Superman Directed by
Thomas Carr
Atom Man vs. Superman Directed by
Spencer Gordon Bennet
Cast:
Kirk Alyn …. Superman/Clark Kent
Noel Neill …. Lois Lane
Lyle Talbot …. Luthor/The Atom Man
Tommy Bond …. Jimmy Olsen
Pierre Watkin …. Perry White
Paul Stader …. ‘Killer’ Lawson
Nelson Leigh …. Jor-El
Luana Walters …. Lara
Carol Forman …. ‘Spider Lady’
Virginia Carroll …. Ma Kent
Ed Cassidy …. Pa Kent
It seems unfair that of all the men that have worn the blue and red tights, Kirk Alyn gets the short end of the stick notoriety-wise. While Christopher Reeve and George Reeves have become part of the Americana, and Brandon Routh and Tom Welling try to break new ground for the Man of Steel today, the first man to portray Superman is largely forgotten. Even Dean Cain, who many of us would like to forget, seems to remain a bigger part of the Superman mythology than Alyn’s early interpretation. Hopefully, after Supes fans finally get a hold of Superman – The 1948 & 1950 Theatrical Serials Collection , Kirk Alyn will regain some of the popularity he has apparently lost over the years.
Now to be honest, you have to be in the right frame of mind to really appreciate these serials. Time has not been kind in the look, acting or special effects department. So don’t be looking for a 1940’s version of Superman Returns. What this series does have is energy and it has it in spades. With each 20 minute episode The Man of Steel, along with Lois Lane (Noel Neill) and Jimmy Olsen (Tommy Bond), must face down one perilious situation after another from cave-ins to atomic weapons. These serials were even the birthplace of one of Big Blue’s most legendary villains.
The first series of shorts, simply entitled Superman, features a fairly accurate retelling of the Man of Steel’s origins. The use of animation, mat paintings and other effects even seem pretty revolutionary for the time, especially with the budget that they must have had. The Flash Gordon-style costumes and surroundings in this early chapter really get you in the right mood for these stories, and the fun only get’s bigger as you go along.
Another terrific aspect of these stories is that while each episode has its own little storylines, they each fit into a much larger adventure, the two here going about five hours a piece. The first storyline involves Superman trying to take down a mysterious masked villain known as the Spider Lady (Carol Forman). With a massive electric web, a little Kryptonite, and a powerful atomic weapon known as “The Reducer Ray”, she makes a formidable villain for The Man of Steel. Forman plays the Spider Lady as if she were a femme fatale in a Film Noir, making the character just a bit more memorable.
The second serial adventure, Atom Man vs. Superman, alone makes this set worth owning for Superman fans, as it’s the first appearance of Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor on film. Lyle Talbot even became the main inspiration for Lutho’s look in the comic books for about a decade and it’s easy to see why. Talbot gives Luthor a sinister presence to a degree that perhaps he’s never had again on screen, and firmly helped shape the legacy of one of comics’ greatest villains.
As for Kirk Alyn himself, he’s an amazing representation of the Superman of his time. Yes, his performance lacks any subtlety and his humor is pretty straight-forward, but he also displayed terrific physical stature for The Man of Steel. Whether bending bars or bashing hoods’ skulls together, the man made you believe Superman had come right off the page and onto the screen. Also worth acknowledging is the lower timber of his voice as he states with authority that “This looks like a job”¦for Superman“ before his next death-defying rescue or battle. It’s too bad that the visual effects of the time were too primitive to make Superman fly, as he turns into an animated character when he leaps into action. This may be the biggest reason Kirk Alyn’s legacy hasn’t been more appreciated over the years, as fans would have to wait until George Reeves donned the red boots and cape on TV before they saw Superman fly.
For sheer entertainment, Superman – The 1948 & 1950 Theatrical Serials Collection is nearly a match for The Adventures of Superman, replacing the TV series’ humor with more action and adventure. Bravo to Warner Brothers for finally bringing these Superman milestones to DVD and letting a new generation of fans enjoy them.
THE VIDEO:
Considering that they’re over fifty years old, these serials look pretty amazing. The clarity is actually higher than it seems on some of the Adventures of Superman sets that have come out. The serials are presented in Fullscreen with their original aspect ratio of 1.33:1
THE AUDIO:
The Audio is in Dolby Digital 2.0 and is also just fine. This is just another great element of this set.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Saturdays with Superman – This is a great featurette with Historian Bob Burns and many others talking about their impressions of these serial adventures. We get a ton of great info, talking about the series’ origins to learning that these were the most financially successful movie serials of all time. An interesting bit of trivia states that producers didn’t even give Kirk Alyn credit on these serials, stating instead that it was actually Superman who was starring in these shorts. This may have been another factor in Kirk Alyn’s legacy being shortened.
Excerpts from the documentary Look Up In The Sky!: The Amazing Story of Superman – Look Up in the Sky! is a terrific documentary, you get about six minutes of its feature length running time here.
Superman Trailer – We get a combo trailer for nearly every Superman that Warner Brothers has a DVD for, and then it goes into a really nice Superman Returns trailer.
THE INSIDE PULSE:
Finally, the first Man of Steel comes to DVD. Kirk Alyn’s isn’t much on feeling, but he exudes macho charisma. These are terrific adventures for the time and it’s nice they’ve finally gotten this royal treatment. This DVD set also has enough features to make it a nice addtion to any Superfan’s collection.
The Inside Pulse
Finally, the first Man of Steel comes to DVD. Kirk Alyn’s isn’t much on feeling, but he is on macho charisma. These are terrific adventures for the time and it’s nice they’ve finally gotten this royal treatment. The DVD’s also have nice enough features and make a nice addtion to any Superfan’s collection.
