Things that bugged me about the Superman TV series

[PlainJain]

First, it opens with a guy in a crowded metropolis area looking up and yelling to all within earshot, startled, "LOOK...up in the sky, it's a bird!". So what? It it really important to point out birds in the sky? Aren't there millions of them in the city? Then some other piece of Samsonite pipes in with, "No, it's a plane!". Ummm, so what". Is that really newsworthy either?

Another thing that always bugged was his ability to puff up his chest and let bullets bounce of it but as soon as the bad guy ran out of ammo he would throw the gun at Supes. Now that in itself was stupid - if the bullets wont do it the thrown hand gun surely wont. But what was really weird was that the man of steel always had to dodge the thrown handgun. Huh?

And the whole "disguise" thing, not to mention his voice. Of course that applies to a lot of super heroes but Superman didn't even wear a mask.

And if he could fly without any sort of ornithopter-type movements or airfoil supports, why did he need a running start?

Don't get me wrong, I loved the show, I just thought there were some things that didn't make sense. Anyone else notice anything that seemed strange or bugged you?



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MODERATOR NOTE (26-Apr-2013) - Note that this thread is from 2011. The "new" posts resurrecting it begin with Post #46. -- CKDH

[GuanoLad]

And if he could fly without any sort of ornithopter-type movements or airfoil supports, why did he need a running start?Originally Superman only leapt, and didn't fly. Due to the different gravity that Earth had compared to Krypton, Superman was able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

[Rrose Selavy]

-deleted

[Capitaine Zombie]

Originally Superman only leapt, and didn't fly. Due to the different gravity that Earth had compared to Krypton, Superman was able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Yeah, but Superman is probably the SH whose abilities have been retconned the most. And that, almost from the start. Didnt he get his flying abilities from the Fleischer Brothers cartoons?

BTW, did he have a cape when he was in his bounce/leap mode? (On the other hand, I have always found the Hulk's bounces really hard to swallow).

[Bryan Ekers]

First, it opens with a guy in a crowded metropolis area looking up and yelling to all within earshot, startled, "LOOK...up in the sky, it's a bird!". So what? It it really important to point out birds in the sky? Aren't there millions of them in the city? Then some other piece of Samsonite pipes in with, "No, it's a plane!". Ummm, so what". Is that really newsworthy either?

I admit, it is pretty dumb for someone to call attention to a bird, but I'd like to point out that this line is derived from the 1940s radio series and cartoons, in which the distinctive voices indicated:

Person 1: Look! Up in the sky!
Person 2: [presumably offering a mundane explanation] It's a bird.
Person 3: [presumably offering a mundane explanation that takes the object's speed into account] It's a plane.
Person 4: It's Superman!

For some reason, the TV series buried the distinction between 1 and 2.

Another thing that always bugged was his ability to puff up his chest and let bullets bounce of it but as soon as the bad guy ran out of ammo he would throw the gun at Supes. Now that in itself was stupid - if the bullets wont do it the thrown hand gun surely wont. But what was really weird was that the man of steel always had to dodge the thrown handgun. Huh?

There's at least one shot (presumably a composite) that shows a handgun boucing off Superman's chest. Given the tight budgets and schedules, though, I can see why it's easier to just tell Reeves to duck.

And the whole "disguise" thing, not to mention his voice. Of course that applies to a lot of super heroes but Superman didn't even wear a mask.

He relies on a widespread form of faceblindness known as Lois Lane's Disease.

[Heyoka13]

Something I found odd about the 1950s series was that is was clearly produced with a very limited budget, yet the shows creators sprang for color film.

Also, the show did feature in one episode, a criminal who had made himself a cozy comfy apartment in a cube of material that even Superman could not fracture. He did this so as to let the statute of limitations run out on his crimes, and then he could emerge from the structure and enjoy his ill gotten gains. Superman had the government speed up the time signals the criminal was receiving and tricked him into emerging early where he was then arrested.


Amazing, to me at least, to have as an essential plot line of all the episodes the incredible powers of Superman, yet in this one, we have a Supermanproof container.

BTW, wouldn't this material be FAR more valuable than any ill gotten gains,wasn't the criminal stupid to not sell the formula to the US military defense contractors?



