Baseball Bugs (talk | contribs) Less POV. |
Edited for length and undue weight. Most info here can be found in reviews from Amazom.com or the publisher and is not encyclopedic.Moved Awards to appropriate place in article according to WP. |
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== Impact of show on society == |
== Impact of show on society == |
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=== Video and DVD releases=== |
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⚫ | The first home video releases of the series by [[Warner Home Video]] were in 1987 in a series of [[VHS]] and [[Laserdisc|LaserDisc]] packages called "''TV's Best Adventures Of Superman''". Each volume contained 2 episodes of the series (one black & white episode and one color episode), plus a [[Max Fleischer]] Superman animaed short. |
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⚫ | The first season ''Adventures of Superman'' was released on [[DVD]] in [[North America]] [[October 18]], [[2005]] and includes the two-part "Unknown People", and its theatrical counterpart, "Superman and the Mole Men". The second DVD set, "Season 2", was released on [[January 17]], [[2006]]. The third DVD set, "Seasons 3 and 4", was released on [[June 20]], [[2006]], the week before the release date of ''[[Superman Returns]]'', and included a free pass to the film. It also included a preview of the documentary on the entire Superman saga, titled ''Look! Up in the Sky!'' The fourth and final DVD set, "Seasons 5 and 6", was released on [[November 14]], [[2006]]. |
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⚫ | In 2007, the show's complete six seasons received the Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films for "Best Retro Television Series Release on DVD". In 2006, the show's first season received a Saturn Award nomination for "Best Retro Television Release on DVD". In 2004, George Reeves received a nomination for [[TV Land]]'s "Superest Superhero" award. |
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== Production notes == |
== Production notes == |
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The series was filmed like movie serials in that the principals wore the same costumes throughout the show to expedite out-of-sequence shooting schedules and save budgetary costs. For instance, all scenes that took place in the "Perry White Office" set would be filmed back to back, for future placement in various episodes, which was often confusing to the actors. |
The series was filmed like movie serials in that the principals wore the same costumes throughout the show to expedite out-of-sequence shooting schedules and save budgetary costs. For instance, all scenes that took place in the "Perry White Office" set would be filmed back to back, for future placement in various episodes, which was often confusing to the actors. |
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=== Awards === |
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⚫ | In 2007, the show's complete six seasons received the Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films for "Best Retro Television Series Release on DVD". In 2006, the show's first season received a Saturn Award nomination for "Best Retro Television Release on DVD". In 2004, George Reeves received a nomination for [[TV Land]]'s "Superest Superhero" award. |
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== Sponsor == |
== Sponsor == |
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The show received a proclamation in July 2001 on its 50th Anniversary from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in a ceremony attended by Jack Larson, Noel Neill, Robert Rockwell, Jeff Corey, Mrs. Robert Shayne and Mrs. Jerome Siegel. The proclamation scroll was accepted by DC Comics Vice Pesident Paul Levitz. |
The show received a proclamation in July 2001 on its 50th Anniversary from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in a ceremony attended by Jack Larson, Noel Neill, Robert Rockwell, Jeff Corey, Mrs. Robert Shayne and Mrs. Jerome Siegel. The proclamation scroll was accepted by DC Comics Vice Pesident Paul Levitz. |
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=== Video and DVD releases=== |
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⚫ | The first home video releases of the series by [[Warner Home Video]] were in 1987 in a series of [[VHS]] and [[Laserdisc|LaserDisc]] packages called "''TV's Best Adventures Of Superman''". Each volume contained 2 |
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The first season ''Adventures of Superman'' was released on [[DVD]] in [[North America]] in a five-disc set on [[October 18]], [[2005]]. The set contained 6 episodes on each of the four discs. The fifth disk contains the two-part "Unknown People", and its theatrical counterpart from which it was derived, "Superman and the Mole Men". This affords the student of the show the opportunity to compare the two. The musical track is different, and there are minor edits, noticeably the excising of Lois' comment that the creatures "look like moles", as well as trimming a chase scene. The quality of the prints overall was somewhat uneven, but noticeably superior to the choppy versions often used on TV in recent decades. |
