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Adventures of Superman (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book
characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel
and Joe Shuster
. The show is the first television series to feature Superman
and began filming in 1951 in California. Sponsored by cereal manufacturer Kellogg's, the syndicated
show's first, and last, air dates are disputed but generally accepted as September 19, 1952 and April 28, 1958. The show's first two seasons (episodes 1–52, 26 titles per season) were filmed in black-and-white; seasons three through six (episodes 53–104, 13 titles per season) were filmed in color but originally telecast monochromatically both on the ABC
network and in first-run syndication. Television viewers would not see Superman in color until the series was syndicated to local stations in 1965.
George Reeves
plays Clark Kent
/Superman with Jack Larson
as Jimmy Olsen
, John Hamilton
as Perry White
, and Robert Shayne
as Inspector Henderson. Phyllis Coates
plays Lois Lane
in the first season with Noel Neill
stepping into the role in the second season (1953). Stories follow Superman as he battles crooks, gangsters, and other villains in the fictional city of Metropolis
while masquerading "off-duty" as Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, Clark's colleagues at the office, often find themselves in dangerous situations which can only be resolved with Superman's timely intervention.
Adventures of Superman generally employed visual effects advanced for television of the period, and, while the show won no major awards, it was popular with its audience and remains popular today. Its opening theme is known as The Superman March. In 1976, the book Superman: From Serial to Cereal was published, and, in 1987, selected episodes of the show were released to video. In 2006, the series became available in its entirety on DVD and reruns of the show still hold a place on television programming schedules. In 2006, Hollywoodland, a film dramatizing the show's production and the death of its star, George Reeves, was released.
released a 67-minute black-and-white feature starring George Reeves and Phyllis Coates called Superman and the Mole Men
with a script by Robert Maxwell
(as Richard Fielding) and direction by Lee Sholem
. The film prompted the first television season to go into production in August/September of the same year. The series discontinued production, however, and remained unaired until September 1952 when cereal manufacturer Kellogg's agreed to sponsor the show, as the company had previously done with the Superman radio series. The success of the series came as a complete surprise to the cast. Jack Larson remembers being in New York City and was totally caught off guard by his new found fame. Regarding the initial feature film, The "Mole Men" was edited into a two-part story called "The Unknown People" and was televised late in the first season, the only multi-part story of the series.
After the first season's filming was completed, actress Phyllis Coates made other commitments and did not return as Lois Lane for the second season. Noel Neill (who had played the character in the theatrical serials) stepped into the role, and remained in the role until the series' cancellation. The core cast thereafter remained intact with Phillips Tead occasionally joining the regulars in the last seasons as recurring character Professor Pepperwinkle. To promote and advertise the show, cast members Reeves, Hamilton and Larson were able to gain extra money by appearing in Kellogg's commercials during the second season. However, Noel Neill was never approached for these, because sponsors worried that scenes of Clark Kent having breakfast with Lois Lane would be too suggestive.
From the beginning, the series was filmed like a movie serial with principals wearing the same costumes throughout the show to expedite out-of-sequence shooting schedules and save budgetary costs. For instance, all scenes that took place in the "Perry White Office" set would be filmed back to back, for future placement in various episodes, which was often confusing to the actors. Money was further saved by using Clark's office as Lois's office with a simple change of wall hangings, thus dispensing with additional set construction. Other scenic short-cuts were employed. In the last seasons, for example, few exterior location shoots were conducted with episodes being filmed almost entirely in the studio.
The budget for the series was relatively low with a complete episode averaging $15,000. The series' actors were paid $200 per episode, with the show's historians and Jack Larson stating that the cast had to make repeated requests to producers before they were given a $50 raise, or else they would quit production. By the end of the run, star Reeves was making at least $2500 per episode, but the rest of the cast still made considerably less. The stars were signed to a "run of the show contract," meaning the producers could demand their services to shoot a new season within thirty days' notice. However, this clause also prohibited them from doing any long-term commitments like movies or plays.
Reeves's red-blue-and-yellow Superman costume was originally brown-gray-and-white, so that it would photograph in appropriate gray tones on black-and-white film. After two seasons the producers decided to film the show in color, a bold move at the time. Very few TV series were filmed in color in the mid-1950s. Color television was only standardized in 1953, so most viewers owned black-and-white sets and could not see the show in color. The visionary producers knew that color television was on the horizon, and predicted that the filmed episodes would be more valuable later. They were right: the Superman series ultimately commanded ten times the asking price for black-and-white programming. Filming of the color episodes began in late 1954, and were broadcast in monochrome starting in early 1955. Because of the added cost of filming in color, the producers cut the number of episodes per season in half. Each 26-week season would feature 13 new episodes and 13 reruns of the older black-and-white shows. The monochrome prints of the color episodes also had to be treated so that there would be a somewhat similar contrast in the colors of Reeves' new costume as there were with the one from the earlier seasons (with the contrast increasing each season), as the gray tones of the blue and red colors would otherwise have been rendered nearly indistinguishable.
Throughout the last 50 episodes, a lackadaisical attitude toward flubbed lines prevailed, ascribed to morale deterioration among cast and crew with the added expense of color filming and salary disputes. Producer Whitney Ellsworth later admitted: "Sometimes there was just garbage in the rushes, but we were often forced to use what we had, rather than relight the set and go again."
The noir-like episodes of the first two seasons resemble theatrical action-adventure serials and crime melodramas of the 1940s. The supporting casts are filled with established movie character actors, heightening the resemblance. Phyllis Coates, like George Reeves, was a popular lead in B features of the period. For the TV series, Reeves asked that Coates receive equal star billing. Coates created a sharp, strong-willed Lois Lane, an enterprising reporter who tries to out-scoop Clark Kent. Jack Larson presents Jimmy Olsen as a Daily Planet intern always investigating the truth behind something wrong, but being caught by the villains. He usually receives help from Superman in the nick of time. Superman himself is seen as a semi-mysterious presence, unknown to many of the crooks ("Who's the guy in the circus suit?" asks a villain in "The Riddle of the Chinese Jade"). The episodes usually featured action-packed, gritty, and often violent story lines in which Superman fought gangsters and crime lords. Many characters met their deaths in these episodes, some of them shown on screen.
When it came time to reassemble the cast and crew for filming the second season, Phyllis Coates was no longer available, having committed to another project. The producers then hired Noel Neill and gave her secondary billing with Larson, Hamilton, and Shayne. Neill's portrayal was more accessible to the younger television audience, sweeter and more sympathetic than the efficient, hard-as-nails Coates characterization. Bob Maxwell, whose episodes in the first season verged on the macabre, left the show (going on to produce Lassie in 1954). Whitney Ellsworth
became Superman producer in 1953 and would remain so for the duration of the series (he was already working on the show, as an uncredited associate producer and story editor, during the initial season). The second season shows were still fairly serious in nature, retaining its film-noir/crime drama qualities while steering more in a science fiction direction, with Ellsworth tempering the violence significantly. With most of the villains becoming comic bunglers less likely to frighten the show's juvenile viewers and only some occasional deaths, usually off-screen, Kellogg's gave its full approval to Ellsworth's approach and the show remained a success. Sentimental or humorous stories were more in evidence than in the first season. A large portion of the stories, however, dealt with Superman's personal issues, such as his memory loss in "Panic in the Sky".
