Superman Through the Ages! Forum

I remember seeing the show with my Dad when I was a little kid, but now I'm a big kid and I have the set of "first season" DVDs starring George Reeves in Adventures of Superman. These episodes are great! Most of the stories so far are little mysteries, with Superman turning up towards the end to dish out some lumps to the baddies. There's some rough stuff here and there, but nothing unsuitable for the kiddies, and when the Man of Steel knocks the hoods around, it's always a little less than they deserve. I'm about eight episodes in, but am I to understand the show gets better, especially in the "second season"? I catch myself thinking, "This Clark Kent fellow should have his own show -- he's terrific!" But hang on..... I guess he does have his own show. It almost (almost) doesn't need the Superman costume at all. I have watched the episodes with my wife, and although she is not an old super-hero comic book enthusiast like me, she is enjoying them, and it's because the stories are really quite good (George's charisma doesn't hurt either), and it doesn't matter much if you like Superman in particular. The plots are entertaining and I defy any random viewer not to be interested in how the story turns out. I think it's all quite well done. Phyllis Coates is very easy on the eye and a very good Lois, and not a whining, needy Lois either, but someone you could see Kent really being attracted to. She's quite a babe, in a respectable 1950s kind of way. I am appreciating George Reeves all over again, and he's shaping up to be my favourite live-action Superman/Kent, more so than Christopher Reeve or any of the others. This guy is a man's man, and I always figured Superman should be a no-nonsense, masculine hero..... and George Reeves certainly delivers. He brings special qualities to the role. Whether Superman shows up at the end or not, these adventures with Lois and Kent (and Perry and Jimmy) are very watchable. I am looking forward to working my way through the DVDs. Highly recommended.

Reeves certainly delivered something that has lacked in other portrayals of the character: a bit of authority and maturity (indeed, he was already 37 when he was first offered the part). This is a Superman you can trust, a fellow who knows the score. He's been around the tracks a few times.

Christopher Reeve managed this to a lesser degree, and Dean Cain not at all; Brendan Routh has given it a game try, but it doesn't quite work.

Dean Cain works better than Brenbadan Routh -- at least hes not channeling Chris Reeve.

But friggen GEORGE REEVES IS THE MAN!

Its been many years for me, but I do like the story development of those episodes, Clark Kent is VERY well-developed as a character and the stories were nicely limited by the spare use of special effects and Superman shots...I remember the ventriloquist's dummy ("The Case of the Talkative Dummy") that spouted out strange the locations of the armored cars scared me as a little kid.

Madame Selena still scares the bejeebers out of me....

"MONEEEH, POW-UH! ~INSANE CACKLE~"

I dunno about anyone else, but I think it goes downhill in successive seasons.  There's good stories in successive seasons to be sure, but the tone changed -- less noirish, more for the kids -- and Phyllis Coates is 9 kinds of awesome in a way that Noel Neill just isn't (IMO).  Reeves' Clark Kent is still pretty cool, though.

I'm nearly done with Season 2 now and I'm ordering the 3-4 set.  There's definitely a shift in tone from Season 1 as Whit Elsworth replaces Bob Maxwell in the producers' chair.  Maxwell pushed the noirish, hard-as-nails approach in the first season and continually butted heads with DC/National, who were concerned about the effect on young viewers.  I have to agree with Aldous, though, that most of it's fairly harmless by today's standards, with the possible exception of "The Haunted Lighthouse" (nothing graphic, but that voice is creepy!) and some really mean-spirited moments in "The Evil Three" and "the Birthday Letter."

Whether it gets "better" in successive seasons depends on how you like your Superman.  Certainly things begin to lighten up with Season 2, although there are still some really nice noirish visuals in several episodes and a few tense moments here and there.  But this is where Jimmy and Lois begin to bring a lot more light humor into the proceedings and you have the first villains you could classify as "campy." The highlight, for me, are the scripts where Superman performs some truly super feats, and the episodes where he faces some problems that make even him sweat (like "Panic In the Sky," "Superman In Exile" and "The Defeat of Superman").

