I am constantly playing around with ideas for this Blog. On my want list for blogging subjects is Science Fiction, so I made a list of TV shows to watch stretching way back to 1952, and review them as if they were new. Today is a practice run for which I watched the very first episode of The Adventures of Superman from September 19, 1952.
As a proper origin story should, the episode starts on Krypton then ends with Clark Kent getting his job at the Daily Planet. We get to see him grow up a little and then move to Metropolis. And as any proper Superman story he puts on the super-suit and saves a life. He even uses the moment to ensure a job as a reporter.
I don't think I've ever seen this episode before. Any fan of Superman (or 50's TV) should watch it. Each new series of Superman to come out tends to have their own version of Krypton and Jor-El. No one will listen to his warnings of Doomsday, that their sun is pulling Krypton out of orbit and they may only have days to live. They actually have about five minutes of screen time to live. Kal-El is put in the escape rocket and sent to Earth, immediately rescued by the Kents. The rocket (with baby Kal-El) is actually on fire for the scene and Eben Kent puts it out to save him. An impressive scene. The episode even mentions that Sarah Kent takes the blanket he was wrapped in for the trip and makes a "costume" for him. Very impressive since the material can't be destroyed, making her an accomplished clothier.
This series is its back-and-white glory. Special effects are rough, but it's fun to see Superman fly and save the day. I chose to start watching Sci-Fi TV with this series because it's the earliest show to be in its entirety, and available for consumption. Prior to The Adventures of Superman was a theatrical release from 1951 called Superman and the Mole Men, which acted as a pilot. This movie was eventually made into two episodes at the end of Season 1, which I will review in the proper episodic order. I'm working on finding this movie on DVD.
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