IMDb > Superman (1948)
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Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   220 votes
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Writers:
George H. Plympton (adaptation) &
Joseph F. Poland (adaptation) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Superman on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 January 1948 (USA) more
Genre:
Sci-Fi more
Tagline:
Based on the SUPERMAN adventure feature appearing in SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS magazines, in daily and Sunday newspapers coast-to-coast and on the SUPERMAN radio program broadcast over the Mutual Network (original poster) more
Plot:
Superman comes to Earth as a child and grows up to be his home's first superhero with his first major challenge being to oppose The Spider Lady. | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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NewsDesk:
(7 articles)
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 (From CinemaSpy. 7 October 2009, 12:35 AM, PDT)
Superman's powers explained and Didio on Outsiders: ComicMix Quick Picks for 10/5/09
 (From Comicmix. 5 October 2009, 4:55 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
This looks like a job for...............! more (13 total)

Cast

  (in credits order)
Kirk Alyn ... Superman / Clark Kent (as Superman)
Noel Neill ... Lois Lane
Tommy Bond ... Jimmy Olsen
Carol Forman ... 'Spider Lady'
George Meeker ... Henchman Driller
Jack Ingram ... Henchman Anton
Pierre Watkin ... Perry White
Terry Frost ... Henchman Brock
Charles King ... Henchman Conrad [Chs. 6-15]
Charles Quigley ... Dr. Hackett [Chs. 6-15]
Herbert Rawlinson ... Dr. Arnold Graham [Chs. 3, 9-11, 13-15]
Forrest Taylor ... Prof. Arnold Leeds [Chs. 3-4]
Stephen Carr ... Morgan [Chs. 3-4]
Rusty Wescoatt ... Henchman Elton [Chs. 7-15]
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Aldrich ... Policeman at Museum [Ch. 5] (uncredited)
Phil Arnold ... Taxi Driver [Ch. 2] (uncredited)
Jimmy Aubrey ... Wave Tracer [Ch.10] (uncredited)
Robert Barron ... Ro-Zon, leader of Krypton [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
Roy Butler ... Radio Operator (uncredited)
James Carlisle ... Government Agent [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
Virginia Carroll ... Martha Kent [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
Ed Cassidy ... Eben Kent [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
Jack Chefe ... Dupe [Ch. 14] (uncredited)
Edmund Cobb ... Auto Mechanic [Ch. 10] (uncredited)
Tom Coleman ... Government Agent [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
George DeNormand ... Agent with Crandall [Ch. 3] (uncredited)
Alan Dinehart III ... Clark as a small boy [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
Frank Ellis ... Mine Security Guard [Ch. 2] (uncredited)
William Fawcett ... Phoney News-Hawker [Ch. 7] (uncredited)
Eddie Foster ... Fred Collier, Mining Engineer [Ch. 12] (uncredited)
Jack George ... Railroad Workman [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
Frank Hagney ... Car 1 Henchman [Chs. 8-9] (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton ... Prison Guard at siren [Ch. 6] (uncredited)
Ralph Hodges ... Teenage Clark Kent [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
Reed Howes ... Henchman Jackson [Ch. 8] (uncredited)

I. Stanford Jolley ... Sheriff [Chs. 11-12] (uncredited)
Frank Lackteen ... Hawkins, the stoolie [Chs. 4-7] (uncredited)

Nelson Leigh ... Jor-El, father of Superman [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
Tom London ... Old Timer at Mine [Ch. 2] (uncredited)
George Magrill ... Bank Robber [Ch. 3] (uncredited)
Knox Manning ... Narrator (uncredited)
Wheeler Oakman ... Dr. Fredrick Larkin [Ch. 11] (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor ... Spectator at fire [Ch.2] / Police Chief Forman [Ch. 15] (uncredited)
Eddie Parker ... Truck Driver [Chs. 11-12] (uncredited)
Leonard Penn ... Electronics Store Owner / Henchman [Ch. 14] (uncredited)
Stanley Price ... Crandall the Thug [Ch. 3] (uncredited)
Gene Roth ... Carson the Conductor [Ch. 2] (uncredited)
Charles Schaeffer ... Thug Holding Lois [Ch. 5] (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock ... Daily Planet Worker [Chs. 4, 6-7, 11 & 14] (uncredited)
Paul Stader ... Henchman Irwin [Ch. 8] (uncredited)
Bert Stevens ... Man Sent for Help at RR Station [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
Emmett Vogan ... Secretary of National Security [Chs. 3, 8] (uncredited)
Luana Walters ... Lara, mother of Superman [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
Wally West ... Spectator at fire [Ch. 2] / State Trooper [Ch.9] (uncredited)
Al Wyatt Sr. ... Thug Holding Lois [Ch. 5] (uncredited)
Peggy Wynne ... Gloria the Switchboard-Receptionist - Chs. 2, 3, 11 (uncredited)
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Directed by
Spencer Gordon Bennet  (as Spencer Bennet)
Thomas Carr 
 
