Adventures of Superman: Season 1

"Adventures Of Superman" premiered in American living rooms on Friday, September 19th, 1952 (when the first episode aired on Chicago's WENR-TV), and continued for a total of six TV seasons. 104 episodes of the series were produced and aired (via syndication), with all 26 black-and-white episodes of the series' first season represented within this classy-looking 5-Disc DVD boxed set that was released by Warner Home Video on October 18, 2005. The scripts for "Superman" offer up a rather fun blend of fantasy, suspense, action-adventure, and noir-like crime-drama. Plus quite a bit of comedy, to boot (both the intentional and unintentional varieties of humor). Nearly all of the above elements can be detected in the series right from the get-go in the debut episode "Superman On Earth" (which is one of my favorites from this batch of first-year episodes). "Superman On Earth" is a great pilot episode to launch the series, IMO. Within this single 26-minute program, the whole "Superman" backstory plays out -- beginning with planet Krypton's doomed fate, to Superman's arrival on Earth as an infant (via a prototype planet-hopping spaceship constructed by his father, Jor-El), and continuing with the story of mild-mannered Clark Kent's first exciting day on the job as a "Daily Planet" newspaper reporter. When I watch the pilot episode, I'm always impressed by the amount of material and plot points that are covered in just this initial installment of the series. And it never really feels like the writers are "rushing" to tell us the story. It seems to evolve in a well-paced manner. I think it's an exemplary beginning to the series, and sets the tone just right for future "Superman" episodes. There's a bit of unintended humor in that first episode as well, to be sure. It's difficult not to burst out laughing during a few portions of the "Krypton" scenes ... e.g.: when Jor-El states to Krypton's ruling Government leaders that he intends to build a fleet of spaceships to transport the entire planet's population off of the doomed planet -- and he, evidently, intends to accomplish this massive construction feat in just a matter of "days, or even perhaps hours" (which is the amount of time he says remains until the planet is likely to explode into millions of pieces). Holy Smokes! He'd better get a move-on then! LOL! Plus: I kind of like the humorous angle provided in the pilot as a result of the real age of actor George Reeves ("Superman"). Reeves is supposed to be 25 years old during his "adult" scenes in the first episode (perhaps close to 26). Mr. Reeves' real age, however, was 37 at the time. :-) But those parts of the pilot show, and other episodes in the series, that bring forth a chuckle or two are also part of the reason I like to watch "Superman". It's an entertaining TV show, unintended humor and all. A First-Show "Did You Know?" Trivia Break --- Did you know that the actor who portrayed the very first person ever rescued by the amazing high-flying antics of "Superman" was Dabbs Greer? .... Yep, it was good ol' Dabbs alright. Dabbs, a veteran of literally hundreds of TV bit parts dating back to the early 1950s, was falling through the sky to a certain death in the final act of the pilot episode, when the caped super hero caught him in mid-air. For some reason, though, Greer doesn't get a screen credit for his part in the pilot show, despite the fact he has several lines to read at the tail-end of that program. Another oddity re. that premiere episode's closing credits is the fact that Ross Elliott, another soon-to-be-veteran character actor who popped up in a great number of TV series in the '50s and '60s (like Greer), gets an on-screen credit for "Superman On Earth", even though his scenes were totally cut out of the show and he doesn't appear in the episode at all. It makes me wonder if Greer was a last-minute replacement for Elliott during the filming of the episode's last scene, but the end credits were never corrected. ~strokes chin and ponders~ It sure looks to me like some degree of restoration effort was put into these DVD transfers. For the most part, I think the video on these discs looks remarkably good, especially for a program that originally was made during the earliest days of television. These first-year Supermans were actually made an entire year before they were ever aired, being filmed between July 23 and October 13 of 1951. The back of the DVD box claims that these episodes were "digitally mastered from original film elements". Sounds good to me. :) I was especially impressed by the clarity of the opening titles, which is a segment of many TV shows that oft-times looks much worse on DVD than the 