(yeah, I am attempting to establish my geek credentials;))

[Bill Door]

Something I found odd about the 1950s series was that is was clearly produced with a very limited budget, yet the shows creators sprang for color film.

Also, the show did feature in one episode, a criminal who had made himself a cozy comfy apartment in a cube of material that even Superman could not fracture. He did this so as to let the statute of limitations run out on his crimes, and then he could emerge from the structure and enjoy his ill gotten gains. Superman had the government speed up the time signals the criminal was receiving and tricked him into emerging early where he was then arrested.


Amazing, to me at least, to have as an essential plot line of all the episodes the incredible powers of Superman, yet in this one, we have a Supermanproof container.

BTW, wouldn't this material be FAR more valuable than any ill gotten gains,wasn't the criminal stupid to not sell the formula to the US military defense contractors?



(yeah, I am attempting to establish my geek credentials;))

I'm bugged by this episode for different reasons. I seem to remember that Superman develops the ability to somehow vibrate his molecules to allow him to penetrate the Superman proof container, but a threat to a hostage forced him to back out. Superman never uses this ability again, just like the ability to split into two half-powered Supermen that he picked up while in a South American prison.

[PlainJain]

(yeah, I am attempting to establish my geek credentials;))
Yup, me too. I wasn't ragging on him just pointing out funny inconsistencies

[Heyoka13]

I'm bugged by this episode for different reasons. I seem to remember that Superman develops the ability to somehow vibrate his molecules to allow him to penetrate the Superman proof container, but a threat to a hostage forced him to back out. Superman never uses this ability again, just like the ability to split into two half-powered Supermen that he picked up while in a South American prison.

You are right! Seems like there was a risk of Superman 'fusing' into the material, too.

And I think Superman had to have a scientist explain to him how to use that power.

What good is a superpower if it does not come with instructions?:smack:

[Arkcon]

I thought the Supergirl movie was a pretty stupid version of this. In a world where Superman exists, and his powers and abilities are well known, a woman arrives in a similar outfit, and who do some rednecks do? Lift up her skirt. Oooo...real smart move there guys.

[C K Dexter Haven]

Bryan Ekers has explained the bird/plane situation.

The show was a 1950s kids' show. They didn't strive for realism, or even for plausibility, let alone consistency. Superman was WAY less powerful than (say) the Christopher Reeve movie. He bent steel bars, bullets bounced off him, but there was no way that he would stop a locomotive or catch a nuclear missile. It was mostly budget, of course, but it was also that he was just very, very strong (and invulnerable, x-ray vision, etc.)

You're kvetching that Superman ducked when the crook threw the gun at him? What kinda stupid crook throws a gun at someone whom bullets bounce off?

[priapus]

What I loved about the series is the way Reeves made the whole thing plausible. I bought the Reeves dvd series and I've seen the Kirk Alyn serials. Reeves is still the most mature, believable Superman in my old eyes

[Bryan Ekers]

but there was no way that he would stop a locomotive


But... but.... he's more powerful than a locomotive! The voice said so!

[The Second Stone]

But he would not stop a locomotive. He's not an idiot like Lucy and Ethyl.

[Cyros]

What good is a superpower if it does not come with instructions?:smack:

You will have to ask Ralph Hinkley.

[GuanoLad]

Didnt he get his flying abilities from the Fleischer Brothers cartoons?I thought that was what the OP was talking about.

I've never watched any Superman cartoons, they didn't play them where I grew up.

[The Other Waldo Pepper]

BTW, did he have a cape when he was in his bounce/leap mode?

Yep. Here's the front cover of his first appearance, where he's of course dressed kinda like a circus strongman -- cape and tights with underpants on the outside -- and is playing weightlifter with the big fine '30s-style car he's looking to smash. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/yeung/actioncomics/cover.html

[samclem]

I've never watched any Superman cartoons, they didn't play them where I grew up.
Same here, although I had a tv since 1948. If you want to see the first one, 10 minutes of your life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU8JdKp5BtI

[rowrrbazzle]

But what was really weird was that the man of steel always had to dodge the thrown handgun. Huh?And when the bad guys tried to punch him in a final act of desperation, instead of just taking the punch he blocked it.

