For years, the name Kirk Alyn was a trivia answer I had in my back pocket: who was the first actor to play Superman on screen? But, due to a combination of laziness and availability, I had never seen the two serials that Allyn played Superman in, 1948’s Superman and 1950’s Atom Man vs Superman. The former was one of the launch titles on the DC Universe app, and I had it bookmarked as a ‘watch one day’ title, waiting for the proverbial rainy day with nothing else to watch. But with DC Universe culling most of its video content, tomorrow, December 18th, is the last day that the Superman serial will be available on the platform. And so, I’m taking a one-week hiatus from Adventures of Superman to discuss a different Noel Neill joint, and the first on-screen appearance of Superman.
It is sort of shocking how much the first episode of Adventures of Superman and the first chapter of Superman have in common. Both, somewhat surprisingly for the time period, begin on Krypton with the full origin tale and end with Superman’s first big act of heroism. The first chapter here, however, contains one of the laziest lines of dialogue in cinematic history. Shortly after the Kents (with Pa again named Eben, like on Adventures) talk with adult Clark about his responsibility to society with his powers, we see Clark walking to a train station. The voiceover tells us, “Shortly after this, both his foster parents passed away:” no explanation, they’re just dead now.
One thing that is quite clear from the beginning is the improved production values, not just in things like special effects, but also in the quality of camera angles and general presentation. It’s important to remember that Adventures of Superman was an early pioneer in television, and the show was considered far more low rent and disposable than even a serial, which wasn’t exactly considered high art. But from the cinematography to the location scouting, you can tell that this crew was much closer to a film unit than a television one.
From a special effects standpoint, the biggest difference is how they deal with Superman’s flying. While Adventures uses the same few pieces of footage over and over, the serial decides to rotoscope in animation, making some of the best Superman flying ever seen on screen from a movement perspective, though the reality is totally sacrificed in the process. This is a clear case of just accepting the process for what it is, as once you recognize that all the flying is animated, it allows the animation to do some great stuff. This is some of the most fluid we’ve ever – and I include other animated series – we’ve seen Superman move. The animators seems to have decided to treat his flying like our swimming, and it’s a frankly brilliant decision. He glides in and out of windows with ease, and makes flying look fun and simple.
Even though we never see Alyn fly himself, his portrayal of Superman follows a similar trajectory. Alyn’s portrayal is entirely different than how George Reeves played the part. Reeves portrays Clark and Superman as basically the same person, and is a dick to everyone in either guise, Alyn plays them in a way much more similar to how Christopher Reeve would play him in the 1970s/1980s. Clark is unassuming and slow to show emotion, whereas Superman is all confidence. But unlike Reeves, Alyn doesn’t ever venture into super-dickery. One time, we see him with two crooks in headlocks, and they won’t talk. The most threatening he gets is to say “You should talk, sometimes I don’t know my own strength.” It’s the perfect Superman threat, and is delivered in a way that sounds both playful and a little scary.
Alyn, physically, is far more imposing than Reeves. Alyn has closer to a bodybuilder’s physique, with broad shoulders and noticeable biceps and pecs beneath his costume. While Reeves is built like a brick shithouse, he looks like a dad who played football 20 years ago and hasn’t exerted himself much since. I’m legitimately surprised how much I enjoyed Alyn’s performance, but more-so how it alters my perception of what Reeves did in the role.
Continued belowThis is especially clear because we see the same Lois Lane, Noel Neill, interacting with both. Neill is five or so years younger here, and acts far more playful in the role, especially in her interactions with Jimmy Olsen, played by Tommy Bond. Neill is allowed to do things like laugh and smile and appear to enjoy herself here, and her portrayal here is incredibly infectious. On Adventures, Lois is more of a nag than anything else, but here she’s got spunk. Neill and Alyn really give off Superman: The Movie vibes, which is coincidental, as they appear as Lois Lane’s parents in a cameo in that film.
As far as the story goes, it’s not exactly Citizen Kane, but there are a few interesting moments, including establishing a supervillain, the Spider Lady, as the antagonist. Superman also uses his full range of powers better here, including the oft-ignored super-hearing. A lot of the pros and cons of the story are specifically tied to this being a serial, and requiring a cliffhanger at each conclusion, but also needing an overarching story. Adventures never established any long-term villains, likely due to the 27 minute runtime, though there are lots of ways they could have given Superman a few regular nemeses.
Overall, this makes me want to track down the second serial, which was not on DC Universe, and makes me sad that we didn’t see more of this pairing in these roles. While Adventures would never have reached these highs on television, it’s fun to imagine what may have been.
Stray Observations:
– Kryptonite is used really well here, and there’s also a good explanation for why Superman is able to combat it (lead lined suit).
– Alyn says Krypton the way Marlon Brando does, despite everyone around them saying it differently.
– The only time cops are involved here are when Lois sets up Clark by reporting her car stolen and then giving it to Clark to drive. For once, Lois is the dick in the relationship here!
– Perry White is less of a buffoon here, but still pretty dull. That said, the Planet feels far more like a newspaper and less like an office building with two rooms in it.
– These were more based off of the radio show than the comics, which now makes me want to seek out the radio series.
Thanks for reading!