Scripts for the final sixth season did not hit the campy lows of the previous two years and reestablished a bit of the seriousness of the show, often with science fiction elements like a Kryptonite-powered robot (a left-over prop from "The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters
"), atomic explosions, and impregnable metal cubes. In one of the last episodes, "The Perils of Superman" (a takeoff on The Perils of Pauline
), there was indeed deadly peril straight out of the movie serials: Lois tied to a set of railroad tracks with a speeding train bearing down on her, Perry White nearly sawed in half while tied to a log, Jimmy in a runaway car headed for a cliff, and Clark Kent immersed in a vat of acid. This was one of three episodes directed by George Reeves himself, in an attempt to inject some new life into the series. Noel Neill's hair was dyed a bright red for this season, though the color change was not apparent in the initial black-and-white broadcasts. Reeves's directorial efforts did not save the series from cancellation.
Reeves appeared as Superman on an episode of I Love Lucy
during this time. The narrator over the ending credits says "George Reeves in the part of Superman", and in the episode, his character is only ever called "Superman".
, felt he was too old (at 43) to play the television role and was, in any event, a completely different physical type. Kirk Alyn
, who had played Superman in two theatrical serials, stated he refused the TV series role for fear of typecasting. Producers of the series say neither Alyn nor his serial co-stars Noel Neill, Tommy Bond
, or Pierre Watkin
(who later was considered for the role of Perry White following the death of John Hamilton), were ever seriously considered for the inaugural season.
Adventures of Superman began filming at the RKO-Pathe Studios
(later, Desilu Studios
) in Culver City, California
in August–September 1951. Episodes cost roughly $15,000 a piece, a low-budget program by any standards then or now. In 1953–54, the show was filmed at California Studios, and, in 1955, at Chaplin Studios
. In 1956–57, the show was filmed at Ziv Studios
.
The establishing shot of the Daily Planet Building in the first season was the E. Clem Wilson Building in Los Angeles, California, at 5225 Wilshire Boulevard; while the Carnation Milk Company Building a few blocks east on Wilshire served as the Daily Planet's front door. The angle of the stock pan-down shot of the Wilson building tended to make it look taller than its 10 or 12 stories. From the second season onward, stock shots of the 32-stories tall Los Angeles City Hall
were used as the Planet building and the sidewalk entrance to the Planet was a studio-bound "exterior."
Many exteriors in the first season were shot at RKO Pictures
backlot called "Forty Acres"
, a site that later became famous as the fictional, idealized small town of Mayberry, North Carolina on The Andy Griffith Show
. Hillsides in Culver City, city streets of downtown Los Angeles, or residential areas of the San Fernando Valley
were sometimes used for exteriors during all six seasons. In later seasons, filming occurred on soundstages, with exterior shots (such as cars driving along roadways) shot as second-unit material, often with doubles at the wheel. Another Los Angeles stock-footage landmark was the Griffith Observatory
, which had several different "cameos" in the series. Aside from a few clips of New York City in "Superman on Earth", most if not all of the stock clips used to depict Metropolis are of the Los Angeles area.
The opening narration of the show, expanded from that of the 1940s radio show and the Superman
cartoons, was voiced by Bill Kennedy
(with the first sentence spoken by Charlie Lyon), framed by the show's theme music, and set the stage for each program:
From the second season onward, the final sentence ("another exciting episode") was dropped. In later syndication when Kellogg's was no longer the sponsor, the episode openings were re-edited to remove the opening line for the cereal company.
. Apparently the only original music written for the series was the March heard primarily during the credits. The theme is ascribed to studio music arranger Leon Klatzkin, although it may have been adapted from an earlier unrelated (and now lost) theme. The main theme, based on a triad, matched the three syllables in the character's name, as has been the case with nearly all Superman music
. With the exception of the title theme, musical cues ranged from the serious to the light-hearted and were different for each of the seasons. Each season's cues tended to be used repeatedly from episode to episode, in similarly appropriate "mood" moments such as apprehension or fast action. The opening credits theme, Superman's "leitmotif
", was often (though not always) used whenever Superman was depicted flying or taking action.
received distribution rights.
, Herb Vigran
, John Eldredge, best known as Harry Archer on Meet Corliss Archer (1954), Philip Van Zandt, and Ben Welden
made multiple appearances over the course of the show, always as different villains.
Actors who landed Superman guest appearances early in their careers include:
Other veteran film and television actors making appearances on the show included George E. Stone
, James Craven, Dan Seymour
, Victor Sen Yung
, Maudie Prickett
, John Doucette
, Norma Varden
, Roy Barcroft
, and George Chandler
.
Director Tommy Carr
's brother Steve appeared as an unbilled extra in nearly every one of the first 26 shows, and frequently in more substantial character roles. He was also the show's dialog director, and was the man pointing "up in the sky" in the introductions of the black-and-white shows.
Episodes follow Superman as he battles gangsters, thugs, mad scientists and non-human dangers like asteroids, robots, and malfunctioning radioactive machines. In the first episode (the "origin" episode), Superman's infant life on the planet Krypton, his arrival on Earth, and his nurturing by a farm couple are dramatized. In succeeding episodes, he conceals his super-identity by posing as mild-mannered Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent who, in times of crisis, scoots to a broom closet or alley, sheds his civvies, and reappears in superhero tights and trunks to rescue hapless folk from the clutches of evildoers.
or Lex Luthor
appeared on the TV show, but Mr. Zero, a miniature Martian suggesting Superman's comic book foe Mr. Mxyzptlk, made an appearance in a fifth-season color episode. The most potent element incorporated into the show from the established mythology was the superhero's vulnerability to Kryptonite. Several episodes during the course of the show's run featured the substance as a plot device. Another element appropriated from the mythology for the television series was Lois Lane's suspicions regarding Clark Kent's true identity and her romantic infatuation with Superman.
Producers planned to continue Adventures of Superman in 1959 with two more years' worth of episodes, to begin airing in the 1960 season. The death of actor John Hamilton threw the plan into disarray. Actor Pierre Watkin was hired to replace Hamilton as "Perry White's brother" (Watkin had played Perry White himself in the two Columbia serials, and had guested on the series before).
The sudden death of the show's star George Reeves in June 1959 was not the end of the series either, in the producers' eyes. When Jack Larson returned from Europe after the death of Reeves, producers suggested the series could continue as "Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen," with more focus on Larson continuing his character, playing opposite a "Superman" who would be a composite of stock shots of George Reeves and a look-alike stunt double to be filmed from behind. Larson rejected the distasteful idea out of hand, and the series was truly over.
Another spin-off idea was a pilot produced by Whitney Ellsworth in 1961: The Adventures of Superboy
. Johnny Rockwell starred as a young Clark Kent in Smallville, and as Superboy wore a suit similar in design to George Reeves' suit. Although thirteen scripts had been written, only the pilot was filmed.
In the 1970s, colleges across the United States welcomed Noel Neill, who charmed and delighted the show's now-grown fans with videos, anecdotes and stories about her participation in the series. Neill and her original 1948 Superman serial
co-star, Kirk Alyn
, enjoyed cameos in the 1978 film Superman as Lois Lane's parents. Their dialog scene was cut for theatrical release, but played in its entirety when the film was broadcast on TV, and later in the 2000 director's cut restoration. Neill and Jack Larson
both made guest appearance on the TV series Superboy
in the episode "Paranoia" during the show's fourth season.