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Notable by its absence are extras that "could have been": the mid-show break announcement that "We'll return to the Adventures of Superman in just a moment", and the extended closing segment, "Stay tuned for the next thrill-packed episode..." The dvd creators eliminated references to Kellogg's and made the programs consistent. |
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Superman experts Gary Grossman and Chuck Harter incorrectly identify the first season's Daily Planet building as LA City Hall, and DVD editors compound the mistake by cutting to the first-season stock shot. The Wilson Building was used in the first season. Starting with the second season, the show used the City Hall to depict the newspaper headquarters. |
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The second five-disc DVD set, episodes 27-52, or "Season 2", was released on [[January 17]], [[2006]]. Extras include a feature on Noel Neill, commentaries on a couple of the episodes by Neill with Jack Larson, and "Stamp Day For Superman." The print quality is noticeably worse than the full episodes themselves. "Stamp Day" is one of the few films on the discs that still has its original "1954" opening (with Clark Kent standing with his hands in his pockets, rather than stiffly at attention). |
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The typically truncated intros (due to chopping out the "Kellogg's" reference) appear to have been "solved" by attaching the 1952 version of the introduction, to varying degrees of success. Observant fans will note that although the entire show is normally presented (such as the radio/serial-type intro to ''Beware the Wrecker'', often missing from TV prints), in at least one episode, ''Around the World'', there are key shots missing, in which Superman uses his X-ray vision to find a piece of glass lodged in the blind girl's (Judy Ann Nugent) optic nerve. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
Revision as of 22:14, 19 February 2008
Adventures of Superman | |
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File:ADV Title Screen.jpg | |
Genre | Action and Adventure Sci fi Children's programs Drama Crime |
Created by | Based on the comic book characters and concepts created Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster |
Starring | George Reeves Phyllis Coates Noel Neill Jack Larson John Hamilton Robert Shayne |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of seasons | 6 |
No. of episodes | 104 |
Production | |
Producer | Whitney Ellsworth |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | Syndicated |
Release | September 19, 1952 – April 28, 1958 |
Adventures of Superman is a six season, 104 episode American television series based on a comic book character created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The low-budget show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 at Desilu Studios in Culver City, California. Sponsored by Kellogg's, the syndicated show aired from September 19, 1952 to April 28, 1958.
George Reeves plays Clark Kent/Superman with Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen, John Hamilton as Perry White, and Robert Shayne as Inspector Henderson. Phyllis Coates plays Lois Lane in the first season with Noel Neill (who played Lois in two theatrical serials) stepping into the role in 1953. In the last seasons, Phillips Tead appears as recurring character Professor Pepperwinkle.
Adventures of Superman may be viewed in reruns. The complete six seasons are available on DVD.
Characters
- Superman is an alien from the planet Krypton who works as a journalist under the alias Clark Kent. He puts his superpowers to work battling crooks and thugs in Metropolis. Played by George Reeves.
- Lois Lane is a reporter with the Daily Planet and Clark Kent's associate. She suspects Kent is Superman and waits for an opportunity to confirm her suspicions. Played by Phyllis Coates in the first season, and thereafter by Noel Neill
- Jimmy Olsen is a cub reporter with the Daily Planet and associate of Kent and Lane. Played by Jack Larson
- Perry White is the editor and publisher of the Daily Planter. Played by John Hamilton
- Inspector Henderson of the Metropolis Police. Played by Robert Shayne
- Professor Pepperwinkle is an elderly, absent-minded recurring character in the later seasons. Played by Phillips Tead.
Kirk Alyn, who played Superman in two serials, stated over the years that he refused the TV series role for fear of typecasting; producers of the series say neither Alyn nor his serial co-stars Noel Neill (who later replaced Coates), Tommy Bond, or Pierre Watkin, who later was considered to be the new Perry White, were never seriously considered for the inaugural season. Glimpses of Alyn's work, shown in Look! Up in the sky! suggest that he was really not athletic enough for the role. Radio's Superman, Bud Collyer, felt he was too old (at 43) to play the role.
