SUPERMAN (1948), Action packed serial!!!

SUPERMAN (1948)

This one is one of the few serialsn where I can enjoy watching the whole thing in one sitting, like a long movie, because it's crisp and moves fairly quickly throughout and also doesn't have lots of repetitive fistfight filler
like most serials. And the first chapter is pretty much a stand alone
"origins" chapter, which breaks things up too. The plot basically
revolves around the Spider Lady, played by the gorgeous Carol Forman,
plotting to obtain the Reducer Ray, and along the way she gets hooked
up with this evil scientist, though their alliance is somewhat
tenuous, and they get their hands on some kryptonite, which spells
troubles for the man of steel. Who really cares about the plot
though, it's just loads of fun to watch. Superman is played by Kirk
Alyn, who is my second favorite screen Superman---with George Reeves
being my first. Alyn is much more athletic, and nice to look at in
that tight uniform, his muscles and build really show. Though he is
not as big and physically imposing as Reeves was. He plays his Clark
mostly timid, and even changes his voice a little bit between the two
personas. Lois is familiar, played by Noel Neill (who played Lois in
"The Adventures of Superman" TV series in all but the first season).
I think her performance in this serial is MUCH better than the way she
plays the character in the TV series---too mamby pamby, but in this
serial she's sharper and more aggressive, which I like. I liked the
actors who played Jimmy and Perry in this (Tommy Bond and Pierre
Watkin) well enough, but I did long for Jack Larsen and John Hamilton,
who played them so well in the TV series, particularly Hamilton's
Perry White is the best of any I've ever seen, IMO. But they did well
enough in this. Very enjoyable. It might tax most to watch the whole
thing in one sitting, though I did take a few long breaks, but for
serial fans it's one of the few I feel you can do it with and still
find it entertaining in the final chapter!

Mark

This is a good serial i trying to remember when this comes out on dvd along with superman vs atom man

I like all serials but this was not a favorite. I saw this when I was fourteen on first run. I expected it to be on par with Captain Marvel. My disapointment came with the flying sequences. Columbia again cut corners with an animated flying Superman. The rest of the serial,cast,photography,etc was first rate . Kirk alyn is good as Superman as he is in some serials for Republic [ Daughter of Don Q is action packed].In my opinion,had Republic been able to produce this serial,it would have been much better.All this being said ,its still worth an afternoons viewing.

I remember hearing that, after seeing Captain Marvel, the producer of this film asked his special effects crew if they could equal the flying sequences and they said they could. The first rushes, however, showed every wire visible. So he fired the special effects crew and went with the animated sequences instead.

I don't think the serials come out with the next wave of Superman items (which come out in June) but will likely come out in the final quarter of 2006.

I'm working my way through the first season of Superman in 1951 with George Reeves - a pity Phyllis Coates didnt stay with the tv series. Anyone know why not?

After the 1952 season,Phyllis Coates divided her time between B movies, TV and Republic serials[eg. PANTHER GIRL OF THE KONGO ].

Actually, Phyllis left the show because she got the chance to do a pilot for her own TV series. It turns out it didn't sell so she just went on to other things.

I liked Phyllis Coates as Lois, but I must say I thought Noel Neill did a pretty good job, as well. I think she was Lois for the longest too, wasn't she?

Larry

Between her and Phyllis, she was...I tink she was in 80 to 82 episodes...plus the two serials. Teri Hatcher, however, was probably in 87 episodes of Lois & Clark as the intrepid reporter (and her episodes were longer) so I guess Teri wound up logging the most actual screen time as L.L.

Phyllis Coates was my favourite screen Lois EVER!!! I thought she was gorgeous, independent and spunky, just the way I imagined Lois being when reading the comics (well most of the time! LOL). Part of that was the writing that first season, but Phyllis' acting really brought an edge to the character that made her sexier than any other Lois on-screen, as well as the portrayal of a strong, independent woman. I thought her chemistry with Reeves was great, and he literally begged her to stay on the series. I think you're right about her having something else in the fire, but she also had some personal issues that she was dealing with (family health problems, I believe).

Unfortunately for Noel Neill, the show was turning more juvenile when she took over, even the latter half of the second season is pretty much like subsequent seasons. Still good and fun, but much different in tone from the first season and part of the second season of the series. I thought she did a better job in the first serial (I haven't seen the second one yet), overall. I do like her, though, but I think once I figured out there were two different actresses portraying Lois (when I was a little kid, I kinda didn't notice ), I definitely loved Phyllis more. Course I like the show more in general that season too, so it all goes hand in hand.

