Superman

The 15-chapter serial, SUPERMAN (1948), is best in its early chapters as it details the more familiar parts of the Superman story, including an elaborate sequence on Krypton dealing with the planet's destruction and Jorel's sending his son off in a rocket to Earth. We see Clark growing up with the Kents and heading off to Metropolis and a job at the Daily Planet where he meets Perry White, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. We see Superman doing superheroic things in these early episodes like rescuing people from a burning building or rescuing miners trapped in a tunnel.

However, after roughly the first third, each episode follows tried-and-true serial formula with standard cliffhanger endings as Superman gets hit with kryptonite or Lois gets trapped somewhere and only Superman can save her. There are even long stretches where Superman doesn't use his powers at all. It all comes to a disappointingly abrupt ending and anticlimactic resolution.

Superman fights an unlikely villain in the Spider Lady (Carol Forman) and her gang of standard-issue thugs--middle-aged crooks in suits, ties and fedoras who are constantly slugging Jimmy and kidnapping Lois. The Spider Lady gets help from a renegade scientist who has an agenda of his own, but he's so badly acted that he slows the film down considerably. The Spider Lady (who loses her ridiculous mask after her first few appearances) is more of a standard serial villain, and, while not unattractive, is coiffed and dressed like a film noir floozie and would probably have been more at home sidling up to Humphrey Bogart in a gambling joint than fighting Superman.

That said, there are considerable points of interest here. When Superman flies, the effect is created through animation as a fluidly animated Superman cartoon figure takes over for the live actor (Kirk Alyn). This tactic allows the makers to show Superman flying through a variety of locales and settings. While the contrast may be jarring at first, it does acknowledge the comic book origins of the character.

Noel Neill is a perfect Lois Lane and is as spunky as they come. When thugs attack, she recklessly plunges into each fight with the verve and daring normally associated with the standard square-jawed cliffhanger hero. When she's not fighting, she's smiling, always eager to get the story and clearly loving her job. A seedy character named Hawkins (played by Frank Lackteen with undetermined accent) is an informant who gives Lois tips about Spider Lady's activities. Lois is always happy to see him and at one point pays for his tips by taking him to lunch at a restaurant called Luigi's (surely a foolhardy act for an informant). None of the characters gets a single change of costume throughout the serial, but it's more noticeable on Lois. Neill played Lois in a second serial, ATOM MAN VS. SUPERMAN, and later in the TV series, "Superman," opposite George Reeves.

Jimmy Olsen, on the other hand, gets little of consequence to do, other than getting constantly knocked out by thugs and stating the obvious when needed. He's played by Tommy Bond, better known as Butch from "The Little Rascals." (In the TV series, Jack Larson was a vast improvement in the role.) Pierre Watkin makes a good, dyspeptic Perry White, behaving more like J. Jonah Jameson from "Spiderman" than the Perry we know and love.

A point should be made here about the sequel, ATOM MAN VS. SUPERMAN (1950). It improved on this serial greatly and had a more comic book-like villain in Lex Luthor (well played by Lyle Talbot). It also had Superman doing a great many more Superman-like things and offered a new twist in each episode. It had a better story structure and more satisfying resolution. The characters also got to change their outfits.

I have read that in 1940-41 Republic Pictures was negotiating to make a Superman serial, when that fell through they made their classic "Captain Marvel", the flying sequences in that were done with a combination of shots of actor Tom Tyler, stuntman Dave Sharpe and the use of a slightly oversize dummy (later used in the Rocketman/Commando Cody serials, even today those flying sequences hold up. Historians of the B-movies and serials have said Republic had the best special effects, Columbia tended to cut corners-Lois Lane wears the same outfit in all 15 chapters. That said, the 2 Columbia "Superman" serials are pretty enjoyable, they do a good job within their budget limits, the actors are much better than those in a lot of big budget productions, they take their roles seriously. You can watch this as a period piece or as an adventure in its own right.

I wish to say that ten years ago on this very day I personally met Kirk Alyn when I helped him with a chore. He was quite elderly and frail, but still it was an honor to meet him. So this comment is dedicated to the memory of Kirk Alyn.

This is the first time The Man of Steel ever appeared on the screen. And guess what? It's great all thanks to Kirk Alyn and a cast that makes it good fun. Yeah I grant you, the special effects are hokey, but you don't need rock'em-sock'em visuals to make a movie, just a great sense of pure enjoyment. Along with Kirk there is Noel Neil as a very spunky Lois Lane. Carol Forman makes a great villain (and a very sexy one too) as the Spider Lady. And former Little Rascal Tommy "Butch" Bond plays Jimmy Olsen (which in itself is another beginning... Bond was the first person to have ever played this role!). But it's Alyn that makes it all great. He gives Superman a sense of real superhero pizazz without making the Son of Krypton look pompous. So run, or fly, out and get a copy and pop it in your player. This is one time where your entertainment time really does become "A job for Superman"!

I remember for years this serial being titled "Superman Vrs. The Spider Lady". I was fortunate enough, to have lived in the nick of time to see this at a theater. I have read articles through the later year since, discussing all the Superman related creations. One, for example, was in TV Guide, listing all who played the hero. Included the title "...Vrs. The Spider Lady". I also have noticed it elsewhere, too. What happened now this is not acknowledged? When I looked to order it on DVD I therefore had a problem to recognized it. I've always have believed Kirk Alyn is the best convincing actor to portray him. To me he would be able to not be detected while in his Clark disguise with his glasses. The others who has since took the role, has distinct voice or features enough to be discovered.

Superman, the 15-chapter serial, is the best of it's kind. Kirk Alyn is excellent as Superman/Clark Kent, Noel Neill is the best Lois Lane ever to hit the screen, Carol Forman makes Spider Lady one of the most hated serial villains of all time!

Some say that the animation is terrible, but I'd prefer it over using real people. The special effects are very amusing, and Mischa Bakaleinikoff's musical score fits the themes of the movie perfectly.

The story goes like this, Jor-El is the only scientist who knows that the planet Krypton is going to explode. He builds a rocket and sends his son far off to the planet earth before the doomed planet explodes. Clark grows up and moves to Metropolis, where he becomes better known as Superman. As Superman he fights for "Truth, Justice, and Tolerance", but the evil Spider Lady plans to destroy everything he represents.

I give it 10/10 Stars