Telly Savalas' '70s TV Detective Kojak Nearly Appeared In A Classic Movie
Back in the late '70s, Telly Savalas' TV detective Kojak came very close to making a cameo in one of the decade's most iconic movies. So, what went wrong?
In the late 1970s, the script for Richard Donner's 1978 movie Superman initially called for a surprise encounter between the Man of Steel and Telly Savalas, better known as Kojak. The script, penned by Mario Puzo, envisioned Superman crossing paths with the iconic TV detective on the streets of Metropolis. The scene, with Savalas donning a suit and sporting a bald head, had Kojak grace the superhero with a cheeky greeting, "Who loves ya, baby?"
However, this particular scene was scrapped due to the director's dissatisfaction with the campier tone of the script. The Superman film, eventually released in December 1978, did not feature the Kojak cameo, despite the screenplay's early inclination towards it.
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