| The Adventures Of Superman |
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''Note: This article is about the television series. For the comic book which sometimes, but not usually, has "The" in the title see Adventures Of Superman '' ''The Adventures of Superman'' was the first attempt to bring the character of Superman to Television . The series, which was syndicated rather than being tied to a network, began filming in 1951 , and was first aired on September 19 , 1952 . The final first-run episode was broadcast on April 28 , 1958 . George Reeves starred as Superman with Phyllis Coates as the original Lois Lane . In 1953 Noel Neill replaced Coates. Jack Larson played Jimmy Olsen and John Hamilton was Perry White . Robert Shayne played the semi-regular character Inspector Henderson of the Metropolis Police Department. Several of the regular players returned to the ''Superman'' genre from time to time (Reeves and Hamilton had both died in the 1950s):
The opening narration of the show, expanded from that of the 1940s radio show and cartoons, dramatically voiced by Bill Kennedy and framed by the show's dynamic theme music set the stage for each program: :"Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound! ... Superman ... strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men! Superman, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent , mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way!" The exact name of the show based on the title card (which imitated the style of the comic books) was ''Adventures of Superman'' and that is also the title on the DVD series. However, when spoken by the narrator in voice-over it was almost always ''The Adventures of Superman'': :"Kellogg's, the greatest name in cereals, presents ''The Adventures of Superman''." :"And now, another exciting episode, in ''The Adventures of Superman''." :"We'll return to ''The Adventures of Superman'' in just a moment." :"Don't miss the next thrill-packed episode in the amazing adventures of ''Superman''." The above (with the exception of the second item) were added for the second season and featured another voice actor named Charlie Lyons. Series production The show was Syndicated . A total of 104 half-hour episodes were filmed for television with the first two seasons (26 episodes each) in black and white. The show was one of the first weekly television shows to switch to full color. For the first two seasons George Reeves' Superman costume was actually colored brown (for red) and grey (for blue) so that it would show better on black-and-white TV. When the series went to color a red and blue costume was made to match the look of the comic books. There were 13 color episodes filmed for each of the show's final four seasons. As reported in the 2005 DVD, the red and blue colors in Superman's costume were difficult to distinguish when viewed in black-and-white, and the designers made subtle coloration changes to try to overcome this problem. The budget for the series was relatively low; the series' actors were paid $200 per episode. TV historians state that the cast had to make repeated requests to the show's producers before they were given a $50 raise. The low budgets of the show were also reflected in the Special Effect s used to simulate Superman's super powers and superhuman feats. Nearly every episode of the show had Clark Kent change into Superman, and run across a room to jump out the window (using a springboard, which was occasionally audible and/or visible). There would then be repeated Stock Footage of Superman flying through the sky. Although the use of the same flying footage over and over was obvious even to children watching the show, the footage was effective and well-done for its time, especially the shots used for episodes 27 through 52. Another notable feature of the programs, especially during the final 52 episodes, was that the characters always wore the same outfits thus allowing filming of multiple episodes at the same time. These apparent limitations were overshadowed by the sincerity and strong personalities of the players. Series history The series had its genesis in the short feature ''Superman and the Mole Men'', which was filmed and released to theaters in 1951 . This low-budget film was successful enough to inspire the TV series; it was later edited and integrated into the series as a two-part episode. The first season was also filmed in 1951, and released (and copyrighted) in 1952. After a one-year hiatus, the second season was copyrighted 1954. The remaining seasons were copyrighted 1955 through 1958. The series can be grouped into three collections which differ significantly in terms of content and style:
None of the regular Superman villains of the comic books made appearances on the TV show, and the bad guys on the show were usually generic "thugs." Some actors tended to appear repeatedly in that kind of role. Long-time character actor Herb Vigran played villains in each of the shows three groupings, and played them in the appropriate way for each, ranging from the sadistic to the serio-comical. Ben Welden also acted in each of the three groupings, usually as a somewhat dim-witted thug. A number of the other guest stars also appeared in multiple episodes, most often as a different character each time. One of the most recognizable was Sterling Holloway , the honey-throated actor best known as the voice of " Winnie The Pooh ". Other guest players who landed a ''Superman'' episode early in their careers included Chuck Connors (later star of '' The Rifleman ''), John Beradino (long-time star of '' General Hospital ''), and Billy Gray (of '' Father Knows Best ''). Director Tommy Carr's brother Steve appeared as an unbilled extra in nearly every one of the first 26 shows. In "Czar of the Underworld", he played a movie director, and was even called "Mr. Carr" by the other characters. George Reeves became so Typecast as Superman that it was difficult for him to find other roles. When he eventually died an apparent suicide, much speculation resulted as to whether it was because of his failed career. It was also noted that he had suffered a concussion in an auto accident shortly before that event, leading some to suspect that his mental health had been compromised. In recent years new allegations have arisen that Reeves might have been the target of a "hit" due to having spurned a long-time lover with mob connections. The hypothesis is that the aforementioned car accident was also an attempted hit. There is no question that Reeves consorted with some questionable characters. These allegations are unlikely to ever be resolved, due to the passage of time and the deaths of apparently everyone who might know the truth of the matter, and suicide remains the official cause of death. The shooting location for the ''Daily Planet'' lobby scenes was the former "Carnation Building" at 5045 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California , a famous example of Streamline Moderne architecture. The ''Planet'' exterior during episodes 1-26 was a single piece of footage, used in nearly every episode, apparently