Larson was cast as a man-on-the-street in an American Express
ad called The Adventures of Seinfeld and Superman, featuring Superman fan Jerry Seinfeld
. Patrick Warburton
voiced the animated Superman. Larson also had a guest appearance on Lois & Clark, playing an elder Jimmy Olsen. Like Neill, Larson has participated in various conventions connected with Superman, also donated his time to provide commentaries for some of the episodes on the DVD releases during 2005 and 2006, and the 2006 documentary history of the Superman character, Look, Up in the Sky, and had small speaking roles in the 2006 film Superman Returns
.
Robert Shayne received a recurring role as "Reggie," the blind newspaper vendor in The Flash
in 1990–91 because the producers were aware of his Superman connection. Shayne was, in fact, legally blind by that time.
Phyllis Coates played the part of Lois Lane's mother, in a 1993 episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
, at the suggestion of Lois & Clark guest star (and George Reeves biographer) Jim Beaver
. The Coates Orphanage in Metropolis, which appears in the Lois and Clark episode "Season's Greedings", is named for her.
February 9, 1953 , and first aired in New York on WABC-TV
April 1, 1953.
Following cancellation, Adventures of Superman was seen in reruns.
comic book character that year, Warner Home Video
released selected episodes of the series to VHS and LaserDisc
, under the TV's Best Adventures of Superman title, with four volumes released in total. Each volume contained one black-and-white episode and one color episode, plus a Max Fleischer
Superman animated short. Columbia House
released 20 VHS volumes of the series under their Adventures of Superman: The Collector's Edition series, with each videotape containing three episodes, which was only available through mail order subscriptions during the 1990s. In 2003, Truth, Justice, & The American Way: The Life And Times Of Noel Neill, The Original Lois Lane was published, and, in 2007, the film Hollywoodland was released to DVD.
has released all 6 seasons of the Adventures of Superman on DVD in Region 1. All releases feature extensive bonus features including featurettes, commentary tracks & documentaries.
Warner has also released Seasons 1-4 in Region 2 & 4.
In 2003, George Reeves received a nomination for TV Land
's "Superest Superhero" award. Two years later, he received a nomination for TV Land's "Out of This World" award.
In 2006, the show's first season received a Saturn Award
nomination for "Best Retro Television Release on DVD". In 2007, the show's complete six seasons received the Saturn Award
from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films for "Best Retro Television Series Release on DVD".
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel
Jerry Siegel
Jerome "Jerry" Siegel , who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, and Herbert S...
and Joe Shuster
Joe Shuster
Joseph "Joe" Shuster was a Canadian-born American comic book artist. He was best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with writer Jerry Siegel, first published in Action Comics #1...
. The show is the first television series to feature Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
and began filming in 1951 in California. Sponsored by cereal manufacturer Kellogg's, the syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
show's first, and last, air dates are disputed but generally accepted as September 19, 1952 and April 28, 1958. The show's first two seasons (episodes 1–52, 26 titles per season) were filmed in black-and-white; seasons three through six (episodes 53–104, 13 titles per season) were filmed in color but originally telecast monochromatically both on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network and in first-run syndication. Television viewers would not see Superman in color until the series was syndicated to local stations in 1965.
George Reeves
George Reeves
George Reeves was an American actor best known for his role as Superman in the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman....
plays Clark Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
/Superman with Jack Larson
Jack Larson
Jack Edward Larson is an American actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of photographer/cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on the TV series Adventures of Superman.-Biography:...
as Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
, John Hamilton
John Hamilton (actor)
John Hamilton was an American actor, who appeared in many movies and television programs. He is probably best remembered for his role as the blustery newspaper editor Perry White on the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman.-Biography:Burly, stentorian-voiced John Hamilton was born John...
as Perry White
Perry White
Perry White is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comics. White is the Editor-in-Chief of the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet.White maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards...
, and Robert Shayne
Robert Shayne
Robert Shayne , born Robert Shaen Dawe, was an American actor.-Career:Shayne played many character roles in movies and television, such as a 1943 movie entitled Wagon Wheels West, but he is best remembered for his portrayal of the recurring character Police Inspector William "Bill" Henderson on the...
as Inspector Henderson. Phyllis Coates
Phyllis Coates
Phyllis Coates is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of reporter Lois Lane in the 1951 film Superman and the Mole Men, and during the first season of the Adventures of Superman television series.-Early life and career:After graduating from high...
plays Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
in the first season with Noel Neill
Noel Neill
Noel Neill is an American actress in motion pictures and television. She is best known as her portrayal of Lois Lane in the film serials Superman and Atom Man vs...
stepping into the role in the second season (1953). Stories follow Superman as he battles crooks, gangsters, and other villains in the fictional city of Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
while masquerading "off-duty" as Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, Clark's colleagues at the office, often find themselves in dangerous situations which can only be resolved with Superman's timely intervention.
Adventures of Superman generally employed visual effects advanced for television of the period, and, while the show won no major awards, it was popular with its audience and remains popular today. Its opening theme is known as The Superman March. In 1976, the book Superman: From Serial to Cereal was published, and, in 1987, selected episodes of the show were released to video. In 2006, the series became available in its entirety on DVD and reruns of the show still hold a place on television programming schedules. In 2006, Hollywoodland, a film dramatizing the show's production and the death of its star, George Reeves, was released.
Production
In 1951, California exhibitor and B-movie producer Robert L. LippertRobert L. Lippert
Robert L. Lippert was a prolific film producer and cinema owner who eventually owned a chain of 118 theatres -Biography:...
released a 67-minute black-and-white feature starring George Reeves and Phyllis Coates called Superman and the Mole Men
Superman and the Mole Men
Superman and the Mole Men is a 1951 superhero film starring George Reeves as Superman and Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane. It is the first theatrical feature film based on the DC Comics character Superman, although two live-action Superman films had already been shown in cinemas, they appeared in a...
with a script by Robert Maxwell
Robert Maxwell (producer)
Robert Maxwell Joffe was an American radio and television producer, screenwriter, and entertainment executive...
(as Richard Fielding) and direction by Lee Sholem
Lee Sholem
Lee Tabor Sholem was an American television and film director....
. The film prompted the first television season to go into production in August/September of the same year. The series discontinued production, however, and remained unaired until September 1952 when cereal manufacturer Kellogg's agreed to sponsor the show, as the company had previously done with the Superman radio series. The success of the series came as a complete surprise to the cast. Jack Larson remembers being in New York City and was totally caught off guard by his new found fame. Regarding the initial feature film, The "Mole Men" was edited into a two-part story called "The Unknown People" and was televised late in the first season, the only multi-part story of the series.
After the first season's filming was completed, actress Phyllis Coates made other commitments and did not return as Lois Lane for the second season. Noel Neill (who had played the character in the theatrical serials) stepped into the role, and remained in the role until the series' cancellation. The core cast thereafter remained intact with Phillips Tead occasionally joining the regulars in the last seasons as recurring character Professor Pepperwinkle. To promote and advertise the show, cast members Reeves, Hamilton and Larson were able to gain extra money by appearing in Kellogg's commercials during the second season. However, Noel Neill was never approached for these, because sponsors worried that scenes of Clark Kent having breakfast with Lois Lane would be too suggestive.
