroes were just kid’s stuff for the movie studios during Hollywood’s Golden Age, limited to cartoons and serials with low-budget production values.

That changed in 1978, with the release of Superman, The Movie. Big budget, big stars, and a big score by the superhero of film scoring, John Williams. Over fits and starts, the genre is now firmly established as a tentpole for Hollywood productions, with the box office successes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe setting the standard.

Superman, 1978

On this week’s edition of The Silver Screen Soundtrack Hour - Super Heroes! - we’ll dive into the music of superhero movies. With tracks from Hans Zimmer, James Horner, Danny Elfman, John Williams and more.

Tune in and enjoy!

Produced and hosted by Ken Nail, The Silver Screen Soundtrack Hour airs on Charlottesvilleclassical.org every Thursday at 9 AM and 6 PM, plus Saturdays at Noon. Visit our Facebook page, or contact Ken on Twitter at @ken_classical.