"Adventures of Superman" (1952) TV series 1952-1958

Writers:

Roy Chanslor (writer)
Jay Morton (contributing writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Release Date:

19 September 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!

Plot:

The Man of Steel fights crime with help from his friends at the Daily Planet.

Plot Keywords:

Reporter | Superhero | Lois Lane | Clark Kent | Cult TV

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

George Reeves	...	Clark Kent / ... (104 episodes, 1951-1958)
Bill Kennedy	...	Announcer / ... (104 episodes, 1951-1958)
Jack Larson	...	Jimmy Olsen / ... (102 episodes, 1952-1958)
John Hamilton	...	Perry White (102 episodes, 1952-1958)
Robert Shayne	...	Inspector Henderson / ... (90 episodes, 1952-1958)
Noel Neill	...	Lois Lane (78 episodes, 1953-1958)

Series Directed by
Thomas Carr		(37 episodes, 1952-1958)
George Blair		(27 episodes, 1953-1958)
Harry W. Gerstad		(20 episodes, 1955-1957)
Lee Sholem		(14 episodes, 1951-1953)
Philip Ford		(8 episodes, 1956-1958)
George Reeves		(3 episodes, 1958)
Lew Landers		(2 episodes, 1957-1958)
Howard Bretherton		(2 episodes, 1958)

Series Writing credits
David T. Chantler		(34 episodes, 1953-1958)
Jackson Gillis		(15 episodes, 1953-1956)
Whitney Ellsworth		(14 episodes, 1951-1958)
Ben Peter Freeman		(8 episodes, 1952-1953)
Robert Leslie Bellem		(8 episodes, 1956-1958)
Robert Maxwell		(6 episodes, 1951-1953)
Peggy Chantler Dick		(5 episodes, 1955-1958)
Dick Hamilton		(4 episodes, 1952-1953)
Roy Hamilton		(4 episodes, 1953-1954)
Leroy H. Zehren		(4 episodes, 1955-1957)
Wilton Schiller		(4 episodes, 1957)
Eugene Solow		(3 episodes, 1952-1953)
Dennis J. Cooper		(3 episodes, 1952)
Peter Dixon		(2 episodes, 1952-1953)
Monroe Manning		(2 episodes, 1952-1953)
Lee Backman		(2 episodes, 1952)
Oliver Drake		(2 episodes, 1956-1957)
Roy Chanslor		(unknown episodes)
Jay Morton		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Whitney Ellsworth	....	producer / associate producer (104 episodes, 1951-1958)
Robert H. Justman	....	associate producer (78 episodes, 1953-1958)
Robert Maxwell	....	producer (52 episodes, 1951-1954)
Barney A. Sarecky	....	associate producer (52 episodes, 1951-1954)
Bernard Luber	....	producer (26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Clem Beauchamp	....	associate producer (26 episodes, 1955-1956)
Edward Donahue	....	associate producer (26 episodes, 1957-1958)

Series Cinematography by
Harold E. Stine		(43 episodes, 1953-1955)
Clark Ramsey		(26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Joseph F. Biroc		(26 episodes, 1956-1958)
Harold E. Wellman		(13 episodes, 1957)
William P. Whitley		(9 episodes, 1952-1953)

Series Film Editing by
Sam E. Waxman		(56 episodes, 1954-1958)
Albrecht Joseph		(26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Harry W. Gerstad		(26 episodes, 1953-1954)

Series Casting by
Harold Chiles		(26 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Art Direction by
Lucius O. Croxton		(52 episodes, 1953-1958)
Ralph Berger		(46 episodes, 1952-1954)
John B. Mansbridge		(26 episodes, 1956-1957)
Ernst Fegté		(7 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Set Decoration by
Glenn P. Thompson		(26 episodes, 1957-1958)
Jerry Welch		(26 episodes, 1957-1958)

Series Makeup Department
Gustaf Norin	....	makeup artist (78 episodes, 1953-1958)
Harry Thomas	....	makeup artist (52 episodes, 1951-1954)

