Superman 40's Movie Serials 
KIRK ALYN

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Superman became the most popular movie serial of all time and was followed up in 1950 with another 15-chapter serial, Atom Man vs. Superman.  This featured the first on-screen appearance of that brilliant scientific villain, Lex Luthor.  Luthor was played by an impressively stern Lyle Talbot, who says of the series "our approach was never to kid it - this had to be for real."

Atom Man vs. Superman had much improved special effects, with animated bullets bouncing from Superman's chest and live-action scenes of Kirk Alyn in flight.

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Superman movie serial starring Kirk Alyn as Superman

Sam Katzman, who had made dozens of highly successful movies for Columbia, was chosen as the producer for the 1948 Superman serial and the series was directed by Spencer Bennet.  The special effects scenes of Superman in flight were animated in a style similar to the Fleischer cartoons.
The series was credited as being "Adapted from the Superman Radio Program broadcast on the Mutual Network."  It did contain such radio-show inventions as the Daily Planet, kryptonite, and the characters of Perry White and Jimmy Olsen, but Superman's origin in the movie serial was from the George Lowther novel.  In the first chapter of the serial, Superman Comes to Earth, it is revealed that Krypton, Superman's home planet, boasted a race of super men and women.  Among the leaders of the planet was Jor-el, foremost man of science, who had planned to build a mammoth fleet to rescue the population of Krypton from destruction by transporting everyone to Earth.  Krypton was governed by a council which was led by Ro-zan. Clark Kent's foster father is named Eben instead of Jonathan, but his foster mother's name is never given.  She makes him his Superman costume from the fire-proof blankets that he was wrapped in while an infant traveling to Earth from Krypton.  His foster father gives him the name "Superman" and tells him that he must use his powers to fight in the cause of truth, tolerance, and justice.  Both of his foster-parents pass away before he adopts the Superman mantle.