"Adventures of Superman" (1952) TV series 1952-1958

Writers:

Roy Chanslor (writer)
Jay Morton (contributing writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Release Date:

19 September 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!

Plot:

The Man of Steel fights crime with help from his friends at the Daily Planet.

Plot Keywords:

Reporter | Superhero | Lois Lane | Clark Kent | Cult TV

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

George Reeves	...	Clark Kent / ... (104 episodes, 1951-1958)
Bill Kennedy	...	Announcer / ... (104 episodes, 1951-1958)
Jack Larson	...	Jimmy Olsen / ... (102 episodes, 1952-1958)
John Hamilton	...	Perry White (102 episodes, 1952-1958)
Robert Shayne	...	Inspector Henderson / ... (90 episodes, 1952-1958)
Noel Neill	...	Lois Lane (78 episodes, 1953-1958)

Series Directed by
Thomas Carr		(37 episodes, 1952-1958)
George Blair		(27 episodes, 1953-1958)
Harry W. Gerstad		(20 episodes, 1955-1957)
Lee Sholem		(14 episodes, 1951-1953)
Philip Ford		(8 episodes, 1956-1958)
George Reeves		(3 episodes, 1958)
Lew Landers		(2 episodes, 1957-1958)
Howard Bretherton		(2 episodes, 1958)

Series Writing credits
David T. Chantler		(34 episodes, 1953-1958)
Jackson Gillis		(15 episodes, 1953-1956)
Whitney Ellsworth		(14 episodes, 1951-1958)
Ben Peter Freeman		(8 episodes, 1952-1953)
Robert Leslie Bellem		(8 episodes, 1956-1958)
Robert Maxwell		(6 episodes, 1951-1953)
Peggy Chantler Dick		(5 episodes, 1955-1958)
Dick Hamilton		(4 episodes, 1952-1953)
Roy Hamilton		(4 episodes, 1953-1954)
Leroy H. Zehren		(4 episodes, 1955-1957)
Wilton Schiller		(4 episodes, 1957)
Eugene Solow		(3 episodes, 1952-1953)
Dennis J. Cooper		(3 episodes, 1952)
Peter Dixon		(2 episodes, 1952-1953)
Monroe Manning		(2 episodes, 1952-1953)
Lee Backman		(2 episodes, 1952)
Oliver Drake		(2 episodes, 1956-1957)
Roy Chanslor		(unknown episodes)
Jay Morton		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Whitney Ellsworth	....	producer / associate producer (104 episodes, 1951-1958)
Robert H. Justman	....	associate producer (78 episodes, 1953-1958)
Robert Maxwell	....	producer (52 episodes, 1951-1954)
Barney A. Sarecky	....	associate producer (52 episodes, 1951-1954)
Bernard Luber	....	producer (26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Clem Beauchamp	....	associate producer (26 episodes, 1955-1956)
Edward Donahue	....	associate producer (26 episodes, 1957-1958)

Series Cinematography by
Harold E. Stine		(43 episodes, 1953-1955)
Clark Ramsey		(26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Joseph F. Biroc		(26 episodes, 1956-1958)
Harold E. Wellman		(13 episodes, 1957)
William P. Whitley		(9 episodes, 1952-1953)

Series Film Editing by
Sam E. Waxman		(56 episodes, 1954-1958)
Albrecht Joseph		(26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Harry W. Gerstad		(26 episodes, 1953-1954)

Series Casting by
Harold Chiles		(26 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Art Direction by
Lucius O. Croxton		(52 episodes, 1953-1958)
Ralph Berger		(46 episodes, 1952-1954)
John B. Mansbridge		(26 episodes, 1956-1957)
Ernst Fegté		(7 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Set Decoration by
Glenn P. Thompson		(26 episodes, 1957-1958)
Jerry Welch		(26 episodes, 1957-1958)

Series Makeup Department
Gustaf Norin	....	makeup artist (78 episodes, 1953-1958)
Harry Thomas	....	makeup artist (52 episodes, 1951-1954)