From the beginning, the series was filmed like a movie serial with principals wearing the same costumes throughout the show to expedite out-of-sequence shooting schedules and save budgetary costs. For instance, all scenes that took place in the "Perry White Office" set would be filmed back to back, for future placement in various episodes, which was often confusing to the actors. Money was further saved by using Clark's office as Lois's office with a simple change of wall hangings, thus dispensing with additional set construction. Other scenic short-cuts were employed. In the last seasons, for example, few exterior location shoots were conducted with episodes being filmed almost entirely in the studio.
The budget for the series was relatively low with a complete episode averaging $15,000. The series' actors were paid $200 per episode, with the show's historians and Jack Larson stating that the cast had to make repeated requests to producers before they were given a $50 raise, or else they would quit production. By the end of the run, star Reeves was making at least $2500 per episode, but the rest of the cast still made considerably less. The stars were signed to a "run of the show contract," meaning the producers could demand their services to shoot a new season within thirty days' notice. However, this clause also prohibited them from doing any long-term commitments like movies or plays.
Reeves's red-blue-and-yellow Superman costume was originally brown-gray-and-white, so that it would photograph in appropriate gray tones on black-and-white film. After two seasons the producers decided to film the show in color, a bold move at the time. Very few TV series were filmed in color in the mid-1950s. Color television was only standardized in 1953, so most viewers owned black-and-white sets and could not see the show in color. The visionary producers knew that color television was on the horizon, and predicted that the filmed episodes would be more valuable later. They were right: the Superman series ultimately commanded ten times the asking price for black-and-white programming. Filming of the color episodes began in late 1954, and were broadcast in monochrome starting in early 1955. Because of the added cost of filming in color, the producers cut the number of episodes per season in half. Each 26-week season would feature 13 new episodes and 13 reruns of the older black-and-white shows. The monochrome prints of the color episodes also had to be treated so that there would be a somewhat similar contrast in the colors of Reeves' new costume as there were with the one from the earlier seasons (with the contrast increasing each season), as the gray tones of the blue and red colors would otherwise have been rendered nearly indistinguishable.
Throughout the last 50 episodes, a lackadaisical attitude toward flubbed lines prevailed, ascribed to morale deterioration among cast and crew with the added expense of color filming and salary disputes. Producer Whitney Ellsworth later admitted: "Sometimes there was just garbage in the rushes, but we were often forced to use what we had, rather than relight the set and go again."
Black-and-white seasons, 1952–1953
When it came time to reassemble the cast and crew for filming the second season, Phyllis Coates was no longer available, having committed to another project. The producers then hired Noel Neill and gave her secondary billing with Larson, Hamilton, and Shayne. Neill's portrayal was more accessible to the younger television audience, sweeter and more sympathetic than the efficient, hard-as-nails Coates characterization. Bob Maxwell, whose episodes in the first season verged on the macabre, left the show (going on to produce Lassie in 1954). Whitney Ellsworth
Whitney Ellsworth
Fredric Whitney Ellsworth was an American comic book editor, and sometime writer and artist for DC Comics during the period known to historians and fans as the Golden Age of Comic Books...
became Superman producer in 1953 and would remain so for the duration of the series (he was already working on the show, as an uncredited associate producer and story editor, during the initial season). The second season shows were still fairly serious in nature, retaining its film-noir/crime drama qualities while steering more in a science fiction direction, with Ellsworth tempering the violence significantly. With most of the villains becoming comic bunglers less likely to frighten the show's juvenile viewers and only some occasional deaths, usually off-screen, Kellogg's gave its full approval to Ellsworth's approach and the show remained a success. Sentimental or humorous stories were more in evidence than in the first season. A large portion of the stories, however, dealt with Superman's personal issues, such as his memory loss in "Panic in the Sky".
Color seasons, 1954–1958
With the color seasons, the show began to take on the lighthearted, whimsical tone of the Superman comic books of the 1950s. The villains were often caricatured, Runyonesque gangsters, played with tongue in cheek. Violence on the show was toned down further. The only gunfire that occurred was aimed at Superman, and of course the bullets bounced off. Superman was less likely to engage in fisticuffs with the villains. On occasions when Superman did use physical force, he would take crooks out in a single karate-style chop or, if he happened to have two criminals in hand, banging their heads together. More often than not, the villains were likely to knock themselves out fleeing Superman. Now very popular with viewers, Jimmy was now being played as the show's comic foil to Superman. A lot of the plots had him and Lois being captured, only to get rescued at the last minute by Superman.The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters
The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters is a 1954 comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on June 6, 1954 by Allied Artists and is the thirty-fourth film in the series.-Plot:...
"), atomic explosions, and impregnable metal cubes. In one of the last episodes, "The Perils of Superman" (a takeoff on The Perils of Pauline
The Perils of Pauline (1914 serial)
The Perils of Pauline is a motion picture serial shown in weekly installments featuring Pearl White as the title character. Pauline has often been cited as a famous example of a damsel in distress, although some analyses hold that her character was more resourceful and less helpless than the...
), there was indeed deadly peril straight out of the movie serials: Lois tied to a set of railroad tracks with a speeding train bearing down on her, Perry White nearly sawed in half while tied to a log, Jimmy in a runaway car headed for a cliff, and Clark Kent immersed in a vat of acid. This was one of three episodes directed by George Reeves himself, in an attempt to inject some new life into the series. Noel Neill's hair was dyed a bright red for this season, though the color change was not apparent in the initial black-and-white broadcasts. Reeves's directorial efforts did not save the series from cancellation.
Reeves appeared as Superman on an episode of I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
during this time. The narrator over the ending credits says "George Reeves in the part of Superman", and in the episode, his character is only ever called "Superman".
Stamp Day for Superman
This was the 105th episode, so to speak. At the request of the US Treasury Department, the production company made a special truncated film (17m, 32s) to promote school savings-stamp plans to children. Shown in grade schools into the 1960s, this is the only "episode" of the series that has entered the public domain. It features Clark Kent/Superman, Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane, and plays like a normal black-and-white episode of the second season, with series semi-regulars Tristram Coffin (as a government spokesman) and Billy Nelson (as a criminal.) It was directed by Thomas Carr. A link below gives a free download of this episode.Casting
The Superman of the radio program, Bud CollyerBud Collyer
Bud Collyer was an American radio actor/announcer who became one of the nation's first major television game show stars...
, felt he was too old (at 43) to play the television role and was, in any event, a completely different physical type. Kirk Alyn
Kirk Alyn
-External links:...
, who had played Superman in two theatrical serials, stated he refused the TV series role for fear of typecasting. Producers of the series say neither Alyn nor his serial co-stars Noel Neill, Tommy Bond
Tommy Bond
Thomas Ross "Tommy" Bond was an American actor. A native of Dallas, Texas, Bond was best known for his work as a child actor for two different nonconsecutive periods on Our Gang comedies, and also for being the first actor to portray the role of "Superman's pal" Jimmy Olsen on screen.-Early years...
