Superman (serial)

Superman
Promotional poster
Directed bySpencer Gordon Bennet
Thomas Carr
Written byLewis Clay
Royal K. Cole
Arthur Hoerl
George H. Plympton
Joseph F. Poland
Based on
Superman
by
Produced bySam Katzman
StarringKirk Alyn
Noel Neill
Carol Forman
Tommy Bond
Forrest Taylor
CinematographyIra H. Morgan
Edited byEarl C. Turner
Music byMischa Bakaleinikoff
Color processBlack and white
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • January 5, 1948 (1948-01-05) (United States)
Running time
15 chapters (244 minutes)
LanguageEnglish

Superman is a 1948 15-part Columbia Pictures film serial based on the comic book character Superman. It stars an uncredited Kirk Alyn (billed on-screen only by his character's name, Superman; but credited as Kirk Alyn on the promotional posters) and Noel Neill as Lois Lane. Like Batman (1943), 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 Superman television series, and Spencer Gordon Bennet, produced by Sam Katzman, and 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.

A "tremendous" financial success,[1] the serial was a popular success that made Kirk Alyn famous and launched Noel Neill's career. A sequel serial, Atom Man vs. Superman, also directed by Bennet, was released in 1950.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference GMS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).