Mark

No, this serial didn't measure up to Captain Marvel, a serial I got quite by surprise.

I was watching the early 1970s Shazam! (due to licensing problems, the show had to be called Shazam, tho the character was still called Captain Marvel) . . . . . . . .

I have just now realized that all these years, I have been spelling 'license' incorrect. I have been spelling it 'lisence'. Anyone find that error in a post of mine, all I will say is 'oops!'

. . . . . . . . and there was a scene at a zoo with a zoo worker in a cart who gives Billy Batson and his aide, Mentor (Whatsisname Thorndyke. Roger? Reginald? From the late 1950s Red Planet movie.) a lift to the buzzard's cage.

I would read in a chatroom that the actor who played the zoo worker had portrayed Billy Batson in the 1940s Captain Marvel. I didn't know such a program existed.

I looked it up, ordered it, received it, watched it and was stunned. I didn't know a program of any calibre could be done like this from the 1940s.

I've been told another good serial to look for is Atom-Smasher.

But I went after Superman next, with Kirk Alyn, Billy Bond and Noel Neill.

Didnt thrill me as much, tho it was just fun seeing another incantation of the Man of Steel.

And I grew to like Noel Neill over Phyllis Coates.

Noel Neill developed a strange, dislikeable schoolteacher look to me, but now in watching the show, she carries off all the nonsense with believability and sincerity.

One of my favorite bits with her is "the Wedding of Superman" where she starts out delivering a little narration, then proceeds to walk out into the hallway and to another room.

She walks like a soldier, clunking in her high heels. I showed it to my mother and asked her about it, and she said it was the way you walked in those shoes or something. She said my aunt would walk the same way.

Certainly, there were better serials than Superman, but for an eight year old boy in 1948, that serial was the best thing in his life at the time. It was the one serial that brought me back to the same theater every Saturday until the final episode, something no other serial ever did. And I remember to this day coming out of the auditorium after the final episode to see posters of the next serial showing next week, Batman. I never knew if it was the first or second Batman serial, as I didn't come back for it. Maybe something else caught my attention at one of the other movie shows next Saturday. This July, on my 68th birthday, I plan on spending the day watching two serials back to back: Superman and Batman (which one doesn't matter).

Something else that I get a kick out of today, are these guys talking about being into extreme sports. Heck, us kids were into extreme sports by the time we were ten years old. How many of us built home made rocket packs and jumped out of trees or off second floor balconies wanting to fly like Commando Cody? Or tried to swing from limb to limb like Tarzan? It's a wonder we survived!

Oh, the Superman serial was good, but obviously not knowing what the serials were like, the Captain marvel one spoiled all these other serials for me. I also sent off for the Phantom, starring Tom Tyler, who played Cap marvel, but it wasn't the same.

Maybe it was Noel Neill looking more girlish, maybe I was completely ruined by the George Reeves show, but I think I just tried to watch one serial too soon after the other, expecting similar results.

Captain Marvel was superb all the way around; music, effects, plot.

With not a clue what to expect of Captain Marvel, I sat with it playing while I typed at the computer. I've probably told this story elsewhere on this site, cuz I know I've told it online.

Billy Batson is tied up in the shed and his mouth is gagged. The girl with him, Betty, is also tied up, sitting in a chair near a radio. She isn't gagged however.

Airplanes are approaching and are dropping bombs, nearing the shed.

"I'll call Cap'n Marvel to help us," Betty says, and proceeds to call out his name over the radio.

"Cap'n Marvel, Cap'n Marvel!" she says, as the planes get louder.

Billy struggles with the ropes.

"Cap'n Marvel! Cap'n Marvel!"

the planes get louder.

"Cap'n Marvel! Cap'n Marvel!"

TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK!!

I had already stopped typing at the computer and sat spellbound.

How on Earth did kids make it from one week to the next with these things?

I could only sit and imagine next week, Junior, we have to go to Aunt Matilda's. No movies for you, young man.

It must have been insanity.

And we played Tarzan and we had trees, we made swings all over the place, and they were murder, cuz when you swung out, you had no way of controlling that tire or your body as you spun around and you came back and hit the tree.

You yutz.

You're talking about Les Tremayne. I guess you deduced it at least started with a T, so you get an A for effort.