Atom Man vs. Superman (1950)

Director:

Spencer Gordon Bennet

Writers:

David Mathews (writer)
George H. Plympton (writer)

Release Date:

20 July 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Bigger... Better... Brand-New... The SUPER SERIAL OF THE CENTURY! The one and only SUPERMAN Pitted Against His Mortal Foe!

Plot:

Superman battles Lex Luthor who is using a teleportation device and a new identity as Atom Man in his criminal plans.

Plot Keywords:

Superman | Serial | Teleportation | Perry White | Superhero

Cast

Kirk Alyn	...	Superman / Clark Kent
Noel Neill	...	Lois Lane
Lyle Talbot	...	Luthor / The Atom Man
Tommy Bond	...	Jimmy Olsen
Pierre Watkin	...	Perry White
Jack Ingram	...	Foster (dapper henchman)
Don C. Harvey	...	Albor (lab henchman)
Rusty Wescoatt	...	Carl (beefy henchman)
Terry Frost	...	Baer (medium henchman)
Wally West	...	Henchman Dorr [Chs. 1, 6, 9]
Paul Stader	...	'Killer' Lawson [Chs. 1-4] (as Paul Strader)
George Robotham	...	Earl - TV truck cameraman-driver [Chs. 10-12]

Runtime:

252 min (15 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Episode titles: - 1. Superman Flies Again - 2. Atom Man Appears! - 3. Ablaze in the Sky! - 4. Superman Meets Atom Man! - 5. Atom Man Tricks Superman - 6. Atom Man's Challenge - 7. At the Mercy of Atom Man! - 8. Into the Empty Doom! - 9. Superman Crashes Through - 10. Atom Man's Heat Ray - 11. Luthor's Strategy - 12. Atom Man Strikes! - 13. Atom Man's Flying Saucers - 14. Rocket of Vengeance - 15. Superman Saves the Universe

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the climax of chapter twelve, the villains turn their heat ray on the Daily Planet building, causing all the mechanical devices to spark. As Clark Kent, Kirk Alyn shields his face, but the radio on his desk fails to give off any sparks.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman (2006) (TV)

Cheapo production but lots of fun because of lead performances.

I've always been a bit prejudiced against the serials produced by Columbia. They just seemed a little tawdry when compared to the production values of the typical Republic chapter play. Certainly "Atom Man..." is no exception especially in the special effects department. The animated version of Superman that takes over every time that character flies is simply laughable. The actual animation itself is fine, reminiscent of the old Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 40's in fact, but it just doesn't key in with the live action sequences. The rocket, featured in the final episode, from which Luthor plans to dominate the Earth is a joke. The model is very amateurish when compared to the ones produced by the Lydecker brothers over at Republic while the interior simply doesn't make sense. It wouldn't look out of place in an Ed Wood movie. What does save this serial however are the lead performances, particularly those of Kirk Alyn as Superman/Clark Kent and Noel Neil as Lois Lane. Alyn plays his role with almost total conviction and unbounded enthusiasm. As an actor he's clearly aware that this is all pure nonsense and there is a definite hint of a tongue in cheek approach in his performance but not enough to detract from the action. He seems totally unable to be embarrassed, for instance, being caught leaping around in an outfit that is clearly adapted from a set of mens long underwear. Noel Neil is equally enthusiastic in her portrayal of Superman's "girlfriend". Visually she is a dead ringer for the actual comic book Lois from the 40's and early 50's and I was almost convinced that she couldn't actually see that Superman and Clark Kent ("mild mannered reporter") where one in the same. As I catch up with more and more of the old Columbia serials I realise that it is with these lead performances that they score over the Republic product. Warren Hull gives colourful interpretations of both The Spider and Mandrake. Lewis Wilson is an enthusiastic Batman. Victor Jury brings a real touch of class to his role of The Shadow. With one or two exceptions the Republic heroes tend to be rather colourless. Dennis Moore, hero of "The Purple Monster..." virtually defines this. Even Kane Richmond in "Spysmasher", an undisputed classic, often does little more than look granite jawed and mildly concerned in the face of potentially fatal situations. Luckily Republic did have Ralph Byrd but simply not long enough due to his early death. So have a look at "Atom Man..." and revel in both it's weakness' (laughably cheap production values) and strengths (admirably enthusiastic performances) and simply have a good time.