'body' of the episodes. But in this set, the Main Titles look excellent. Just check out the close-up of the revolver when it turns sideways during the show opening (as we hear the famous voice-over, "Faster than a speeding bullet!"). The gun is crystal-clear here. I think, however, that just a single (nicely cleaned-up) opening sequence was used for these DVDs and repeated for all of the episodes in this collection. This becomes quite noticeable in Episode #13, "The Stolen Costume", which features rather subpar video quality for the episode itself, with lots of dirt specks dancing around the screen (although it was quite possibly the best print WB had to work with when it came to transferring this ep. to DVD), but the opening titles still look very clean and clear. I, myself, haven't really noticed any major edits or essential footage missing from these episodes. Run times that I've made a point to check clocked in at a healthy 25 to 26 minutes each. As an example, I checked every episode's precise running time on Disc #1, and here are the results of those "time checks": "Superman On Earth" -- Run Time: 25:52. "The Haunted Lighthouse" -- 25:53. "The Case Of The Talkative Dummy" -- 25:49. "Mystery Of The Broken Statues" -- 25:23. "The Monkey Mystery" -- 25:24. "Night Of Terror" -- 25:55. So, if any originally-aired footage has been cut out here, it's certainly not very much, that's for sure. I really like the packaging for this first "Superman" DVD set, too. It's colorful, bright, and just plain fun to open up and look at. There's an attractive outer slipcase box that slides easily and smoothly over the interior case. The five DVDs are placed in a Digipak type of folding case, with an overlapping disc-storing system that is growing in favor with this writer and DVD collector. Many people frown at the sight of the "stacked" type of DVD trays, but I'm beginning to like them better all the time. Stacking the discs in this overlapping arrangement within multi-disc sets cuts down on the bulkiness of the overall packaging, reducing the number of Digipak panels required to house all the software. And there's a certain "eye appeal" to this type of storage method, too (IMO). Plus, with a stacked arrangement, you don't need a table (or other surface) a half-mile wide in order to uncoil all the panels/flaps of the DVD case. I've also noticed that the DVD sets I have purchased that feature the overlapping discs also seem to have more user-friendly disc hubs (fasteners), i.e.: it seems to me that the stacked trays feature hubs that will release the discs more easily (without the need of a crowbar, or a stick of dynamite, to pry the darn things free from their clutching plastic homes, as with some non-stacked designs). ;) When all five discs are removed from their trays, a very pleasant visual packaging treat is revealed -- A picture of Superman (in cartoon form) comes into full view; plus the word "SUPERMAN" is spelled out grandly in large colorful letters across two of the Digipak panels (in the familiar "Superman" font/style). It's a nice artwork/packaging touch that gives this DVD set more of a "collectible" feel to it. It's almost a shame to have to cover up the cool underlying artwork on the case with the discs themselves. ;) Some pretty nice artwork adorns each of the five DVDs too, with a picture of a cast member on each disc -- e.g.: George Reeves (who occupies space on two of the discs, due to his dual role as both "Superman" and "Clark Kent"), plus Phyllis Coates ("Lois Lane" during Season 1 of the series), Jack Larson ("Jimmy Olsen"), and John Hamilton ("Perry White"). Another nifty little packaging touch is located on each of the two spines of the DVD case -- The Warner Brothers' "WB" logo has been situated in such a way on the case's spines to make it appear as if the logo itself is serving as Superman's "belt buckle". (This could have merely been a coincidence, that the "WB" logo lined up to double as the buckle on Superman's belt in the spine photos, but I thought it was kind of cute nonetheless.) ----------------- OTHER VITAL STATS & INFO ABOUT THIS DVD COLLECTION......... >> Video is Full-Frame (1.33:1), as originally seen in 1952 and 1953. >> Audio is English only (in Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono). >> There's a "Play All" option attached to each disc. >> Subtitles are available in English, French, and Spanish. >> No episode-guide booklet is included. Program info can be found on the inner DVD case. >> The animated DVD Menus capture the fun spirit of the Superman series. Each disc's Main Menu is laid out in the guise of a Superman comic book. The Main Menu design is identical for all five discs. Menu items can be selected from a "page" of the comic book. Sub-Menu choices include "Play All Episodes", "Episode Index", "Special Features", and "Languages". ... No Scene Selection Menus are available for any of the shows (unfortunately, no Chapter Stops have been placed into any of the episodes, which is probably the biggest gripe I have with this DVD set). >> No "forced" trailers or other ads are present on the DVDs, and the FBI Warnings and WB Logo that are seen upon initial disc load-up are able to be quickly bypassed. ~a big "thumbs-up" to this!