The New Adventures of Superman (TV series)

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This article is about the animated series. For similar titles, see Adventures of Superman.
Title card from The New Adventures of Superman
Title card from The New Adventures of Superman

The New Adventures of Superman was a series of six-minute animated Superman adventures produced by Filmation that were broadcast on CBS between 1966 and 1969. The 68 segments appeared as part of three different programs during that time, packaged with similar shorts featuring The Adventures of Superboy (animated series) other DC Comics superheroes.

These adventures were the first time that Superman (and his alter ego Clark Kent), Lois Lane and Perry White had been seen in animated form since they were immortalized in the iconic Superman short films of the 1940s. Produced by Lou Scheimer, the series was extremely popular in its Saturday morning time slot and, despite having obviously been developed for young children, employed the services of several DC comic book writers including George Kashdan. Many of the character designs (later based upon the artwork of Superman artist Curt Swan in the show's third season) stayed true to their comic book counterparts, icnoic shirt-rip shots and related transformations from Clark Kent into Superman were incorporated into almost every episode, and such lines as "Up, up, and away!" and "This is a job for Superman!" were also taken directly from Superman magazines. In addition, this series marked the animation debut of Jimmy Olsen and classic Superman villains such as Lex Luthor, The Toyman, and Brainiac. Due to a limited production budget, stock animation was often re-used for certain shots of Superman flying (or switching identities from Clark Kent into the Man of Steel), while character movement was often kept at a minimum. Despite its success, the series raised the ire of a conservative organization called Action for Children's Television, a grassroots organization formed in 1968 and dedicated to improving the quality of television programming offered to children, due to Superman throwing punches and other action-related violence which the group found objectionable. As a result, the series was soon cancelled, and future cartoons would not allow for such comic book violence until the highly successful Batman: The Animated Series premiered over two decades later on Fox Television.

Superman subsequently appeared in ABC's long-running animated series Super Friends (1973).

In 1985, Warner Home Video released seven selected episodes of the series on VHS in the "Super Powers" video collection along with Aquaman, Batman, and Superboy. These videos were rereleased in 1996 and are out of print.

Contents

[edit] Cast

[edit] Episodes

[edit] Season 1 (1966–1967)

The series premiered on September 10, 1966 as a 30-minute program named The New Adventures of Superman, featuring two Superman segments with one The Adventures of Superboy short in between.

Thirty-six Superman segments were produced that season:

  • The Force Phantom
  • Mermen Of Emor
  • The Prehistoric Pterodactyls
  • Merlin's Magic Marbles
  • The Threat of the Thrutans
  • The Wicked Warlock
  • The Chimp Who Made It Big
  • The Deadly Icebergs
  • Robot of Riga
  
  • The Invisible Raiders
  • Neolithic Nightmare
  • The Return of Brainiac
  • The Magnetic Monster
  • The Toys of Doom
  • The Iron Eater
  • The Ape Army of the Amazon
  • The Fire Phantom
  • The Deadly Dish
  
  • Insect Raiders
  • Return of Warlock
  • The Abominable Ice-Man
  • The Men from A.P.E.
  • The Tree Man of Arbora
  • The Image Maker
  • Superman's Double Trouble
  • The Deadly Super-Doll
  • Lava Men
  
  • Luthor Strikes Again
  • Mission to Planet Peril
  • The Pernicious Parasite
  • The Two Faces of Superman
  • The Imp-Practical Joker
  • Superman Meets Brainiac
  • Seeds of Disaster
  • The Malevolent Mummy
  • The Bird-Men From Lost Valley

[edit] Season 2 (1967–1968)

The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure was first broadcast on September 9, 1967. This 60-minute program included new Superman segments, and adventures featuring Aquaman and his sidekick Aqualad. It also comprised a rotating series of cartoons featuring The Flash and Kid Flash, the Green Lantern, Hawkman, The Atom, and the Teen Titans (Speedy, Kid Flash, Wonder Girl and Aqualad), and new Superboy shorts.

Sixteen Superman segments were produced that season:

  • A.P.E. Strikes Again
  • The Lethal Lightning Bug
  • The Prankster
  • The Saboteurs
  
  • The Wisp of Wickedness
  • Superman Meets His Match
  • Night of the Octopod
  • Brainiac's Bubbles
  
  • War of the Bee Battalion
  • The Toyman's Super-Toy
  • The Cage of Glass
  • The Atomic Superman
  
  • Luthor's Loco Looking Glass
  • The Warlock's Revenge
  • The Halyah of the Himalayas
  • Luthor's Fatal Fireworks

[edit] Season 3 (1968–1969)

The Batman/Superman Hour premiered on September 14, 1968, featuring new two-part Superman segments alongside new Superboy shorts and the adventures of Batman, Robin and Batgirl.

Sixteen Superman segments were produced that season:

  • Luthor's Lethal Laser - Part 1
  • Luthor's Lethal Laser - Part 2
  • Can a Luthor Change His Spots? - Part 1
  • Can a Luthor Change His Spots? - Part 2
  
  • The Team of Terror - Part 1
  • The Team of Terror - Part 2
  • Rain of Iron - Part 1
  • Rain of Iron - Part 2
  
  • The Mysterious Mr. Mist - Part 1
  • The Mysterious Mr. Mist - Part 2
  • Luminians on the Loose - Part 1
  • Luminians on the Loose - Part 2
  
  • The Ghost of Kilbane Castle - Part 1
  • The Ghost of Kilbane Castle - Part 2
  • The Japanese Sandman - Part 1
  • The Japanese Sandman - Part 2

[edit] External links

 v • d • e Superman in popular media
Actors: Bud Collyer • Kirk Alyn • George Reeves • Bob Holiday • Danny Dark (v) • David Wilson • Christopher Reeve • Beau Weaver (v) • John Haymes Newton • Gerard Christopher • Dean Cain • Timothy Daly (v) • Tom Welling • George Newbern (v) • Brandon Routh • Yuri Lowenthal (v)
Film: Superman (1948) • Atom Man vs. Superman • Superman and the Mole Men • Superman (1978) • Superman II • Superman III • Supergirl • Superman IV: The Quest for Peace • Superman Returns • Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
Television: Adventures of Superman • Superboy • Lois & Clark • Smallville • Look, Up in the Sky!
Animation: 1940s cartoons • The New Adventures of Superman • Superman (1988) • Superman: The Animated Series • Legion of Super Heroes
Video games: Atari 2600 (1979) • Arcade game (1988) • NES (1988) • Sega Genesis (1992) • The Death and Return of Superman • Superman 64 • Shadow of Apokolips • Countdown to Apokolips • Superman Returns
Other media: Radio • Broadway Theater • Newspaper Strips
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