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. Shown in grade schools during the 1950s, the decade of Adventures of Superman, this is the only "episode" of the series that has entered the public domain. 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. Superman rams a giant asteroid on a collision course with Earth. In a couple of later episodes, such as "The Atomic Secret", Reeves simulated flying, opting to lie on the device without the molded form to support his legs, which are seen to hang from the waist in those episodes in marked contrast to the stock footage of Superman in flight. We are airing all 2,194 … Cereal manufacturer Kellogg's sponsored the show. In 1987, selected episodes of the show were released on VHS. "It's a bird!" 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. Cereal manufacturer Kellogg's sponsored the show. The show was the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California on RKO-Pathé stages and the RKO Forty Acres back lot. Adventures of Superman was not shown in color until 1965, when the series was syndicated to local stations.[2][3]. Much of the Superman … [12] Like Neill, Larson participated in various conventions connected with Superman. The Adventures of Superman 1952-1958 6 seasons Syndicated Action & Adventure TVG Watchlist Where to Watch Cast See All George Reeves Superman/Clark Kent Jack Larson Jimmy … Why was there a change in the actress who played Lois Lane? Another cue, used in the second season episodes "The Machine that Could Plot Crimes", "Jungle Devil", The Clown Who Cried", and "The Golden Vulture", came from the seventh theme of Miklos Rozsa's "Theme, Variations & Finale. Adventures of Superman #593 is an issue of the series Adventures of Superman with a cover date of August, 2001. They want it to read a vault combination from a guard, and clop it out for them...)A decidedly unusual series whose only faults would be the special effects of the time, the on the surface unsettling mix of action and stupidity, and there were no licensed character or recurring villains. Producers planned to continue Adventures of Superman in 1959 with two more years' worth of episodes, to begin airing in the 1960 season. Neill's portrayal was more accessible to the younger television audience, sweeter and more sympathetic than the efficient, hard-as-nails Coates characterization. "It's Superman!"). The monochrome prints of the color episodes also had to be treated so that there would be a similar level of contrast in the colors of Reeves's new costume and that from the earlier seasons. The first and last airdates of the show, which was produced for first-run syndicationrather than for a network, are disputed, but they are generally accepte… Many exteriors in the first season were shot at the RKO Pictures backlot, called "Forty Acres", a facility later used for Mayberry, North Carolina, on The Andy Griffith Show. In the first episode—the "origin" episode—Superman's infant life on the planet Krypton, his arrival on Earth, and a family couple nurturing and raising him are dramatized. Other scenic shortcuts were employed. Superman battles crooks, gangsters, and other villains in the fictional city of Metropolis while masquerading "off duty" as Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent. 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. These videos were later re-released during the mid-1990s under new packaging artwork. With most of the villains becoming comic bunglers less likely to frighten the show's juvenile viewers and with only some occasional deaths, usually off screen, Kellogg's gave its full approval to Ellsworth's approach and the show remained a success. During filming of the 'Superman and the Mole Men' feature, the wires supporting Reeves snapped, and he fell to the studio floor. asks a villain in "The Riddle of the Chinese Jade". 1 Volume 1 2 Annuals 3 Volume 2 4 See Also Add a photo to this gallery … A large portion of the stories, however, dealt with Superman's personal issues, such as his memory loss in "Panic in the Sky". 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. Sentimental or humorous stories were more evident than they had been during the first season. Bad guys try to muscle their way in on the city of Metropolis but find it impossible to get past the Man of Steel. Filming of the color episodes began in late 1954, but they were broadcast in monochrome starting in early 1955. The Man of Steel fights crime with help from his friends at the Daily Planet. He also provided 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. The Man of Steel fights evil in the city of Metropolis and beyond. It's Superman!" George Reeves stars as Superman, the … The Carnation Milk Company Building a few blocks east on Wilshire served as The Daily Planet's front door. "The Runaway Robot," and "Panic In The Sky." Shayne was, in fact, legally blind by that time. Backlot, Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA. Mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet is really the greatest superhero of them all who "fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way!" The announcement "Our guest star tonight was George