# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/61 "2013-04-25T13:03:09Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > 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. ---
**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, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/62 "2013-04-25T13:03:23Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Go ahead, call Superman a lizard brain to his face. See where that gets you. As I recall, he usually just laughed. ---
**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, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/63 "2013-04-25T13:10:23Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > 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.) ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/64 "2013-04-25T14:14:25Z")
> [@Adam60z](#): > > I never quite got what a “single bound” is. And whatever it is, does that mean as opposed to a double or triple bound?😕 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.” ---
**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, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/65 "2013-04-25T14:47:50Z")
And then, in the Silver Age, he didn’t need to breathe in space and could throw planets around. ---
**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, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/66 "2013-04-25T15:41:22Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > 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. ---
**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, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/67 "2013-04-25T15:42:33Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/68 "2013-04-25T16:23:23Z")
> [@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? [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? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/69 "2013-04-25T16:35:10Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > 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. ---
**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, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/70 "2013-04-25T16:39:54Z")
…and still took the time to answer the Zeet Zeet of his pal Jimmy’s signal watch. ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/71 "2013-04-25T17:11:56Z")
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. ---
**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, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/72 "2013-04-25T17:27:15Z")
> [@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. 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. ---
**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, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/73 "2013-04-25T17:33:51Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > 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”. ---
**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, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/74 "2013-04-25T17:40:09Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > “Seduction of the Innocent”. Yep, that’s what I get for remembering off the top of my head. (note to self: buy a hat.) ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/75 "2013-04-25T23:35:06Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > 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. ---
**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, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/76 "2013-04-25T23:50:06Z")
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. ---
**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 26, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/77 "2013-04-26T17:41:09Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/78 "2013-04-26T17:54:34Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > 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. ---
**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 26, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/79 "2013-04-26T17:55:12Z")
> [@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! 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. ---
**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 26, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899/80 "2013-04-26T18:17:11Z")
> [@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! 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. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-bugged-me-about-the-superman-tv-series/571899.md?page=5)