Neither Lex Luthor, Brainiac nor any of the regular comic book villains were used in the TV scripts, although a midget Martian, "Mr. Zero" (Billy Curtis) bore a vague similarity (in relative size only) to the comics' magical imp and recurring Superman villain Mr. Mxyzptlk. Carrying over the precedents established in previous electronic media productions of Superman, the bad guys on the TV show were usually generic thugs, evil scientists, Russian agents, crooked businessmen, or spies of fictitious foreign countries. Since the producers never expected the audience to view one episode more than once a week, character actors like Tris Coffin would often be hired as government agents one week, sleazy gangsters the next week. Herb Vigran and Ben Welden made multiple appearances over the course of the show, always as different characters. One of the most recognizable repeat performers was Sterling Holloway, the honey-throated actor best known as the voice of "Winnie the Pooh." Other players who landed a Superman episode early in their careers included Chuck Connors (later star of The Rifleman), John Beradino (long-time star of General Hospital), Billy Gray (Father Knows Best), Claude Akins (BJ and the Bear), Vic Perrin (the "Control Voice" of The Outer Limits) and Dabbs Greer (the preacher in Little House on the Prairie). Director Tommy Carr's brother Steve appeared as an unbilled extra in nearly every one of the first 26 shows (he was also the show's assistant director, and was the man pointing "up in the sky" in the black-and-white intro). In "Czar of the Underworld", he played a movie director, and was even called "Mr. Carr" by the other characters.
Plot
Episodes follow Superman as he battles gangsters, thugs, and non-human dangers like meteors in the city of Metropolis. In the first episode, his origin on the planet Krypton, his arrival on Earth, and his nurturing by a farm couple are dramatized. In succeeding episodes, he conceals his identity by posing as mild mannered Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent who, in times of crisis, scoots to a broom closet, sheds his civvies, and reappears in superhero tights and trunks to rescue hapless folk from the clutches of crooks, crazy scientists, and other ne'er-do-wells. The fictional element Kryptonite is capable of killing Superman but Jimmy and Lois are usually at hand to rescue him from its deadliness. In the last seasons, the kindly but absent-minded Professor Pepperwinkle creates trouble with his inventions.
List of Episodes
Impact of show on society
Merchandise
Video and DVD releases
The first home video releases of the series by Warner Home Video were in 1987 in a series of VHS and LaserDisc packages called "TV's Best Adventures Of Superman". Each volume contained 2 episodes of the series (one black & white episode and one color episode), plus a Max Fleischer Superman animaed short.
The first season Adventures of Superman was released on DVD in North America October 18, 2005 and includes the two-part "Unknown People", and its theatrical counterpart, "Superman and the Mole Men". The second DVD set, "Season 2", was released on January 17, 2006. The third DVD set, "Seasons 3 and 4", was released on June 20, 2006, the week before the release date of Superman Returns, and included a free pass to the film. It also included a preview of the documentary on the entire Superman saga, titled Look! Up in the Sky! The fourth and final DVD set, "Seasons 5 and 6", was released on November 14, 2006.
Reception and critical reviews
Production notes
A total of 104 half-hour episodes were filmed, with the first two seasons (26 episodes each) in black and white. As a hedge against the eventual introduction of color TV broadcasting, the show switched to filming in color for the 1954 season onward, though it was initially broadcast monochromatically. Reeves' Superman costume was brown (for red), grey (for blue), and white (for yellow), so that it would "read" in appropriate gray tones on black and white film. Though the color episodes were broadcast monochromatically, the gray tones of Reeves' new blue and red costume were rendered nearly indistinguishable.
The budget for the series was relatively low; the series' actors were paid $200 per episode. TV historians and Jack Larson state that the cast had to make repeated requests to the show's producers before they were given a $50 raise, or else they would quit production. By the end of the run, star Reeves was making at least $2500 per episode, but the rest of the cast still made considerably less. The stars were signed to a "run of the show contract," meaning the producers could demand their services to shoot a new season within thirty days' notice. However, this clause also prohibited them from doing any long-term commitments like movies or plays.