, or Pierre Watkin
Pierre Watkin
Pierre Watkin was an American actor. He was a character actor in many films, serials and TV series from the 1930s through the 1950s, especially westerns...
(who later was considered for the role of Perry White following the death of John Hamilton), were ever seriously considered for the inaugural season.
Locations
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
(later, Desilu Studios
Desilu Productions
Desilu Productions was a Los Angeles, California-based company jointly owned by actors Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, who were married to each other from 1940 to 1960....
) in Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
in August–September 1951. Episodes cost roughly $15,000 a piece, a low-budget program by any standards then or now. In 1953–54, the show was filmed at California Studios, and, in 1955, at Chaplin Studios
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
. In 1956–57, the show was filmed at Ziv Studios
Ziv Television Programs
Ziv Television Programs, Inc. was an American television syndication and production company, producer of popular syndicated TV programs in the 1950s.- History :...
.
The establishing shot of the Daily Planet Building in the first season was the E. Clem Wilson Building in Los Angeles, California, at 5225 Wilshire Boulevard; while the Carnation Milk Company Building a few blocks east on Wilshire served as the Daily Planet's front door. The angle of the stock pan-down shot of the Wilson building tended to make it look taller than its 10 or 12 stories. From the second season onward, stock shots of the 32-stories tall Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall
Los Angeles City Hall, completed 1928, is the center of the government of the city of Los Angeles, California, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Los Angeles City Council...
were used as the Planet building and the sidewalk entrance to the Planet was a studio-bound "exterior."
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
backlot called "Forty Acres"
RKO Forty Acres
Forty Acres was a film studio backlot that belonged to RKO Pictures and later Desilu Productions, located in Culver City, California. Best known as Forty Acres, or "the back forty", it had other names such as "Desilu Culver", the "RKO backlot" and "Pathé 40 Acre Ranch" depending on which studio...
, a site that later became famous as the fictional, idealized small town of Mayberry, North Carolina on The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
. Hillsides in Culver City, city streets of downtown Los Angeles, or residential areas of the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
were sometimes used for exteriors during all six seasons. In later seasons, filming occurred on soundstages, with exterior shots (such as cars driving along roadways) shot as second-unit material, often with doubles at the wheel. Another Los Angeles stock-footage landmark was the Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory is in Los Angeles, California, United States. Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L.A.'s Griffith Park, it commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest...
, which had several different "cameos" in the series. Aside from a few clips of New York City in "Superman on Earth", most if not all of the stock clips used to depict Metropolis are of the Los Angeles area.
Opening sequence
The show's title card (see, infobox above right), imitated the three-dimensional lettering of the comic book covers. Occasional confusion arises about the article "the", since it was spoken by narrators in voice-overs. Some references title the show "The Adventures of Superman"; other books (as well as TV Guide listings) simply label the show "Superman". The title of the show is generally accepted as Adventures of Superman with no article preceding "Adventures."The opening narration of the show, expanded from that of the 1940s radio show and the Superman
Superman (1940s cartoons)
The Fleischer & Famous Superman cartoons are a series of seventeen animated Technicolor short films released by Paramount Pictures and based upon the comic book character Superman....
cartoons, was voiced by Bill Kennedy
Bill Kennedy (actor)
Willard "Bill" Kennedy was an American actor, voice artist, and host of the long-running Detroit-based television show, Bill Kennedy at the Movies. He began his career as a staff announcer in radio; Kennedy's voice narrates the opening of the television series Adventures of...
(with the first sentence spoken by Charlie Lyon), framed by the show's theme music, and set the stage for each program:
From the second season onward, the final sentence ("another exciting episode") was dropped. In later syndication when Kellogg's was no longer the sponsor, the episode openings were re-edited to remove the opening line for the cereal company.
Music
The score for the series was taken from stock music libraries, often adaptations of music from B-movies. For example, one cue used in the episode "Peril by Sea" also appears in Plan 9 from Outer SpacePlan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
. Apparently the only original music written for the series was the March heard primarily during the credits. The theme is ascribed to studio music arranger Leon Klatzkin, although it may have been adapted from an earlier unrelated (and now lost) theme. The main theme, based on a triad, matched the three syllables in the character's name, as has been the case with nearly all Superman music
Superman music
The various film and television appearances of the Superman character have been accompanied by musical scores.-Radio, cartoons, early films:*The radio shows of the early 1940s already had the famous phrases, "Faster than a speeding bullet... It's a bird... it's a plane... it's Superman!" uttered by...
. With the exception of the title theme, musical cues ranged from the serious to the light-hearted and were different for each of the seasons. Each season's cues tended to be used repeatedly from episode to episode, in similarly appropriate "mood" moments such as apprehension or fast action. The opening credits theme, Superman's "leitmotif
Leitmotif
A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
", was often (though not always) used whenever Superman was depicted flying or taking action.
Sponsor
The show's sponsor was Kellogg's, maker of Corn Flakes and other breakfast cereals, a sponsorship continued from the radio days. The characters from the TV series [except Superman himself] made a number of TV commercials promoting their cereal products (usually shown as "integrated commercials" at the end of the program), some of which are preserved in the DVD series. Some versions of the show contained a vocal introduction, "Kellogg's, 'The Greatest Name In Cereals', presents...The Adventures of Superman." The line was spoken by announcer Charlie Lyon, who was Kellogg's primary announcer in their radio and TV commercials at the time. The sponsor originally requested to have this line placed (at the intro's start) on every single episode of the series, as well as (from second season onward) the company's logo on the intro and the end of the closing credits. When Kellogg's ceased being the show's sponsor, the logo and the intro line were removed from some prints, especially when Warner Bros. TelevisionWarner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television is the television production arm of Warner Bros. Entertainment, itself part of Time Warner. Alongside CBS Television Studios, it serves as a television production arm of The CW Television Network , though it also produces shows for other networks, such as Shameless on...
received distribution rights.
Flying effects
While considered simple by today's standards, the "flying" effects on Adventures of Superman were advanced for the period. Superman's "flying" involved three phases: take-off, flight, and landing. Cables and wires were used for Superman’s take-offs early in filming. In early episodes, stuntmen sometimes replaced Reeves for Superman’s wire-assisted take-offs. When Reeves came close to suffering a concussion in the episode "Ghost Wolf" (the supporting wires snapped and he fell to the studio floor), cables and wires were discarded and a springboard was brought in, designed by Thol "Si" Simonson, who remained with the series until its end. Reeves would run into frame, hit the out-of-frame springboard which would boost him out of frame (sometimes over the camera), and onto padding. The springboard had enough force, along with subtle camera manipulation, to make it look as though he was actually taking off. The flying scenes were accomplished through a relatively few number of repeated shots. The typical technique had footage of Reeves stretched out on a spatula-like device formed to his torso and leg, operated on a counterweight like a boom microphone. In the two monochrome seasons, Reeves was occasionally filmed in front of aerial footage on back-projection screen, or against a neutral background which would provide a matte which would be optically combined with a swish-pan or aerial shot. That footage was matted onto various backgrounds depending on the needs of the episode: clouds, buildings, the ocean, mountain forests, etc., which he would appear to fly by. For the color episodes, the simpler and cheaper technique of a neutral cyclorama backing was used, usually sky-blue, or black for night shots. Techniques for landings involved Reeves jumping off a ladder or holding an off-camera horizontal bar and swinging down into frame.Main characters
- Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-ElSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, a being from the planet Krypton, is rocketed to Earth in his infancy. He grows to manhood under the foster care of Eben and Sarah Kent. As an adult, he works as a Daily Planet reporter under his human name of Clark Kent. Despite the show's introduction describing Kent as "mild-mannered," Clark Kent is mildly assertive and authoritative during situations when he is not Superman. He puts his superpowers to work battling crime in Metropolis and is often called upon to rescue his associates Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane. The Superman of the television series developed superpowers beyond his precursors in radio, cartoons, comics, and theatrical serials. On occasion, he separated his molecules to walk through walls, traveled over telephone lines, became invisible, and split in two while retaining his traditional powers of X-ray vision, microscopic vision, super-typing, super-hearing, super-breath, super-strength, flying, and a mastery of foreign languages. Superman's parents appear in the premiere episode. Superman is played by George ReevesGeorge ReevesGeorge Reeves was an American actor best known for his role as Superman in the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman....