[RealityChuck]

Something I found odd about the 1950s series was that is was clearly produced with a very limited budget, yet the shows creators sprang for color film.

Also, the show did feature in one episode, a criminal who had made himself a cozy comfy apartment in a cube of material that even Superman could not fracture. He did this so as to let the statute of limitations run out on his crimes, and then he could emerge from the structure and enjoy his ill gotten gains. Superman had the government speed up the time signals the criminal was receiving and tricked him into emerging early where he was then arrested.


Amazing, to me at least, to have as an essential plot line of all the episodes the incredible powers of Superman, yet in this one, we have a Supermanproof container.Actually, it wasn't Supermanproof. Superman was able to get inside (he showed how he could do it later -- by walking through the wall), but used the time signal trick because breaking in would have gotten Lois and Jimmy killed.

The bigger flaw was that why did he have to come out of the cube exactly at noon? If he waited an extra day just to be safe, he'd be fine.

[TriPolar]

And still, George Reeves, best Superman actor ever.

[kunilou]

Anyone else notice anything that seemed strange or bugged you?

Didja ever notice that, much like Springfield, Metropolis had a seaport, desert, mountains, small towns, international airport, world-class academic and medical researchers and four-season climate within walking distance, and yet had a newspaper with only three reporters?

[astorian]

He relies on a widespread form of faceblindness known as Lois Lane's Disease.


Well, if nobody noticed that Lois herself changed her appearance completely overnight (Noelle Neill didn't look ANYTHING like Phyllis Coates), why would anyone notice that Clark Kent looked a lot like Superman?

[Beware of Doug]

And still, George Reeves, best Superman actor ever.This. Despite pushing (and then passing) 40, with plenty of padding in the chest and apparent salt & pepper hair. You could believe the guy had been fighting crime since 1938. He'd been around.

[Chronos]

On the thrown gun thing, my understanding as a kid was that Superman himself wasn't actually invulnerable; it was just the S emblem on his chest that was bulletproof. So when the baddies were shooting at his center of mass, he was fine, but when they threw the gun at his head, he had to duck. At least, that's what I remember, though I'm not sure if I got that from any canon source.

[Grumman]

On the thrown gun thing, my understanding as a kid was that Superman himself wasn't actually invulnerable; it was just the S emblem on his chest that was bulletproof. So when the baddies were shooting at his center of mass, he was fine, but when they threw the gun at his head, he had to duck. At least, that's what I remember, though I'm not sure if I got that from any canon source.
I'm pretty sure you're wrong. The Punisher has the great big skull to make people shoot him in his bullet-proof vest, but Superman doesn't. You're just forgetting the incredibly obvious: Superman is immune to thrown pistols, but the actor isn't.

[BigT]

I'm pretty sure you're wrong. The Punisher has the great big skull to make people shoot him in his bullet-proof vest, but Superman doesn't. You're just forgetting the incredibly obvious: Superman is immune to thrown pistols, but the actor isn't.

Couldn't they have cut to Supes stopping the "bullets", and then cut back to the guy holding a foam gun, and then throw it at Supes? It was good enough for the metal bars.

[Bryan Ekers]

Couldn't they have cut to Supes stopping the "bullets", and then cut back to the guy holding a foam gun, and then throw it at Supes? It was good enough for the metal bars.

Hey, those foam guns have corners, y'know. You could put someone's eye out, or it'll kinda sting, anyway.

[Double Foolscap]

On the thrown gun thing, my understanding as a kid was that Superman himself wasn't actually invulnerable; it was just the S emblem on his chest that was bulletproof. So when the baddies were shooting at his center of mass, he was fine, but when they threw the gun at his head, he had to duck. At least, that's what I remember, though I'm not sure if I got that from any canon source.

That was the explanation I've read for Batman's yellow emblem, but not Superman.

Re: the disguise thing: one of the comics mentions that a minor superpower Superman has is mass hypnosis. Everybody sees Clark Kent as some blonde dude.