The series was filmed like movie serials in that the principals wore the same costumes throughout the show to expedite out-of-sequence shooting schedules and save budgetary costs. For instance, all scenes that took place in the "Perry White Office" set would be filmed back to back, for future placement in various episodes, which was often confusing to the actors.
Awards
In 2007, the show's complete six seasons received the Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films for "Best Retro Television Series Release on DVD". In 2006, the show's first season received a Saturn Award nomination for "Best Retro Television Release on DVD". In 2004, George Reeves received a nomination for TV Land's "Superest Superhero" award.
Sponsor
The show was sponsored by cereal manufacturer Kellogg's. To promote and advertise the show, cast members Reeves, Hamilton and Larson were able to gain extra money by appearing in Kellogg's commercials during the second (1954-55) season. However, Noel Neill was never approached for these, because sponsors worried that scenes of Clark Kent having breakfast with Lois Lane would be too suggestive.
History
Superman and the Mole Men
In 1951, California exhibitor and B-movie producer Robert L. Lippert released a black and white feature called Superman and the Mole Men. The film was a hit with audiences, prompting the first season to go into production, but the series itself remained unseen until 1952-53, when Kellogg's agreed to sponsor the show, as they had previously done with the Superman radio series. [Grossman, page 59-64; Henderson, no page cited). The "Mole Men" feature was divided into two-parts to create "The Unknown People", the only multi-part story of the series. Seldom seen after its initial release, the film reappeared in the 1990s on cable television and home video; it is now part of the DVD issue of the first season, and is on the 2006 DVD release of Superman: The Movie.
First season
The first season's episodes were filmed in 1951, but major confusion has always reigned regarding the copyright dates. When the series was syndicated in the early 1960s, film editors frequently spliced the 1951 title and intro onto second-season episodes. Likewise, all the episodes from the third and fourth season frequently had opening Adventures of Superman title cards that had 1957 copyrights on them. The DVD release compounds this confusion by exclusively using the first-season titles on all of the first and second season episodes, and retaining one 1957 title card on all 52 color episodes (the actual copyright date appears at the start of each of the closing credits).
Television premiere
As a syndicated show sold separately in every market, Adventures of Superman did not have a proper "premiere" date. It was first seen in Los Angeles on KECA (now KABC-TV Channel 7) on February 9, 1953; it first showed in New York on April 1, on WABC. (Grossman, p 65). IMDB notes the show's official debut was September 19, 1952. Though this date is unsourced, it is generally accepted as the television premiere date.
Final episode
The final episode of the series, "All That Glitters", concludes with a line that turned out to be darkly ironic. The episode features a dream sequence in which Jimmy and Lois acquire super powers. Back to reality, at the end of the show, Jimmy says to Clark, "Golly, Mr. Kent, you'll never know how wonderful it is to be like Superman!" Clark responds, "No, Jimmy, I guess I never will." (Grossman, p.171)
Series' end
Producers planned to continue the series in 1959 with two more years' worth of episodes, to begin airing in the 1960 season. The death of actor John Hamilton threw the plan for a loop. Actor Pierre Watkin was hired to replace Hamilton as "Perry White's brother" (Watkin had played Perry White himself in the two Columbia serials, and had guested on the series before). The death of George Reeves was not the end of the series either, in the producers' eyes. When Jack Larson returned from Europe after the death of Reeves, producers suggested the series could continue as "Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen," with more focus on Larson continuing his character, playing opposite a "Superman" who would be a composite of stock shots of George Reeves and a look-alike stunt double to be filmed from behind. Larson rejected the distasteful idea out of hand, and the series was truly over.
Technical details
Title
The show's title card, which imitated the three-dimensional lettering of the comic book covers, was Adventures of Superman. Occasional confusion arises about the article "the", since it was spoken by narrators in voice-overs. Some references title the show "The Adventures of Superman"; other books (as well as TV Guide listings) simply label the show "Superman".