.
- Lois LaneLois LaneLois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
is a reporter with the Daily Planet and Clark Kent's associate. She is a well-dressed, competent professional woman. She suspects Kent is Superman and awaits an opportunity to confirm her suspicions. In the Noel Neill episodes, Lois is infatuated with the Man of Steel and dreams of being united in marriage with him. Lois returns to her hometown in one early episode. Played by Phyllis CoatesPhyllis CoatesPhyllis Coates is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of reporter Lois Lane in the 1951 film Superman and the Mole Men, and during the first season of the Adventures of Superman television series.-Early life and career:After graduating from high...
in the first season, and thereafter by Noel NeillNoel NeillNoel Neill is an American actress in motion pictures and television. She is best known as her portrayal of Lois Lane in the film serials Superman and Atom Man vs...
. - Jimmy OlsenJimmy OlsenJimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
is a cub reporter and photographer with the Daily Planet and an associate of Kent and Lane. Jimmy's mother makes an appearance in an early episode. Though boyish in his tastes and sense of humor, Jimmy occasionally displays mature astuteness, courage, and judgment. Played by Jack LarsonJack LarsonJack Edward Larson is an American actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of photographer/cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on the TV series Adventures of Superman.-Biography:...
. - Perry WhitePerry WhitePerry White is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comics. White is the Editor-in-Chief of the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet.White maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards...
is the blustering, impatient editor and publisher of the Daily Planet. He is sometimes a participant in the dangerous exploits of Lois and Jimmy as they pursue news stories. He treats crooks and thugs with disdain and lofty contempt. Perry's sister Kate appears in the first season episode "Drums of Death"; he has a nephew, Chris, who appears in the second season episode "Jet Ace". Perry White is played by John HamiltonJohn Hamilton (actor)John Hamilton was an American actor, who appeared in many movies and television programs. He is probably best remembered for his role as the blustery newspaper editor Perry White on the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman.-Biography:Burly, stentorian-voiced John Hamilton was born John...
. - Inspector Henderson of the Metropolis Police is a friend of the Daily Planet staff and often works in conjunction with them on crime investigations. Henderson has a teenage son named Ray who appears in one episode. Henderson was the creation of the radio series writers. Played by Robert ShayneRobert ShayneRobert Shayne , born Robert Shaen Dawe, was an American actor.-Career:Shayne played many character roles in movies and television, such as a 1943 movie entitled Wagon Wheels West, but he is best remembered for his portrayal of the recurring character Police Inspector William "Bill" Henderson on the...
.
Recurring characters
- Professor Pepperwinkle is an elderly, absent-minded inventor whose gadgets cause Superman much trouble and concern in five episodes during the last three color seasons. Played by Phillips TeadPhillips TeadPhillips Tead , also billed as Phil Tead, was an American character actor in film and television.Among his many roles he might be best remembered as the semi-recurring character "Professor Pepperwinkle", an eccentric inventor in several of the color episodes of the 1950s TV series Adventures of...
. - Uncle Oscar is an eccentric inventor making two appearances in the second season. He was also called "Professor Quinn" in his final episode. Played by Sterling HollowaySterling HollowaySterling Price Holloway, Jr. was an American character actor who appeared in 150 films and television programs. He was also a voice actor for The Walt Disney Company...
, who played a similar character, Professor Twiddle, in the third season episode, "Through the Time Barrier". - Miss Bacharach is a nervous, easily excited, and easily fooled receptionist at the Daily Planet who appears in three first season episodes and is mentioned in two others. Played by Dani Nolan, Aline Towne and Almira Sessions.
- Professor Lucerne is an old friend of Superman's who advises him in matters scientific. Lucerne appeared in two consecutive episodes in the final season. Played by Everett GlassEverett GlassEverett Glass was an American character actor who appeared in more than eighty films and television shows from the 1940s through the 1960s, including Invasion of the Body Snatchers and episodes of The Adventures of Superman, Lassie, and Perry Mason.He began as a stage actor and had a long career...
.
Special appearances
The "bad guys" on the show were usually generic thugs, gangsters, evil scientists, crooked businessmen, or spies of fictitious foreign countries. Tris CoffinTris Coffin
Tristram Coffin , also known as Tris Coffin, was a film and television actor from the latter 1930s through the 1970s, usually in westerns or other action-adventure productions.-Biography:...
, Herb Vigran
Herb Vigran
Herbert "Herb" Vigran was a well-known American character actor in Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1980s. Over his 50-year career, he made over 350 television and film appearances.-Career:...
, John Eldredge, best known as Harry Archer on Meet Corliss Archer (1954), Philip Van Zandt, and Ben Welden
Ben Welden
Ben Welden was an American character actor who played a wide variety of Damon Runyon-type gangsters in various movies and television shows...
made multiple appearances over the course of the show, always as different villains.
Actors who landed Superman guest appearances early in their careers include:
- Claude AkinsClaude AkinsClaude Marion Akins was an American actor with a long career on stage, screen and television.Powerful in appearance and voice, Akins could be counted on to play the clever tough guy, on the side of good or bad, in movies and television. He is best remembered as Sheriff Lobo in the 1970s TV series...
as Ace Miller, criminal in "Peril by Sea"; - Mabel AlbertsonMabel AlbertsonMabel Albertson was an American actress.Albertson was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the daughter of Russian-born Jewish immigrants Flora Craft and Leopold Albertson. Her brother was actor Jack Albertson...
as Kate White, Perry White's sister, in "Drums of Death"; - Hugh Beaumont as Dan Grayson, an ex-convict wanting to reform his life, in "The Big Squeeze";
- John BeradinoJohn BeradinoJohn Beradino was an American infielder in Major League Baseball and an actor. Known as Johnny Berardino during his baseball career, he was also credited during his acting career as John Baradino, John Barardino or John Barradino.-Early life and education:He was born Giovanni Berardino in Los...
as Dexter Brown, in "The Unlucky Number"; - James BrownJames Brown (Rin Tin Tin)James E. Brown was an American film and TV actor best known for his role as Lieutenant Ripley "Rip" Masters in all 166 episodes of the 1954-1959 ABC Western television series, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin....
