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The Adventures of Superman was a long-running radio serial that originally aired on the WOR home station in New York City from 1940 to 1951. It adapted DC Comics character Superman, who was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and first appeared in Action Comics #1 in June 1938.
The serial was sponsored by the Mutual Network, which produced many radio dramatizations during this era and first began broadcasting on August 31st, 1942. Each episode was fifteen minutes in length and ran three to five times a week on Saturday evenings. The voice talents behind the series comprised Bud Collyer as the voice of both mild-mannered Clark Kent and his super-powered alter ego Superman. Actress Joan Alexander voiced the role of Superman's ubiquitous paramour, Lois Lane and Jackson Beck was the voice of Beany Martin - a proto Jimmy Olsen. Beck also served as announcer on the series.
Since there were no reruns at that time, the series often used plot devices and plot twists to allow Collyer to have vacation time. Kryptonite allowed Superman to be incapacitated and incoherent with pain while the secondary characters took the focus instead. At other times, Batman (Stacy Harris) and Robin (Ronald Liss) appeared on the program in Superman's absence.
The scripts by B.P. Freeman and Jack Johnstone were directed by Robert and Jessica Maxwell, George Lowther, Allen Ducovny and Mitchell Grayson. Sound effects were created by Jack Keane, Al Binnie, Keene Crockett and John Glennon.
Opening[]
The Adventures of Superman is best known for it's iconic opening narrative, voiced by Jackson Beck, which has also been used in future dramatizations, and has become an iconic trademark of the Superman character. Although the opening narrative had changed slightly between 1940-1945, the most well-known version is as follows:
- "Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.'
Look! Up in the sky!
It's a bird!
It's a plane!
It's Superman!"
Notes & Trivia[]
- The Adventures of Superman serial is responsible for introducing several notable elements into the Superman mythos including the characters of Daily Planet managing editor Perry White, cub reporter Jimmy Olsen and police inspector Bill Henderson.
- Bud Collyer, Joan Alexander and Jackson Beck all reprised their respective roles of Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Perry White for the 1941 Superman film shorts produced by Max Fleischer. They all returned again twenty-five plus years later to voice the characters for the New Adventures of Superman animated series by Filmation Associates.