Warner Brothers brings the George Reeves’ series to DVD in the third and fourth season set. Beginning with the third season the show was successful enough to be shot in color.
The Adventures of Superman concerns Superman (George Reeves) and this alter ego Clark Kent. Kent is employed by the newspaper the Daily Planet. Lois Lane (Noel Neill) and Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson) are Kent’s fellow employees and they lorded over by their boss Perry White (John Hamilton). They also interact with Inspector Bill Henderson (Robert Shayne) of the local police force. Warner Brothers presents all 26 episodes over 5 discs (each runs about 25 minutes).
Episode 1: Through the Time Barrier: Professor Twiddle (Sterling Holloway) has invented a time machine and transports Lois, Jimmy, Clark, Mr. White, and the gangster Turk Jackson back to 50,000 BC.
Episode 2: The Talking Clue: Bank robbers have a sudden interest in a young audiophile’s collection of recorded sounds.
Episode 3: The Lucky Cat: The Anti-Superstition Society doesn’t believe in Friday the 13th or black cats, but someone is gunning for them.
Episode 4: Superman Week: Two thugs have a special gift for Superman during Superman Week – Kryptonite!
Episode 5: Great Caesar’s Ghost: Perry White’s favorite saying comes to life when he begins to see visions of the ghost of Julius Caesar.
Episode 6: Test of a Warrior: Superman helps an Indian leader through the tribe’s tests of valor.
Episode 7: Olsen’s Millions: An elderly woman rewards Jimmy with a million dollars because she thinks he rescued her cat.
Episode 8: Clark Kent, Outlaw: Clark poses as a safecracker to get the goods on a crime ring.
Superman takes on some thugs
Episode 9: The Magic Necklace: Lois writes a story about the discovery of a magic necklace that protects the wearer from harm. It must work, bullets bounce off Clark when he wears it.
Episode 10: The Bully of Dry Gulch: Jimmy has till sundown to leave town when a gunslinger threatens him.
Episode 11: Flight to the North: Sylvester J. Superman (Chuck Conners) reads an ad intended for the Man of Steel and mistakenly tries to help out.
Episode 12: The Seven Souvenirs: Items purchased as Superman souvenirs may lead to a crime.
Episode 13: King for a Day: Jimmy is mistaken for the prince of Burgonia and is marked for assassination.
Episode 14: Joey: The Daily Planet buys a racehorse and Superman fights corruption at the track.
Episode 15: The Unlucky Number: A racketeer is running a scan, but with Superman’s powers it’s easy to win.
Episode 16: Crooks lock Superman in a freezer so that they can take over Metropolis in a rigged election.
Episode 17: Peril by Sea: Perry White has made a scientific discovery and crooks uses a submarine to torpedo his seaside cottage.
Episode 18: Topsy Turvy: An inventor develops an invention that gives the illusion of being turned upside down. It falls into criminal hands and is misused.
Episode 19: Jimmy the Kid: Jimmy Olsen is kidnapped and a villainous look-alike replaces him.
Episode 20: The Girl who Hired Superman: Superman is hired to attend a party, but crooks use his attendance to commit crime.
Episode 21: The Wedding of Superman: Superman proposes to Lois, but is it a dream or for real?
Superman's wedding
Episode 22: Dagger Island: An inheritance is hidden on an island and Lois and Clark have to keep the heirs in line.
Episode 23: Blackmail: Somebody has stolen $500,000 and it looks like it was Inspector Henderson
Episode 24: The Deadly Rock: A gangster uses Kryptonite to capture Superman, but he accidentally captures Superman’s friend.
Episode 25: The Phantom Ring: Gangsters use their new powers of invisibility to commit crimes.
Episode 26: Jimmy and Lois investigate an island the Navy is going to destroy, but they find it’s still occupied – by pirates!
The Adventures of Superman is good old fashioned 1950s fun. This show was shot for 4 to 12 year olds of the 1950s, so the viewer has to remember that when viewing it. If you can get past that fact then you’ll find the show fun. The acting goes way over the top at times and most of the gangster villains use the “youse dirty rat” school of gangster acting.
What’s amazing about the show is that someone had a foresight to begin shooting the show in color beginning with season three, although it would not be show on television in color till the 1960s. The show looks pretty good, but nicks and scratches abound.
The Adventures of Superman is presented in fullscreen as they were originally shown. Special features include three featurettes. The first is 7 minutes and called “The Adventures of Superman: The Color Era.” It has interviews with author Gary Grossman, actor Jack Larson, TV historian Jim Nolt, author/historian Jan Alan Henderson, actress Noel Neill, TV historian John Field, and writer from the show David Chantler.
Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen
The second is 7 minutes and called “Faster than a Speeding Bullet: The Special Effects of the Adventures of Superman.” It has interviews with some from the first featurette but also adds FX wizard Thol “Si” Simonson, who did the special effects on the show. The last featurette is 6 minutes and is excerpts from the Bryan Singer produced documentary “Look, Up in the Sky!” Finally there is a trailer for the direct to video “Superman: Brainiac Attacks.”
The Adventures of Superman is good, old fashioned fun. If the words old fashioned put you off then you’ll probably not like the series. It was made for the 4 to 12 year olds of the 1950s and might appeal to the 4 to 12 years olds of today if the mood strikes them. People who remember the show fondly will definitely want to add this set to their collection since it is the beginning of the color episodes of the show.
Adventures of Superman - The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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