[Bryan Ekers]

Re: the disguise thing: one of the comics mentions that a minor superpower Superman has is mass hypnosis. Everybody sees Clark Kent as some blonde dude.

Superman #330 (December 1978). Everyone sees Clark as frail and smaller than Superman, because that's the image he's trying to convey.

[Chronos]

Superman #330 (December 1978). Everyone sees Clark as frail and smaller than Superman, because that's the image he's trying to convey. Which doesn't actually require a superpower, just good acting skills. As evidenced wonderfully by Christopher Reeves.

[Jim's Son]

Something I found odd about the 1950s series was that is was clearly produced with a very limited budget, yet the shows creators sprang for color film.





;))



The first two seasons were in black in white, starting with the third they sprang for color. Which is something I've wondered about too. What were the extra costs involved and how much extra money did they make as more people bought color TVs.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Superman_(TV_series)#Color_seasons.2C_1954.E2.80.931958



I used to wonder what would happen if there was a janitor in the storeroom whenever Clark Kent changed into Superman. And did he wear his suit and tie underneath his Superman costume?

[samclem]

Something I found odd about the 1950s series was that is was clearly produced with a very limited budget, yet the shows creators sprang for color film.

The first two seasons were in black in white, starting with the third they sprang for color. Which is something I've wondered about too. What were the extra costs involved and how much extra money did they make as more people bought color TVs.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Superman_(TV_series)#Color_seasons.2C_1954.E2.80.931958


Now that you bring this up, a good question.

Color tvs were only rolled out in 1954. They cost $1000 at that point. They didn't sell very well.

by 1957, they were down to $500.

There were 44 million tv sets in the US in 1957. 300,000 of them were color. No good reason to make your tv show in color.


I

[pseudotriton ruber ruber]

I used to wonder what would happen if there was a janitor in the storeroom whenever Clark Kent changed into Superman.

"Look! Up in the sky!"

"It's a bird!"

"It's a plane!"

"Actually, it looks kinda like an elderly guy holding some sort of mop..."

[Ike Witt]

I don't remember all the Fleischer cartoons but I do remember Superman leaping in one of them. IIRC, Supes leapt from the ground and then pushed off a skyscraper to get some good distance. The episode I am remembering is The Mechanical Monsters, I think. That was one of the early cartoons, full fledged flying may have come in a later one. I'll have to re-watch them.

[kunilou]

There were 44 million tv sets in the US in 1957. 300,000 of them were color. No good reason to make your tv show in color.

Not if you were a network show, but syndicators were using a different business model. By 1955, when Superman was first shot in color, first-run syndicated programs were losing their appeal. The networks were filling more time during the day, and older, more popular network shows themselves were starting to be syndicated.

So smarter syndicators started looking at ways to lengthen the shelf life of their products. Ziv had filmed Cisco Kid in color from the very beginning. Both it and Superman were still being run by stations like WGN into the 1980s.

[Greg Charles]

Well, if nobody noticed that Lois herself changed her appearance completely overnight (Noelle Neill didn't look ANYTHING like Phyllis Coates), why would anyone notice that Clark Kent looked a lot like Superman?

I watched the Superman reruns as a kid and yet somehow never noticed that there were different Loises. It wasn't until Joel and the Bots pointed out that one of their MST3K experiments had both of them in it, that I did finally recognize them as two distinct women.

[TriPolar]

I didn't notice either when I was a kid. I think because both Noelle Neill and Phyllis Coates look exactly like Lois Lane.

[kunilou]

Almost as much as changing actresses, Noel Neill dyed her hair red for the color episodes so it would pop on screen. You couldn't tell during the black and white era, but her natural hair color was brown.

[Colibri]

I remember in the episode "The Big Freeze" a mad scientist immobilizes Supes by lowering his temperature to "a thousand degrees below zero."

I always wondered if that was Fahrenheit or Celsius.:D

[Uosdwis R. Dewoh]

I always wondered if that was Fahrenheit or Celsius.:D
First one, then the other.

[Dr. Rieux]

Yeah, but Superman is probably the SH whose abilities have been retconned the most. And that, almost from the start. Didnt he get his flying abilities from the Fleischer Brothers cartoons?

