The Adventures of Superman - TV Promo - 1957

[fromthesidelines]

'Johnny' is absolutely right- even though the last 52 episodes were filmed in color between 1954 and '57, they were NOT telecast in black and white because there were very few stations equipped for color broadcasting in the '50s. All 104 episodes were sent to local stations in black and white prints until 1966, when there were enough of them to carry the series in color...AND because of the "BATMAN" pheonomenon.

[PaulVictorRoot]

George Reeves was the quientisential Superman of all times!

[JohnnyGNV]

SUPERMAN experts know that this was actually a 1966 Promo made for the color episodes because the show was NOT telecast in COLOR until '66 - and Batman was a big Hit on TV then and in color. So, while the later episodes were indeed FILMED in color they weren't actually telecast in color until '66 ~ and this Promo was put together to coincide with that, that is why the announcer voice is different.

[Ronclown]

This was a well done series. The movies today are so lame. Get the guy off the wires and use the simple counter-balance they used for George. The 2 season and later seasons were better for takeoff (no wires used) with the springboard. It seemed more believable that he could actually fly. Maybe a new superman should be an athlete who can take the mattress crashes. Thanks for posting this.

Considering the times it was made in the special effects were well done and better than today.

[OlRetro]

Awesome - I remember this so well. Thanks! Regards, '62 Mathew St. (Total Retro Rock)

[impCaesarAvg]

That announcer isn't the same one that introduced episodes.

[grapper6676]

I love this show.

[ziggycat999]

Do ya think Superman can run my Time- Warner cable work????

[MrandMrsOlden]

ok do you all think he shot himself or was murdered or i think he was murdered

[geezersinc]

If I'm not mistaken, this promo was created by WPIX TV in NYC in the early 70s.

[LovingScrubbies]

@geezersinc

U r likely correct. I saw if on channel 9 in chicago in the late 60s early 70s.

[kirk6842]

What a great old TV commercial, despite the strange flying sound effect! Lots of action, explosions, and excitement! "No human onslaught can stave him! Super! Invincible! A towering hero booming with super action!" George Reeves at his best!

[luno44]

when did "and the American way" come in?

[bigphat200]

That man can save me any day

[shooteraod]

Aw...those were the days. I remember making a cape and jumping off the house like he did going out a window. I didnt bounce very good and broke a leg at around 11 or 12 years of age. After my leg healed, my Dad tore my ass up for it..lolol...but still those were the days. I dont think he killed himself...I think someone else did it and made it appear as if he did it.

[Krylogenic]

@shooteraod Me and my brother did the same thing when we were kids first our outside wall which was about 3 ft then the tree and finally the house thats when we got into trouble with SUPERMOM! ouch!, Greatest show ever and George Reeves will always be our superman.

[fromthesidelines]

KCOP defintiely knew what "we" wanted to see; in New York, "THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN" and 'BATMAN" were seen on WPIX-TV on their late afternoon schedule, sometimes one after the other; I recall seeing two "BATMAN" episodes, back-to-back, at 5pm during the early '70s..

[fromthesidelines]

As I've said, 'altfactor', color prints of seasons 3-6 [there were six seasons; the first two were 26 episodes each, followed by four 13-episode seasons] were not distributed to local stations until early 1966: the same way Hanna-Barbera's "HUCKLEBERY HOUND", "QUICK DRAW McGRAW" and "YOGI BEAR" series were filmed in color, yet originally syndicated in black and white until the fall of 1966, after Kellogg's original sponsorship of each had ended. THEN, the color prints were distributed.

[ridgerunner721601]

The glasses he wears as Clark Kent are really a terrific disguise. I'd never in a million years guess that Clark Kent was really Superman!!!!

[HARISHROSHAN]

who casted this chain smoker as superman a role totally opposite from him. he is superold not fit for superman he spoiled his skin by smoking and got those wrinkles @least after superman he should've stopped smoking they could've put som1 else as superman who are passionate about the role and 1 who does'nt calls it a monkey suit.

[lapere]

fantastic!

[flapdoodle64]

Lot better than Watchmen and the other modern crap.

[oalternativo]

The problem with those fx shots are not only the effects, but they were also shot in a goofy way.

Silly camera angles and the lack of good use of shadows killed all the drama and visual impact. Many low budget sci-fi directors and cinematographers of that period mastered the technique to achieveing dramatic shots without resources.

But that does not subtract the value from this series. It is a classic.

[fromthesidelines]

That's right, 'CJ'. At the end (around :56), a live 'PIX announcer [someone like Bill Biery or Jack McCarthy, when this first aired in '66] usually added, "Tonight at 6:30, right here on TV11". When this first aired, 'donaldo', the syndicator decided to drop the phrase "and the American Way" from Supe's description {you could get away with that in the '50s, but not during the turbulent '60s}. Some of the scenes featured here are from "The Perils Of Superman", "Close Shave" and "Peril By Sea"...

[dandydonaldo]

"Fighting for truth and justice." What happened to the American Way?

[TheJesusbeliever1958]

great fun to watch great capture of reeves in action.

I miss this show and we all mourned after we heard he died. What a man to lose.

[1952kid]

Now i see it in color,we had a black and white TV untill 1972, by that time i was driving and didnt watch Superman anymore.

[altfactor]

The special effects in this promo (and in the "Adventures Of Superman" series) may seem very goofy today, but in the 1950's, they were considered "state of the art", and were as good as any special effects for filmed television series were in that era.

[prausch65]

The first two seasons with Phyliss coates as Lois Lane, had a different special effects person, as listed in the credits. The flying sequences were awful, as compared to the seasons filmed in color.

[Superbatfan]

@prausch65

Phyiss Coates only appeared in the first season- Noel Neill played Lois after that.

[yalello1]

@Superbatfan

true Phyiss Coates did play as Lois = in the first season. I was reading a while ago about George Reeves and the show, I'm not sure if this is true and you can correct me on this one if you like, but according to what I read [and/or found] they said that after the show had ended they were going to renew George Reeves contract as Superman and give him the rights to control the show. And that George Reeves was thinking of bringing back Phyiss Coates instead of noel neill

[Superbatfan]

@yalello1

Don't know if they were going to give him rights to control the show or whether or not Phylliss Coates was coming back, but I did hear that he was planning on doing more Superman episodes.

[yalello1]

@Superbatfan

oh i see. i guess what i read/found was kind of right

[altfactor]

I thought that a few stations did show Seasons 5-8 of "Superman" in color prior to 1966.

[EXCIDIVMFERO]

Amazing!

[fromthesidelines]

Actually, this promo was first distributed in early 1966, when the owner of the TV series FINALLY released the 1954-'57 color prints of the last 52 episodes. Even though they were filmed in color, they were originally syndicated in black & white (until late '65) because National/DC felt there weren't enough homes with color TV sets back then to justify the cost of distributing those episodes in full color. With the "BATMAN" craze, they decided to go all out and "push" those episodes in '66.

[Superbatfan]

@fromthesidelines

Even in the 70s I remember KCOP Channel 13 in Los Angeles running an episode of Batman followed by an episode of the Adventures of Superman five nights a week.

[CadillacL]

Sure don't make promos like this anymore. I'd love to see more.

[CJBlackleather]

I Remember this promo years ago On WPIX-TV Ch 11 brings back memories!!!