Series Production Management
Clem Beauchamp	....	production manager (39 episodes, 1953-1955)
Barney A. Sarecky	....	production manager (26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Edward Donahue	....	production manager (26 episodes, 1956-1957)
David S. Garber	....	production manager (26 episodes, 1957-1958)
Ben Chapman	....	production manager (13 episodes, 1957-1958)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arthur Hammond	....	assistant director (15 episodes, 1951-1953)
Nathan Barrager	....	assistant director (15 episodes, 1952-1953)
John Pommer	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1955)
Gene Anderson Jr.	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1956)
Grayson Rogers	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1956)
Bob Barnes	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1957-1958)
Edward Haldeman	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1957-1958)
Dick Dixon	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1957)
Louis Germonprez	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1957)
Ivan Volkman	....	assistant director (12 episodes, 1953-1954)
Jack R. Berne	....	assistant director (12 episodes, 1953)
Robert H. Justman	....	assistant director (12 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Art Department
George Bahr	....	props (26 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Sound Department
Jean L. Speak	....	sound engineer / sound editor (39 episodes, 1953-1955)
Barton Hayes	....	sound editor (26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Harry Smith	....	production sound mixer / sound engineer (26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Earl Snyder	....	sound engineer (13 episodes, 1956)
Herman Lewis	....	production sound mixer / sound engineer (13 episodes, 1957-1958)
Robert Post	....	production sound mixer / sound engineer / ... (13 episodes, 1957)

Series Special Effects by
Thol Simonson	....	special effects (92 episodes, 1952-1958)
Daniel Hays	....	special effects (29 episodes, 1951-1953)
Ray Mercer	....	special effects (9 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Visual Effects by
Jack R. Glass	....	photographic effects (78 episodes, 1953-1958)
Jack Rabin	....	photographic effects (58 episodes, 1951-1958)
Louis DeWitt	....	photographic effects (26 episodes, 1957-1958)
Ray Mercer	....	photographic effects (3 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Stunts
George Fisher	....	stunts (25 episodes, 1951-1954)
Sol Gorss	....	stunts (13 episodes, 1952-1954)
Dale Van Sickel	....	stunts (10 episodes, 1952-1953)
Carey Loftin	....	stunts (7 episodes, 1952-1954)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Howard Schwartz	....	assistant camera (26 episodes, 1957-1958)
William P. Whitley	....	camera operator (15 episodes, 1952-1953)
Clark Ramsey	....	camera operator (12 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Izzy Berne	....	wardrobe (26 episodes, 1951-1953)

Series Music Department
Leon Klatzkin	....	composer: theme music (104 episodes, 1951-1958)

Series Other crew
Winnie Rich	....	script supervisor (104 episodes, 1951-1958)
Mort Weisinger	....	story editor / script supervisor (86 episodes, 1951-1958)
Stephen Carr	....	script supervisor / dialogue director (52 episodes, 1951-1954)
David S. Garber	....	production coordinator (52 episodes, 1953-1956)
Whitney Ellsworth	....	story editor / script supervisor (26 episodes, 1951-1953)
Robert Maxwell	....	story editor / script supervisor (26 episodes, 1951-1953)

Production Companies

• Motion Pictures for Television (MPTV)

Distributors

• Flamingo Films (1951-1978) (USA) (TV) (syndication)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (UK) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD) (season 1)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (seasons 3 and 4)
• Radio Tokyo Television (1956) (Japan) (TV)
• Warner Bros. Television
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (seasons 1-5)

Other Companies

• DC Comics  DC Comics characters

Also Known As:

Superman (Australia)

Runtime:

30 min (104 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (1952-1954) | Color (1955-1958)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G (some episodes) | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Argentina:Atp | USA:TV-G

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Motion Pictures for Television (MPTV)

Trivia:

A running gag on the show was to have a thug fire his gun at Superman until it was out of bullets. Superman, being bulletproof wouldn't move and let the bullets bounce off of him. When the villain realized his gun was empty he would throw his gun at Superman and Superman would then duck after having bullets fired at him.

Goofs:

Continuity: Many scenes in the color seasons show Clark Kent leaving an office in the Daily Planet building to transform into Superman. When leaving, Kent often wears or grabs his hat, but whenever he approaches the storeroom to change costume, he doesn't have the hat with him.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Perry White: Don't call me Chief!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Robot Chicken: Tubba-Bubba's Now Hubba-Hubba (#3.15)" (2008)

TV ICON!

It was a different time and different era when this now legendary program was first televised. Yes some of the episodes toward the end of the series are on the hokey and corny side. However this show is a part of television history. The opening credits with the great theme music always set the mood. My favorite was the two part ` The Unknown People' episode. Although I always thought Noel Neill was a cuter and sexier Lois Lane Phyllis Coates played the part to a T. Jack Larsons Jimmy Olsen idolized Clark Kent as a father figure like the character did in the comics. John Hamilton was superb as the gruff but understanding Perry White. Robert Shayne as Inspector Henderson who never solved a case by himself but did it matter? Then George Reeves. Other actors donned the costume through the years but George Reeves was and always will be Superman, and when you think about it that's not too shabby.