The Best of Superman
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- DirectorDave FleischerSteve MuffatiStarsBud CollyerJoan AlexanderJackson BeckSuperman battles a criminal mastermind and his robot army.Before the Max Fleisher cartoons, SUPERMAN COULDN'T FLY (originally, in the comics, he jumped like a flea)!!! These cartoons gave him the literal power of flight, and helped make the character a household name. 17 short films representing some of Superman's greatest adventures, and some the best cell-drawn animation EVER made.
- DirectorLee SholemStarsGeorge ReevesPhyllis CoatesJeff CoreyWhen underground beings explore the surface world from a deep oil well and inadvertently cause a panic, only Superman can prevent a tragedy.Shot in just 12 days in black-and-white, with a run-time of 60 minutes, this "feature film" introduced George Reeves as the new Superman, with Phyllis Coates playing Lois Lane. Reeves was rigged up to a harness to achieve the illusion of flight, making this the first live-action flight of Superman. It was made as a kind of pilot episode to gage audience reactions to the potential for an ongoing series. It proved to be a surprise hit at the box office, and was later re-edited an re-inserted into the first season as the only two-part episode.
- StarsGeorge ReevesNoel NeillJack LarsonThe Man of Steel fights crime with help from his friends at the "Daily Planet."Produced with sponsorship from Kellog's, George Reeves and Phyllis Coates reprised their roles and quickly became household names, although original Lois Lane actress Noel Neill would replace Coates after the first season. Coates gave Lois a hard-edged flavor that cemented the character as one who tries to out-stage her male counterparts, but Neill was more audience-friendly. The first two seasons were - in retrospect - surprisingly violent, noir-ish and grim, but the violence was toned down, more sci-fi elements were introduced, and the hardened criminals gave way to more comical bunglers (the series also switched to color film). It lasted 6 seasons.
- StarsBud CollyerJack GrimesJackson BeckSuperman protects Metropolis and the world from a variety of threats while working at the Daily Planet as Clark Kent.Almost a decade after the popular live-action series, and over two since the Max Fleischer cartoons, Superman returned to animation via Filmation, featuring the voices of Bud Collyer and Joan Alexander, who had provided the voices of Clark Kent and Lois Lane for the popular radio broadcast, which preceded even the Fleischer cartoons. Collyer popularized the notion of altering his voice inflection between mild-mannered Kent and deep-voiced Superman.
Later seasons were packaged together with other DC heroes like Aquaman and Batman, featuring cameos and short segments with the Justice League and Superboy. - CreatorGardner FoxStarsDanny DarkCasey KasemOlan SouleThe greatest of the DC Comics superheroes work together to uphold the good with the help of some young proteges.Danny Dark ("This Bud's for YOU") lent his voice to Superman in this long-running, frequently-name-changing incarnation of the Justice League of America, which was a popular, Saturday-morning cartoon smash from Hanna-Barbara, which I would literally LEAP out of bed on Saturday mornings to go and see, possibly while wearing a Superman cape my mother bought for me. Thanks, Ma, and thanks to all who made this charming series, which even today, I hum the music to when I'm working out. Whoops. Too much information.
Introduced the ultimate challenge for the League at the Hall of Justice; their dark counterparts in the LEGION OF DOOM!!! Great concept of an somewhat organized super-criminal gang. Great skull-shaped building in the swamp, too. Totally stirred the imagination when I was young, and makes me smile when I see nods to it in the Bruce Timm series, and was I ever THRILLED - even as an adult - to see JLA: Trapped in Time, which is a modern-day homage to this classic series.
As a kid, I remember wishing that the bright and cheery, utterly inoffensive kid's shows would "grow up" a little (as I was), and feature stories more in line with the comic books that spawned them (and to be fair, comics were growing up fast in the wake of Superman: The Movie, and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns).
At long last, the villain Darkseid was introduced into animation, and the Superfriends had to team up to stop him and his minions, even if the vignettes were only ten minutes each.
I was 12 years old, reading comics that were, in the wake of Superman: The Movie and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, growing up with me, ready to stop watching Saturday morning "kids" shows forever, when suddenly, the animation on one of my old favorites subtly improved, the stories were extended to a full 30 minutes each, and more "grown up" threats and drama were introduced - like comic book favorite Darkseid.
