The Adventures of Superpup (1958 TV Movie) User Reviews

This pilot was rightly put to sleep..

[Nestor-4 · 2/10 · 12 December 2006]

This travesty has only come into the public arena because of its release as part of the Ultimate Superman collection. After watching it, it comes as no surprise as to why it has been hidden away for so long...

If those out there in TV land thought that kiddies would watch any old garbage shoved in front of them, they were proved wrong with The Adventures Of Superpup.

Not so much a pup, more a mange-ridden mongrel, Superpup is really Bark Bent (non-US English-speaking countries will get an added laugh with this name), mild-mannered reporter, but has a head so big that if he didn't have super powers, his neck would snap if he was the passenger in a car (or a locomotive) that was hit from behind by another vehicle.

The sheer awfulness of this lousy pilot has to be seen to be believed - Superpup is aided by an annoying hand-puppet that provides expository dialogue (in one instance, this puppet is even employed to cover over a HUGE continuity error!). This character is SO annoying that one would wish arthritis on the person operating it.

The models of the main characters aren't too bad (the Perry White bulldog character looks like something from Peter Jackson's Meet the Feebles), and there is enough action to keep the most undemanding kids amused (though they would probably not be allowed access to sharp objects), but the sheer ghastliness of trying to create an extension of the hugely popular Superman TV show leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

If there was one moment of unintentional hilarity, it comes when Superpup's sidekick, Mongomery Mouse (a glove puppet), has to call the police - the operator of the puppet makes no attempt to try and use the hands of the puppet to pick up the receiver, instead just grabbing the thing the way anyone wearing a glove would pick up a receiver. Funny stuff! The Adventures of Superpup only gets a 2-star rating because of the hysterical moment mentioned above - otherwise, it's an abomination.

Thankfully, Superpup was neutered and didn't beget a full series.

Weird, but probably fun for the youngest crowd

[peefyn · 5/10 · 31 October 2015]

This is not set in the "Superman" universe, it's in a world with anthropomorphic dogs. Instead of Clark Kent, you meet Bark Bent. The plot is very simple, the criminal Professor Sheepdip escapes from jail and hatches out a plan to attack Bent and the others working at the Daily Bugle newspaper (yes, the same name later used in Spider-man).

It is a pilot of a show that was never picked up, and many people seem quite happy that it didn't. While the show is obviously flawed, I think it could have worked perfectly fine for the youngest children, which the show was made for. The costumes are quite great, and while most of the acting work is done by the dubbed voices, the voices work quite well. Most of the gags would most likely please young children, like the henchman hiding in the clock asking the victim for a light for the fuse of the bomb. The little "Terry Bite" character is also helpful in guiding you through the story (and also fix a continuity error).

One weird choice I have to point out is the explosion stock footage used, as it seems a bit dark for a children's show. It's also odd that everything seems to happen in the dessert.

For kids who are a bit older, deconstructing the special effects might be fun as well. I know I would have enjoyed that when I was younger.

Worst Pilot Generates Plenty of Laughs!

[kubrick2899 · 1/10 · 4 December 2006]

THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERPUP. From the title, one can tell that this is going to be absolute rubbish. But, I watched nearly everything else contained in the SUPERMAN: ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION DVD boxed set, so I figured I'd give it a shot. My verdict: BOMB out of five stars (or 1 out of 10 here). This is the absolute worst pilot episode I have ever seen in my life. This is a disgrace to the SUPERMAN legacy. However, it does make its viewer laugh quite heartily. I can't remember the last time I watched something so bad that it made me laugh so hard. One really has to see this in order to truly appreciate it. I can understand why it wasn't chosen to go on to become a full series. It had to have been intended for an audience of children, but I don't think that even children would have been amused. Well, I was amused. It was just that horrible. It really is quite comical to see people running around in big dog costumes trying to save the world. Anyway, I'll leave THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERPUP alone now. In fact, I might even go watch it again!!!!!

I shut this off after the first 5 minutes

[nickscheetz · 1/10 · 1 December 2018]

How could anyone have let this happen? From what I've heard, when George Reeves was reported dead The Adventures Of Superman was cancelled despite all the years of success it had and this was meant to be its replacement. So as a follow up to the successful non animal show that came before it, many kids were severely disappointed and their parents couldn't explain to them that it was because the actor who played Superman died. Even for its time, this is awful, the names for the characters are dumb, the jokes are cheap, the dialogue is nauseating, the characters look terrifying, and worst of all, it actually can't make up its mind on whether or not it wants to be in black and white or color, the first half is in color and the rest of it is black and white and it's even hard to tell what's going on, that's like filming a movie without realizing your camera isn't recording until after you're finished. To think that the first few years of Superman's success would be followed by one of his best TV shows getting cancelled after the legendary George Reeves who played him either committed suicide or was murdered and then gets replaced by one of the stupidest, most lame-brained, ideas for children's entertainment imaginable. This makes the Happy Days episode where Fonzie jumps the shark look like the Soup Nazi episode from Seinfeld and deserves to be forgotten and to fade into obscurity.

Mindbogglingly bad....and you wonder WHO thought this was a good idea!!

[planktonrules · 1/10 · 23 June 2017]

For years I have thought that the worst television show ever was "The Brady Variety Hour". Well, I have found one much worse...though fortunately the execs in charge of ordering new TV shows turned this one down!! It's "Superpup"...the adventures of a Superman-like dog who solves crimes! And, it's MUCH worse than it sounds!!

"The Adventures of Superman" was a popular 1950s TV show. However, after the death of the leading man, George Reeves, some numb-skull came up with the bright idea of using the same sets and continuing the series....with dogs in almost all the roles (there also is an annoying mouse puppet). So, a bunch of super-creepy dog heads were created and their dead-like expressions is something that is nightmare fodder for children! Add to that super-annoying cartoony voices and you have a recipe for the dry heaves!

If you are insane or like self-torture (like I do), then go to YouTube and type in "Superpup"...and you, too, can witness this monstrosity that offers not one minute of actual entertainment...just pain and awfulness!