The following is from Rick Setchell (rsetchel@monarch.papillion.ne.us) and is copyright 1996, Mariposa Productions. Any or all may be freely re-printed, or distributed.

The Man of Steel had been around for just a few years when the movies called, first in animated form from the Fleisher Studios, who also gave us Popeye, and Betty Boop. About a decade after Superman's first appearance in Action Comics, someone realized that this could make a good serial. In 1948, Columbia produced the first of two 15 part serials. While it's official title is "Superman," it could have been called, "Superman Vs. the Spider Lady" as she was his chief nemesis. The second, made in 1950, was called "Atom Man Vs. Superman" bringing back the main cast, and adding Lex Luthor as the Atom Man.

As with all of the serials, budgets were extremely tight. The sets of the Daily Planet were nothing more than a couple of rooms with a few desks and typewriters scattered around. The famous "Store Room" where Clark Kent transformed in to Superman was little more than a room with some filling cabinets that had a few stacks of newspapers stacked on top of them, so we would know that this was a major metropolitan newspaper. In "Atom Man Vs. Superman" the official Daily Planet car had a sign saying "Daily Planet" on it held in place by adhesive tape. No attempt was even made to hide the tape. In "Superman" the same sign is held on with four pieces of clear tape. Nobody bothered removing the wrinkles from the paper. Like the TV series, costuming also took a back seat with the main characters wearing the same outfits throughout the entire serial. Many of the scenes were also oddly drawn out and padded. Sure, Superman could have used his powers to readily apprehend the villians, but then it would have been, "Thanks for coming, see you next week...oh..the show's over..Never mind!" 15 episodes were needed, and that's what we got. All told, even if you eliminate the opening titles, the quick re-telling of last weeks chapter, and the "Coming Next Week" protions, these serials still clocked in at over four hours running time!. Each episode (except the last one, of course) had the traditional "cliff hanger" ending designed to bring the audience back week after week. As for the flying sequences, while future Superman actors would be suspended by wires, both of the serials used animation. Our hero would jump, and then be replaced by an animated Superman flying to his destination. In spite of these limitations, ingenious editing and good acting not only stretched the limited special effects budget, but helped sell the public on Superman

Columbia tapped Producer Sam Katzman to make both serials. He had already made several of the "Bowery Boys" movies and Johnny Wiessmueller's post-Tarzan "Jungle Jim films. While most of Katzman's carrer was spent making "B" movies, he did make several Science Fiction classics, including, "It Came from Beneath the Sea," and "Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers." both featuring special effects by Ray Harryhausen. Sam even produced "Harum Scarum" starring some kid named Presley.

Stuart Bennet co-directed the first serial with Thomas Carr, II. Bennet had done dozens of small budget films, and later went on to direct the "Batman and Robin" serials. Thomas Carr had a similar background, and later directd a number of the Superman TV episodes starring George Reeves.

Veteran George Plympton was among the writers brought in. Plympton had experience with serials having written 1936's "Flash Gordon." In that serial, starring Buster Crabbe, character actor John Hamilton played Flash's father. Hamilton would later play Perry White in the Superman TV series. Several other writers, including Arthur Hoerl also worked on the serial. Hoerl has the dubious honor of being listed as working on 1936's "Reefer Madness." Superman was clearly a step up for him.

The title character was played by Kirk Alyn. Before "Superman" he played an assortment of parts in mostly forgettable (and forgotten) movies such as "Guy Named Joe" and "Overland Mail Robbery." For reasons not clear, Alyn was never given billing in either of the serials. The name "Superman" was simply listed in bold type above the rest of the titles. Perhaps Columbia thought by not naming the actor, it would add a bit of mystique to keep the audience talking. In taking on the role of the first screen Man of Steel, Alyn probably owed more of his performance to Bud Collier, who was the voice of Superman both on radio and in the Fleisher cartoons. As Clark Kent, his voice was pitched higher, but when the cape and costume came on, the vocal timbre became noticeably lower, something future Superman Christopher Reeve would do, but TV's George Reeves did not. With Dean Cain's tennor, it's kind of hard to tell. As Kent, Alyn also wore sliver wire rim glasses, thus making his already questionable disguise even more doubtful.

