Having just watched many of the series episodes again on DVD and video, I can honestly say that this show went through so many changes during its six year run, that its hard to believe that its the same show. Unlike most TV shows that get better as they go on, this was an exception. The "Adventures of Superman", which was first filmed in 1951, and shown in 1953, was an absolutely perfect show in its first season. Aiming for a family audience, and using the dark and moody tone of the radio series, the first season episodes featured a great looking George Reeves as a no-nonsense avenging angel, who would show up in the nick of time to round up the bad guys. In these episodes, the bad guys were actually menacing and sometimes died. The scripts were great (especially those of Ben Peter Freeman) as was the acting and dialogue. Mention should also be made of the great background music for the first season episodes, which added immeasurably to the mood of the episode.(Watch the original "Superman and the Mole-men", and then watch the Unknown People", and you'll see what I mean) Each of these episodes resembled a mini film noir movie. Most notably, too, was the performance of Phyllis Coates as a no-nonsense Lois Lane, who would stop at nothing to get her story(check out "Rescue")
Noel Neil may have brought some good qualities to the role later on, but Coates was the best Lois, including those who played her in the Superman movies. By the second season, the episodes were toned down, but there were still some great episodes like "The Clown who Cried", "The Face and the Voice", and "A Ghost for Scotland Yard" Reeves still looked great in these episodes, and the scripts were still solid enough to offset the sub-par acting of Noel Neil. The color episodes of seasons 3-6 were a whole different story. Unless you consider that the change to color was an "improvement", everything about the series got worse. The scripts were awful(with a few exceptions,like "Test of a warrior", and "Great Caesars Ghost") and as a result, Reeves lost much of his enthusiasm for the role (who could blame him?) Reeves also had put on weight, and looked somewhat bloated in these episodes. The special effects in these episodes were minimal...the same shot of Reeves flying was shown over and over (unlike in the B&Ws when flying shots were done for individual episodes) The bad guys were no longer menacing and there was the introduction of characters such as "Professor Pepperwinkle"...an unbelievably annoying character, who contributed to the feel that these episodes were cartoonish in nature. There were also many plot holes in these episodes, like in "Perils of Superman", which featured a group of cyborg-like crooks in lead masks. Why couldn't Superman just have ripped the lead masks off their heads? The reason given in the episode was that the masks were "locked on", and only the leader had the key (WHAT?????) Then there was the episode "The Big Freeze" in which Superman's powers were zapped by a contraption that froze him. Excuse me, but I thought the ONLY element Superman was vulnerable to was kryptonite.Watching the episode "Mr. Zero",(a low point for the whole series) it was hard to believe I was watching the same show that had produced such great episodes as "A Night of Terror", and "The Stolen Costume". Anyway, a truly great series for the first season, a very good series in the second, and a so-so to an awful show after that.
Noel Neil may have brought some good qualities to the role later on, but Coates was the best Lois, including those who played her in the Superman movies. By the second season, the episodes were toned down, but there were still some great episodes like "The Clown who Cried", "The Face and the Voice", and "A Ghost for Scotland Yard" Reeves still looked great in these episodes, and the scripts were still solid enough to offset the sub-par acting of Noel Neil. The color episodes of seasons 3-6 were a whole different story. Unless you consider that the change to color was an "improvement", everything about the series got worse. The scripts were awful(with a few exceptions,like "Test of a warrior", and "Great Caesars Ghost") and as a result, Reeves lost much of his enthusiasm for the role (who could blame him?) Reeves also had put on weight, and looked somewhat bloated in these episodes. The special effects in these episodes were minimal...the same shot of Reeves flying was shown over and over (unlike in the B&Ws when flying shots were done for individual episodes) The bad guys were no longer menacing and there was the introduction of characters such as "Professor Pepperwinkle"...an unbelievably annoying character, who contributed to the feel that these episodes were cartoonish in nature. There were also many plot holes in these episodes, like in "Perils of Superman", which featured a group of cyborg-like crooks in lead masks. Why couldn't Superman just have ripped the lead masks off their heads? The reason given in the episode was that the masks were "locked on", and only the leader had the key (WHAT?????) Then there was the episode "The Big Freeze" in which Superman's powers were zapped by a contraption that froze him. Excuse me, but I thought the ONLY element Superman was vulnerable to was kryptonite.Watching the episode "Mr. Zero",(a low point for the whole series) it was hard to believe I was watching the same show that had produced such great episodes as "A Night of Terror", and "The Stolen Costume". Anyway, a truly great series for the first season, a very good series in the second, and a so-so to an awful show after that.