Writing credits
Jerry Siegel (characters) uncredited &
Joe Shuster (characters) uncredited

George H. Plympton (adaptation) &
Joseph F. Poland (adaptation)

Arthur Hoerl (screenplay) &
Lewis Clay (screenplay) &
Royal K. Cole (screenplay) (as Royal Cole)

Produced by
Sam Katzman .... producer
 
Cinematography by
Ira H. Morgan 
 
Film Editing by
Earl Turner 
 
Art Direction by
Paul Palmentola 
 
Set Decoration by
Sidney Clifford 
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
R.M. Andrews .... assistant director
 
Special Effects by
Howard Swift .... special animation effects (uncredited)
 
Stunts
Paul Stader .... stunt double: Kirk Alyn
George DeNormand .... stunts (uncredited)
George Magrill .... stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Parker .... stunts (uncredited)
Wally West .... stunts (uncredited)
Al Wyatt .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Mischa Bakaleinikoff .... musical director
Daniele Amfitheatrof .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Gerard Carbonara .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Sidney Cutner .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Friedrich Hollaender .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
John Leipold .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Floyd Morgan .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Ben Oakland .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
David Raksin .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Milan Roder .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Miklós Rózsa .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
Paul Sawtell .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
William Grant Still .... composer: stock music (uncredited)
 

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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Adventures of Superman (USA) (original script title)
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Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
244 min (15 episodes)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
USA:Approved | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15
Filming Locations:
Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA more
Company:
Columbia Pictures Corporation more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Considered to be the most successful serial of all time. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: In Chapter Nine, Lois Lane arrives at the airport. Her shadow is visible on the rear-projection screen on which the image of the airport is projected. more
Quotes:
Jimmy Olsen: [unaware of approaching derailment] This train is really goin'. The engineer must be late for dinner.
Lois Lane: The way he's traveling he hasn't eaten all week!
[looks out window]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman (2006) (V) more

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User Reviews

   (Review this title)
11 out of 11 people found the following review useful.
This looks like a job for...............!, 15 October 1999
8/10
Author: Brian J. Smith from Gloucester, Ontario, Canada

This is a great serial. What people tend to forget when watching it today, is that it was made in 1948 and was aimed at the Saturday matinee crowd.

The special effects, to be sure, are primitive by today's standards, but take a closer look. Remember this was 1948. The opening sequence and Superman's flying effects were achieved through some excellent animation.

Don't forget that Superman IS a comic book character. The transition from live action to animation in the flying sequences, is performed seamlessly and realistically. I thought that this was pretty innovative for its' time.

Kirk Alyn was born to play Superman. He gives a realistic and credible performance as both Superman and Clark Kent. The diminutive Noel Neill makes an excellent Lois Lane, girl reporter, Timmy Bond (Formerly "Butch" of the Our Gang comedies) is good as Jimmy Olsen and veteran Pierre Watkin is suitably cranky as Perry White.

Carol Forman brings a cold and icy sexiness to the role of the Spider Lady, Superman's chief nemesis. Serial veterans Charles Quigley, Charles King, Terry Frost and Rusty Wescoatt round out the cast in various villain roles.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Superman (1948)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
DvD Menu Question? evanmcdonald
was this the series that aired on Nick At Nite in the 80s? bassheadboy
Lois's hat. J_Alan
You could tell Kirk Alyn was none to excited about the role. Forgotten_Hero
Favorite Supermans? kingplanet
THAT was the ending!? Forgotten_Hero
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