The adventures of Superman (1952)

The Adventures of Superman was an American television series based on the comic, characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, it lasted six seasons and one hundred four (104) half-hour episodes. The show was the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California. Sponsored by cereal maker Kellogg's, syndicated television shows disputes regarding the series' start and end dates for broadcast, but are generally accepted from September 19, 1952 to April 28, 1958. The first two seasons of the show they were filmed in black and white and from season three to six they were filmed in color. The seasons in color were broadcast in monochrome.

George Reeves played Clark Kent / Superman, with Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen, John Hamilton as Perry White, and Robert Shayne as Inspector Henderson. Phyllis Coates played Lois Lane in the first season and Noel Neill from the second season (1953). The series showed Superman battling thugs, gangsters, and other fictional villains in the city of Metropolis while remaining "out of action" as the laid-back Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent. Kent's colleagues Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen were often in dangerous situations, which could only be resolved with Superman's timely intervention.

The Adventures of Superman generally employed advanced visual effects for television of the time, and although the show did not win major awards, it was popular with its audience and continues to be popular today. His opening theme, known as The March of Superman, has become a classic in its genre and is instantly recognizable to Superman fans. In 1976, the book Superman: From Serial to Cereal was published, and in 1987 selected episodes of the series were released. In 2006, the entire series was released on DVD and reruns of the show still have a place on syndicated television in the United States. Hollywoodland was released in 2006, a film dramatizing the production of the show and the death of its star, George Reeves.

In 1951, exhibitor and film producer B Robert L. Lippert presented a 67-minute long black-and-white feature film with George Reeves and Phyllis Coates called Superman and The Mole Men with a screenplay by Robert Maxwell (as Richard Fielding) and directing by Lee Sholem. The film promoted the first television season that went into production in August and September of the same year. However, production of the series was suspended and remained off-air until Kellog's food company became a sponsor in September 1952, because the company had previously done the same with the Superman radio series. The success of the series was a complete surprise for the cast. Jack Larson remembers being in New York when he was taken completely off guard for his new fame.

After the filming of the first season actress Phyllis Coates had made other commitments and did not return as Lois Lane for the second season. Noel Neill (who had played the character in the Kirk Alyn movie series) took the role, and stayed in it until the series was canceled. The core of the cast remained with Phillips Tead occasionally joining the regulars in recent seasons as the recurring character, Professor Pepperwinkle. To promote and publicize the show, the cast of Reeves, Larson, and Hamilton were able to make additional money by appearing in Kellogg's commercials in the second season. However, Noel Neill appeared with them,

From the beginning, the series was filmed as a serial movie with lead actors wearing the same costumes during takes to streamline filming times and schedules in addition to saving on budget costs. For example, all the scenes that took place in Perry White's "office" were filmed one after the other, for future placement in various episodes, which was often confusing for the actors. Additional budget was saved by using Clark's office as Lois's with a simple change of tapestries, therefore, an additional set was dispensed with. Other cuts were used, in the last season, for example, there are few scenes that were made outdoors, episodes were made that were filmed almost entirely in the studio. The budget for the series was relatively low, averaging $ 15,000 per episode. The actors received $ 200 per episode, some historians of the show and Jack Larson have indicated that the cast had to repeatedly ask producers for an increase of $ 50, or they would stop production. At the end of the series, protagonist Reeves was making at least $ 2,500 per episode, but the rest of the cast still made considerably less. The cast joined the show by signing a "30-day clause," meaning that producers could demand their services to shoot a new season with thirty days' notice. However, this clause also prohibited them from making any other long-term commitments, such as movies or plays. As a barrier against the possible introduction of color television, the show went on to be filmed in color from the 1954 season onwards, although it was initially broadcast monochromatic. The Superman suit worn by Reeves was brown (for red), gray (for blue), and white (for yellow), so that the appropriate shades of gray on black-and-white television were "read" correctly. . In the episodes filmed in color, the monochromatic projection made the shades of gray in Reeves' new suit almost indistinguishable. and white (for yellow), so that the appropriate shades of gray on black-and-white television are "read" correctly. In the episodes filmed in color, the monochromatic projection made the shades of gray in Reeves' new suit almost indistinguishable. and white (for yellow), so that the appropriate shades of gray on black-and-white television are "read" correctly. In the episodes filmed in color, the monochromatic projection made the shades of gray in Reeves' new suit almost indistinguishable.

Throughout the past 50 episodes, the controversies between the extra expense for filming in color and low salaries were reflected in the attitude of the cast. Producer Whitney Ellsworth would later admit: "Sometimes we just had trash left in a hurry, but we were forced to use what there was, instead of turning on the equipment and starting again.

Effects of Superman's flight

Although considered simple by current parameters, the flying effects of the Adventures of Superman were quite advanced for their time. Superman's flight was carried out in three phases: takeoff, flight, and landing. Cables and wires were used for the Superman shots at the beginning of filming but when Reeves was close to suffering a concussion in "The Ghost Wolf", the cables and wires were left out and a trampoline was brought along. Reeves ran on screen, propelled himself with the trampoline that was off camera (sometimes above the camera), towards a mat or padding. The trampoline was strong enough, along with subtle manipulation of the camera, to make it look as if it were, in fact, taking off. The flight scenes were accomplished through a relatively small amount of material that was used in the sequences repeatedly. Typical technique scenes were accomplished with Reeves spread out on a spatula-like device fitted to his torso and legs, operated with a counterweight like a microphone giraffe. Reeves was sometimes filmed in front of a screen with aerial images projected on the back, or against a matte-providing neutral background that was optically combined with an aerial shot. The background of the flight was changed according to the needs of the episode: clouds, buildings, etc. The landing techniques were accomplished with Reeves jumping off an off-camera ladder or swinging from a horizontal bar. Typical technique scenes were accomplished with Reeves spread out on a spatula-like device fitted to his torso and legs, operated with a counterweight like a microphone giraffe. Reeves was sometimes filmed in front of a screen with aerial images projected on the back, or against a matte-providing neutral background that was optically combined with an aerial shot. The background of the flight was changed according to the needs of the episode: clouds, buildings, etc. The landing techniques were accomplished with Reeves jumping off an off-camera ladder or swinging from a horizontal bar. Typical scenes of the technique were accomplished with Reeves spread out on a spatula-like device fitted to his torso and legs, operated with a counterweight like a microphone giraffe. Reeves was sometimes filmed in front of a screen with aerial images projected on the back, or against a matte-providing neutral background that was optically combined with an aerial shot. The background of the flight was changed according to the needs of the episode: clouds, buildings, etc. The landing techniques were accomplished with Reeves jumping off an off-camera ladder or swinging from a horizontal bar. Reeves was sometimes filmed in front of a screen with aerial images projected on the back, or against a matte-providing neutral background that was optically combined with an aerial shot. The background of the flight was changed according to the needs of the episode: clouds, buildings, etc. The landing techniques were accomplished with Reeves jumping off an off-camera ladder or swinging from a horizontal bar. Reeves was sometimes filmed in front of a screen with aerial images projected on the back, or against a matte-providing neutral background that was optically combined with an aerial shot. The background of the flight was changed according to the needs of the episode: clouds, buildings, etc. The landing techniques were accomplished with Reeves jumping off an off-camera ladder or swinging from a horizontal bar.