The Adventures of Superman marked another milestone for DC's best known hero, who had previously conquered radio and had starred in a series of theatrical shorts for Paramount in the 40's, plus two movie serials.
Superman (George Reeves) was the first comic book hero to be adapted for television when British media mogul Robert Maxwell brokered a syndication deal for the series in 1952. However, anyone thinking they would see adaptations of stories from the comics or the newspaper strip were sorely disappointed. Instead of Lex Luthor or the Prankster, Superman instead fought generic gangsters and common crooks. The show was so popular, such that Reeves would appear as Superman on I Love Lucy, of all places.
The series lasted six seasons, ending in 1958, and ensuring a healthy life in syndication. Of course, the Man of Steel would return again and again, mostly in cartoons, over the following 50-plus years. In the comics, Superman's been revamped and tinkered with enough times, more recently with DC's controversial "New 52" reboot, which wiped away Supes' mid-90's wedding to reporter-girlfriend Lois Lane, which, to my knowledge, was not met with as much antipathy as Marvel's decision to wipe out Spider-Man's marriage to Mary Jane Watson (save for the newspaper strip) a few years prior. These days, DC's writers would rather consider what a lot of people have considered for years, pairing Superman with Wonder Woman. Now, if that isn't good enough for a movie all by itself, I don't know what is.
With Superman soon to return to the big screen in "Man of Steel", due this summer, let's take a look back, with help from CptColumbo, at the original open to Adventures of Superman.
As a kid, I must've seen every episode at least a half-dozen times each in syndication over the years. Today, it really doesn't hold up as well, since most fans would prefer to see Superman battle the same foes as he did in the books. For whatever reason, it just didn't happen in the 50's.
Rating: B-.
This was my introduction to Superman believe it or not! The intro will forever remind me of a childhood (and a more innocent era) long gone. It is still a hoot to see George Reeves' guest appearance on "I Love Lucy" ("And they call ME Superman!")!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to guess that the 50s version of the show didn't use Superman's traditional villians due to issues with special effects budgeting and costumes (although Lex Luthor could have been doable).
Well, they didn't exactly break the bank on effects for "Superman & The Mole Men", but I get what you're saying. Luthor could've been done, but you wonder if they couldn't find an appropriate actor to play the part.
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