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Adventures of Superman was the first television series featuring Superman. The series, which was syndicated rather than being tied to a network, began filming in 1951, and first aired on September 19, 1952. The final first-run episode was broadcast on April 28, 1958. George Reeves starred as Clark Kent/Superman, with Phyllis Coates as the original Lois Lane. In 1953, Noel Neill, who had previously played Lois in two serials, replaced Coates from the second season onward. Jack Larson played Jimmy Olsen and John Hamilton was Perry White. Robert Shayne played the semi-regular character Inspector Henderson of the Metropolis Police Department. The series was preceded by the 1951 theatrically-released film Superman and the Mole Men, which was re-edited into the first-season episodes The Unknown People (Part I) and (Part II).

Main Cast[]

Actor Character Appearances
George Reeves Superman Season 1-6
Phyllis Coates Lois Lane Season 1
Noel Neill Lois Lane Season 2-6
Jack Larson Jimmy Olsen Season 1-6
John Hamilton Perry White Season 1-6

Episodes[]

Season 1[]

Ep Title Airdate
1 "Superman on Earth" September 19, 1952
2 "The Haunted Lighthouse" September 26, 1952
3 "The Case of the Talkative Dummy" October 3, 1952
4 "Mystery of the Broken Statues" October 10, 1952
5 "The Monkey Mystery" October 17, 1952
6 "Night of Terror" October 24, 1952
7 "The Birthday Letter" October 31, 1952
8 "The Mind Machine" November 7, 1952
9 "Rescue" November 14, 1952
10 "The Secret of Superman" November 21, 1952
11 "No Holds Barred" November 28, 1952
12 "The Deserted Village" December 5, 1952
13 "The Stolen Costume" December 12, 1952
14 "Mystery in Wax" December 19, 1952
15 "Treasure of the Incas" December 26, 1952
16 "Double Trouble" January 2, 1953
17 "The Runaway Robot" January 9, 1953
18 "Drums of Death" January 16, 1953
19 "The Evil Three" January 23, 1953
20 "Riddle of the Chinese Jade" January 30, 1953
21 "The Human Bomb" February 6, 1953
22 "Czar of the Underworld" February 13, 1953
23 "Ghost Wolf" February 20, 1953
24 "Crime Wave" February 27, 1953
25 "The Unknown People (Part I)" August 10, 1953
26 "The Unknown People (Part II)" August 10, 1953

Season 2[]

Ep Title Airdate
1 "Five Minutes to Doom" September 18, 1953
2 "The Big Squeeze" September 25, 1953
3 "The Man Who Could Read Minds" October 3, 1953
4 "Jet Ace" October 10, 1953
5 "Shot in the Dark" October 17, 1953
6 "The Defeat of Superman" October 24, 1953
7 "Superman in Exile" October 31, 1953
8 "A Ghost for Scotland Yard" November 7, 1953
9 "The Dog Who Knew Superman" November 14, 1953
10 "The Face and the Voice" November 21, 1953
11 "The Man in the Lead Mask" November 28, 1953
12 "Panic in the Sky" December 5, 1953
13 "The Machine That Could Plot Crimes" December 12, 1953
14 "Jungle Devil" December 19, 1953
15 "My Friend Superman" December 26, 1953
16 "The Clown Who Cried" January 2, 1954
17 "The Boy Who Hated Superman" January 9, 1954
18 "Semi-Private Eye" January 16, 1954
19 "Perry White's Scoop" January 23, 1954
20 "Beware the Wrecker" January 30, 1954
21 "The Golden Vulture" February 6, 1954
22 "Jimmy Olsen, Boy Editor" February 13, 1954
23 "Lady in Black" February 20, 1954
24 "Star of Fate" February 27, 1954
25 "The Whistling Bird" March 6, 1954
26 "Around the World with Superman" March 13, 1954
* (Unaired) "Stamp Day for Superman" 1954

Season 3[]

Ep Title Airdate
1 "Through the Time Barrier" April 23, 1955
2 "The Talking Clue" April 30, 1955
3 "The Lucky Cat" May 7, 1955
4 "Superman Week" May 14, 1955
5 "Great Caesar's Ghost" May 21, 1955
6 "Test of a Warrior" May 28, 1955
7 "Olsen's Millions" June 4, 1955
8 "Clark Kent, Outlaw" September 10, 1955
9 "The Magic Necklace" September 17, 1955
10 "The Bully of Dry Gulch" September 24, 1955
11 "Flight to the North" October 1, 1955
12 "The Seven Souvenirs" October 8, 1955
13 "King for a Day" October 15, 1955

Season 4[]

Ep Title Airdate
1 "Joey" February 18, 1956
2 "The Unlucky Number" February 25, 1956
3 "The Big Freeze" March 3, 1956
4 "Peril by Sea" March 10, 1956
5 "Topsy Turvy" April 21, 1956
6 "Jimmy the Kid" April 28, 1956
7 "The Girl Who Hired Superman" May 5, 1956
8 "The Wedding of Superman" May 12, 1956
9 "Dagger Island" May 19, 1956
10 "Blackmail" May 26, 1956
11 "The Deadly Rock" June 2, 1956
12 "The Phantom Ring" June 9, 1956
13 "The Jolly Roger" June 16, 1956

Season 5[]

Ep Title Airdate
1 "Peril in Paris" March 8, 1957
2 "Tin Hero" March 15, 1957
3 "The Town That Wasn't" March 22, 1957
4 "The Tomb of Zaharan" March 29, 1957
5 "The Man Who Made Dreams Come True" April 5, 1957
6 "Disappearing Lois" April 12, 1957
7 "Money to Burn" April 19, 1957
8 "Close Shave" April 26, 1957
9 "The Phony Alibi" May 3, 1957
10 "Prince Albert Coat" May 10, 1957
11 "The Stolen Elephant" May 17, 1957
12 "Mr. Zero" May 24, 1957
13 "Whatever Goes Up" May 31, 1957

Season 6[]

Ep Title Airdate
1 "The Last Knight" February 3, 1958
2 "The Magic Secret" February 10, 1958
3 "Divide and Conquer" February 17, 1958
4 "The Mysterious Cube" February 24, 1958
5 "The Atomic Captive" March 3, 1958
6 "The Superman Silver Mine" March 10, 1958
7 "The Big Forget" March 17, 1958
8 "The Gentle Monster" March 24, 1958
9 "Superman's Wife" March 31, 1958
10 "Three in One" April 7, 1958
11 "The Brainy Burro" April 14, 1958
12 "The Perils of Superman" April 21, 1958
13 "All That Glitters" April 28, 1958

Trivia[]

  • At six seasons and 104 episodes, Adventures of Superman was the longest running (Live-Action) superhero TV series, until it was surpassed by Smallville (10 seasons and 218 episodes).
  • Near the end of the 1950s, a script was written for a feature film titled Superman and the Secret Planet, in which George Reeves' Superman would have battled an army of Kryptonian criminals. However, the film proved too expensive to produce and was never made.[1]
  • In the Brazilian version, the catch-phrase of the opening "Truth, justice and American way" was replaced with "Truth, justice, and the well-being of everyone".

References[]

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