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Worth every penney of its asking price and then some. Excellent transfers of the original film footage used. Not many bonus feature unfortunately, but the Kellogg's Frosted Flakes commericals with Reeves are a riot and worth checking out. The first season is a slightly darker Superman than most are accustomed to and the original Lois Lane is tough as nails and no mere damsel in distress. This set definetly will bring back memories and if you're like me a smile to your face!
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This is a great time trip for people my age and should be fun for almost anyone. The quality of the cd is perfect
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IN A NUTSHELL: My favorite TV show as a child 50 years ago
When this DVD set arrived several days ago, I played a Superman marathon from start to finish which occurred only because the series is that good! This first season, which I recall though I have not seen the episodes for at least 40 years, has held up surprisingly well.
I still get a chill during the introduction as the announcer zips through the usual discourse of: "faster than a speeding bullet", "more powerful than a locomotive", "able to leap tall buildings in a single bound", "can change the course of mighty rivers" etc.!
ABOUT THE FIRST SEASON: Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane just can't stay out of trouble!
Without giving too much away about the plots, this first season is filled with mystery adventures and, as others have pointed out, has a film-noir quality that is hard to miss. Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane is rather over-the-top but she has always been my favorite Lois, perhaps because I saw her in that role first. George Reeves *is* Superman, make no mistake about it, as he plays the role without overdoing the hapless Clark Kent role. In fact, he plays a rather strong and emotional Clark Kent which is nice to see and fits the role quite well.
5th DISK HAS FEATURE LENGTH TREAT: "SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE MEN"!
Disc One:
"Superman on Earth"
"The Haunted Lighthouse"
"The Case of the Talkative Dummy"
"The Mystery of the Broken Statues"
"The Monkey Mystery"
"A Night of Terror"
Disc Two:
"The Birthday Letter"
"The Mind Machine"
"Rescue"
"The Secret of Superman"
"No Holds Barred"
"The Deserted Village"
Disc Three:
"The Stolen Costume"
"Treasure of the Incas"
"Double Trouble"
"Mystery in Wax"
"The Runaway Robot"
"Drums of Death"
Disc Four:
"The Evil Three"
"Riddle of the Chinese Jade"
"The Human Bomb"
"Czar of the Underworld"
"The Ghost Wolf"
"Crime Wave"
Disc Five:
"SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE MEN", THEATRICAL RELEASE [same as 2-part episode, different opening]
"SUPERMAN AND THE UNKNOWN PEOPLE, PART ONE"
"SUPERMAN AND THE UNKNOWN PEOPLE, PART TWO"
ABOUT THE DVDs: Excellent transfer, Features, Value!
A fantastic transfer of a 55-year-old TV show is too good to be true, but true it is. The episodes appear to be uncut, as the lengths run about 25 minutes and some seconds which is consistent with their original running times. There is commentary for a few of the episodes, but frankly I have been too anxious to see all the episodes a few times first. The package is nice too! Subtitles are available in English, French, and Spanish.
ABOUT THE SPECIAL FEATURES:
RETROSPECTIVE DOCUMENTARY - Made in 2005 and runs about 18 minutes. Includes footage from most of the first year's episodes and interviews with Leonard Maltin and an nicely-aged Jack Larson [Jimmy Olson].
*COMMENTARY ON 4 EPISODES [2 by Gary Grossman - 2 by Chuck Harter]
*ORIGINAL KELLOGG'S CEREAL COMMERCIALS
*PONY EXPRESS DAYS: "VINTAGE WARNER BROTHERS HISTORICAL SHORT", Starring George Reeves
*THE 2 PART EPISODE, "The Unknown People", which had been theatrically released earlier as "The Mole Men", is included as well.
RECOMMENDED: SEASON TWO has just been released and I will be opening that one next!
FINAL THOUGHTS: Sometimes Christmas comes at the end of January!
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Television historians agree that the first season of the "Adventures of Superman" (1952) was the best -- starring George Reeves as the definitive Man of Steel and Phyllis Coates as a no-nonsense Lois Lane. Filmed in gritty black-and-white, these hard-hitting episodes were intended for a more adult audience. (For example: When a criminal discovered Superman's identity, he didn't live very long.) This five-DVD set brings back fond memories of the classic series, with a short documentary and three Kellogg's commercials thrown in for good measure. The print quality is largely excellent, but a first-generation master of "The Stolen Costume" no longer exists. A must-own for vintage-TV collectors.
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Finally... the one and only TRUE Superman that so many of us old folks grew up with has made it to DVD!
The first season was truly the best. Phlylis Coates was the ultimate Lois Lane- Agressive, smart, and clever, wich may have scared the show's producers and sponsors (strong, capible women weren't in vouge in the 50's) into replacing her in future seasons with the more docile, passive Noel Neil.
The first season was also darker and grittier than later seasons, aimed at more of an "Adult" audience. This may also explain the changes in later seasons that aimed the show specificlly to kids. Kellog's Sugar Frosted Flakes was the primary sponsor for a while, and maybe that had something to do with the show's latter changes.
However, if you want to see the REAL Superman, as portrayed in the comics of the day, or the Dave Flicher classic Superman cartoons, this is the boxed set to get. Some people may not cotten to the black and white format, and the quality of the prints, wich really show thier age. However, if you can get past that, this is truly a bit of television history worth owning. George Reeves litterally shines here, at a time where he was untouched by the tragic events that happened later in his life. A true Superman, indeed!
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