as Jim Carson in "Around the World with Superman" (1954) - Paul BurkePaul Burke (actor)Paul Burke was an American actor best known for his lead roles in two 1960s ABC television series, Naked City and Twelve O'Clock High...
as Ace, a criminal, in "My Friend Superman"; - Jimmy Dodd as Jake in "Double Trouble";
- Chuck ConnorsChuck ConnorsChuck Connors was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. His best known role from his forty-year film career was Lucas McCain in the 1960s ABC hit Western series The Rifleman....
as Sylvester Superman in "Flight to the North"; his later The RiflemanThe RiflemanThe Rifleman is an American Western television program that starred Chuck Connors as homesteader Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son, Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show, filmed in black-and-white with a half hour running time, ran...
supporting player Paul FixPaul FixPaul Fix was an American film and television character actor, best known for his work in westerns. Fix appeared in more than a hundred movies and dozens of television shows over a 56-year career spanning from 1925 to 1981...
had appeared in "Czar of the Underworld" and "Semi-Private Eye"; - Billy GrayBilly Gray (actor)William Thomas "Billy" Gray , is a former American actor known primarily for his role as James "Bud" Anderson, Jr., in 193 episodes of the NBC and CBS situation comedy, Father Knows Best, which aired between 1954 and 1960. Gray's fellow cast members were Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue,...
as Alan, a teenager who snaps a photo of Superman that may reveal the superhero's earthly identity in "Shot in the Dark"; - Dabbs GreerDabbs GreerRobert William "Dabbs" Greer was an American actor who performed many diverse supporting roles in film and television for some fifty years. His distinctive, southern-accented voice fitted well in shows featuring rustic characters, such as westerns...
, who appeared in "Superman on Earth", the premiere episode, as a man falling from a dirigible; as a man falsely convicted of murder in "Five Minutes to Doom"; and in the dual roles of Mr. Pebble/Dan Dobey in "The Superman Silver Mine"; - Ed HintonEd Hinton (actor)Edgar Latimer Hinton, Jr., known as Ed Hinton and sometimes as Edward Hinton , was an American actor known particularly for guest-starring roles on television westerns...
as Cave Man in "Through the Time Barrier" and as Joe in "The Phantom Ring" - Russell JohnsonRussell JohnsonRussell David Johnson is an American television and film actor best known as "The Professor" on the CBS television sitcom Gilligan's Island...
as Chopper in "The Runaway Robot"; - Joi LansingJoi LansingJoi Lansing was an American model, film and television actress, as well as a nightclub singer. She was most noted for her pin-up photos, and for her minor roles in B-movies...
as SergeantSergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Helen J. O'Hara, a policewoman posing as the titular character in the episode "Superman's Wife"; - Tyler MacDuffTyler MacDuffTyler MacDuff, born Tyler Glenn Duff, Jr. , was an American actor, primarily on television westerns and dramas who was cast as Billy the Kid in The Boy from Oklahoma.-Biography:...
as Frankie in "The Boy Who Hated Superman"; - Vic PerrinVic PerrinVic Perrin was an American actor and voice artist. He is best remembered as the "Control Voice" in the original version of the TV series The Outer Limits ....
as a sailor called "Scurvy", in "The Golden Vulture"; - Ann TyrrellAnn TyrrellAnn Tyrrell was an American actress who co-starred in both of the Ann Sothern CBS sitcoms Private Secretary and The Ann Sothern Show .-Career:...
as Miss Walton in the first season episode "The Deserted Village";
Other veteran film and television actors making appearances on the show included George E. Stone
George E. Stone
George E. Stone was a Polish-born American character actor in movies, radio, and television.-Career:Stone's slight build and very expressive face first attracted attention in 1927, in the popular silent-film romance Seventh Heaven...
, James Craven, Dan Seymour
Dan Seymour
Dan Seymour was a character actor who frequently played villains in Warner Bros. films. He appeared in several Humphrey Bogart films, including Casablanca, Key Largo, and To Have and Have Not....
, Victor Sen Yung
Victor Sen Yung
Victor Sen Yung was an American character actor. He was given billing under a variety of names, including Sen Yung, Sen Young, Victor Sen Young, and Victor Young.- Career :...
, Maudie Prickett
Maudie Prickett
Maudie Prickett was an American film and television character actress.Born in Portland, Oregon, Prickett often portrayed maids, busybodies, spinsters, and nosy neighbors...
, John Doucette
John Doucette
John Doucette was a film character actor. He was a balding, husky man remembered for playing mob muscle and western bad guys in movies...
, Norma Varden
Norma Varden
Norma Varden was an English actress with a long film career in Hollywood.Born in London, the daughter of a retired sea-captain, Varden was a child prodigy. She trained as a concert pianist in Paris and performed in England before deciding to take up acting...
, Roy Barcroft
Roy Barcroft
Roy Barcroft was an American character actor famous for playing villains in B-Westerns and other genres. Noted film critic Leonard Maltin acclaimed Barcroft as "Republic Pictures' number one bad guy".-Early life:...
, and George Chandler
George Chandler
George Chandler was an American actor best known for playing the character of "Uncle Petrie" on the television series Lassie...
.
Director Tommy Carr
Thomas Carr (director)
Thomas Carr was an American film director of Hollywood movies and television programs.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1907, Carr was born into an acting family. His father was the actor William Carr and his mother was the actress Mary Carr. Thomas Carr followed the family...
's brother Steve appeared as an unbilled extra in nearly every one of the first 26 shows, and frequently in more substantial character roles. He was also the show's dialog director, and was the man pointing "up in the sky" in the introductions of the black-and-white shows.
Episodes
Themes
Superman arrived on television in 1952 with a mythology established through comic books, a novel, a radio series, two theatrical serials, and several Max Fleischer animated shorts. None of Superman's established foes like BrainiacBrainiac (comics)
Brainiac is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Action Comics #242 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
or Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
appeared on the TV show, but Mr. Zero, a miniature Martian suggesting Superman's comic book foe Mr. Mxyzptlk, made an appearance in a fifth-season color episode. The most potent element incorporated into the show from the established mythology was the superhero's vulnerability to Kryptonite. Several episodes during the course of the show's run featured the substance as a plot device. Another element appropriated from the mythology for the television series was Lois Lane's suspicions regarding Clark Kent's true identity and her romantic infatuation with Superman.
Cancellation and aftermath
In 1958, producer Whitney Ellsworth created Superpup, a never-aired-on-TV spin-off pilot that placed the Superman mythos in a fictional world populated by dogs. Featuring live-action actors in dog-suits portraying canine versions of Superman and other characters, the pilot was filmed on Adventures of Superman sets and was intended to capitalize on the success of its parent series.Producers planned to continue Adventures of Superman in 1959 with two more years' worth of episodes, to begin airing in the 1960 season. The death of actor John Hamilton threw the plan into disarray. Actor Pierre Watkin was hired to replace Hamilton as "Perry White's brother" (Watkin had played Perry White himself in the two Columbia serials, and had guested on the series before).
The sudden death of the show's star George Reeves in June 1959 was not the end of the series either, in the producers' eyes. When Jack Larson returned from Europe after the death of Reeves, producers suggested the series could continue as "Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen," with more focus on Larson continuing his character, playing opposite a "Superman" who would be a composite of stock shots of George Reeves and a look-alike stunt double to be filmed from behind. Larson rejected the distasteful idea out of hand, and the series was truly over.