Several of the following lines were added after the program was sold to Kellogg's, and were voiced by announcer Charlie Lyons:
- "Kellogg's, the greatest name in cereals, presents the Adventures of Superman."
- "We'll return to the Adventures of Superman in just a moment."
- "Don't miss the next thrill-packed episode in the amazing Adventures of Superman."
- "Superman is based on the original character appearing in Superman magazine." (This last was originally used for the final season, and was later appended to the close of all color episodes.)
Opening narration
The opening narration of the show, expanded from that of the 1940s radio show and the Superman cartoons, was voiced by Bill Kennedy, framed by the show's theme music, and set the stage for each program.
Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound! ("Look! Up in the sky!" "It's a bird!" "It's a plane!" "It's Superman!")... Yes, it's Superman ... strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men! Superman ... who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way!
Visual Effects
While considered simple by today's standards, the "flying" effects on The Adventures of Superman were advanced for that day and age. In the two Superman serials of the 40s with Kirk Alyn, the flying scenes consisted of the actor Kirk Alyn jumping up and turned into a cartoon character as he flew away. Many were upset that they never actually saw the actor fly, but this would be improved later for the series.
Several approaches were used to emulate the "takeoff" portion of Superman's flying. For Superman and the Mole Men, Reeves was suspended by cables while they were rigged to make it look like he was flying. This was not particularly effective, as sometimes his legs would dangle and wobble a bit, but it was regarded as a major improvement over animation. Sometimes powerful fans were used off-camera to add apparent realism to the takeoffs. Reeves often performed the stunts himself in lieu of a stuntman, although stuntmen were sometimes discerned on some of the early takeoff shots. After Reeves nearly suffered a concussion during one take of the episode "Ghost Wolf", when the wires suspending him suddenly broke, he declared he wouldn't "fly" like that again, according to Gary Grossman. All future take-offs after that were accomplished using a springboard: Reeves would run into frame, hit the out-of-frame springboard (or "diving board" as Jack Larson called it) which would boost him out of frame (sometimes over the camera), and onto padding. The springboard had enough force, along with subtle camera manipulation, to make it look as though he was actually taking off. In a few episodes, the spring board can be seen springing up into the frame following Reeve's ascent. This technique was much more effective, as well as being safer, and was used through the remainder of the series.
The flying scenes were accomplished through a relatively small amount of stock footage that was used repeatedly, although the set of that footage was redone for each of the three distinctive periods of the series. The typical technique, referred to by Gary Grossman as the "swish-pan" shot, had footage of Reeves stretched out on a spatula-like device (referred to by crew as the "flying pan") formed to his torso and leg, operated on a counterweight like a boom microphone. Usually, wind-fans would provide the wind for the illusion of pushing through the air. Reeves was occasionally filmed in front of aerial footage on back-projection screen, or against a neutral background which would provide a matte which would be optically combined with a swish-pan or aerial shot. That footage was matted onto various backgrounds depending on the needs of the episode: clouds, buildings, etc. that he would appear to fly by. In later episodes during the color seasons, special flying shots needed for specific shows would be shot simply, with Reeves prone on the flying rig against a light blue cyclorama, or black backing, depending on requirements of the script.
Techniques for the landings involved Reeves jumping off a ladder or holding a horizontal bar and swinging down into frame, landing on the floor. Because he was already an athlete, Reeves was able to perform the stunts without much "stutter-stepping" and immediately deliver his dialogue without sounding "out of breath", avoiding the need to cut to another angle or scene.
The production and special effects team mostly consisted of B-movie workers and serial cameramen, who simply treated each episode as a 25-minute B-movie. Although Reeves did many of his own stunts, there are moments in some of the early black-and-whites, in which fisticuffs were much more common than in later episodes, where a stunt man can be seen in the wider-angle shots, as in the first season episode, "No Holds Barred," for example. In the 1950s, long before large-screen TV's and video-recorders, that likely would have escaped the viewers' notice.