A very young Noel Neill was Lois Lane. Already she had a fairly extensive resume with small parts in such classics as "The Big Clock" and "Our Hearts were Young and Gay." Several years later, Neill would replace Phyllis Coates as Lois in the TV series. She played Lois much the same way in both the series and the serial, a good deal warmer than Coates, and considerably less screaming.

Pierre Watkin played Editor Perry White. Watkin was already a veteran of other movie serials, and would later appear as different charachers in the TV series

Tommy Bond played Jimmy Olson. This was, perhaps, the high point of Bond's acting carrer, although he did later play a student in "Bedtime for Bonzo." In the serial, not only was he a struggling cub reporter, trying to make a name for himself in journalism, but he was also a pilot! Yep, just like any major newspaper, when you need somebody to fly the company plane, call on the cub reporter!

Carol Forman was the evil Spider Lady. Although her carrer was short, she clearly knew the value of delivering lines like "Sieze him!" and the obligitory evil laugh.

Lyle Talbot played the Atom Man (who was also arch villain Lex Luthor). Talbot had a long carrer in movies. Some were good ("No Business Like Show Business")some were bad ("Fury of the Congo") and some...well..("Plan 9 from Outer Space"). He was also in serials playing Commisioner Gordon in the Batman and Robin serials. He had stints on TV as well ("Love that Bob" and "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet").

The first serial was entitled "Superman." In it, we are given a quick intoduction as to the origins of Superman (remarkably similar to the TV show). After that is established, we meet the evil Spider Lady. Most of the series is spent with Spider Lady's henchmen trying to lay there hands on a reducer ray, and thereafter, trying to find someone who could run it. Here are the titles of the 15 episodes:


  1. Superman Comes to Earth
  2. Depths of the Earth
  3. The Reducer Ray
  4. Man of Steel
  5. A Job for Superman
  6. Superman in Danger
  7. Into the Electric Furnace
  8. Superman to the Rescue
  9. Irresistable Force
  10. Between Two Fires
  11. Superman's Dilemma
  12. Blas in the Depths
  13. Hurled to Destruction
  14. Superman at Bay
  15. The Payoff

The second serial was from 1950 titled "Atom Man Vs. Superman." Not only did Kirk Alyn still get no billing, the hero took a second bill to the bad guy. At the risk of being a spoiler, the Atom Man is none other than Lex Luthor. Atom Man's gimmick was his technological ability to "beam" any of his henchmen carrying a special coin from the scene of any crime back to his secret laboratory hdden in the mountains (which were lead lined, of course, to keep prying x-ray eyes away). His alter ego Luthor was seemingly going legin buying into some new medium called "television." Was he going straight? Yeah, right! Here are the titles to the second serial:


  1. Superman Flies Again
  2. Atom Man Appears
  3. Ablaze in the Sky
  4. Superman Meets Atom Man
  5. Atom Man tricks Superman
  6. Atom Man's Challenge
  7. At the Mercy of Atom Man
  8. Into the Empty Doom
  9. Superman Crashes Through
  10. Atom Man's Heat Ray
  11. Luthor's Strategy
  12. Atom Man Strikes
  13. Atom Man's Flying Saucer
  14. Rocket of Vengence
  15. Superman Saves the Universe

To some, these serials today are looked upon as little more than items of nostalgia. Yet, tight budgets and wandering scripts were often overcome by outstanding editing and fine acting. Not only are there genuine moments of suspense, but each episode is filled with action. If you are ever able to obtain these serials (I taped mine from American Movie Classics a few years ago), you'll find it hard not to go from episode to episode even though you know the Man of Steel will triumph over evil in the end.