~ ----------------- BONUS DVD STUFF......... Some fairly nice bonus supplements have been tacked on to Disc 5 of this Superman set, including Audio Commentary Tracks for 4 different episodes by two "Superman Chroniclers". These Superman experts/aficionados provide their Commentary in Dolby 2.0 Stereo. Plus: >> The complete 1951 theatrical feature film "Superman And The Mole Men" (which was later re-worked into the 2-part, first-season Superman TV episode "The Unknown People"). ... This is a terrific bonus add-on. Very glad to see this included in this set. "Mole Men" isn't exactly "Citizen Kane", but it did introduce the world to George Reeves as "The Man Of Steel". The B&W "Mole Men", which made its theatrical debut on November 23, 1951, is fairly short for a "feature-length" motion picture, just 58 minutes long (it took a mere 11 days to shoot). It's presented here in its original Full-Frame video format, with audio in 2.0 Dolby Digital Mono. Excellent picture quality too. I'm amazed at how good this film looks here, in fact. I've certainly never seen it looking as good as it does on this DVD. ... No chaptering or subtitle options are provided for the "Mole Men" feature. >> A 17-minute retrospective documentary entitled "Adventures Of Superman: From Inkwell To Backlot". ... Some very good stuff here, including on-camera interviews with "Jimmy Olsen" himself (Jack Larson) and movie critic Leonard Maltin. This is a short featurette, but it's jam-packed with show clips and fun information about the Superman TV series and its cast members. ... Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. >> A vintage "WB short" called "Pony Express Days". ... This 20-minute short film, made in 1940 (and shot in Technicolor) stars a very youthful-looking George Reeves (who was 26 years old when he filmed this entertaining short subject). Reeves was a very busy actor in films early in his career, with his role as "Bill Cody" in "Pony Express Days" representing his 14th film appearance in less than a two-year period (1939-1940). Included among that 14 is George's role as "Stuart Tarleton" in the epic "Gone With The Wind". Reeves made appearances in 16 different movies in the year 1940 alone! (Gosh, maybe he really IS "Superman". LOL.) ... Tragically, George Reeves (who was born George Keefer Brewer in January 1914) died at a very young age (45), when an apparent suicide took the life of America's first TV "Superman", on June 16, 1959 (just a little more than one year after Reeves filmed the last "Superman" episode). ... A Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono audio track has been utilized for this "Pony Express" bonus. Video is 1.33:1 Full-Frame, and it looks outstanding too. Colors are very well-rendered. This is yet another excellent bonus item that makes this Superman set even a better bargain. >> 3 Kellogg's cereal commercials that aired in the 1950s during the original run of the "Superman" series. ... This is actually kind of a mini-featurette, which includes a short history lesson about the Kellogg's "Superman" ads, followed by three complete B&W commercial spots, all for "Sugar Frosted Flakes". George Reeves stars in all these ads (as "Clark Kent", never as "Superman"). An early TV version of "Tony The Tiger" can be seen in these ads as well. ... Audio for this bonus is a mixture of DD 2.0 Stereo and DD 2.0 Mono (the latter for the actual ads). Picture quality for the commercials is a cut below all the other video on these discs, but still not all that bad. This is fun old-time (and hard-to-find) stuff. ... Total run time of this "commercial" bonus is 4:35. ----------------- So .... If you have a desire to re-live some of the earliest days in TV's history, then this 5-Disc DVD set of "Adventures Of Superman: The Complete First Season" should fill that requirement quite nicely. This show is just good, fun television -- brought back to vivid life once again thanks to this well-above-average collection of DVDs from Warner Home Video. A round of applause should go to WB for putting out a product that very nicely preserves and showcases the memories of this prized series from TV's Golden Era.

