Created by
George Blair
Philip Ford
Cast:
George Reeves …. Superman/Clark Kent
Noel Neill …. Lois Lane
Jack Larson …. Jimmy Olsen
John Hamilton …. Perry White
Robert Shayne …. Insp. Bill Henderson
Watching seasons five and six – the final seasons of The Adventures of Superman – it’s hard to see why the initial black-and-white seasons of the series are the one’s that are so well regarded. While the series is great in either case, the beginning of the show took itself perhaps a little too seriously. It was like a hard-boiled Film Noir, in which the Man of Steel would vanquish bank robbers and gangsters and save the day. By the time the last two seasons came around, the show seemed to blow caution to the wind, creating ridiculous scenarios, giving it a more serial feel than ever before.
One of the best aspects of the entire series is the emergence of Jimmy Olsen as one of the major characters of the Superman mythos. Played by Jack Larsen, Jimmy Olsen went from cub reporter to center stage, as Larsen’s onscreen antics kept the show lively with goofy performances and slapstick gags. Watching the first episode in this set, entitled “Peril in Paris”, Superman and the gang get embroiled in a post-World War II smuggling ring, by which Jimmy has to use his wits to save the day. Unfortunately for him, he doesn’t exactly give his all; Larsen fumbles with eye pieces and stumbles over his lines while attempting to pose as an appraiser of stolen jewelry. The sequence, even now, is quite hilarious.
Larsen and perennial Lois Lane, Noel Neal, also get to goof around in the episode “Tomb of Zaharan”, in which members of an ancient cult – garbed in Egyptian and other Eastern-style costumes – kidnap Lois thinking she is the reincarnation of their queen who died thousands of years ago. Neal turns out to be surprisingly sultry as she is dressed in a Cleopatra-esque costume, and she and Larsen are left to die in a sacred tomb. Superman (George Reeves) saves the day of course, but the conclusion of the episode ends up a lot more ambiguous than I expected.
The episode is an example of the head-scratchingr elements evident in these later seasons. Further evidence that the show’s creators were thinking outside the (television) box is in “Divide and Conquer”. For this episode, Clark Kent, Lois and Perry White (the awesome John Hamilton) go to a Latin American country in order to survey the country and possibly to do a version of the Daily Planet in their region. When Superman foils an assassination attempt, he is arrested as a possible suspect, but knows there will be another attempt unless he can escape.
In order to be in two places at once, the Man of Steel rearranges his atoms in order to split in two. The premise is goofy, but in actuality Superman was just as powerful in the comics at the time, so this is not totally out of line. Not only that, it allows for some fun sequences where George Reeve plays both roles, while the back of a double’s head serves as the opposite Superman.
My favorite episode of this DVD set, and maybe of the entire series, is the show’s penultimate one, “The Perils of Superman”. Supes has to rescue Lois, Perry, and Jimmy after they’ve each been kidnapped by a gang bent on getting revenge on the Man of Steel. The gang members wear lead masks to hide their identity and set up elaborate deaths for each of Superman’s loved ones, including tying Lois to train tracks, pouring acid on Jimmy’s break lines and threatening to split Perry in half in a saw mill. The episode is like several installments of a serial, all in a half hour span. There’s a terrific scene where the gang has actually abducted Clark Kent and put him in a perilous situation, hanging over a vat of acid. As he hangs there, Reeves’ performance is priceless, not caring about the predicament he’s in at all. The villains even seem to get really annoyed at his apparent apathy at the moment of his death and go into a Bond villain-like monologue as to where all the other victims are.
By really letting loose with the gags these last two seasons, the entertainment quotient on these episodes is astounding for the time. The Adventures of Superman is such an important moment in TV as well as in the development of the Superman continuity. Fans still love this show and it’s easy to see why. With such great actors and fun storylines, The Adventures of the Superman became a milestone, earning its place in pop culture.
THE VIDEO
The Adventures of Superman – The Complete Fifth and Sixth Seasons is presented in Fullscreen with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. One thing black and white episodes have over these in color is consistency. The last two seasons look washed out at times, especially during transitions, one scene fading into another. Sometimes minutes before the cut actually takes place. Other than this issue, the show looks fine for the most part, especially for a 50 year old series.
THE AUDIO
The audio is a bit better, never really faltering that I can tell. The audio track on this set is in Dolby Digital 2.0.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Featurette, Trailer
Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen – This featurette includes interviews with Jack Larson, Noel Neill, and historian Bob Burns and others as they explore Larsen’s Jimmy Olsen character. We’re given some insight into the difficulty of playing such a role, as often the shooting schedule would only allow for one take. With many jokes being pretty elaborate, the pressure must have weighed heavilly on Larsen to get it right. It’s also quite refreshing to hear how a TV star from the era embraces his fans and that role, as Larsen did become typecast, but take it in stride, as opposed to many other stars of the era.
Superman Trailer – We get a combo trailer for nearly every Superman that Warner Brothers has a DVD out for, and then it goes into a really nice Superman Returns trailer.
THE INSIDE PULSE
This is a great set of episodes from a television milestone. These last two seasons have some crazy episodes (especially for the time) that make this one of the most entertain vintage TV shows I’ve ever seen. The DVD could have used some more extras, but the ones that are here are pretty good.