Reeves, star of the Superman series" was deleted from the episode after its first network broadcast. The Adventures of Superman is a long-running radio serial that originally aired from 1940 to 1951 featuring the DC Comics character Superman. Actors who landed Superman guest appearances early in their careers include: Other veteran film and television actors making appearances on the show included Dona Drake, George E. Stone, James Craven, Dan Seymour, Victor Sen Yung, Maudie Prickett, John Doucette, Norma Varden, Roy Barcroft, Elizabeth Patterson, and George Chandler. Establishing shots of Queen of Angels Hospital in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles were often used in episodes (such as "The Face and the Voice") during the second season, although the hospital was identified as "Mercy General". With the color seasons, the show began to take on the lighthearted, whimsical tone of the Superman comic books of the decade. The characters from the TV series, except Lois Lane and Superman himself, made a number of TV commercials promoting their cereal products. Op. Other roles were well handled.". In the radio show, the baby from Krypton grows up during his trip through space, and lands on Earth as a grown man. (Note: During this volume's publication, Superman Volume 2 was … The closing credits have the correct, unchanged copyright dates. 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. At the end of season one, cables and wires were discarded for take offs (and later dropped all together by season two's end) and special effects head Daniel "Danny" Hays left the series. Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!" Money was further saved by using a simple change of wall hangings to change Clark's office into Lois's office, thus dispensing with additional set construction. When Kellogg's ceased being the show's sponsor, the logo and the intro line were removed from some prints, especially when Warner Bros. Television received distribution rights. For the color episodes, the simpler and cheaper technique of a neutral cyclorama backing was used, usually sky-blue, or black for night shots. [1] 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 were originally telecast in black and white. Writers … Each volume contained one black-and-white episode and one color episode, plus a Max Fleischer Superman animated short. Action. The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? The core cast thereafter remained intact, with Phillips Tead occasionally joining the regulars in the last seasons as the eccentric recurring character Professor Pepperwinkle. Several episodes featured the substance as a plot device. During the first decade of reruns, when all episodes were still shown in black and white, each episode's opening had the Kellogg's reference edited out, sometimes incompletely, leaving portions of "the greatest name in cereals, presents" in the finished product. Cables and wires were used for Superman's take-offs early in filming. Maxwell Smart, a highly intellectual but bumbling spy working for the CONTROL agency, battles the evil forces of rival spy agency KAOS with the help of his competent partner Agent 99. By this time, a springboard was brought in for take off scenes, designed by the series other SFX supervisor, Thol "Si" Simonson, who remained with the series until its end. Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!" In later seasons, filming occurred on sound stages, with exterior shots, such as cars driving along roadways, shot as second-unit material, often with doubles at the wheel. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. The serial came to radio as a syndicated show on … Actor Pierre Watkin was hired to replace Hamilton as "Perry White's brother." The other part was uproarously funny, probably unintentionally so.Running a span of both black and white and color, the shade factor of the episode determines what you'll get. The first season's episodes usually featured action-packed, dark, gritty, and often violent story lines in which Superman fought gangsters and crime lords. More powerful than a locomotive! Faster than a speeding bullet! For example, one cue used in the episode "Peril by Sea" also appears in Plan 9 from Outer Space. Usually the villains catch him, and Superman usually helps him in the nick of time. For the entirety of season one episodes, stuntmen took Reeves' place whenever cables and wires were used for take offs. Certificate: Passed Each 26-week season would feature 13 new episodes and 13 reruns of the older black-and-white shows. Superman arrived on television in 1952 with a mythology established through comic books, a novel, a radio series, two theatrical serials, and seventeen Max Fleischer animated shorts. Contents 1 Synopsis for "A Lex" 2 Appearing in "A … (1952–1958). Black and white generally guarantees serious action scripts, usually well executed for the time. 13, from 1933. Tris Coffin; 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. The Adventures of Superman." 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."