Episode 101: Superman on Earth

Adventures of Superman
Season 1, Episode 1
Air date	September 19, 1952
Written by	Richard Fielding, Whitney Ellsworth (earlier drafts)
Directed by	Thomas Carr
Episode Guide
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Baby Superman arrives on Earth, grows up and uses his powers to benefit humankind.

Cast

Main cast

• George Reeves as Superman / Clark Kent
• Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane
• John Hamilton as Perry White
• Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen

Guest starring

• Herbert Rawlinson as Rozan
• Stuart Randall as Gogan
• Aline Towne as Lara
• Frances Morris as Sarah Kent
• Dani Nolan as Miss Bachrach

Uncredited cast

• Tom Fadden as Eben Kent
• Robert Rockwell as Jor-El
• Joel Nestler as Teenaged Clark Kent
• Sam Flint as Doctor
• Dabbs Greer as Man saved from dirigible fall
• Stuart Holmes as Kryptonian Council Member
• Jack Narz as Narrator

Production notes

• Actor Ross Elliott is listed first among the episodic players, but does not appear in the actual episode. According to copies of the actual call sheets, Elliott was originally cast as Jor-El but replaced by Robert Rockwell, and the end credits reflected the call sheets rather than the final episode. This error occurred in several other first season episodes.

• The episode's opening narration, describing Krypton and naming the Council's meeting place as "the Temple of Wisdom," is taken almost word for word from the first radio episode, "The Baby from Krypton," by radio writer George Ludlam (February 12, 1940). The radio episode was also the first appearance in any media outside of comics of Jor-El (spelled "Jor-L" in the script) , Rozan, and the Krypton Council (Action Comics #1 only acknowledges that the planet exploded and that Superman's father was a "scientist.", but Superman Dailies (1939) gave a thorough explanation on Jor-L and Lora's attempts to save their child)
• Despite Jor-El being spelled as Jor-L in the script Kal's mother is pronounced "Lara" instead of "Lora" (originally Kal-L's parents were called Jor-L and Lora and Are called in Earth-2 Superman continuity) by him in this episode.
• This is first ever time Pa Kent (called Eben in this version) dies before Ma Kent (called Sarah in this version) dies first and first time ever from heart attack, Also it is first time ever in any media including comics when only Ma Kent (in Superman (1948) both Kents were alive) is still alive when Clark Kent is old enough to get work as a journalist of Metropolis and old enough to become and be called "Superman"
• In real life of Superman's co-creator's Jerry Siegel his father Michael Siegel (formerly Mikhel Iankel Segalovich, Lithuanian Jewish immigrant from Russian Empire's state of Lithuania) also died from heart attack in June of 1932, following attempted robbery at gun point earlier than that.
• People of Krypton are still called "race of supermen" and said to be "advanced to an absolute peak of human perfection" similar to Superman newspaper comic strips and The Adventures of Superman (radio) versions , but despite that they did not showing any remarkable strenght (like in original Jerome Siegel version which also influenced Radio show) or x-ray vision ability back on planet Krypton (like in Bill Finger version).
• Unlike Superman comics since 1948's Bill Finger's rendition of Superman's origin (Superman #53) neither people of Krypton nor Jor-El exclusively were shown to wear capes or trunks over their pants. Therefore within Tv Show's continuity there is not even a tangent explanation behind design of Superman's costume.
• This episode came out in the same year as future classic and legendary Superman actor and humanitarian Christopher Reeve was born, 1952. It also greatly influenced the very Superman The Movie's origin details he starred in. Details such as : Pa Kent dying first and from heart attack, baby Kal being wrapped in red and blue blankets which will serve as his costume in the future (except in The Movie it is never explained who made Superman's costume, unlike in this episode), Ma Kent being still alive when Clark Kent is fully an adult and Superman. Number 52 will also serve as quantity of all alternative Earths of Multiverse within DC Comics continuity within late 2010s - early 2010s era, until Convergence happened.
• Jor-El/Jor-L and Gogan appear to be wearing costumes with elements from 1936's live action version of Flash Gordon.
• Gogan is wearing costume of Captain Marvel from Adventures of Captain Marvel show, with additional neck pieace and belt from 1936's Flash Gordon on top of it.

Gogan next to Captain Marvel from Adventures of Captain Marvel

Flash Gordon next to Jor-El and Gogan

External links

• Superman on Earth at IMDb
• Superman on Earth at SupermanHomepage.com
• Superman on Earth at The Adventures Continue
• Superman on Earth at Small Screen Superman