Series Production Management
Clem Beauchamp	....	production manager (39 episodes, 1953-1955)
Barney A. Sarecky	....	production manager (26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Edward Donahue	....	production manager (26 episodes, 1956-1957)
David S. Garber	....	production manager (26 episodes, 1957-1958)
Ben Chapman	....	production manager (13 episodes, 1957-1958)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arthur Hammond	....	assistant director (15 episodes, 1951-1953)
Nathan Barrager	....	assistant director (15 episodes, 1952-1953)
John Pommer	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1955)
Gene Anderson Jr.	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1956)
Grayson Rogers	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1956)
Bob Barnes	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1957-1958)
Edward Haldeman	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1957-1958)
Dick Dixon	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1957)
Louis Germonprez	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1957)
Ivan Volkman	....	assistant director (12 episodes, 1953-1954)
Jack R. Berne	....	assistant director (12 episodes, 1953)
Robert H. Justman	....	assistant director (12 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Art Department
George Bahr	....	props (26 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Sound Department
Jean L. Speak	....	sound engineer / sound editor (39 episodes, 1953-1955)
Barton Hayes	....	sound editor (26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Harry Smith	....	production sound mixer / sound engineer (26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Earl Snyder	....	sound engineer (13 episodes, 1956)
Herman Lewis	....	production sound mixer / sound engineer (13 episodes, 1957-1958)
Robert Post	....	production sound mixer / sound engineer / ... (13 episodes, 1957)

Series Special Effects by
Thol Simonson	....	special effects (92 episodes, 1952-1958)
Daniel Hays	....	special effects (29 episodes, 1951-1953)
Ray Mercer	....	special effects (9 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Visual Effects by
Jack R. Glass	....	photographic effects (78 episodes, 1953-1958)
Jack Rabin	....	photographic effects (58 episodes, 1951-1958)
Louis DeWitt	....	photographic effects (26 episodes, 1957-1958)
Ray Mercer	....	photographic effects (3 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Stunts
George Fisher	....	stunts (25 episodes, 1951-1954)
Sol Gorss	....	stunts (13 episodes, 1952-1954)
Dale Van Sickel	....	stunts (10 episodes, 1952-1953)
Carey Loftin	....	stunts (7 episodes, 1952-1954)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Howard Schwartz	....	assistant camera (26 episodes, 1957-1958)
William P. Whitley	....	camera operator (15 episodes, 1952-1953)
Clark Ramsey	....	camera operator (12 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Izzy Berne	....	wardrobe (26 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Music Department
Leon Klatzkin	....	composer: theme music (104 episodes, 1951-1958)

Series Other crew
Winnie Rich	....	script supervisor (104 episodes, 1951-1958)
Mort Weisinger	....	story editor / script supervisor (86 episodes, 1951-1958)
Stephen Carr	....	script supervisor / dialogue director (52 episodes, 1951-1954)
David S. Garber	....	production coordinator (52 episodes, 1953-1956)
Whitney Ellsworth	....	story editor / script supervisor (26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Robert Maxwell	....	story editor / script supervisor (26 episodes, 1951-1953)

Production Companies

• Motion Pictures for Television (MPTV)

Distributors

• Flamingo Films (1951-1978) (USA) (TV) (syndication)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (UK) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD) (season 1)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (seasons 3 and 4)
• Radio Tokyo Television (1956) (Japan) (TV)
• Warner Bros. Television
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (seasons 1-5)

Other Companies

• DC Comics  DC Comics characters

Also Known As:

Superman (Australia)

Runtime:

30 min (104 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (1952-1954) | Color (1955-1958)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G (some episodes) | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Argentina:Atp | USA:TV-G

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Motion Pictures for Television (MPTV)

Trivia:

Throughout the entire run of the series, one building is seen as the Daily Planet Building. It is really Los Angeles City Hall. The rest of the buildings that stand in for "Metropolis" were back lot facades at the old RKO Forty Acres lot in Culver City, which earlier had been Atlanta for Gone with the Wind (1939), and would later serve as Mayberry for 'The Andy Griffith Show (1961)'.

