MAKING the jump for SUPERMAN from the Mutual Radio Network to the TV Screen would prove to be a greater task for the Man of Steel than his ability to high-jump over the Daily Planet Building in his proverbial "Single Bound!" The Producers, Robert Maxwell, Bernard Luber, Barney Sarecky and Comic Book Editor-Producer Whitney Ellsworth, all recognized that there were some certain special problems; acting immediately to rectify the problem, right straight out of the 'Starting Gate.'
FOR what had been a 15 minute daily afternoon program on the Mutual 'Web' the preferred format of the continued story serialization was ideally suited; for after all, whatever was the "cliff-hanger" situation one day would only require a day for the listener (we almost said "viewer") to be updated and have resolved. Even with the weekend the long Friday to Monday waiting period was a good fit*; most often calling for an even bigger fade-out situation than normal. The Radio Adventures of SUPERMAN kept the happenings of that befalling Superman/Kent (Bud Collyer), Lois Lane (Joan Alexander), Editor Perry White (Jackson Beck) and others on an ever interrupted, but regularly scheduled, time table.
BEING set-up as a weekly half-hour, to be seen on a particular night, the serialized story was definitely o-u-t; with the production crew opting instead for the complete ½ hour story. With the exception of Episodes # 25 & # 26, entitled "The Unknown People, Parts 1 & 2" (which were edited from the introductory feature movie SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE MEN! (National Comics/Lippert Pictures, 1951), all episodes were half hours, self contained stories, which made no reference to any other installment.**
THE only problem now was to make some choices about general story type and subject matter to be used in providing us with properly action filled and yet meaty story lines to keep our interest. There would be a gentle, tedious balancing act to follow; as the series was designed to have a wide family appeal. Being palatable and interesting for both Children as well as Adult viewers would prove to be the pinnacle requisite for the series; for the kids would be there and much of the grown-up population , would be comprised of those who were formerly juvenile readers of Action Comics and Superman Comics, dating back to the original publication in 1938!
POPULAR genres and topics in films then would be Western, Police (a natural), Science Fiction (ditto), Noir, Teen Age and Mystery. A show dedicated to some particularly popular trend of the times would also do well. The first season's "No Holds Barred" (About Pro Wrestling-then perhaps the most popular sports-entertainment TV) is a good example of this.
AS for today's lucky reviewable episode, "The Haunted Lighthouse", we have an example of the "Old Dark House" type of film, ever so popular since the silent film days; and even before as stage plays were done in this Genre; even before film.
OUR STORY .Jimmy Olsen is on a vacation trip to the coast of Maine where he visits an Aunt and Cousin whom he hasn't seen ever since his childhood. (Now there's a clue for you!) During the stay he is the subject of a lot of strange and hostile behaviour form his Aunt (Maude Prickett) and her son Cousin Chris (Jimmy Ogg). Furthermore, young Olsen claims to be hearing strange, ghostly cries for help at night in the calls of: "HELP, HELP! I'M DROWNING!" No one can or will substantiate his story; not even a pretty, young servant girl, Alice (Allene Roberts), who is both deaf and mute. A telephone (Long Distance!) to the Daily Planet and Clark Kent finally brings help in the form of Reporter Kent and Superman. Along with the assistance of the U.S. Coast Guard, the mystery is cleared up; all being explained logically. Even the night cries for "HELP, I'M DROWNING" turn out to be .well logically explained. Even Jim's real Aunt (Sarah Padden) shows up at the end to help explain all.
THIS entry is surprisingly good and holds up very well; even when viewed by some old geezer who's trying to reconnect with his childhood of over a half a century ago! With a little more filming and by extending it to about an hour's length; it could well have been a "B" movie at the Saturday Matinée. It would be the same sort of stuff that Poverty Row operations like Monogram, PRC, Republic and Lippert had been bringing us for the previous 30 years or so.
NOTE: * Yes, we can hear you protest that the Movie Serial/Cliff Hangers were shown a week part; but they were designed to brings the kids back to the Theatre, week after week via some spectacular fade out situations and a lot of going back in the next chapter, leading up to the old "switcheroo" of having the scene just a tad different than what we saw the previous week.
