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Superman Store - Adventures of Superman - The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons
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List Price: $39.98
Our Price: $18.99
Your Save: $ 20.99 ( 53% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Starring: George Reeves, Noel Neill, Bill Kennedy, Jack Larson, John Hamilton
Directed By: George Reeves, George Blair, Harry W. Gerstad, Howard Bretherton, Lew Landers
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Warner Brothers
EAN: 0012569763159
Format: Box set
Label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Number Of Items: 5
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2006-06-20
Running Time: 706
Studio: Warner Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1952-09-19
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Looonnngg time fan
Comment: I've been a fan of the "Man of Steel" since 1953. What more needs to be said ?
Customer Rating:
Summary: classis superman
Comment: I grew up watching these shows. Own every season and now my children watch them too. Good classic tv without all the sex and violence. Perfect.
Customer Rating:
Summary: super!!!
Comment: I bought season 1 and 2 here in Barcelona, but I was told the following ones may not appear here, so I decided to buy them through amazon. I'm very happy I did because I enjoyed all the episodes very much. I think this is the best Superman ever, although I haven't seen the previous ones.
I think all the characters are wonderful, not only Superman himself. By the way, it's been cheaper to buy this pack than the ones I bought in my hometown!
Customer Rating:
Summary: superman,the t.v series
Comment: superman was one of my childhood hero's.thank's for bringing back some good times.i can't wait to get more dvd's.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Color Him Super
Comment: Jack Larson, playing Jimmy Olsen, was probably the last adult actor of the 20th century to be able to convincingly utter the word `jeepers,' and that fact says something about the value of this wonderful series. Jack Larson's portrayal of young Olsen was so popular that, in 1954, DC comics gave Jimmy Olsen his own comic book.
By this time also, Jimmy's role in the weekly Superman TV show had expanded. At least 3 episodes from this collection, 'Olsen's Millions,' 'King for Day,' and 'The Bully of Dry Gulch' were lifted directly from the early issues of the Jimmy Olsen comic book. (BTW, the original, comic book versions of these `Jimmy Olsen' stories were written by none other than Otto Binder, the legendary sci-fi author who wrote the best of the original Capt. Marvel comics. Superman's publishers had, by 1954, sued Capt. Marvel out of existence, but Binder, along with artists Kurt Schaffenberger and Pete Costanza, eventually went to work on Superman's magazines. Superman's magazines, in turn, gradually absorbed many of the traits of Capt. Marvel stories.)
Seasons 3-4, the 1st two seasons filmed in color, mark an increase in humor, whimsy, and sometimes all-out goofiness, when compared to the seasons 1-2, which were in B/W. There is still plenty of excitement and peril in these episodes, but when I was 12 years old, watching this series for the 1st time (rerun by Channel 33 in Youngstown, Ohio), the humorous and whimsical touches used to bug me: I took my heroes extremely seriously, and didn't like the implication that this could be in any way a `kiddie' show.
I am in my 40's now, and do not take it as a personal insult when I watch these episodes. Most of the time, you still get a disciplined, well-constructed, well-acted story that usually involves either Superman or the audience trying to solve some sort of puzzle. Usually too, either Jimmy, Lois, Perry or any combination thereof faces some sort of mortal peril.
It should also be noted of course, that the Supeman comics published during this period (and up through 1980'S!) often featured stories that where deliberately humourous of goofy as well, so it can be argued the the producers were just taking their cues from the funnies.
One thing that impresses me as an adult, besides the understated but high quality writing, is the dedication and professionalism of the cast. If you really study George Reeves, you will see that in every scene the man was ON, and that he really was a very good actor. For instance, if you observe him when he is about to pull off his Kent clothes to change to Superman, he always makes subtle movements of his arms, shoulders, hips, his head, any part(s) of his body, as if his muscles are literally wanting to burst out of his suit so he can spring into action.
Also, Reeves had a fantastic voice: strong, clear, intelligent and masculine, but with undertones of gentleness and kindness. Those qualities are the essence of Reeves's Superman. This idea of a man who could be simpultaneously strong, wise and compassionate, is probably why Reeves's Superman is so fondly remembered and still enjoyable. He is a kind of super father-figure.
In fact, from Season 2 and onward, the show featured the occasional child guest star, which of course was a device to reinforce kids' emotional involvement in the adventures. In these episodes, you can see that Reeves had an excellent chemistry with the kids, naturally paternal, so it's sad that Reeves never had children.
Likewise, the characters of Jimmy, Lois and Perry also resemble, perhaps unconsciously, family members of the target audience. Jimmy and Lois especially would tend to serve as surrogates for viewers, allowing audience members to imagine themselves sharing the adventures. But these characters would simultaneously have reminded youngsters of bothers and sisters, with Lois sometimes acting in place of a mother instead. The feeling of family is one of the things that distinguish this series from later versions. And of course, when I was 12, it was easier to put myself in Jimmy Olsen's shoes and to imagine an annoying girl as Lois Lane.
On the whole, these episodes are almost as good as those of Season 2, especially if you factor in the fact that the colors for Reeves' super suit look so great, and that Noel Neill definitely is prettier in color. Also, the special effects for the color seasons were more sophisticated than the B/W episodes. In fact, this collection has a really neat little featurette about Thol Simonson, the man who did the special effects, and he was still alive and looking good! (The man is 90 years old if he is a day!)
It's true that the color episodes do not have the `edge' that Season 1 and some of Season 2 had, but the overall tone of the series carries through, and all of the craftsmanship and charm is there. I highly recommend this product, it is still over 11 hours of highly entertaining programming. Now for a little TV scavenger hunt: 2 episodes on this collection contain direct references to the 2 best episodes of Season 2, `Defeat of Superman,' and `Panic in the Sky.' I challenge you to find the episodes to which I refer.
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Editorial Reviews:
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George Reeves returns as Superman (aka Clark Kent) in 26 episodes comprising Season 3 and Season 4 of the program that ran six seasons total. This time his exploits take him to stuffy European monarchy, a remote desert isle and even a cave in the year 50,000 BC. And now for the first time the Man of Steel's exciting flights, fights, and super heroics are presented in color! DVD Features:
Documentaries
Featurette
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