Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)"Superman! Rocketed to Earth as an infant when the distant planet Krypton exploded. And who disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for the Daily Planet fights a neverending battle for truth, justice and freedom with super powers far beyond those of ordinary mortals!"
That's how announcer Jackson Beck opened this classic show from 1966. The opening scene showing Superman smashing meteorites to the show's very '60s jazz main title theme still looks cool.
Following the '40s Fleischer Superman (made for theaters) and the '50s Adventures of Superman (first done as a movie then a TV series), Filmation's New Adventures of Superman (1966) was the first Superman done specifically for television. Paid a sum of $36,000 per completed half-hour by CBS (who struck a deal with DC Comics to create the show), Superman also was the then-little studio's first major TV deal.
The legacy of the more revered Fleischer Superman shorts was not lost on Filmation. "The Fleischers did, as far as I'm concerned, the definitive one. So much so that we actually managed to hire some of them to work for us," producer Lou Scheimer said.
In additon to comics faithful character designs, and effective yet limited [compared to today] animation, The New Adventures of Superman also featured the voices of Fleischer Superman's Bud Collyer and Joan Alexander (alternating with Julie Bennett) as the animated Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane.
As a result, the series was a breakout hit. So much so Filmation was given a bonus and a 2nd season where the show expanded to "The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure" adding heroes Green Lantern, Hawkman, the Flash, the Atom, Teen Titans, and Justice League to the lineup.
Due to the ongoing Siegel/DC/Time Warner battle for Superboy copyrights, the Superboy episodes originally sandwiched between the Superman episodes are not included in this set. Despite this, I still recommend the set solely on the strength of the thirty-six 6 min. Superman eps that are included.
The New Adventures of Superman is a 2-disc set featuring all 36 Superman episodes from the show's first season; Full Frame (1.33:1) video; Dolby Surround Stereo English audio; Closed Captioning; plus the following Special Feature: "Superman in '66" - Featurette explores how the '60s era influenced the character of Superman and led to his Filmation debut on this groundbreaking show.
Episodes:
1. The Force Phantom
2. Mermen Of Emor
3. The Prehistoric Pterodactyls
4. Merlin's Magic Marbles
5. The Threat of the Thrutans
6. The Wicked Warlock
7. The Chimp Who Made It Big
8. The Deadly Icebergs
9. Robot of Riga
10. The Invisible Raiders
11. Neolithic Nightmare
12. The Return of Brainiac
13. The Magnetic Monster
14. The Toys of Doom
15. The Iron Eater
16. The Ape Army of the Amazon
17. The Fire Phantom
18. The Deadly Dish
19. Insect Raiders
20. Return of Warlock
21. The Abominable Ice-Man
22. The Men from A.P.E.
23. The Tree Man of Arbora
24. The Image Maker
25. Superman's Double Trouble
26. The Deadly Super-Doll
27. Lava Men
28. Luthor Strikes Again
29. Mission to Planet Peril
30. The Pernicious Parasite
31. The Two Faces of Superman
32. The Imp-Practical Joker
33. Superman Meets Brainiac
34. Seeds of Disaster
35. The Malevolent Mummy
36. The Bird-Men From Lost Valley
Highly Recommended!
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These adventures were the first time that Superman (and his alter ego Clark Kent), Lois Lane and Perry White had been seen in animated form since they were immortalized in the iconic Superman short films of the 1940s. In addition, this series marked the animation debut of Jimmy Olsen and classic Superman villains like Lex Luthor and Brainiac. This animated Superman was forerunner show that lead to all the subsequent animated superhero programming.