Goofs:

Continuity: Many scenes in the color seasons show Clark Kent leaving an office in the Daily Planet building to transform into Superman. When leaving, Kent often wears or grabs his hat, but whenever he approaches the storeroom to change costume, he doesn't have the hat with him.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Perry White: Don't call me Chief!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in The Bare Wench Project 2: Scared Topless (2001) (V)

Update with impressions of Seasons 5 & 6

(Initial comments) My son gave me a copy of Season One of "The Adventures of Superman" for Christmas, and I must say it was the best present I've received in a long while. We had such a good time watching favorite episodes. I am a child of the 50's and grew up with Superman while it was still fairly new. My son experienced it on Nick at Nite re-runs, a special time for us both.

Now I have purchased the Season Two set, and the episodes here may be in many ways better than those in the first. A particular favorite is "Panic in the Sky," where our hero has to deflect a meteor as it hurtles towards Earth. Special flying sequences were filmed for this episode that were not used in any other.

A special treat is "Stamp Day for Superman," a special episode that I never saw as a child. While it is a quickie "freebie" made to support the U.S. Treasury Dept., this episode stands up pretty well with the "regular" episodes.

The featurette "First Lady of Metropolis" is a wonderful tribute to Noel Neill, who took over the role of Lois when Phyllis Coates was unable to continue. It is so nice to see Ms. Neill still looking lovely. She still has the "sparkle" in her eyes that made her Lois so enjoyable to watch.

Another favorite episode is "Around the World with Superman." Anyone who is not moved by this story of a blind girl's attempt to re-unite her troubled family just doesn't have a heart.

Thanks to Warners and to my son for helping me capture a sense of my own youth.

(June 20, 2006) I just got my copy of Seasons 3 & 4 of Adventures of Superman. Special features include a piece entitled "Adventures of Superman: The Color Era" and another called "Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Special Effects of The Adventures Of Superman."

The former, about the series being filmed in color features interviews with Jack Larsen, Noel Neill, Gary Grossman (author of "Superman: Serial to Cereal") and a television historian whose name escapes me. All pretty much agree that it was a shrewd move of the producers to start filming the show in color, and saving the negatives until color television was common a decade later. In the words of Larsen, "Those guys were pretty smart."

The one about the sfx was mainly a profile and interview with Thol Simonson, along with Larsen and Neill. Both cast members were effusive with praise for Simonson, saying they always felt safe, no matter how risky the effect looked on screen. Something I had not seen before is a diagram of the "pan" apparatus and counterbalance that replaced the wires that had earlier suspended Reeves.

Episodes I have watched so far are "The Wedding of Superman," "The Big Freeze," and "Through the Time Barrier." As has been noted elsewhere, these stories are much less heavily dramatic as the nourish early episodes. However, the light comedy is not really campy, just good-natured. Also, Neill as Lois looks quite fetching in her cave-girl outfit in the time-travel story.

In fact, Ms. Neill still looks quite lovely in the new interview footage. She still has those same sparkling eyes and the lovely smile that gave me that first crush on Lois all those years ago.

(Update: December 3, 2006: Initial impressions of Seasons 5 & 6:)

"Superman's Wife" is not as hokey as many of the other episodes in the final season. Joi Lansing is a knockout, and John Eldredge, as usual, makes one of the more interesting, intelligent villains.

"The Perils of Superman" is pure FUN.

Noel makes for some NICE cheesecake in that proto-Jeannie outfit in "The Tomb of Zaharan." The story was pure cheese, though. (In "Foghorn Leghorn" voice: hey, I made a funny. Cheese--Cheesecake.)

"The Big Forget" contains the greatest tease in the entire series: Clark changing into Supes in full view of all the series regulars!

The final shot of "All That Glitters" is really poignant, considering how things turned out for George.

The featurette about Jack Larsen is a nice little tribute.

A fun time with old friends that I now share with my grandkids. (All warm and fuzzy.)