the Adventures of Superman

Faster than a speeding bullet!

Henry Cavill still is Superman in the hit and miss DC cinematic universe today known as "DC Worlds". However, like me, Cavill wasn't even born when one of the most beloved iterations of  the Man of Steel took place 66 years ago.

George Reeves was the first Superman people fell in love with. Also, he remains one of the biggest Hollywood mysteries of all time. Fasten your seat-belts because we're about to travel back in time to believe a man can fly in black & white.

"The Adventures of Superman" was, in the 1950s, the ultimate adventure show for kids, a series that transcended low budgets, often laughably bad scripts, and a torturous shooting schedule each season to become a genuine 'TV Classic'. Next to "I Love Lucy", the series is, perhaps, the most frequently rerun of any show of that decade; in shooting several seasons in color, it was a major trend setter (particularly as there were VERY few color televisions at the time); as a show that was syndicated, and not owned by a network (Kellogg's Cereal sponsored and financed the program) it paved the way for all the syndicated programs that followed. It's place in television history cannot be denied, and it's story is complete with drama, success, and tragedy, and a hero whose life and strange death still fuels controversy, to this day. 

Lois & Clark.

Lois & Superman.

Superman, DC Comics' high-flying hero, had already achieved success on radio, in animated short films, and in two movie serials, when a low-budget feature film, SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE MEN, paved the way for the television series. The film replaced serial star Kirk Alyn with brawnier, square-jawed George Reeves, a youthful 37-year old whose promising film career had been derailed by WWII. He was joined by Phyllis Coates, replacing the serials' Noel Neill as ace reporter Lois Lane, and the pair made the transition to television, joined by 19-year old Jack Larson, as photographer/cub reporter Jimmy Olsen, and veteran character actor John Hamilton as editor Perry White. Helmed initially by veteran producer Robert Maxwell, the series utilized the same 'assembly line' formula of the movie serials*, shooting multiple episodes at one time (which was why the cast always wore the same outfits), relying on action-heavy scripts heavy with Gothic atmosphere, and creating 'master' FX shots that were reused constantly, keeping the budget within acceptable limits. (While the 'flying' shots have been the object of humor over the years, the use of wires and a 'flying pan' in front of a rear projection provided the most realistic 'look' yet achieved, and the technique would still be in practice when SUPERMAN RETURNS was filmed, 55 years later.) Reeves' 'Man of Steel' was a street brawler, unafraid to duke it out with villains, and his 'Clark Kent' was every bit as no-nonsense as his 'Superman'. The program was actually quite adult, for a comic book adaptation, and the first season episodes are considered the best of the series.

Serial*

A "serial" is usually a fictional story, which is divided into parts and comes every day or every week on TV. The story is continuing in nature meaning today's episode is a continuation of what happened yesterday.

A series, unlike a serial, need not always be based on a work of fiction. The programmes that we see on the National Geographic Channel or the Discovery Channel can be thought of being as part of a series. For example, sometimes for an entire week, there may be programmes on sharks. All the programmes form part of a series about sharks. When you think of a series you are thinking of a set of related programmes. You may for example have a programme on lions, tigers, leopards, etc under the title "carnivores". It is also possible to have a series that is based on fiction. But in the case of a series, each programme is usually self-contained. In other words each episode has a beginning, middle and an end and the story from one episode does not usually carry over to the next. For example, Martial Law, NYPD Blue, and Friends are all examples of series.

Source: The Hindu Jan 8,2002

When Phyllis Coates left the show, in 1953 (believing it would not be renewed, she signed for other film work), Noel Neill returned, softening the character of Lois Lane, but participating in some of the series' greatest episodes, including the most popular episode ever filmed, "Panic in the Sky", where Superman attacks an asteroid 'head-on', resulting in amnesia and near doom for Earth. By now, the 'wired' take-offs of Superman were replaced by vaulting off a springboard (after Reeves had barely escaped serious injury after dropping over ten feet when the 'liftoff' wires broke).

Not on my watch!

Freedom to all sentient beings.

When Whitney Ellsworth took over production duties for the series, pressure from Kellogg's (due to the show's tremendous popularity, and investigations into the detrimental effect of violence on children) to tone down the mayhem resulted in episodes becoming increasingly silly and far-fetched. As this coincided with the series' move to color, the marked difference is clearly evident. The color episodes (particularly in the last two seasons) are, by-in-large, held in far less regard than the black and white ones.

