Reese Larson, the actor who first played Green Lantern Hal Jordan in the 1979 TV specials Legends of the Superheroes, passed away on November 21st.  Larson used a later abandoned screen name of Howard Murphy when he took the role, a move prompted by his agent fearing that Larson’s career would be negatively affected given the quality of the show.  Fans like myself tried for years to locate Murphy but it wasn’t until author and blogger Marc Nobleman learned about the stage name that the puzzle pieces came together.  Marc featured an interview with Larson on his wonderful site, Noblemania.

You can still watch the campy two-part Legends of the Superheroes show on the DC Universe streaming service and see Larson as the first live action depiction of Green Lantern.  Marc can also be found at the center of the documentary Batman and Bill on Hulu, which traces his journey to get legendary comic writer Bill Finger his rightful credit as co-creator of Batman.  A special thank you to Marc for reaching out to me to share the news of Larson’s passing.