I've been wanting this series on DVD for longer than I can remember, and it's finally going to happen! It seems strange writing a review BEFORE the set of DVDs are actually released but yet, like most of you, this is one series that we ALL remember fondly. Seems like all of us remember running home from school on weeknights because we didn't want to miss watching "the next thrill packed episode in the amazing Adventures Of Supermsn!" With 104 total episodes in the series, isn't it amazing how most of us can remember what happened in just about every episode? Just watch a few minutes of one of them and you can almost guarantee that we'll be saying "Oh yeah, I remember THIS one. This is the one where Superman..." and we'd go on with the entire remainder of the half-hour storyline. That just shows how special and well done this series was, and of course what it meant to us Baby Boomers who grew up watching it! I'm SO glad that the series is being released in sequence. When the VHS releases came out a few years back they would have one episode from the first year and another from a later year on the same tape. Having them in sequence is so much better. Especially when you watch this "no nonsense" first season of the series. This first season was fairly violent, and Kelloggs opposed sponsoring the show because they wanted something aimed more at the kiddies. So, as we all know, starting with the second season the show took a "lighter" approach in it's storylines (Professor Pepperwinkle, anyone?). Still, there WERE great moments from the subsequent years. (How about the one with the huge meteor that's going to crash into Earth? We got to see Superman actually fly into space! Further than he'd ever flown before!) And I for one will continue to purchase them to complete the set for my library. But I digress. Back to Season One, which is what this set is all about. There WERE some "nasty" things in some of the storys. Everything from an old woman having her wheelchair pushed down the stairs (with her in it) in an old hotel, to the bad guys taking the leg braces from a little girl so she couldn't get away. But what the hey, we didn't turn out bad watching them, right? Sure some of them were corny, but we loved them nonetheless. We didn't care that we could see the zippers on the backs of the little mole men. We didn't care that they were walking around with a vacuum cleaner to use as a weapon. And we didn't care (or maybe didn't notice) that in that same Mole Men episode when Lois asks how deep the hole was and was told something like "just over 5000 feet" she replies "Good heavens! That's almost to the center of the Earth!" (Yeah, sure, if the Earth was flat as a pancake maybe.) But we didn't care. It was fun! And it will be all that much more fun to see them all again! It will be SO great seeing the shows uncut and in their entirety. It was pretty sad when you'd catch them in later years on WGN and they would squeeze so many commercials in that you'd miss huge parts of the story. It always seemed that they'd cut away for a commercial and when they'd come back Lois and Jimmy would be bound and gagged and in big trouble again. Fortunately, WE knew what happened since we'd seen the episodes many many times before. Someone posted a note about the previews that used to be at the end of the season one episodes. I remember those well and also hope, at the very minimum, that they have them on the DVD SOMEplace (even if only in a bonus features section on one of the discs). Though it would be so much better if they were right where they were when first aired...right there at the end of each episode. Needless to say, I'm as excited as the rest of you to see these classics once again. I know I'm going to be glued to my TV set for quite some time once I get them. Another thing that's great is that we all used to watch them on small TVs back in the '50s. Just think how great it'll be to watch them on the big screens of today! And one more thing, for those of you that might not know, but really enjoyed the music from the show. There is a CD available here on Amazon featuring all of the action music from the show, including the intro and ending credits music. If you remember the show like I do you'll remember the music as well and the CD will bring back many great memories for you. Check it out. It's official title here on Amazon is: The Adventures of Superman: Original Television Soundtrack (1950s TV Series) [SOUNDTRACK] Get ready everyone. October is right around the corner! Here's to George Reeves, the BEST Superman EVER! I can't wait!

