- "Yes, it's Superman, strange visitor from another planet, who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men! Superman, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel with his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way!"
- ―Narrator
| "Superman on Earth" | |
|---|---|
| Series Adventures of Superman Season 1, Episode 1 | |
| |
| Air date | September 19th, 1952 |
| Writers | Richard Fielding |
| Director | Tommy Carr |
| Producers | Bernard Luber; Robert J. Maxwell; Barney A. Sarecky |
| Starring | George Reeves; Phyllis Coates; Jack Larson; John Hamilton |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous — |
Next "The Haunted Lighthouse" |
"Superman on Earth" is the premiere episode of the live-action Adventures of Superman television series. The episode was directed by Tommy Carr with a script written by Richard Fielding. It first aired in syndication on September 19th, 1952. The series stars George Reeves in the role of Clark Kent, aka Superman, as well as Phyllis Coates as reporter Lois Lane, Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen, and John Hamilton as Perry White.
Synopsis[]
The planet Krypton is in its final days. The Krytonian Science Council convenes to discuss this emergency planetwide catastraphe, but there is no hope for salvation. Within a short time, Krypton will explode. Scientist Jor-El and his wife Lara build a small rocket ship, just large enough to fit their infant son. They launch him into outer space with the hopes that he will survive, while they remain behind on Krypton to accept their fate.
The rocket ship lands on the planet Earth where the Kryptonian child is discovered by Eben and Sarah Kent. They adopt him as their own and name him Clark. As Clark grows older, his alien heritage becomes apparent as he begins demonstrating fantastic feats of superhuman strength, and the ability to fly. As an adult, Clark decides to use his powers to fight injustice as the costumed superhero, Superman.
When he is not saving the world as Superman, Clark assumes a mild-mannered civilian life as a reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis. He works for managing editor Perry White and his colleagues include fellow reporter Lois Lane and young Jimmy Olsen.
Cast[]
Principal Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| George Reeves | Superman/Clark Kent |
| Phyllis Coates | Lois Lane |
| Jack Larson | Jimmy Olsen |
| John Hamilton | Perry White |
Guest Stars[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Ross Elliott | Jor-El |
| Herbert Rawlinson | Ro-Zan |
| Stuart Randall | Gogan |
| Aline Towne | Lara |
| Frances Morris | Sarah Kent |
| Danni Sue Nolan | Miss Bachrach |
Uncredited cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Tom Fadden | Eben Kent |
Notes & Trivia[]
- Superman was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster. He first appeared in Action Comics #1 in June, 1938 in a story called "Superman, Champion of the Opressed".
- There are no notations or trivia available for this episode at this time. Be the first to add some! Just click on the edit tab under the section heading and start typing. This may include all out-of-universe as well as in-universe information relating to the episode. Acceptable notations may include:
- The production code number for the episode.
- Home video availability for the episode (VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, etc.), as well as which services provide digital download copies and/or streaming video services.
- The rating for the episode (TV-14, TV-MA, etc.)
- How many episodes in this series the director may have worked on.
- How many episodes in this series the writer may have worked on.
- Unique spelling or mis-spelling of selected cast and crew member, which may differ from how they are identified in other works.
- Character appearances and other annotations.
Allusions[]
- There are no allusions available for this episode at this time. Be the first to add some! Just click on the edit tab under the section heading and start typing. An allusion is an incidental reference made to a character, person, event or other miscellaneous piece of media that can be found somewhere in the episode itself. In most cases, this refers to characters or events from previous episodes.
Bloopers[]
- There are no bloopers available for this episode at this time. Be the first to add some! Just click on the edit tab under the section heading and start typing. A blooper is any revealing mistake that can be found within the episode that the production crew may have missed during editing. This can range from inconsistent lines of dialogue to visible production equipment in the shot to mis-spoken lines of dialogue, or... dare we say it? A wardrobe malfunction.
Quotes[]
- Clark Kent: But Mom, why am I different? Why can I do things that nobody else can do? Why can I run faster, jump higher? Why am I stronger than anybody?
....
- Lois Lane: Step on it, Jim.
- Jimmy Olsen: The speed limit's 35, Miss Lane. I don't wanna get a ticket.
- Lois Lane: You're right.
....
- Clark Kent: Well, Miss Lane, maybe I'm just a super man.
....
- Sarah Kent: But the baby, Eben. we can't be dreaming. The baby's real.
- Eben Kent: Real as rain, and just as pretty.
....
- Jor-El: I warn you, the time will come—and that time is perhaps very near at hand when you will wish you'd heeded the words of Jor-El. When Krypton is shattered into a hundred million stars. When the glorious civilization is no more. When you and your families are swept from the face of this planet like dust.
....
- Clark Kent: We were playing baseball and the ball got lost. Nobody could find it. But all I had to do was look around and there it was behind a rock.
- Sarah Kent: You've got good eyes, that's all.
- Clark Kent: No, Mom, it's more than just good eyes. I didn't see the ball behind the rock, I saw the it right through the rock. Like my eyes were an x-ray machine. Like the rock wasn't even there.
....
- Sarah Kent: But the baby, Eben. we can't be dreaming. The baby's real.
- Eben Kent: Real as rain, and just as pretty.
....
- Lara: Here he is, Jor-El.
- Jor-El: You have him well-wrapped?
- Lara: Yes. Oh, he's so good. Not even a whimper.
- Jor-El: The model might carry both of you, Lara.
- Lara: No, I'm not going.
- Jor-El: You must.
- Lara: My place is here with you.
- Jor-El: Lara, please, there isn't time. The take-off pressure is building up and in a few seconds now...
- Lara: I'd be lost in a new world without you, Jor-El. If anyone is to survive, let it be our son.