# Things that bugged me about the Superman TV series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2011, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899 "2011-02-19T10:05:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/41 "2011-02-26T17:11:34Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I always wondered if that was Fahrenheit or Celsius.šŸ˜ƒ First one, then the other. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/42 "2011-02-26T18:48:55Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > 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 ā€œLook! Up in the Sky!ā€ intro and Jimmy Olsen originated with the Bud Collier radio show. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/43 "2011-02-26T18:50:47Z")
Thereā€™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 movieā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/44 "2011-02-26T19:27:47Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I remember in the episode ā€œThe Big Freezeā€ a mad scientist immobilizes Supes by lowering his temperature to ā€œa thousand degrees below zero.ā€ > > I always wondered if that was Fahrenheit or Celsius.šŸ˜ƒ Is that why the T-1000 freeze scene looked familiar in Terminator 2? ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/45 "2011-02-26T20:19:59Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > The first two seasons were in black in white, starting with the third they sprang for color. Which is something Iā€™ve wondered about too. What were the extra costs involved and how much extra money did they make as more people bought color TVs. > [Adventures of Superman (TV series) - Wikipedia](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. Heā€™d jump out the window onto a mattress of whatever, and then theyā€™d cut to a flight scene. As a kid I thought I was pretty smart for noticing that the sound effect for Supermanā€™s flight was the same one they used for Sargent Preston and Yukon King when storm winds were blowing. ---
**Author:** ![Adam60z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Adam60z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adam60z)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/46 "2013-04-25T02:15:30Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Originally Superman only leapt, and didnā€™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 ā€œsingle boundā€ is. And whatever it is, does that mean as opposed to a double or triple bound?šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/47 "2013-04-25T03:31:34Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Noelle Neill didnā€™t look ANYTHING like Phyllis Coates. She was a thousand times hotter! šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/48 "2013-04-25T03:46:38Z")
Fahrenheit or Celsius? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/49 "2013-04-25T03:48:18Z")
> [@Adam60z](#): > > I never quite got what a ā€œsingle boundā€ is. And whatever it is, does that mean as opposed to a double or triple bound?šŸ˜• No mezzanine stops for HIM! ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/50 "2013-04-25T04:00:49Z")
If Perry white was the editor of a great metropolitan newspaper, why didnā€™t his skyscraper office have windows with a view, instead of that corrugated sheet metal or whatever that was? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/51 "2013-04-25T04:05:54Z")
> [@Adam60z](#): > > I never quite got what a ā€œsingle boundā€ is. A single jump. ā€œBoundā€ is a less-often used word for a jump. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/52 "2013-04-25T04:16:12Z")
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 doesnā€™t need to do that, since he can do it all in a single bound. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/53 "2013-04-25T04:39:54Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Fahrenheit or Celsius? Kelvin! šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/54 "2013-04-25T04:41:39Z")
> [@The\_Tooth](#): > > Fahrenheit or Celsius? First one, then tā€™ other. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/55 "2013-04-25T05:22:33Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > ā€¦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, heā€™d be fine. > [@kunilou](#): > > 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 appealā€¦ Fun fact Australiaā€™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. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/56 "2013-04-25T06:11:46Z")
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, youā€™d flinch anyway. Sure, a heavy metal object would do no harm when thrown at Superman. Heā€™s still going to flinch. Its a reflex action. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/57 "2013-04-25T12:24:45Z")
And itā€™s amazing how many times the heavy metal object had a chunk of kryptonite inside it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/58 "2013-04-25T12:37:29Z")
> [@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, youā€™d flinch anyway. > > Sure, a heavy metal object would do no harm when thrown at Superman. Heā€™s still going to flinch. Its a reflex action. He does have to have human responses well ingrained to maintain the Clark Kent character. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/59 "2013-04-25T12:54:39Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/60 "2013-04-25T13:01:43Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > 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. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899.md?page=4)