also of the Carnation Building, and definitely ''not'' the Los Angeles City Hall which stood in for the ''Planet'' building in the later episodes. The first 26 episodes featured many exterior shots, often at the RKO Pictures backlot called "Forty Acres", the same buildings later used on The Andy Griffith Show . As the show progressed, the episodes tended to be filmed mostly on soundstages. A coincidental connection between those two shows is that occasional ''Superman'' guest player Dick Elliot also played the mayor of Mayberry in some of its early episodes. The show was popular enough for George Reeves to make a cameo appearance as Superman on an episode of '' I Love Lucy .'' In this episode (#165, on January 14, 1957 {Link without Title} ), Lucy herself dressed up as Superman, in order to fulfill a promise of Reeves appearing as Superman at a child's party. Fortunately, the real Reeves showed up in costume and rescued Lucy from a dangling window ledge. After that misadventure, the following dialogue took place: :Superman: You've been married to Lucy for ''fifteen years''? :Ricky: That's right! :Superman: And they call ''me'' "Superman"! This appearance also includes a surprising throwaway gag: although Reeves is playing himself, he casually pushes a piano with one hand! DVD RELEASES The first season of the series was released, with the title "Adventures of Superman", on DVD in North America in a five-disc set on October 18 , 2005 , with further seasons scheduled for release during 2006 . A few days later, the Canadian branch of Warner Bros. ( Warner Canada ) issued a recall on Canadian issues of the first season set, due to many reports of missing booklets and a copying error that resulted in two discs containing identical material. Warner offered to replace the defective disc free of charge. {Link without Title} Subsequent releases of the DVD set appear to be correct. The five-disc collection contains 6 episodes on each of the first four discs. The fifth disk contains a few odds and ends, and the two-part episode called "The Unknown People", along with the series pilot from which it was based, "Superman and the Mole Men". This affords the student of the show to compare the two. The musical track is different, and there are edits to shorten the feature into two half-hour episodes, noticeably the excising of Lois' comment that the creatures "look like moles", as well as trimming a lengthy (and tedious) chase scene. The flying effects are non-existent except for one brief sequence that resorts to (poorly done) animation as the serials did. The quality of the prints overall is somewhat uneven, but noticeably superior to the choppy versions often used on TV in recent decades. Notable by its absence are extras that "could have been": the mid-show break announcement that "We'll return to the Adventures of Superman in just a moment", and the extended closing segment, "Stay tuned for the next thrill-packed episode..." Those items were added later when Kellogg's became the sponsor, and the DVD creators decided to omit all of that and return to the original versions of the episodes, restoring a few scenes that Kellogg's had required the series producers to cut due to excessive violence. Some of the episodes have commentaries by two different authors, and while they point out some interesting oddities that the casual observer would miss, they also both make the mistake of identifying the Planet building as the L.A. City Hall, which it was ''not'' during the first 26, but only later, although they do correctly identify the "Planet" lobby entrance with the Carnation Building. The second five-disc DVD set, episodes 27-52, or "Season 2", were released on January 17, 2006. Extras include a feature on Noel Neill, commentaries on a couple of the episodes by Neill with Jack Larson, and a rarely-seen special episode called "Stamp Day for Superman", focused on promoting U.S. Savings Stamps along with the typical nick-of-time rescue of Lois from a dangerous criminal. The typically truncated intros (due to chopping out the "Kellogg's" reference) appear to have been "solved" by attaching the 1952 version of the introduction, to varying degrees of success. Observant fans will note that although the entire show is normally presented (such as the radio/serial-type intro to ''Beware the Wrecker'', often missing from TV prints), in at least one episode, ''Around the World'', there is a key scene missing, in which Superman uses his X-ray vision to find a piece of glass lodged in the blind girl's (Judy Ann Nugent) optic nerve. The third DVD set, episodes 53-78, or "Seasons 3 and 4", are scheduled for release in June of 2006, coincidentally (or maybe not) about the same time frame as the scheduled release date of the new ''Superman'' feature film. PANIC IN THE SKY The best-remembered episode of the 104 is probably Number 38, ''Panic in the Sky''. On the DVD commentary, Neill and Larson pointed out that that episode is the one that Neill used to present on the college lecture circuit. They also reported that it was ''Superman'' aficionado '': the January 2, 1994, episode ''All Shook Up'', an irreverent reference to what happens to the Man of Steel. The storyline is gripping and has some modern overtones to it: An asteroid is headed for the earth, and humanity is powerless to stop it. The Professor at the Metropolis observatory explains the situation to Superman, who then flies into space and collides with the big rock, deflecting it into an orbital path around the earth. While the world celebrates, Superman manages to fly back to earth and change into his Clark Kent business suit instinctively, but the collision has given him a severe concussion and amnesia. To make matters worse, the now-orbiting asteroid is wreaking all kinds of havoc, and must be destroyed somehow... and Superman is nowhere to be found. The rest of the episode has Clark/Superman trying to figure out who he is, several times coming perilously close to inadvertently revealing his secret identity to his friends and colleagues (who are baffled by Clark's loss of memory). At the critical point in the show, and for the only time in the series, the superhero is seen wearing his Superman costume as well as Clark's horn-rimmed glasses, seeming very vulnerable indeed. In a moment of frustration, he bangs his fist on an end table and obliterates it. He realizes that he must, in fact, be this "Superman" everyone has been talking about, and as he removes his glasses, he has a glimmer of recollection of the Professor and the observatory. Again acting on instinct, he leaps out of the window and flies to the observatory, where the Professor is waiting with a small but powerful bomb that Superman must fly to the asteroid in the hope of destroying it for good. Although the special effects connected with the asteroid are of mixed quality, the episode also contains some of the very best takeoff and flying sequences in the series. It also gives George Reeves a rare chance to expand his dual characterizations beyond their usual formula. EXTERNAL LINKS
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