ebiros2 Probably the first modern super hero TV series, and at the time it was first on air was more famous than the comic it was based on.Every episode of this series is a classic. Nothing that came before it in super hero genre, was done with as much good acting, and class. I only knew the series as reruns, but I remember that this was the first super hero show I've ever seen in my life. It never failed to entertain every time I saw it as a kid. It combined humor, drama, and element of ridiculousness done with charm like no other programs of this type in the '50s had. It also didn't look cheesy, like all other series of this type in the '50s did.The characters all left indelible impression on us. Especially Noel Nelle's Lois Lane is a classic that all future Lois Lane was compared against. She was the other "star" of this show.The series aged well, and even today it provides entertainment like no other show. Without a doubt, this is the classic of all classic super hero TV series.

robertpball It's always amazed me that Lois Lane, a woman who prided herself on being intelligent and observant, could work next to this guy for as long as she is supposed to have WITHOUT noticing that he is Superman. I realize that was always part of the continuity of both the comic and TV/Movie plot line, but still.... At least Batman covered most of his face!Even with that glaring - to me - discrepancy, I thoroughly enjoyed the TV series when I watched it as a kid, back in the prehistoric Fifties. I remember being a little disappointed that he wasn't fighting super villains as he did in the comic books, but at least he was flying. It would have been nice if the series had lasted long enough so that they could have added Supergirl when she came along.

John T. Ryan Well now, Itis with great pride to be able to tell the world that it was over Channel 7, the ABC affiliate here in Chicago, that the ADVENTURES of SUPERMAN was first aired. Although it would be a lie to say that our household was viewing for what was unceremonious 'World Premier', we were viewers a short time thereafter.It must be understood that this was much more than just another filmed television series. It was a catalyst to a whole other imaginary world. It opened our imagination to this other level of noble heroes doing super feats for the greater good of mankind.There were 5 of us Ryan kids in our household and save for our older sister, the Late Joanne Ryan (1942-1990), none of us had any experience with Superman. Joanne had read some of the comic books (though never a regular reader) and was old enough to have followed the SUPERMAN Radio Progran over the Mutual Radio Network. The rest of us-one sister and three brothers-all got our original Super-contact with the television episodes.* And what a great relationship it was. Although we all knew we were watching a filmed, fictional story, just as we knew that HOWDY DOODY was make believe, puppetry & scenery, the Superman series provided something that was, and still is, much more.Using our ability to own copies of the whole series, we can view and compare episode to episode, even season to season. If we were to rely on our memories, we would probably come out with a sort of somewhat blurred montage of overlapping shows and plots, all equaling an overview of our imaginations.When viewed today in a relatively short span of time, we can readily see the differences between episodes of different seasons. We can say that one of the obvious changes to take place is the incidental music, or the musical ques that set the mood, underline the action. There is a steady evolution of themes, quite different from season to season.** There was seemingly a whole different set of themes for each succeeding year. But that would only constitute a most obvious and superficial set of differences.Most people will tell you that they prefer the first two seasons, this writer would concur, making the second season my personal favourite. But recently, my admittedly slow moving gray matter came up with this observation and hypothesis.Okay, we'll concede that seasons one and two are better made, have a lot more outdoor scenes and generally aimed at the whole family, and not just the juvenile trade. Season one in particular seems to be much more violent, with more killings, more sinister occurrences, and an almost Film Noir tone to much of the out put. Even Superman's behaviour is less restrained as he really throws punches, where in later episodes/seasons, a little tap would do.*** But one great difference, which we couldn't have noticed by hardly any body viewing the episodes in the one at a time, season after season. That is although seasons 1 & 2 are, generally better stories,made in a more overall family friendly, yet in such a manner as to invite viewing by all, not just the kiddies.The 3rd and successive seasons saw some cutbacks in budgetary matters and some of the stories,while no more or less fantastic, were filmed in less different sets and with less outdoor scenes. Even so, they have a certain friendly feeling to them. This is so because, in the opinion of this writer, of a collective build-up of strong feelings for the characters of the series.We boys all had recognized a deep seeded attraction for Lois (both of 'em!),just as the girls recognized Kent/Superman as a true gentleman, a latter day Sir Galahad. (more about Reeves later). We found that John Hamilton's characterization of Perry White as short tempered, blustery and so autocratic-whereas underneath it all, we knew Perry was a sweet tempered, old softie.I guess, in short what it all comes down to the following premise. Whereas the 1st and 2nd seasons were a little more expensive budgetary, the subsequent seasons portrayed more empathy to and from the audience, mainly because of the depth of characterizations, built over the whole life of the series.That certainly goes especially for Mr. Reeves, whose character was at once good, strong, decent, intelligent and kind to the nth degree. I guess that is why we all had that numb, hurt and empty feeling on that fateful day of June 16, 1959.* At this time we did have comic books in the house, but no super hero types. They were generally the likes of DENNIS THE MENACE, LITTLE LULU and like all good little Catholic School Kids, TREASURE CHEST (remember?)!** The music varied quite a bit from season to season. Of course other than the heroic opening/closing theme, the incidental music changed drastically over the years. This was subject of a detailed, well documented article in one of those comic journal type magazines several years ago.*** It seemed that there weren't too many restrictions put on the Man of Steel in the first season. He really threw some hard punches at so many of those thugs! There were quite a few brutal killings (not by Superman) In what would be a completely unacceptable and totally politically incorrect moves, in the episode THE MISSING COSTUME, Superman kidnaps Gangster (Dan Seymour) and his Moll (Veda Ann Borg), confining up at the top of a snowy mountain because they've discovered his identity as Clark Kent!

bkoganbing Seeing Superman as a kid I was pretty enthralled by it as most kids were. I mean, unless he got near some kryptonite there wasn't nothing he couldn't do.But the show has had incredible power in syndication and I don't think it can be attributed to just nostalgia. The first year of black and white episodes with Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane were done very seriously. But when they were done in color starting in 1954 and coincidentally enough with Noel Neill as the new Lois Lane, they became what would be described as camp. Like Batman was in the sixties only not advertised as such.Some of the episodes were strictly comedy. The one where Jimmy Olsen runs afoul of gunslinger Myron Healey out west, the one where that hayseed Sylvester J. Superman played by Chuck Connors delivers a pie to the serviceman stationed in the Arctic only to be chased by Ben Welden up there. Funny to this day.Of course some of the production values from the fifties were laughable. Superman is constantly flying out from that same storage room at the Daily Planet no matter where his location is. Or in that episode that took place in the UK, where they show people using the left handed drive in cars.I saw another reviewer mentions that all John Hamilton did as Perry White was yell, but they calmed him down later on. Hamilton was very funny as the blustery editor of the Daily Planet. He had a lot of responsibility keeping his circulation because people were getting their news from television. But John Hamilton had some real health issues in his last years. That's why you always see him at his desk with minimal dialog later on. His lines were taped right to the desk. He died in fact before George Reeves did.Today Jack Larson and Noel Neill are big hits at nostalgia conventions. I suspect George Reeves had he lived would have been as well. Possibly the biggest tragedy of his career was the featured role he had in From Here to Eternity. A lot of his performance was left on the cutting room floor. He mght have been able to do both Superman and other roles had he gotten acclaim from a major film like that.The production values were from hunger, but the characters and their images live on.