It was sad that this would prove to be the final season of what started as The Superfriends, and interesting to think what it could've become had the trend of "maturing" continued. As-is, it represents the closest the light-hearted Superfriends ever came to truly matching their comic book counterparts until Bruce Timm reinvented American animation with Batman: The Animated Series and all that followed. - DirectorGiancarlo VolpeStarsDiedrich BaderLaura BaileyDante BascoLex Luthor is frozen during a battle with the Justice League. He thaws out in the 31st century, discovers Time Trapper and prevents Superman's arrival to Earth as a baby. Future teen heroes Karate Kid and Dawnstar must stop him.Made during the Bruce Timm era but not by Bruce Timm himself, this Justice League adventure was made to answer parents' concerns that their kids cartoons were becoming too adult.
To be fair, Bruce Timm and company launched Batman: The Animated Series in prime time for that very reason - they wanted to be more like the comics and tell adult-themed stories. But parents expecting Superfriends have a point to make too, so Batman became less scary, and this was a deliberate throwback to what made those old shows so great.
Hearing that it was so kid-friendly, I almost didn't watch it, but someone said it was a love-letter to the Superfriends, so I had to check it out, and indeed, it is jam-packed with references to that old show, from the Legion of Doom to the image of the heroes and villains running at each other like opposing football teams. Awesome stuff, with terrific animation, that proves you can still have fun with these characters, even if the finer details of the story are better left unquestioned. - DirectorRichard DonnerStarsChristopher ReeveMargot KidderGene HackmanAn alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.What else can I say about Superman: The Movie that others haven't said? I dragged my family to the theater to go see it, and my sister HATED the idea. But I'd gone to see The Black Stallion (she loved horses), so my parents made her go to see Superman. By the time we left, she was in love with Christopher Reeve. She enjoyed the hell out of that movie, as did my parents; one who'd grown up reading the comics and watching the old George Reeves series, and the other who was a pilot and loved to fly.
To this day, I'm still amazed by how ahead of it's time it was. It took the subject matter seriously. It had a LOT of fun, but the themes were reasonably complex, the romance was a complete and utter surprise, Reeves' portrayal of Clark Kent was an absolute CLASSIC, and the score by John Williams still turns me into a little kid whenever I think about it.
Not only is it the first big-budget superhero movie, not only does it have an A-list cast that upstaged Marlon Brando with a screenplay by Mankiewicz and Puzo, but in all my years of watching mass media, it is also one of the BEST MOVIES that I've ever seen. - DirectorRichard LesterStarsGene HackmanChristopher ReeveMargot KidderSuperman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.If you thought the original film didn't have enough Super-action, this one delivered... even if it was a little more dopey in some of its pratfalls. It featured the stunning moment when Lois Lane first realized that Clark Kent was Superman - even if the resolution was a super-power no one could have expected (or explained) - and the fights are just worth it. One guy says, "Man, this is gonna be good!" And he was right. Sadly, it falls just short of being truly GREAT. But topping the original is a rare feat for any sequel. This one did all right.
- DirectorRichard LesterStarsChristopher ReeveRichard PryorMargot KidderSynthetic kryptonite laced with tar splits Superman in two: good Clark Kent and bad Man of Steel.This is a Richard Pryor movie featuring Superman. Pryor plays Gus Gorman, a computer savant who ends up getting blackmailed into working for a Lex Luthor type (played by Robert Vaughn, complete with a bubbly, hench-woman at his side) who wants to take over the coffee trade. That's right, an evil scheme to monopolize the coffee bean industry. Not kidding.
Anyway. Superman repeatedly thwarts his plans with super-deeds, so Gus is blackmailed into making synthetic Kryptonite, which ends up having odd effects on Superman right when Clark Kent is getting cozy with high-school sweetheart Lana Lang at a Smallville reunion.
Clark battles his drunken, Bizarro-self (although largely in his own mind), fights his way through a missile attack, and squares off against pseudo-Lex and his evil sister, who gets morphed into a killer cyborg by Gus' out-of-control super-computer. Ultimately, Gus has to make a choice about which side he's really on.
I mean, it's a Superman story. It features Christopher Reeve, Annette O'Toole as Lana Lang, and a solid cast. It just isn't a GREAT Superman story. It was the law of diminishing returns for what shoulda/coulda been a franchise to rival James Bond. - DirectorJeannot SzwarcStarsHelen SlaterFaye DunawayPeter O'TooleAfter losing a powerful orb, Kara Zor-El, Superman's cousin, comes to Earth to retrieve it and instead finds herself up against a wicked witch.An epic tragedy featuring an utterly wasted cast. Worth it only for a few fleetingly good scenes, in particular, the 45 second sequence where Kara learns to fly.