Locations
The establishing shot of the Daily Planet Building in the first season was the E. Clem Wilson Building in Los Angeles, California while the Carnation Milk Company Building a few blocks east served as the Daily Planet's front door. Later, various stock clips of the Los Angeles City Hall were used as the Planet building and the sidewalk entrance to the Planet was a studio-bound "exterior." Many exteriors in the first season were shot at RKO Pictures backlot called "Forty Acres". Hillsides in Culver City or residential areas of the San Fernando Valley were sometimes used for exteriors. In later seasons, filming occurred on soundstages, with exterior shots (such as cars driving along roadways) being stock footage. Another Los Angeles stock-footage landmark was the Griffith Observatory, which had several different "cameos" in the series. Aside from a few clips of New York City in "Superman on Earth", most if not all of the stock clips used to depict Metropolis are from the Los Angeles area.
Music
The score for the series was taken from stock music libraries, often adaptations of music from B-movies. Apparently the only original music written for the series was the March heard primarily during the credits. The theme is ascribed to studio music arranger Leon Klatzin, although it may have been adapted from an earlier unrelated (and now lost) theme. The main theme, based on a triad, matched the three syllables in the character's name, as has been the case with nearly all Superman music. John Williams' later score for Superman used a similar but not identical musical triad. With the exception of the title theme, musical cues ranged from the serious to the light-hearted and were different for each of the seasons.
Lucy Meets Superman
George Reeves made a guest appearance as Superman on an episode of I Love Lucy. In this episode (#165, on January 14, 1957 [1]), Lucy herself dresses up as Superman--which she accessorizes with a red painted 1930s style leather football helmet--in order to fulfill a promise of Superman appearing at little Ricky's birthday party. Fortunately, the real Superman arrives and rescues Lucy from a narrow window ledge. The climax to that episode was shown in the 2006 documentary, Look, Up in the Sky. With Lucy and Superman standing on the ledge, and both of them now being drenched by a loud studio-produced rainshower, Ricky proclaims this to be the craziest thing Lucy has done in their fifteen years of marriage. Reeves and Arnaz have to shout to be heard above the artificial storm:
- Superman: You mean to say that you've been married to her for fifteen years?
- Ricky: Yeah, fifteen years!
- Superman: And they call me "Superman"!
After the series
Noel Neill made the rounds of the college circuit in the 1970s, entertaining now-grown fans of the series with videos and stories about the series. Neill and her original 1948 Superman serial co-star, Kirk Alyn, had cameos in the 1978 film Superman as Lois Lane's parents. Their dialogue scene was cut for theatrical release, but played in its entirety when the film was broadcast on TV, and later in the 2000 director's cut restoration. Both Noel Neill and Jack Larson made a guest appearance on the TV series Superboy in the episode "Paranoia" during the show's fourth season.
Robert Shayne received a recurring role as "Reggie," the blind newspaper vendor in The Flash in 1990-91 because the producers were aware of his Superman connection while Phyllis Coates played the part of Lois Lane's mother, in a 1993 episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, at the suggestion of Lois & Clark guest star (and George Reeves biographer) Jim Beaver. Larson also had a guest appearance on Lois & Clark, playing an elder Jimmy Olsen.
Larson was also employed as a man-on-the-street in an American Express ad called The Adventures of Seinfeld and Superman, featuring Superman fan Jerry Seinfeld). Patrick Warburton voiced the animated Superman. Like Neill, Larson has participated in various conventions connected with Superman, also donated his time to provide commentaries for some of the episodes on the DVD releases during 2005 and 2006, and the 2006 documentary history of the Superman character, Look, Up in the Sky, and had small speaking roles in the 2006 film Superman Returns.
The show received a proclamation in July 2001 on its 50th Anniversary from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in a ceremony attended by Jack Larson, Noel Neill, Robert Rockwell, Jeff Corey, Mrs. Robert Shayne and Mrs. Jerome Siegel. The proclamation scroll was accepted by DC Comics Vice Pesident Paul Levitz.
See also
References
- Superman: Serial to Cereal, by Gary H. Grossman, 1976.
- Adventures of Superman, DVD sets, 2005 and 2006