Movie news and reviews for fans of movies focused on entertaining us, not winning awards and kissing critic butt
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Superboy: TV Series
I will keep this brief. I tried to watch 1st episode. For years this was impossible. I do not know how I missed this one, except maybe because 1988-1992 I was very busy with school etc. Then legal battles over owner ship of the creative properties and characters kept the videos out of publication. The complete 4 season series was recently released....
WOW This has to be the worst incarnation of the Superman world. 'Nuff Said...
I will wait for YOUTUBER to post for free as I love to watch the bad stuff... Many sleepless nights watching bad movies etc But I cannot justify this curiosity for any amount of coinage...
WIKI
Superboy is a half-hour live-action television series based on the fictionalDC Comics comic book character Kal-El's early years as Superboy. The show ran from 1988–1992 in syndication. It was renamed The Adventures of Superboy at the start of the third season.[4]
The Superboy series was brought to the screen by executive producers Ilyaand Alexander Salkind, the producers of the first three Superman movies and the 1984 Supergirl movie.[5] This series and the release of the 1988Superman animated series on CBS coincided with the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Superman character that year. Ironically, the series came about a year after DC Comics had "erased" the character of Superboyfrom their continuity in The Man of Steel reboot by John Byrne. Nevertheless, the show went on in October 1988 with John Haymes Newtonplaying the lead role of Superboy/Clark Kent, along with Stacy Haiduk as love interest Lana Lang and Jim Calvert as Clark's college roommate T.J. White.
Cast
Season 1
- John Haymes Newton - Superboy/Clark Kent[19]
- Stacy Haiduk - Lana Lang[20]
- Jim Calvert - T.J. (Trevor Jenkins) White
- Scott James Wells - Lex Luthor
- Michael Manno - Leo
- George Chakiris - Professor Peterson (Seasons 1 - 2)
- Roger Pretto - Lt. Zeke Harris
- Stuart Whitman - Jonathan Kent
- Salome Jens - Martha Kent
Seasons 2-4
- Gerard Christopher - Superboy/Clark Kent[21][22]
- Stacy Haiduk - Lana Lang[23]
- Ilan Mitchell-Smith - Andy McCalister (Season 2)[24]
- Peter Jay Fernandez - Matt Ritter (Seasons 3 - 4)
- Robert Levine - C. Dennis Jackson (Seasons 3 - 4)
- Gilbert Gottfried - Nick Knack (Season 2, 2 episodes)
- Sherman Howard - Lex Luthor
- Tracy Roberts - Darla
- Barry Meyers - Bizarro
- Stuart Whitman - Jonathan Kent
- Salome Jens - Martha Kent
- Darren Dowler - Alien Ship Commander (Episode - West of Alpha Centauri) and Nazi Leader (Episode - Golem) Dowler was the only supporting actor allowed to play multiple roles on the series.
- Danny Dyer - Hank
- Robert Hope - Stunt Coordinator
1950 Superman Serial
Not as good as the 1948 version. Far from being the best. Although I thought interesting note - small part of henchman played by Wally West but no relation to kid Flash LOL
WIKI
Plot
Cast
- Kirk Alyn as Superman/Clark Kent
- Noel Neill as Lois Lane
- Lyle Talbot as Lex Luthor/The Atom Man
- Tommy Bond as Jimmy Olsen
- Pierre Watkin as Perry White
- Jack Ingram as Foster (dapper henchman)
- Don C. Harvey as Albor (lab henchman)
- Rusty Wescoatt as Carl (beefy henchman)
- Terry Frost as Baer (medium henchman)
- Wally West as Henchman Dorr
- Paul Stader as 'Killer' Lawson
- George Robotham as Earl, TV truck cameraman-driver
Superman: Doomsday LIVE ACTION Fan Film
This is ridiculous snips of various movies and video games and maybe a little original footage to creat illusion of new movie... Decent Editing though. A die hard fan might like....
1940s Max Fleischer Superman - All 17 episodes and review
If you have not seen these, take some time and hit play. Save some time skipping the same opening sequence over and over. Each episode is about 6-7 minutes. Although listen to the opening sequence at least once. My favorite of all the TV/Serial Live action or animated before 1990.
"THE JEWELS" So basically most of the episodes feature Mad Scientists committing robberies and destruction. A few harken the WW2 times with German and Japanese stories. My favorite may be Episode 5 with a giant dinosaur. A 1990s Superman episode pays tribute when Luthor brings a Museum T-REX robot to life. But this episode is pre-Godzilla.
TRIVIA - Episode One was nominated for BEST ANIMATED SHORT Oscar. Lost to Disney's Pluto, but I challenge you to find better work of the time...
ENJOY!!!
IMDB
Superman (1940s cartoons)
1948 Superman Serial
Full Movie from YOUTUBE
For 1948, special effects are not horrible. I half expect a lizard to crawl out of volcano, as it looks like a 1950 monster film. The corporate board room of Krypton is funny to me. But this has to be the earliest origin story i have seen. And once you get into the serial, with adult Superman, many of the sequences look like 1950s TV show with moments of Max Fleischers Animated sequences for flying.
Interesting, Mr Kent says "You must use these powers for TRUTH, TOLERANCE, and JUSTICE." I have never heard "Tolerance" in the famous mantra before, but cool to see at such an early time. 1940s America was far from being the beacon of Tolerance for many.