I've always gotten razzed when I say that George Reeves was the greatest 'Superman'. After all, Christopher Reeve was closest to the comic book, Dean Cain introduced a level of sexiness to the character, and Tom Welling is the current teen heartthrob; the general impression of Reeves was as the chubby, aging, 'long johns'-clad Superman, from the silly color TV episodes of the late 50s, who "killed himself" when the series ended. The new DVD "Adventures of Superman - Complete First Season" should put that impression to rest! Filmed in B&W, in 1951, the youthful, 37-year old Reeves offered a 'Man of Steel' of compassion, integrity, and honor, with a twinkle in his eye and a ready smile for the TV audiences who shared his 'secret'. Far more charismatic than his movie serial predecessor, Kirk Alyn, he was as quick to use his head and his fists as his "Powers and Abilities' to defend "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" against gangsters, spies, and evildoers. While some may quibble that his 'Clark Kent' was TOO heroic, and similar to his costumed alter ego, he was an unabashed role model for a generation of young viewers, and he never let us down, during the 'Superman' years, either on screen, or off. The first season episodes are, perhaps, the best of the series, produced by veterans of the B-movie industry who knew how to make action-packed stories quickly, and cinematically. The plots are rich in film noir touches ("The Haunted Lighthouse" is so atmospheric that it could stand beside many of the noir dramas of the 40s), and offer, for the first time, believable flying effects (achieved, in large part, by double-exposing film of Reeves hanging by wire and harness, attached to a body-contoured 'flying pan', worn under his suit, with moving aerial shots). The episodes were never 'dumbed down' for kids; while some characters were played for laughs, the stories were serious, the violence real. These shows were not produced for children, they were made for the same audiences who loved adventure stories in movie theaters (it would take self-appointed committees to decide children weren't fit for such things, and force the series into complying, in later seasons). Joining Reeves in the cast were 24-year-old Phyllis Coates as a spirited Lois Lane far ahead of her time; John Hamilton, 65, a veteran character actor for nearly 50 years, as crusty editor Perry White; B-movie vet Robert Shayne, 50, as Kent's friend, Police Inspector Henderson, and, best of all, 18-year old Jack Larson as a tousled-haired, naive Jimmy Olsen. But, ultimately, the season (and the series) owed it's success to George Reeves, who appeared in every episode, and worked tirelessly to bring the Last Son of Krypton to life. As the syndicated series reached more and more markets (as TV stations began to spread across the nation), his performance, and the series, became national sensations, giving him the success that had eluded him in twelve years of acting, but also forever 'typing' him in a role that would cost him his career, and possibly his life. "The Adventures of Superman" would be his legacy, and this fabulous collection might have you joining me in celebrating the BEST Superman of them all!

For many, the first season of "Adventures of Superman" (1951) was the best of the six. Filmed at the RKO Pathé Studios in Culver City (on the same lot as "The Andy Griffith Show"), the show was saturated in film noir atmosphere. This season's scripts, many adapted from "Superman" on radio, range from compelling ("The Haunted Lighthouse"; "The Deserted Village") to macabre ("Mystery in Wax"; "The Evil Three") to creatively "bottled" (even more cheapo when the production ran over budget: "Crime Wave"; "The Human Bomb"), to wide yawns ("The Case of the Talkative Dummy"; "The Secret of Superman"). All seasons of this series (and every other you can name) has peaks, plateaus, and valleys. On balance, most of the stories still hold up. The direction, by Tommy Carr and Lee Sholem, was as creative as possible on a budget of about five bucks per show. The music, a combination of MUTEL needle-drops and cues by Herschel Burke Gilbert ("The Rifelman"; "Burke's Law"), ranges from sentimental to powerhouse. The character actors, most imported from classic movies of the 1940s, were top-notch. And producers Bob Maxwell and Bernard Luber scored with all the actors in the leads: Robert Shayne as Inspector Henderson (created for the series to grease the expository scenes), John Hamilton as Perry White (who shines more brightly in this season than any other), Jack Larson, who defined the role of Jimmy Olsen but was limited this season to "juvenile in distress," Phyllis Coates as no-nonsense Lois Lane, and, of course, George Reeves in the lead. For many Boomers he remains the definitive Superman/Clark Kent. As styled by Maxwell, Superman in this season was a mysterious, mind-boggling stranger to most; Kent, a two-fisted, crusading reporter in his own right. Reeves struck both tones, as directed: very serious, only occasionally coy, with little of the light sense of humor that he and others would later inject in their roles. So why not five stars? For me it's a matter of taste and style, compounded by the ridiculously short production deadlines that show onscreen. During the Maxwell-Luber era (filmed in 1951, broadcast in 1953), usually four episodes were being filmed simultaneously: it was a rushed production, and it shows. (A new producer, Whitney Ellsworth, took the reins in 1953–1959 and eased things [!] to three shows per fortnight.) Maxwell wanted to produce a children's show that wasn't really a children's show: there's an inner tension within the series' first season that was never resolved. When Kellogg's Cereals began funding the show's production for syndication in 1953 and gave Maxwell the boot, Ellsworth got the balance of tension and comedy just right in Season 2. Still and all, this is a superb season of 26 episodes, glossed with multiple commentaries by knowledgeable experts. If you're a millennial and want to watch TV in its infancy, when your parents were children, you can do a lot worse than the "Adventures of Superman." If you're a Boomer, these shows will transport you back to your childhood with thrills and suspense.

