Official Synopsis:
Bullets bounce off him. Criminal masterminds can't outfox him. Even the destructive gizmos dreamed up by mad scientists cant' blast him into atoms. Superman has the strength and courage to defeat all foes. And now for the first time in the classic TV series Adventures of Superman, the Man Of Steel's exciting flights, fights and super heroics are presented in color. George Reeves returns as Superman (aka Clark Kent) in 26 episodes comprising Seasons 3 and 4 of the program that ran six seasons total. This time his exploits take him to a stuffy European monarchy, a remote desert isle and even a cave in the year 50,000 B.C. Among the villains he faces are invisible thieves, Kryptonite-toting thugs and, yes, even scurvy-dog pirates. Arrrr, this is mighty adventure!
Our Take:
Season Three of The Adventures of Superman sees America's hero in color for the first time. I've got to say, as much as the show was good in black and white, it just isn't as much fun as watching the Man of Steel in full color. Not only was the show itself filmed in color, but the episodes became more colorful around this time, too. Seasons three and four (combined into one box set because they were only 13 episodes each) sees Superman and his pals Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen travel back in time 50,000 years, face off against a "ghost," get turned (literally) upside-down, and go on a treasure hunt, among other adventures.
What's great about this show is that even if the time period it was produced in and lack of big-budget special effects keep it from being as spectacular as later incarnations of Big Blue, the show still embodied Superman so well. Superman is a timeless character, and seeing these old television shows just illustrates how he was embodied in the 50's. Sure, they may be a bit cheesy at times, but this show is a part of television and comic book history!
There's not a ton of extra features in this set (no commentaries this time around), but there are a few goodies.
* Adventures of Superman: The Color Era (7 minutes) - Noel Neill (Lois Lane) and Jack Larson (Jimmy Olsen) talk about the show's change from black-and-white to color.
* Faster Than A Speeding Bullet: The Special Effects of The Adventures of Superman (7 minutes) - A look at the show's then-innovative special effects.
* Excerpts From "Look! Up In The Sky!" (6 minutes) - See a handful of scenes from Bryan Singer and Ken Burns's documentary.
With the new movie coming out, interest in Superman is higher than it's been in years. Hopefully, people will use this opportunity to go back and visit how his onscreen adventures really took flight.
Overall Picture:
Show: B
DVD: B-
- Mike Spring
Editor
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