No. the flying, like the "Look! Up in the Sky!" intro and Jimmy Olsen originated with the Bud Collier radio show.

[Dr. Rieux]

There's a good book out by Jake Rossen, Superman Vs. Hollywood, that covers all the media adaptations, starting with the radio show, up through the 2006 movie..

[Heyoka13]

I remember in the episode "The Big Freeze" a mad scientist immobilizes Supes by lowering his temperature to "a thousand degrees below zero."

I always wondered if that was Fahrenheit or Celsius.:D



Is that why the T-1000 freeze scene looked familiar in Terminator 2?

[cosmosdan]

The first two seasons were in black in white, starting with the third they sprang for color. Which is something I've wondered about too. What were the extra costs involved and how much extra money did they make as more people bought color TVs.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Superman_(TV_series)#Color_seasons.2C_1954.E2.80.931958



I used to wonder what would happen if there was a janitor in the storeroom whenever Clark Kent changed into Superman. And did he wear his suit and tie underneath his Superman costume?

The movie which explores Reeves death is interesting on that. His original costume was very bland , grey and something, just to get contrast on a black and white.
The personal appearances are funny as well. Reeves having a couple of belts back stage before he went on. I wonder if anybody noticed Superman had whiskey breath.

IN the movie they portray a wire breaking during a flight scene which changed production. He'd jump out the window onto a mattress of whatever, and then they'd cut to a flight scene.
As a kid I thought I was pretty smart for noticing that the sound effect for Superman's flight was the same one they used for Sargent Preston and Yukon King when storm winds were blowing.

[Adam60z]

Originally Superman only leapt, and didn't fly. Due to the different gravity that Earth had compared to Krypton, Superman was able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
I never quite got what a "single bound" is. And whatever it is, does that mean as opposed to a double or triple bound?:confused:

[terentii]

Noelle Neill didn't look ANYTHING like Phyllis Coates.

She was a thousand times hotter! :p

[The Tooth]

Fahrenheit or Celsius?

[Bryan Ekers]

I never quite got what a "single bound" is. And whatever it is, does that mean as opposed to a double or triple bound?:confused:

No mezzanine stops for HIM!

[Son of a Rich]

If Perry white was the editor of a great metropolitan newspaper, why didn't his skyscraper office have windows with a view, instead of that corrugated sheet metal or whatever that was?

[Der Trihs]

I never quite got what a "single bound" is. A single jump. "Bound" is a less-often used word for a jump.

[Chronos]

Yeah, I mean, I can jump all the way to the top of a building, too. It just takes me a really long time, jumping one step at a time on the staircase, and maybe stopping for a breather every few floors. Superman doesn't need to do that, since he can do it all in a single bound.

[terentii]

Fahrenheit or Celsius?

Kelvin! :D

[Robot Arm]

Fahrenheit or Celsius?First one, then t' other.

[alphaboi867]

...The bigger flaw was that why did he have to come out of the cube exactly at noon? If he waited an extra day just to be safe, he'd be fine.

Not if you were a network show, but syndicators were using a different business model. By 1955, when Superman was first shot in color, first-run syndicated programs were losing their appeal...

Fun fact Australia's first TV series, The Adventures of Long John Silver (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Long_John_Silver) was filmed in colour 20 yrs before colour TV was introduced in Australia and 2 yrs before television :eek: was introduced in Australia. It was always intended to be sold to British & American markets.

[Peter Morris]

If I suddenly threw a tennis ball at your head, it would bounce off harmlessly, and do you no damage. You know this if you think about it. Chances are, you'd flinch anyway.

Sure, a heavy metal object would do no harm when thrown at Superman. He's still going to flinch. Its a reflex action.

[Prof. Pepperwinkle]

And it's amazing how many times the heavy metal object had a chunk of kryptonite inside it.

[TriPolar]

If I suddenly threw a tennis ball at your head, it would bounce off harmlessly, and do you no damage. You know this if you think about it. Chances are, you'd flinch anyway.

Sure, a heavy metal object would do no harm when thrown at Superman. He's still going to flinch. Its a reflex action.

He does have to have human responses well ingrained to maintain the Clark Kent character.