Another spin-off idea was a pilot produced by Whitney Ellsworth in 1961: The Adventures of Superboy
The Adventures of Superboy
The Adventures of Superboy was a proposed TV series that was put into production in 1961. It was meant to capitalize on the success of Adventures of Superman, which was cancelled years earlier. A revival was planned, but abandoned following the death of George Reeves, but only a pilot episode,...
. Johnny Rockwell starred as a young Clark Kent in Smallville, and as Superboy wore a suit similar in design to George Reeves' suit. Although thirteen scripts had been written, only the pilot was filmed.
In the 1970s, colleges across the United States welcomed Noel Neill, who charmed and delighted the show's now-grown fans with videos, anecdotes and stories about her participation in the series. Neill and her original 1948 Superman serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
co-star, Kirk Alyn
Kirk Alyn
-External links:...
, enjoyed cameos in the 1978 film Superman as Lois Lane's parents. Their dialog scene was cut for theatrical release, but played in its entirety when the film was broadcast on TV, and later in the 2000 director's cut restoration. Neill and Jack Larson
Jack Larson
Jack Edward Larson is an American actor, librettist, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of photographer/cub reporter Jimmy Olsen on the TV series Adventures of Superman.-Biography:...
both made guest appearance on the TV series Superboy
Superboy (TV series)
Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictional DC Comics comic book character Kal-El's early years as Superboy. The show ran from 1988–1992 in syndication...
in the episode "Paranoia" during the show's fourth season.
Larson was cast as a man-on-the-street in an American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
ad called The Adventures of Seinfeld and Superman, featuring Superman fan Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
. Patrick Warburton
Patrick Warburton
Patrick John Warburton is an American actor of television, film, and voice. He is best known for his several TV roles, including the title role of The Tick, David Puddy on Seinfeld, the evil Johnny Johnson on NewsRadio, and anchorman Jeb Denton on Less Than Perfect...
voiced the animated Superman. Larson also had a guest appearance on Lois & Clark, playing an elder Jimmy Olsen. Like Neill, Larson has participated in various conventions connected with Superman, also donated his time to provide commentaries for some of the episodes on the DVD releases during 2005 and 2006, and the 2006 documentary history of the Superman character, Look, Up in the Sky, and had small speaking roles in the 2006 film Superman Returns
Superman Returns
Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
.
Robert Shayne received a recurring role as "Reggie," the blind newspaper vendor in The Flash
The Flash (TV series)
The Flash is a 1990 American television series that starred John Wesley Shipp as the superhero, the Flash , and co-starred Amanda Pays. The series was developed from the DC Comics characters by the writing team of Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo, and produced by their company, Pet Fly Productions, in...
in 1990–91 because the producers were aware of his Superman connection. Shayne was, in fact, legally blind by that time.
Phyllis Coates played the part of Lois Lane's mother, in a 1993 episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was a live-action American television series based on the Superman comic books...
, at the suggestion of Lois & Clark guest star (and George Reeves biographer) Jim Beaver
Jim Beaver
James Norman "Jim" Beaver, Jr. is an American stage, film, and television actor, playwright, screenwriter, and film historian...
. The Coates Orphanage in Metropolis, which appears in the Lois and Clark episode "Season's Greedings", is named for her.
Broadcast history
As a syndicated show sold separately in every market, Adventures of Superman did not have a national premiere date. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) notes the show's debut as September 19, 1952, and, though this date is not sourced, it is generally accepted as the television premiere date and is believed to be the Chicago premiere date and the earliest recorded premiere date. It was first seen in Los Angeles on KECAKABC-TV
KABC-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, licensed to Los Angeles, California. KABC-TV's studios are located in Glendale, California...
February 9, 1953 , and first aired in New York on WABC-TV
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
April 1, 1953.
Following cancellation, Adventures of Superman was seen in reruns.
Copyright dates
Episode copyright dates are confusing. When the series went into syndicated reruns, Kellogg's ceased being the show's sponsor and its name had to be removed from the opening titles. For the sake of convenience and standardization, the syndicator used one stock title sequence (dated 1951) for all the black-and-white episodes and one stock title (dated 1957) for all the color episodes. The closing titles were unchanged, so the correct copyright dates appear at the end of each episode.Marketing and merchandise
In 1976, Gary H. Grossman published Superman: Serial to Cereal, a volume considered by many a definitive study of the show. In 1987 and 1988, coinciding with the 50th anniversary celebrations of the SupermanSuperman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
comic book character that year, Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
released selected episodes of the series to VHS and LaserDisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
, under the TV's Best Adventures of Superman title, with four volumes released in total. Each volume contained one black-and-white episode and one color episode, plus a Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer was an American animator. He was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios...
Superman animated short. Columbia House
Columbia House
The Columbia House brand was introduced in the early 1970s by the Columbia Records division of CBS, Inc. as an umbrella for its mail-order music clubs, the primary incarnation of which was the Columbia Record Club, established in 1955. It had a significant market presence in the 1980s and early...
released 20 VHS volumes of the series under their Adventures of Superman: The Collector's Edition series, with each videotape containing three episodes, which was only available through mail order subscriptions during the 1990s. In 2003, Truth, Justice, & The American Way: The Life And Times Of Noel Neill, The Original Lois Lane was published, and, in 2007, the film Hollywoodland was released to DVD.
DVD releases
Warner Home VideoWarner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
has released all 6 seasons of the Adventures of Superman on DVD in Region 1. All releases feature extensive bonus features including featurettes, commentary tracks & documentaries.
Warner has also released Seasons 1-4 in Region 2 & 4.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| The Complete First Season | 26 | October 18, 2005 | January 23, 2006 | April 5, 2007 |
| The Complete Second Season | 26 | January 17, 2006 | March 27, 2006 | June 14, 2006 |
| The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons | 26 | June 20, 2006 | July 31, 2005 | November 2, 2006 |
| The Complete Fifth and Sixth Seasons | 26 | November 14, 2006 | TBA | TBA |
Critical reviews
On April 8, 1953, Variety reviewed the April 1 New York premiere:Awards and nominations
The show received a proclamation in July 2001 on its 50th Anniversary from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in a ceremony attended by Jack Larson, Noel Neill, Robert Rockwell (Jor-El), Jeff Corey (from the pilot), Mrs. Robert Shayne and Mrs. Jerome Siegel. The proclamation scroll was accepted by DC Comics Vice President Paul Levitz.In 2003, George Reeves received a nomination for TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
's "Superest Superhero" award. Two years later, he received a nomination for TV Land's "Out of This World" award.
In 2006, the show's first season received a Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
nomination for "Best Retro Television Release on DVD". In 2007, the show's complete six seasons received the Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films for "Best Retro Television Series Release on DVD".
General
- Adventures of Superman: Complete Series. DVD. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., 2005, 2006.
- Grossman, Gary H. Superman: Serial to Cereal. Popular Library, 1976.
External links
- Adventures of Superman at Bygonetv
- Episode Guide at Superman Homepage
- Adventures Continue", Website about TV series and George Reeves' career
- "Stamp Day for Superman" episode at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...