IMDB
Superman (1948) is a 15-part black-and-white Columbia film serial based on the comic book character Superman. It stars an uncredited Kirk Alyn(billed only by his character name, Superman; but credited on the promotional posters) and Noel Neill as Lois Lane. Like Batman, it is notable as the first live-action appearance of Superman on film and for the longevity of its distribution. The serial was directed by Thomas Carr, who later directed many early episodes of the Adventures of Supermantelevision show, and Spencer Gordon Bennet, produced by Sam Katzmanand shot in and around Los Angeles, California. It was originally screened at movie matinées and after the first three scene-setting chapters, every episode ends in a cliffhanger. The Superman-in-flight scenes are animations, in part due to the small production budget.
Directed by | Spencer Gordon Bennet Thomas Carr |
---|---|
Produced by | Sam Katzman |
Written by | Lewis Clay Royal K. Cole Arthur Hoerl George H. Plympton Joseph F. Poland |
Based on | Characters by Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster |
Starring | Kirk Alyn (uncredited) Noel Neill Carol Forman Tommy Bond Forrest Taylor |
Music by | Mischa Bakaleinikoff |
Cinematography | Ira H. Morgan |
Editing by | Earl C. Turner |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 15 chapters (244 minutes) |
Language | English |
1943 Batman Serial
IMDB
Plot
Cast
- Lewis Wilson as Batman/Bruce Wayne
- Douglas Croft as Robin/Richard 'Dick' Grayson
- J. Carrol Naish as Dr. Tito Daka/Prince Daka
- Shirley Patterson as Linda Page
- William Austin as Alfred Pennyworth
- Robert Fiske as Foster
1942 Serial: Spy Smasher
One has to remember watching these, they were made a long time ago for 12 year old boys. That being said, this is a great watch. Maybe the best I have seen from the movie serials... Historical context, it is these serials that lead to TV versions of our favorite heroes...
IMDB
Spy Smasher (1942) is a Republic movie serial based on the Fawcett Comics character Spy Smasher. It was the 25th of the 66 serials produced by Republic. The serial was directed by William Witney with Kane Richmond and Marguerite Chapman as the leads. This serial was Chapman's big break into a career in movies and television. Spy Smasheris a very highly regarded serial. In 1966, a television movie was made from the serial footage under the title Spy Smasher Returns.
Cast
- Kane Richmond as Spy Smasher, his secret identity Alan Armstrong and his twin brother Jack. The twin brother was added by Republic but other characters, including Admiral Corby, his daughter Eve and the villain The Mask, are all from the original comic.[2]
- Marguerite Chapman as Eve Corby, Admiral Corby's daughter and Jack Armstrong's fiance.
- Sam Flint as Admiral Corby
- Hans Schumm as The Mask. The Nazi villain of the serial "appeared just as often without the disguise as with it, the only purpose of the mask seemed to be to make him familiar to comic book fans."[2]
- Tris Coffin as Drake, The Mask's spearhead heavy. Drake is a reporter working for the Ocean-wide Television Network. One of his espionage techniques was to leave the camera rolling after an interview inside Admiral Corby's office or a report from a crime scene. The broadcast was then picked up by the Mask in his submarine ("and presumably [by] the sets of any home viewer tuned into the proper channel").[2]
1941 Adventures of Captain Marvel - Full Movie All 12 of 12 episodes
One has to put things into context. Compared to today's movies and animations, many may have a hard time sitting through this 12-episode serial. For the young folks reading this, back in the day, before TV and the early days of Film, there would be news reels form the wars, animated shorts form Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny, and Super Hero serials like this one.
If you have seen a lot of these, you might recognize this one being better than most. And some how this feels more like what became the 1950s TV Superman style. In this version Billy is a little older than most, working as a reporter.
- Tom Tyler as Captain Marvel
- Frank Coghlan, Jr. as Billy Batson, radio operator with the Malcolm Expedition and secret identity of Captain Marvel.
- William Benedict as Whitey Murphy, a friend of Billy Batson.
- Louise Currie as Betty Wallace, a friend of Billy Batson and secretary to John Malcolm.
- Robert Strange as John Malcolm, leader of the Malcolm Expedition.
- Harry Worth as Prof Luther Bentley, a member of the Malcolm Expedition and the mystery villain The Scorpion.
- Bryant Washburn as Harry Carlyle
- John Davidson as Tal Chotali, the Malcolm Expedition's guide.
- George Pembroke as Dr. Stephen Lang, a member of the Malcolm Expedition.
- Peter George Lynn as Prof Dwight Fisher, a member of the Malcolm Expedition.
- Reed Hadley as Rahman Bar, the native chief in the Valley of the Tombs.
- Jack Mulhall as Howell
- Kenneth Duncan as Barnett
- Nigel De Brulier as Shazam, the wizard who gives Billy the power to become Captain Marvel.
- Tetsu Komai as Chan Lai
- Stanley Price as Owens
- Gerald Mohr as the voice of The Scorpion (uncredited)
Stamp Day for Superman 1954 Short Film
FROM IMDB
Clark Kent and Lois Lane, out for a stroll, discover a jewelry robbery in progress. Lois gets a good look at one of the burglars. Later Clark and Jimmy Olsen visit Jimmy's old school to discuss Superman's visit there to promote the U.S. Treasury Department's Savings Stamp program. In the meantime, Lois is captured by Blinky, the jewelry burglar she spotted. When Lois doesn't show up to join Clark and Jimmy, Clark realizes she's in trouble and arranges for Superman to save the day and still make his appearance at the school's Stamp Day.
George Reeves | ... | ||
Noel Neill | ... | ||
Jack Larson | ... | ||
John Hamilton | ... | ||
Tristram Coffin | ... | ||
Billy Nelson | ... |
Blinky
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