[DrFidelius]

He does have to have human responses well ingrained to maintain the Clark Kent character.

If his powers and abilities did not manifest until puberty (which seems to be the general consensus nowadays) then he would have had between eleven and thirteen years to learn that things being thrown at your head will hurt. This type of lizard-brain programming is not something you can overcome easily.

[TriPolar]

If his powers and abilities did not manifest until puberty (which seems to be the general consensus nowadays) then he would have had between eleven and thirteen years to learn that things being thrown at your head will hurt. This type of lizard-brain programming is not something you can overcome easily.

Go ahead, call Superman a lizard brain to his face. See where that gets you.

[Kamino Neko]

If his powers and abilities did not manifest until puberty (which seems to be the general consensus nowadays)

It wasn't at the time the George Reeves show was on the air - back then, the story was he had his powers from the moment he hit the Earth.

OTOH, this was, though, after the point when his powers were assumed to be a consequence of being on Earth, and its different environment than Krypton, and since Kryptonians didn't go extinct until their planet exploded, one has to assume 'dodge or block the thing being thrown at you' is an instinct they'd have had as well.

[Prof. Pepperwinkle]

Go ahead, call Superman a lizard brain to his face. See where that gets you.

As I recall, he usually just laughed.

[DrFidelius]

Go ahead, call Superman a lizard brain to his face. See where that gets you.

Seriously, he's the Big Blue Boy Scout. That corn-fed farmboy would just smile indulgently and maybe give me a lecture about being impolite.

(Now, Wonder Woman? If you catch her in a bad mood, she's likely to snap your neck. Always be deferential to an Amazon.)

[epbrown01]

I never quite got what a "single bound" is. And whatever it is, does that mean as opposed to a double or triple bound?:confused:

Remember, Supes has changed over the years. Originally, he couldn't fly - he jumped/bounded everywhere (pretty much like the Hulk does now). The "leap tall buildings" line was a testament to his great strength, like "more powerful than a speeding locomotive."

[Prof. Pepperwinkle]

And then, in the Silver Age, he didn't need to breathe in space and could throw planets around.

[Son of a Rich]

And then, in the Silver Age, he didn't need to breathe in space and could throw planets around.

And travel through time forward and back, depending on which direction he flew around the Earth.

But despite all the :rolleyes: on my part, if I came across a big stack of old Supermans and/or Action comics, I wouldn't be able to stop until I read them all.

[Son of a Rich]

nm

[kunilou]

If Perry white was the editor of a great metropolitan newspaper, why didn't his skyscraper office have windows with a view, instead of that corrugated sheet metal or whatever that was?

Look carefully (http://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/article/665/665995/the-adventures-of-superman-the-complete-first-season-20051110042205134-000.jpg). That's not a window behind that corrugated thingy, that's a freakin' balcony, which the Man of Steel sometimes used for entrances and exits. How many captains of industry these days have a balcony?

[Kamino Neko]

And then, in the Silver Age, he didn't need to breathe in space and could throw planets around.

Forget planets, he threw STARS around.

[Prof. Pepperwinkle]

...and still took the time to answer the Zeet Zeet of his pal Jimmy's signal watch.

[Satchmo]

Yah, but did he ever turn into a zombie? Red Kryptonite maybe?

Seriously, I grew up watching the reruns, never missed it if I could help it.
I also highly recommend Hollywoodland (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427969/?ref_=sr_1). He was an interesting fellow.

[Prof. Pepperwinkle]

Yah, but did he ever turn into a zombie? Red Kryptonite maybe?

Seriously, I grew up watching the reruns, never missed it if I could help it.
I also highly recommend Hollywoodland (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427969/?ref_=sr_1). He was an interesting fellow.

Nope, the Comics Code Authority explicitly forbade the use of Zombies (due to the undue influence of Dr. Wertham's book, The Corruption of the Innocent, which basically made superhero and horror comics the sole reason for the decline in American society.

Hollywoodland IS a very good movie.

[Son of a Rich]

Nope, the Comics Code Authority explicitly forbade the use of Zombies (due to the undue influence of Dr. Wertham's book, The Corruption of the Innocent, which basically made superhero and horror comics the sole reason for the decline in American society.

