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 DVD
Review: The Adventures of Superman Season 3-4
TThe
26 episodes comprising "Seasons
3 and 4" of the classic Adventures of Superman
were spread out in airing between April 1955 and June 1956,
according to online episode guides. Because this period of time
contained only 26 new episodes, Warner Home Video has released
their latest box set to contain both seasons.
The
Adventures of Superman Seasons 3 & 4 are historic for
being one of the earliest American television programs to be
shot in color - even though most people did not see this innovation
until over a decade later. The addition of color to the series
gave it even more of a "living comic book" feel, and
if anything, you can be amused by the changing colors of Lois
Lane's hair from week to week.
The
cast of The Adventures of Superman is still terrific
in the third and fourth years. Noel Neill is especially a favorite
as an early take on a Lois Lane, and with her very unique voice,
it's not surprising that you could still pick that voice from
a crowd, you know, should she do any cameo appearances in any
other Super-projects later in life. George Reeves was the Superman
that I'm sure kids a generation older than me looked to as their
"hero," kind of like Christopher Reeve was when I
was growing up.
Plots
for The Adventures of Superman Seasons 3 & 4 were
not groundbreaking, but consistently fun, especially when you
put yourself into the mindset of what a child would have felt
and thought watching the show in 1955. I really liked "The
Wedding of Superman" and couldn't help but notice such
a story couldn't happen today - after all, isn't it a bit odd
that Lois would dream that Clark is Superman?
The
image quality on the DVD set is great considering these programs
are over 50 years old. Actually, the only place I noticed significant
grain was during the show's opening titles! And I'm so impressed
that color copies of these episodes have survived the decades
when you consider that color episodes of Doctor Who from
the early 1970's remain missing.
Special
features on the set include a look at "The Color Era"
of the program with more information on the changes the show
took as it went into a new era. There is also a feature on the
special effects of the show. Finally, as with many other Superman
DVD releases as of late, there is an excerpt from the Look!
Up In The Sky! Superman documentary.
I
give this set 4 stars out of five. If you grew up watching this
stuff, it may rank even higher. Ultimately, though, it's a very
well done set containing a very well done TV program. I'm so
glad the Superman television archives are available for multiple
generations to see.
Return
to KryptonSite's Adventures of Superman Page
Order
your copy on DVD!
AdventuresOfSupermanDVD.com
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