This is a list of '' Adventures of Superman'' episodes. The first two seasons, comprising 52 episodes and half of the series' whole, were filmed in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

. In 1954, series producer Whitney Ellsworth insisted on filming in

color Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...

, as some home viewers were beginning to purchase color television sets. However, these episodes were still transmitted in black and white. Also beginning with season three, the series began to take on the lighthearted, whimsical tone of the ''Superman'' comic books of the 1950s. The villains were often caricatured, Runyonesque gangsters played with tongue in cheek. Violence on the show was toned down further. The only gunfire that occurred was aimed at Superman, and of course the bullets bounced off. Superman was less likely to engage in fisticuffs with the villains. On occasions when Superman did use physical force, he would take crooks out in a single karate-style chop or, if he happened to have two criminals in hand, banging their heads together. More often than not, the villains were likely to knock ''themselves'' out fleeing Superman. By then very popular to viewers,

Jimmy Olsen Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has ...

was now being played as the show's

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to Superman. Many of the plots featured him and

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...

being captured, only to be rescued at the last minute by Superman. Scripts for the last season did not always hit the campy lows of the previous two years and reestablished a bit of the seriousness of the show, often with science fiction elements such as a Kryptonite-powered robot (a left-over prop from "The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters"), atomic explosions, and impregnable metal cubes. In one of the last episodes, "The Perils of Superman" (a takeoff on '' The Perils of Pauline''), there was indeed deadly peril straight out of the movie serials: Lois gagged and tied to a set of railroad tracks with a speeding train bearing down on her,

Perry White Perry White is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is the editor-in-chief of the Metropolis newspaper the ''Daily Planet''. The character maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards and i ...

nearly sawed in half while tied to a log, Jimmy in a runaway car headed for a cliff, and Clark Kent immersed in a vat of acid. This was one of three episodes directed by

George Reeves George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 – June 16, 1959) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series '' Adventures of Superman'' (1952–1958). His death at age 45 from a g ...

himself in an attempt to inject some new life into the series. Noel Neill's hair was dyed a bright red for this season, though the color change was not apparent in the initial black-and-white broadcasts. Although Reeves's efforts did not save the series from cancellation, "The Perils of Superman" is regarded by some as one of the best episodes. The numbering scheme in the following list is derived from the purely consecutive numbering used in ''Superman: Serial to Cereal''.

Series overview

All six seasons of this series have been released on four

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box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

s by Warner Bros. Home Video.DVD release info
at

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Episodes

The following list of episodes is compiled from the websites IMDb.com (Internet Movie Database), Supermanhomepage.com, Answers.com, and Fandango.com.

Season 1 (1952–53)

Season 2 (1953–54)

Season 3 (1955)

Season 4 (1956)

Season 5 (1957)

Season 6 (1958)

References

Sources

* *''Superman: Serial to Cereal'', by Gary H. Grossman, 1976 *''Adventures of Superman''. Complete series DVD. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. 2006, 2007. Lists of American fantasy television series episodes Superman television series episodes Lists of DC Comics television series episodes {{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures of Superman