Hollywoodland IS a very good movie.

"Seduction of the Innocent".

[Prof. Pepperwinkle]

"Seduction of the Innocent".

Yep, that's what I get for remembering off the top of my head. (note to self: buy a hat.)

[TBG]

Nope, the Comics Code Authority explicitly forbade the use of Zombies (due to the undue influence of Dr. Wertham's book, The Corruption of the Innocent, which basically made superhero and horror comics the sole reason for the decline in American society.

Hollywoodland IS a very good movie.

I liked how Marvel got around this rule by just calling them zuvembies instead of zombies.

[Prof. Pepperwinkle]

Yeah, but even then they waited until the mood had changed. By that time they were publishing titles like Tomb of Dracula and Werewolf By Night and Son of Satan and Brother Voodoo. So, it was time for the return of the, er, zuvembies.

[Son of a Rich]

I just remembered a scene that's bugged me off and on since I first saw it. Jimmy and Lois (at least I think that's who it was) were trapped at the bottom of a wide well. In order to escape, they went back to back, and walked up the sides. I think that execrable Batman series featured a similar scenario. I always wondered what they did when they got to the top. I can't imagine anything they could do that wouldn't result in a fall back down.
Hey, Mythbusters!

[TreacherousCretin]

As a kid I thought I was pretty smart for noticing that the sound effect for Superman's flight was the same one they used for Sargent Preston and Yukon King when storm winds were blowing.

Wow. Good catch. I used to watch both programs (although Sergeant P&YK much less often) and never noticed that.

[TriPolar]

I just remembered a scene that's bugged me off and on since I first saw it. Jimmy and Lois (at least I think that's who it was) were trapped at the bottom of a wide well. In order to escape, they went back to back, and walked up the sides. I think that execrable Batman series featured a similar scenario. I always wondered what they did when they got to the top. I can't imagine anything they could do that wouldn't result in a fall back down.
Hey, Mythbusters!

They should be able to lean to the side and grab the rim of the well. It would be tricky, one or both of them could easily fall back in. I remember the episode, but no details, perhaps there was some structure over the top like a pail winch they could grab. I recall a Batman comic book escape that would have been impossible in trying to get out of locked room through a trap door in the ceiling, I think they showed the door swinging up, so even after managing to climb up a makeshift rope hooked to the door Batman never would have been able to open it.

[Prof. Pepperwinkle]

I just remembered a scene that's bugged me off and on since I first saw it. Jimmy and Lois (at least I think that's who it was) were trapped at the bottom of a wide well. In order to escape, they went back to back, and walked up the sides. I think that execrable Batman series featured a similar scenario. I always wondered what they did when they got to the top. I can't imagine anything they could do that wouldn't result in a fall back down.
Hey, Mythbusters!

I should think it's obvious. They get to the top, and cut to another scene. When the camera returns to them, they're out. It always worked in the movie serials, too! Your problem is one of temporal continuity: you assume they exist when they aren't on camera. ;)

[C K Dexter Haven]

MODERATOR COMMENT: Prior to post #46, this thread dates from 2011. I've added a note to the first post. We're OK with resurrecting old threads, I just don't want anyone upset at not getting a response from someone who posted two years ago.

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Now, commenting as a poster:
Look carefully (http://dvdmedia.ign.com/dvd/image/article/665/665995/the-adventures-of-superman-the-complete-first-season-20051110042205134-000.jpg). That's not a window behind that corrugated thingy, that's a freakin' balcony, which the Man of Steel sometimes used for entrances and exits. How many captains of industry these days have a balcony?Yes, clearly a balcony, and I always assumed the "corrugated thingy" was some sort of blinds, closed to keep out the direct sun.

[Kamino Neko]

They should be able to lean to the side and grab the rim of the well.

Yeah...even if the well is so large, their arms are fully extended through the whole climb, they'd just need to brace their butts and feet, lean forward, and get their arms
over the edge.

[gytalf2000]

She was a thousand times hotter! :p


For me, Noelle Neill was conventionally "prettier", but Phyllis Coates was much "hotter" -- if that makes any sense...