The Adventures of....... Clark Kent

[Aldous]

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.

[Permanus]

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.

[Klar Ken T5477]

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

But friggen GEORGE REEVES IS THE MAN!

[MatterEaterLad]

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.

[Klar Ken T5477]

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

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

[Uncle Mxy]

but am I to understand the show gets better, especially in the "second season"?

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.

[nightwing]

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/

[Permanus]

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