On-Air Deaths, SUPERMAN's Tragic Origin, HALLOWEEN Michael Myers Lost History

From The Stories We Tell in the Dark by Anywhere But Hollywood

September 4, 2025 · 28 min

About this episode

This episode explores real-life on-air deaths, the tragic origin of Superman, and a forgotten backstory of Michael Myers from Halloween.

Content warning: The first segment covers real-life on-air suicides and may be distressing to some listeners. This week, Adam shares a strange and tragic mix of stories: disturbing on-air deaths (one which anticipated Paddy Chayefsky's Network by two years); the real-life pain behind Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's creation of Superman; and a buried Michael Myers (Halloween) backstory from 1979. Real On-Air Deaths - The tragic story of Christine Chubbuck, the Sarasota news reporter who took her life on-air in 1974. - Budd Dwyer, a Pennsylvania politician who died during a press conference in 1987. - How both events shaped the conversation around broadcast delay. - The unplanned early 2000s event that was the final straw for the FCC. The True Origin of Superman - The truth behind the meme that says Jerry Siegel's father was shot. - How Siegel & Schuster created Superman: from pulp zines to the character's evolution in Action Comics #1 . - Influences ranging from Gladiator by Philip Wylie to John Carter of Mars , Zorro, and even early Jewish mysticism (Kal-El, Jor-El). - The heartbreaking legal fight that left Superman's creators broke – despite creating the most iconic superhero of…

People in this episode

Host: Adam

Topics covered

on-air deaths
Superman origin
Halloween backstory
broadcast history
legal battles
cultural influences

Keywords

on-air suicides
Christine Chubbuck
Budd Dwyer
Superman
Jerry Siegel
Joe Shuster
Halloween
Michael Myers
broadcast delay
folk horror

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Superman, Halloween, Action Comics #1, Gladiator, John Carter of Mars, Zorro, Enda