Now, don't get me wrong, Chris Reeve was wonderful, Dean Cain superb, and Smallville is one of my fave shows in recent times, but just as so many think of Sean Connery as James Bond, the crowd old enough to recall these classic Superman programs always think of George Reeves as the Man of Steel (uh, no, I'm not forgetting that Kirk Alyn also played Superman in serials that pre-dated George). I've waited for this set for a long time; I have grainy/washed out tapes from a marathon broadcast many years ago, and they did not do justice to George's work. The debate about B&W/color seems to rage on the reviews here. Absolutely the first 2 seasons were shot in B&W. The Superman costume is actually black, brown, and gray because it photographed better that way. You could tell the difference just by turning off the color on your set when you finally see the color episodes, the suit looks different in B&W when it's a color costume than a monochrome one. And, yes, they were (from all I've read) broadcast in B&W all the way through their original run, it was wise forethought to shoot in color for future airings that brought about the change to color. I grew up watching these as reruns in the 1960s, I did not see the original airings. Nonetheless, I've anxiously awaited this show on DVD just as the original fans are! Yes, the B&W episodes are more violent/darker, and the color ones got silly in many respects (uh, "Mr. Zero" comes to mind), but they're all worth seeing again, and in (hopefully) fully restored audio and video quality....and uncut. I imagine that syndication caused edits to be made for commercial purposes, no thank you! When the color episdoes finally arrive we'll also be able to own the few that George Reeves directed, giving us a clue to what he might have done had he not passed (read some of the interesting books on his life, you may come away understanding that suicide was probably not the cause of his death!). You want to see how the Man of Steel began on the small screen? Get Season One and you're sure to be on edge for Season Two and beyond as well. George....thank YOU for being the hero so many have admired ;)

I was pleased to see the first season of the "Adventures of Superman" come down in price, and I was excited when my order came in a day earlier than expected. I saw only one episode of this landmark television series when it was new, and I used to walk to the other side of town (a small town) with a friend when I was in junior high school to watch random episodes of the series on his family's television in the late afternoon (they had two extra channel on early cable which I couldn't pick up with rabbit ears). Decades later, I learned most of the episodes, but not all, had been filmed in color when the series became fodder for the Cable Revolution of the eighties. I'm not unfamiliar with the series, but this is the first chance I've had to see the episodes of the first season in the order in which they were telecast originally. It doesn't bother me that the first season is in black and white either, I expect that from early television shows. I've watched ten of the twenty-six episodes now, enough to know I'm delighted with the material itself; I do have one small quibble with the way the navigation links are laid out in that they are so clever that I had to watch several episodes before I got the hang of them. One the other hand, the packaging is rather nice. The episodes I've seen are all crisp and sharp and probably looked better than they did on the television sets of the early fifties; if the stories weren't remastered then they were made from prints that were kept in pristine condition. I had seen the initial episode which essentially takes Siegel and Shuster's original two-page "Superman: Who He Is and How He Came to Be" feature from Superman #1 and expands it out nicely to include details from George Lowthar's novel from the forties, "The Last Son of Superman", and also shows how Clark Kent landed his job at the Daily Planet; that episode is very well done and features some economic storytelling that covers a lot of ground without seeming rushed or forced. I've yet to see a bad episode in Season One, and I find the way the way the action is balanced with humor makes the primitive state of the special effects seem more acceptable (although I still chuckle at how effortlessly Superman bends steel bars which are obviously made from rubber). The stories work on several levels and I have no doubt that my young granddaughters would find them exciting, while they seem like short French Boulevard comedies to my wife and I. I had seen far fewer of the episodes with Phyllis Coates in the past, simply because Season One is the only season in which she was in the cast and I rather like the way she plays Lois Lane. Overall, the casting is well done and I appreciate how an episode like "The Haunted Lighthouse" puts the spotlight on Jack Larsen as Jimmy Olsen, and an episode like "Drums of Death" features John Hamilton prominently as Perry White. It is hard to imagine anyone who could play the roles of both Superman and Clark Kent better than George Reeves for the small screen. The scripts are quite good and are as accessible to those