[4]. The villains were often caricatured, Runyonesque gangsters played in a tongue-in-cheek style. : The Return of Black Adam, Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman. More often than not, the villains were likely to knock themselves out fleeing Superman. Color usually means in you're in for something outrageously improbable, almost along the lines of the Adam West "Batman" series nearly 10 years later. In 2007, the show's complete six seasons received a Saturn Award for "Best Retro Television Series Release on DVD". Thomas Carr directed this film. With the exception of the title theme, musical cues ranged from the serious to the lighthearted and were different for each of the seasons, except for the third season, wherein some cues from the previous season would be reused in a number of episodes. A young boy, able to transform into the superhero Captain Marvel, travels the country fighting evil and helping people. This was a very weird series in execution. Phyllis Coates, like George Reeves, was a popular lead in B features of the period. Preceded by Superman Volume 1 #423, Continued in Superman Volume 1 #650. In the episode, Reeves appears as himself playing TV's Superman, though no mention of George Reeves is ever made until the credits roll. However, Superman is staggered as he returns to Earth. National Comics Publications, Inc. v. Fawcett Publications, Inc. Live-action television programs based on DC Comics publications, Saturn Award for Best Retro Television Series on DVD, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adventures_of_Superman_(TV_series)&oldid=1001070357, Black-and-white American television shows, First-run syndicated television programs in the United States, Television shows set in the United States, Articles needing additional references from August 2013, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing additional references from February 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Adventures of Superman Theme (Superman March), The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons (in Full Color), The Complete Fifth and Sixth Seasons (in Full Color), This page was last edited on 18 January 2021, at 03:17. At this point, Jimmy, who was very popular with viewers, was being played as the show's comic foil to Superman. As Superboy, he wore a suit similar in design to George Reeves' suit. It's Superman. This was often confusing to the actors. Look! One part of its life was serious, generally well executed action. The show's title card (see infobox above right) imitated the three-dimensional lettering of the comic book covers. Up in the sky!" Celebrate Black History Month with IMDb's exclusive galleries, recommendations, videos, and more. But, all in all, in the end, a series definitely worth watching. Adventures of Superman (1952–1958) 8.2 / 10 76 3 user 2 critic Rate This Three in One TV-G | 30min | Action, Adventure, Crime | Episode aired 7 April 1958 Season 6 | Episode 10 Previous … Learn how and when to remove this template message, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, "Barely a superhero show, Adventures Of Superman was a surprise success", "Culver City's '40-Acres' Studio Backlot Ranch", http://articles.latimes.com/1992-05-18/news/mn-53_1_popular-television, "Jack Larson, who Played Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen in TV Series, Dies", Superman/Shazam! [13] In succeeding episodes, he conceals his super-identity by posing as mild-mannered Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent who, in times of crisis, dashes into the Daily Planet's storeroom, or an alley, sheds his street clothes, and reappears in superhero tights and trunks, all at super-speed, to rescue hapless folks from the clutches of evildoers. An expert listing of 16 key comics from the comic book series Adventures of Superman published by DC 3rd cameo appearance of Doomsday, a panel shows the opposite site of the door as the bone-spiked … Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Action, Certificate: TV-Y7-FV It's a plane! Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? The springboard had enough force, along with subtle camera manipulation, to make it look as though he was actually taking off. 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. Most of the stories are actually pretty straightforward gangster stories in the film noir style and you can clearly see … For the TV series, Reeves asked that Coates receive equal star billing. Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created in 1938. The initial feature film, Superman and the Mole Men, was subsequently edited into a two-part story called "The Unknown People" and was to be broadcast mid season, but went unaired until it was added to the syndication package of some stations in 1960 after the sponsor left. Reeves would run into frame and hit the out-of-frame springboard, which would boost him out of frame, sometimes over the camera, and onto padding. The Coates Orphanage in Metropolis, which appears in the Lois and Clark episode "Season's Greedings," is named for her. Written by 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 on the end of the closing credits. The death of actor John Hamilton threw the plan into disarray. After the first season's filming