NOTE: ** There is one exception to this rule. Season Four's "The Deadly Rock", an episode about Kryptonite, makes reference to Season Two's "Panic In The Sky".
POODLE SCHNITZ!!
FOR what had been a 15 minute daily afternoon program on the Mutual 'Web' the preferred format of the continued story serialization was ideally suited; for after all, whatever was the "cliff-hanger" situation one day would only require a day for the listener (we almost said "viewer") to be updated and have resolved. Even with the weekend the long Friday to Monday waiting period was a good fit*; most often calling for an even bigger fade-out situation than normal. The Radio Adventures of SUPERMAN kept the happenings of that befalling Superman/Kent (Bud Collyer), Lois Lane (Joan Alexander), Editor Perry White (Jackson Beck) and others on an ever interrupted, but regularly scheduled, time table.
BEING set-up as a weekly half-hour, to be seen on a particular night, the serialized story was definitely o-u-t; with the production crew opting instead for the complete ½ hour story. With the exception of Episodes # 25 & # 26, entitled "The Unknown People, Parts 1 & 2" (which were edited from the introductory feature movie SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE MEN! (National Comics/Lippert Pictures, 1951), all episodes were half hours, self contained stories, which made no reference to any other installment.**
THE only problem now was to make some choices about general story type and subject matter to be used in providing us with properly action filled and yet meaty story lines to keep our interest. There would be a gentle, tedious balancing act to follow; as the series was designed to have a wide family appeal. Being palatable and interesting for both Children as well as Adult viewers would prove to be the pinnacle requisite for the series; for the kids would be there and much of the grown-up population , would be comprised of those who were formerly juvenile readers of Action Comics and Superman Comics, dating back to the original publication in 1938!
POPULAR genres and topics in films then would be Western, Police (a natural), Science Fiction (ditto), Noir, Teen Age and Mystery. A show dedicated to some particularly popular trend of the times would also do well. The first season's "No Holds Barred" (About Pro Wrestling-then perhaps the most popular sports-entertainment TV) is a good example of this.
AS for today's lucky reviewable episode, "The Haunted Lighthouse", we have an example of the "Old Dark House" type of film, ever so popular since the silent film days; and even before as stage plays were done in this Genre; even before film.
OUR STORY .Jimmy Olsen is on a vacation trip to the coast of Maine where he visits an Aunt and Cousin whom he hasn't seen ever since his childhood. (Now there's a clue for you!) During the stay he is the subject of a lot of strange and hostile behaviour form his Aunt (Maude Prickett) and her son Cousin Chris (Jimmy Ogg). Furthermore, young Olsen claims to be hearing strange, ghostly cries for help at night in the calls of: "HELP, HELP! I'M DROWNING!" No one can or will substantiate his story; not even a pretty, young servant girl, Alice (Allene Roberts), who is both deaf and mute. A telephone (Long Distance!) to the Daily Planet and Clark Kent finally brings help in the form of Reporter Kent and Superman. Along with the assistance of the U.S. Coast Guard, the mystery is cleared up; all being explained logically. Even the night cries for "HELP, I'M DROWNING" turn out to be .well logically explained. Even Jim's real Aunt (Sarah Padden) shows up at the end to help explain all.
THIS entry is surprisingly good and holds up very well; even when viewed by some old geezer who's trying to reconnect with his childhood of over a half a century ago! With a little more filming and by extending it to about an hour's length; it could well have been a "B" movie at the Saturday Matinée. It would be the same sort of stuff that Poverty Row operations like Monogram, PRC, Republic and Lippert had been bringing us for the previous 30 years or so.
NOTE: * Yes, we can hear you protest that the Movie Serial/Cliff Hangers were shown a week part; but they were designed to brings the kids back to the Theatre, week after week via some spectacular fade out situations and a lot of going back in the next chapter, leading up to the old "switcheroo" of having the scene just a tad different than what we saw the previous week.
NOTE: ** There is one exception to this rule. Season Four's "The Deadly Rock", an episode about Kryptonite, makes reference to Season Two's "Panic In The Sky".
POODLE SCHNITZ!!