who know the Superman mythos of the comic books quite well as they are to those who only know Superman from second hand sources. The storylines may be relatively simplistic but they are still capable of doing unexpected things; in "Drums of Death" it is obvious that the main villain is a white man in blackface but I didn't expect that to become a plot point nor did I guess which white man it was under the makeup; there are likely other surprises in the episodes I haven't seen yet. All in all, I'm quite satisfied with Season One of "The Adventures of Superman" and my only real problem is going to be deciding if I want to watch the Theatrical Version of "Superman and the Mole Men" which is included as a bonus feature first, or watch it after I've seen the two episodes ("The Unknown People" parts one and two) which it was edited into for the series; I could certainly have worse problems.

It is great to see this series start to come out as I grew up on this series in black & white in the latter 1950s in Australia but later found out that the second half was made in color in anticipation of the introduction of color. The Cisco Kid and one other series I cannot remember also had original color episodes. Let's hope that the authorized Warner Superman color episodes are reasonably restored compared to Cisco Kid episodes available. I hope Warner have the two serials planned. I have the first on Laserdisc and it was a great transfer by Warners who have had the rights for a longtime now(originally a Columbia serial). I missed the second serial as my circumstances altered due to a fire in my business and the loss of much irreplaceable archives at the time(5/1997). There is an extra that was supposedly not used but available for many years as a 16mm film and maybe Super8/8mm called Stamp Day for Superman. I do not see this title in the listing of notes in other reviews. Superman is one of two great shows from the 1950s TV that had two women play the female lead over the life of the series. The other is The Adventures of Robin Hood made in England with the late Richard Greene as Robin Hood. All titles of this series are now available on DVD legitimately from UK and I have them all. Another favorite from my youth and one that along with I Love Lucy, Our Miss Brooks and the original Mickey Mouse Club that got repeated and repeated on TV in Australia and I still like these shows, They were some of the first shows on TV here when TV cme in 1956. Superman as a TV series produced a catch phrase that is still heard here today taken from the opening montage of this great, entertaining series. I recommend this series to anyone who likes early or things from their forming years. I will be buying the series ASAP when it is available.

Growing up in the nineties, I found my love for classic television. At this time, Nick-at-Nite showed so many great programs, such as "I Love Lucy," "Bewitched," "I Dream of Jeannie" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show." Of course, this is also where I discovered, and fell in love with, "The Adventures of Superman." The fun and excitement of seeing the Man of Steel defeat the bad guys and win the day still brings a warm feeling, as the character is supposed to. Now, I've been able to relive my childhood thanks to the release of "Adventures of Superman" on DVD! The First Season of the show is an exciting blend of comic-book fantasy and mystery thriller, shot in a film-noir style similar to the popular crime films of the day. The combination of excellent writing, stellar performances and high production values made this a show accessible to child and adult alike. The highlights of the first season include: "Superman on Earth," a slightly-rushed, but still fun look at Superman's origins; "The Haunted Lighthouse," where Superman uncovers a sinister scheme on an isolated island where Jimmy Olsen was visiting family; "The Birthday Letter" (My personal favorite), where a girl's plea for Superman to take her to the fair becomes a race to find her after being captured (With one of the most heartwarming moments of the show, where Superman flies the little girl around); "The Stolen Costume," where a burglar steals Superman's outfit; "Crime Wave," where Superman takes on organized crime in Metropolis with the aid of the police; and the two-part episode "The Unknown People" an edit of the feature film "Superman and the Mole Men," where mysterious beings from beneath the surface of the earth cause panic in the streets despite not being hostile. As with all shows, there are one or two uneven episodes, but it is still a thrilling beginning to the much-loved series. And the DVD set presents the entire series with overall superb picture and sound, and a small-but-good helping of extras. Fans of the show will not want to miss adding this to their collection! LOOK, UP IN THE SKY! It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's SUPERMAN on DVD! Program/DVD Grade: A-

Regardez le générique d'une minute qui débute chaque épisode. Si vous ne le trouvez pas ridicule continuez. C'est un sommet du kitsch au 21ème siècle, mais dans les années 50... Le plus drôle restant les arrivées de Superman. Souvent à hurler de rire. Moi j'aime.