I certainly agree that Phyllis Coates is the hottest Lois Lane of all time. And thanks to her relative lack of interest in wooing Superman, easily my favorite.  (But then anyone who's read my posts here over the years knows "the romance" is my least favorite aspect of the mythos.)  Noel Neill is a classy and beautiful lady, but she's definitely more the "sisterly" type and, it must be said, not the most skilled actress there ever was.

What really impresses me about this show is its overall standards of quality.  If you've ever seen other shows from this far back in time, they tend to look pretty slap-dash, especially the kid's shows which often look like they were filmed in someone's garage.  TAOS still looks marvelous after 50 years.

Incidentally, the fourth and final box set has been announced for Nov. 14.  http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=6282

And yes, George Reeves still rules as the ultimate on-screen Superman.  Keep your eyes peeled for the Reeves biopic "Hollywoodland" on Sept. 8. http://www.hollywoodlandmovie.com/

Yes, I'm looking forward to Hollywoodland, but I hope they manage to keep it respectful.

I like how Clark keeps cracking playful little jokes about his double identity, almost like he is teasing Lois and Perry, daring them to take a closer look at him. This sometimes leaves Lois glancing sideways at Kent... It's very well played by Phyllis and George. At times I'm almost sure Lois knows the secret, but it's like there's an unspoken understanding between her and Kent not to burst the bubble.

I watched a couple of the episodes from Disc 3 last night and at a newsstand where a man was selling the Planet I saw comics displayed on shelves behind him. I was able to freeze-frame and have a look at the covers. World's Finest 54, Superman 72, Batman 66, Action 160, and I think the Detective I could see was No. 175, all modern issues in 1951.

I'm well into Season 2 now and I agree with Klar Ken that Superman has become more of a father figure (and less of an avenging mystery man, although he definitely still has "two fists"). Where Klar and I part company, however, is in how he sees Noel (Lois) Neill as "hot". Noel has her charms, and she is a nice-looking woman, but she doesn't come anywhere near "hot". As an actress she has none of the screen presence of Phyllis Coates. In fact, I think her portrayal throws the whole show out of balance. Her Lois is a nobody, and not captivating at all, which leaves a space George has to fill, and, I suppose, creates more opportunities for Jimmy to shine. When I say the show is out of balance, I mean the balance has changed from Season 1, but that's not to say the episodes aren't still great. They are. I am really enjoying them. I read somewhere Phyllis couldn't or wouldn't continue with the Lois role, and I am surely feeling that loss as I watch Season 2. Noel pales in comparison. With Noel, Lois drops from Clark's main foil to No. 3 supporting player behind Jimmy and Perry.

It's been YEARS since I watched this show, but I used to watch it religiously...

The first season was awesome and I agree about Phyllis Coates... she was a very strong, independent Lois and captured the flavor of what Lois was in the early comics.  The series got campier as time went on (like when Lois or Jimmy had a dream they both got super powers, the gang went back in time to the caveman era, etc.  I think Coates was probably the model for what Lois became in the future comic incarnation, BTW.

Don't get me wrong... Noel Neill IS Lois Lane, the Lois of that period.  She was the 1950's comics Lois whereas Coates was ahead of her time.

As a kid, I also hated the fact that you hardly saw Superman in a lot of the stories... as mentioned, he would typically show up at the end to wrap things up.  I would sit at the TV and say "Come on, Clark... change into Superman... do SOMETHING!!!"

I gotta invest in the series

Noel was hot...in Superman vs. the Atom Man.* I'm not sure exactly why her role as Lois Lane changed so much between the Kirk Alyn serials and the TV show, but it did. Her TV performance was definitely the basis for Lois' silver age OMG I GOTTA MARRY SUPERMAN PERSONA!

I'm almost finished with season 4 of the series, but I'm a little disappointed in the extras with this newest set. Season 1 had Superman vs. the Mole Men and some Kellog's commercials, Season 2 had Stamp Day for Superman, but this one has nothing of any consequence. I really hope we'll see Lucy meets Superman, or the Adventures of Superboy on the next set.

* and in her cave-woman suit