Superman The Theatrical Serials Collection
Before George Reeves played the famous superhero, there was Kirk Alyn who wore the costume for the first on-screen version of Superman. Superman was a movie serial that came out in 1948. A movie serial was a fifteen-minute film that ended with a cliffhanger. This was done so that the audience would come back to see the next installment, or next episode, the following week
These movie serials were done before television. Television came out in 1949; the first Superman serial appeared in theaters in 1948. The special effects were very primitive by today’s standard, but they were very effective for that time. To have Superman fly, the audience saw Kirk Alyn jump, and then turn into a cartoon. When Superman landed, he was a cartoon, and then changed back to Kirk Alyn. This may sound bad, but it was not. The animations for these serials were done very well. Not only were the flying scenes animated, but also bullets, explosions, and even when Superman busted through walls, it was all animated.
Noel Neill played Lois Lane for the first time in 1948, and right from the start, she set the standard for the character. Tommy Bond, who played Butch in The Little Rascals, played Jimmy Olsen. Pierre Watkin played Perry White. He did not play him as rough as John Hamilton, but he was convincing as a newspaper editor. Carol Forman played the villainess who was building a reducer ray to create evil in Metropolis.
Superman was fifteen chapters long, and each one was fifteen minutes long. It was not a big production, but it was a big success. Today’s children may find it boring, or even stupid, but for fans of Superman, this is a treasure.
After the success of Superman, Columbia filmed a second serial in 1950: Atom Man vs. Superman. Just like the first, Kirk Alyn, Noel Neill, Tommy Bond, and Pierre Watkin came back to reprise their rolls. Lyle Talbot played the part of Luthor. (The character was not known by Lex Luthor yet)
Television had just come out, but not everyone had a set. Theaters were still showing serials, and Atom Man vs. Superman was one of the last serials to be filmed. This one has a lot more action than the first. Superman has to battle Luthor, who is the Atom Man, and save Metropolis from his demands.
This installment of Superman was ahead of its time. Luthor is a scientist, and he developed an ark that can take a person’s atoms, and place them somewhere else. Sounds like the transporter beam used in Star Trek, but this was done sixteen years before Star Trek. Another way this serial was ahead of its time was that they used the new media, television, to have Lois interviewing people on the streets.
Atom Man vs. Superman did not change their special effects. Kirk Ayln still turned into a cartoon to fly, the bullets that bounced off his chest, and busting through walls were still animated. In the chapter called:"Into the Empty Doom”, the special effects were done very well, especially when Superman was a phantom. This was done before we knew about the Phantom Zone, another example on how this was ahead of its time.
If you have the time, grab some popcorn, your friends, and family, relax on the couch, and enjoy these two early installments of Superman.Read full review