Nachdem ich die Serie schon seit vielen Jahren aus Berichten kenne, wollte ich mir ein eigenes Bild machen. TV-Serie, 50er Jahre ... okay, erwarte mal nicht zu viel. Obwohl sie ja gelobt wird. Und ich kann nur sagen: zu Recht! Ja, es ist eine TV-Serie aus der Frühzeit des US-Fernsehens. Dementsprechend ist auch die Bild- und Tonqualität. Aber auch das macht ihren Charme aus. HD und Dolby Surround würden auch vieles von der Wirkung zerstören. Die Bildqualität ist aber durchweg solide, der Ton ohne Aussetzer. Die einzelnen Folgen sind ca. 25 Minuten lang, samt Vorspann und Abspann. Bei dieser Länge darf man an die Episoden keine allzu großen Ansprüche stellen. Sie wirken wie die TV-Umsetzung eines Comichefts. Es gibt logische Brüche, Ungereimtheiten und hanebüchene Plots - aber das auf unterhaltsame Weise. Tricktechnisch ist es eben 50er Jahre Fernsehen. George Reeves macht in der Rolle zudem eine stattliche Figur und gibt einen gestandenen Helden ab. Die Selbstzweifel und Unsicherheit eines "Man of Steel" sucht man hier vergeblich. Wer die Folgen wie ich im Original mit englischen Untertiteln ansieht, bekommt mit dieser Box sowohl als Comic-Fan wie als TV-Nostalgiker eine unterhaltsame Reise in die Vergangenheit.

I bought this and I thought it would sit on the shelf forever. But i was wrong. It really got me hooked from the first episode. Superman is really more about the adventures of Clark Ken and Lois Lane, two reporters. Most of the stories are actually pretty straightforward gangster stories in the film noir style and you can clearly see in some episodes that they had to try hard to find a convincing way to add Superman to the story. The actors are very good, especially Phyllis Coates as the ultimate Lois Lane (sorry, Terri Hatcher). Reeves is a perfect Clark Kent although the padding of his outfits sometimes make you smile. But all in all, technically this series is very well made with a lot of talent from b movies on board. I also liked the liberal message behind "Truth, justice (=for all) and the American Way (=tolerance)" I watched this with my 3 year old daughter who asked me a lot of questions and we soon came to a point where I could explain some important values to her with Superman as an example.

me he arriesgado a comprarlo,lo venden a 60 euros por ahí,y por 11 euros esta primera temporada con 26 episodios,totalmente en castellano,almenos en su caja lo pone,aún queda verla,me ha llegado ahora,espero que editen batman la série antigua del 1966 me encantaria....

幼少の頃、友達と首に風呂敷をかけスーパーマンの様に、家の二階から飛ぶまねをしたのを思い出す。これは、今から７０年位前の作品で白黒ではあるが、画像は鮮明で、さすがはアメリカの技術力を感じる。しかし、当時通りを走る車や建物には古さを感じる。総評としては、現在の冒険活劇の最高峰、映画「Superman」のあらすじの原型を見られて、本当に良かったと思います。