was completed, actress Phyllis Coates made other commitments and did not return as Lois Lane. While considered simple by today's standards, the "flying" effects on Adventures of Superman were advanced for the period, although during season one it was apparent that, for distance flight shots, Superman was lying on a flat surface, his torso and thighs noticeably flattened between elbows and knees. Mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet is really the greatest superhero of them all who "fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way! Jack Larson's Jimmy Olsen is a Daily Planet intern, often investigating some wrongdoing. None of Superman's established foes like Lex Luthor appeared in the TV series, and the most potent element incorporated into the show from the established mythology was green kryptonite; the other versions (red, white, blue, gold, etc.) 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. The film, shot in July 1951, served as a pilot for Adventures of Superman and prompted the start of production of the first season in August/September of the same year. Superman is really more about the adventures of Clark Ken and Lois Lane, two reporters. It’s a plane! Neill played the multimillionaire wife of Lex Luthor, played by Kevin Spacey, who dies at the beginning of the film, leaving her entire inheritance to Luthor. Noel Neill, who had played the character in both Columbia theatrical serials, stepped into the role and remained until the series' cancellation. In November 1951, California exhibitor and B-movie producer Robert L. Lippert released a 58-minute black-and-white movie 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. They respond that Superman will stop him. It ran for 66 issues between 1996 and 2002. In 2006, the series became available in its entirety on DVD to coincide with the DVD release of Superman Returns, the first Superman feature film to emerge after almost two decades without such a movie. This is a list of Adventures of Superman episodes. 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 was tied to a set of railroad tracks with a speeding train bearing down on her, Perry White was nearly sawn in half while tied to a log, Jimmy was in a runaway car headed for a cliff, and Clark Kent was immersed in a vat of acid. Voices: "Look up in the sky! It’s Superman! The classic radio serial, The Adventures of Superman, began airing on SCIFI.radio on April 1, 2013. Scripts for the sixth and final season reestablished a bit of the seriousness of the show, often utilizing science fiction features like a kryptonite-powered robot, atomic explosions, and impregnable metal cubes. Larson was cast as a man-on-the-street in an American Express ad called The Adventures of Seinfeld and Superman. With George Reeves, Jack Larson, Noel Neill, John Hamilton. Faster than a speeding bullet! Celebrate Black History Month with some of the most iconic figures in Hollywood. It is … The onscreen title of the show is Adventures of Superman, with no article preceding "Adventures.". Was this review helpful to you? The classic Adventures of Superman episodes from the 1950s starring George Reeves set the tone for how many people still think of Clark … [5] This film was released on the Season Two DVD box set of The Adventures of Superman. The Caped Crusader and his young ward battle evildoers in Gotham City. Because of the added cost of filming in color, the producers cut the number of episodes per season in half. Hillsides in Culver City, city streets of downtown Los Angeles, or residential areas of the San Fernando Valley were sometimes used as exteriors during all six seasons. The establishing shot of The Daily Planet building in the first season was the E. Clem Wilson Building in Los Angeles, California, on Wilshire Boulevard, for decades famous as the headquarters of Mutual of Omaha, its brilliant white globe atop a tall pillar a familiar landmark to local residents. More over Krypton wasn't in a distant star system but in the same solar system … In later syndication, when Kellogg's was no longer the sponsor, the episode openings were re-edited to remove the opening line relating to the cereal company. Adventures of Superman 1952 - Se1 EP01 - Superman on Earth HubertElinor1216 2:33 Why Superman Is The Most Dangerous Superhero (Superman V Batman: The Unauthorized … When underground beings explore the surface world from a deep oil well and inadvertantly cause a panic, only Superman can prevent a tragedy. In the film noir-like early episodes, Superman himself is seen as a semi-mysterious presence, unknown to many of the crooks. Both Noel Neill and Jack Larson had minor roles in the 2006 movie Superman Returns. The feature film Hollywoodland, released in 2006, dramatized the show's production and the death of its star, George Reeves. You can click here for the whys but upon embracing the show, I decided that this year on the late George Reeves’ birthday — he was born 107 years ago on Jan. 5, 1914 — I’d post the TOP 13 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN … Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created in 1938.

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