By the series' final season, George Reeves would look chubby, and far older than his 43 years, Noel Neill would sport flaming red hair, and the episodes, shot on a very tight budget, were nearly unwatchable (other than the series' finale, "The Trials of Superman", directed by Reeves, where the cast are all placed in "Perils of Pauline"-style catastrophes).

"Hey Clark, my parents aren't home".

"Here I go Lois!"

While Larson and Neill would move on to other projects, and John Hamilton soon passed away, George Reeves found himself type-cast as Superman, with his career considered to be at a standstill. The assumption that depression resulted in his committing suicide in 1959, at 45, has, however, been the subject of debate for over 40 years. It turns out that Kellogg's was prepared to finance a new season of "Superman", that Reeves had several upcoming directing opportunities, he was about to be married, and that on the night of his death, he was in excellent spirits. There is a growing belief that his 'suicide' was actually murder, by a 'hit man' hired by either by his ex-girlfriend, or her jealous husband. While the truth may never be known, the news of his death devastated a generation of children, who truly believed he WAS Superman.

While Christopher Reeve it's my generation's ultimate Superman (you know those 30 & 40 something year old fans) and Henry Cavill may be today's "Man of Steel", and Dean Cain and Tom Welling have their fans, George Reeves, and "The Adventures of Superman", carry on a legacy that will never fade away. Each year introduces new fans to the series, and reminds us television isn't about sophisticated plots & special effects but, about the magic of make believe.

The many faces of good.

Yes, Jimmy, real muscles!

 Now let's move on to the trivia section on The Adventures of Superman:

• After George Reeves' death, producers considered continuing the series with Jimmy Olsen becoming the main character and including stock footage of Reeves as Superman. Jack Larson, however, rejected the idea.  
• When the series was filmed in black and white during its first two seasons, George Reeves wore a brown for red, gray for blue and white for yellow costume. When the show began filming in color in 1954, he switched to the trademark red and blue suit.  
• 
  It is now common knowledge that Clark Kent's Earth parents were named Jonathan and Martha. However, in the first episode, Adventures of Superman: Superman on Earth (1952), Kent's parents were named Eben and Sarah. This is because the comics themselves were inconsistent with the Kents' given names until the characters became major players in "Superboy" comics stories at about this same time. The names Sarah and Eben were first used in the novel "The Adventures of Superman" (1942) and in the first Superman serial. 
• In the early seasons wire work was used to create some of the flying scenes. During the course of this work there had been some minor mishaps, but on one occasion the support wires snapped, causing George Reeves to be dropped to the floor. He refused to do anymore wire work. This is why episodes in the early seasons would show Superman taking off in flight within the frame, but in later seasons he would run toward the camera, hit a springboard hidden below frame and leap out of frame.  
• 
  George Reeves wanted to quit the series after the third season. Kirk Alyn, who played Superman in the 1940s film serials, was offered the chance to replace Reeves but turned it down. Reeves tried to produce his own series titled "Port of Entry", but when he was not able to secure financing, he returned to "Superman" with an increase in salary. 
• When the series was picked up by Kellogg's, the breakfast cereal manufacturer, some of the cast members were able to make extra money by appearing in Kellogg's commercials. This did not include Phyllis Coates or Noel Neill. It was felt that Lois Lane having breakfast with Clark Kent was too suggestive.  
• George Reeves was 38 years old when the series began, making him the oldest actor to have ever played Clark Kent / Superman in live action. 
• The first 26 episodes were filmed in 1951, but did not appear on television until 1952, when Kellogg's Cereals agreed to sponsor the show.  
• 
  The series was honored on its 50th anniversary when the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors proclaimed July 10-16, 2001, as "Superman Week." A proclamation was presented to Paul Levitz of DC Comics in a ceremony that was also attended by Jack Larson, Noel Neill, Mrs. Robert Shayne, Mrs. Jerome Siegel, Robert Rockwell, Jeff Corey and Walter Walbrecht, vice president of Warner Brothers. Season 3, Number 4 was named "Superman Week" honoring the Man of Steel and was first broadcast on 14 May 1955.  

You'll believe a man can fly in a black & white world.

Smile!

Here's season 1 opening:



The color version opening and ending from season 3 on:



a 1990 documentary focusing on the serials and today's review:



E!'s "Mysteries & Scandals":



Geraldo's "Now it can be told":