- DirectorSidney J. FurieStarsChristopher ReeveGene HackmanMargot KidderThe Man of Steel crusades for nuclear disarmament and meets Lex Luthor's latest creation, Nuclear Man.The writers of this film, Lawrence Konner (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Mighty Joe Young, The Jewel of the Nile), and Mark Rosenthal (The Legend of Billy Jean, Mona Lisa Smile, I Robot) did their best to tell a significant Superman story. A little boy asks why doesn't Superman just get rid of the planet's nuclear weapons, and he hears of it, and decides to take on the responsibility. Pretty awesome. Potentially very moving and in the 80's - TOTALLY relevant, dudes - but it was produced by Cannon films, which slashed the budget at every turn, resulting in a film with nearly un-watchable special effects.
All involved do their best however; Gene Hackman returns as Lex Luthor, John Cryer ROCKS as his nephew Lenny, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper, and Marc McClure return as Lois, Perry White, and Jimmy Olsen, and I heard Chris Reeve donated his paycheck to a charity (awesome guy). There's even a super-battle with Nuclear Man (one of Luthor's creations). Sadly, Cannon simply didn't supply the funds to finish the fx, and the results, as Reeve himself admitted, were terrible.
Still, in concept a better and more meaningful story than Superman III, and worth it just to see Clark Kent go on a double date with Superman. - CreatorJoe ShusterJerry SiegelStarsStacy HaidukGerard ChristopherPeter Jay FernandezThe adventures of the Man of Steel in his teenage years.The first season wasn't great - though John Haymes Newton looked the part - with Superman going up against crime bosses, land developers, dirty cops, etc. Stand-out episodes introduce Kryptonite, feature time travel, and introduce Mr. Mxyzptlk.
The second through fourth seasons had a major overhaul, with Gerrard Christopher taking over the lead. He was a long-time comic fan, and helped steer the series into more comic-friendly territory, introducing Metallo and Bizarro, seeing Jor-el and Lara, and featuring more super-powered bad guys, with cameos from Noel Neill and Jack Larson (the original Lois and Jimmy).
It started out in a college setting, then switched to a Paranormal Research Facility (before The X-Files and the more recent Adventures of Supergirl). It got better with every season until Warners decided to make its own prime-time series called Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. - CreatorDeborah Joy LeVineJoe ShusterJerry SiegelStarsDean CainTeri HatcherLane SmithIn addition to fighting evil, Superman has a burning romance with Lois Lane in both of his identities.I didn't love this series when it started, but should've stuck around. Like many Superman shows, it started with a lack of super-powered villains, and later became more comic book friendly, adopting more sci-fi themes.
I missed out on the Clark and Lois wedding, and the return to the idea that Clark's is the dominant personality, with Superman being more of a disguise, but I always thought of this as being a romantic couple's mystery show rather than a superhero kind of thing. I'll go back and finish watching one of these days. - CreatorJoe ShusterJerry SiegelBob KaneStarsTim DalyJoseph BolognaDana DelanyThe last son of the planet Krypton protects his adoptive home of Earth as the greatest of the superheroes.Superman: The Animated Series was a love-letter to the Max Fleischer cartoons, and to the fans. It is the single most-accurate adaptation of the comic book character ever (seeing Darkseid and Apocalypse animated in all their epic glory were dreams come true for me), while also adding material of its own. Case in point - Braniac - easily the most awesome interpretation of the character ever, created exclusively for this series, and yet worthy of a Superman live-action feature. Simply a great show.
- DirectorCurt GedaScott JeraldsDan RibaStarsTim DalyDana DelanyClancy BrownThe last survivor of the dead planet Krypton uses his amazing powers to defend people of his adopted world Earth.This was a phenomenal re-introduction to Superman. I was six when Superman: The Movie rolled out, and grew up on the John Byrne-era comics, but I was blown away by the concept of making Braniac a Kryptonian computer, and having him play such a key role in Jor-el's last adventure.
The scenes of Clark growing up were faithful enough, and his first conflict with a Lex Luthor-funded battlesuit - driven by John Corbin, the man who would become Metallo - showed that Bruce Timm and company had many tricks up their sleeves, and were planning to make this the best Superman series ever. They succeeded, and it only got better from here. - 1996–200022mUnrated7.6 (586)TV EpisodeDirectorToshihiko MasudaStarsTim DalyDana DelanyClancy BrownLex Luthor learns that Superman is vulnerable to kryptonite and attempts to use it to kill Superman.
- 1996–200022mUnrated8.1 (571)TV EpisodeDirectorKenji HachizakiStarsTim DalyDana DelanyClancy BrownJohn Corben returns as a kryptonite-powered cyborg eager to kill Superman.
- 1996–200021mUnrated8.2 (555)TV EpisodeDirectorCurt GedaStarsTim DalyDana DelanyClancy BrownBrainiac, once Krypton's all-knowing planetary computer, comes to Earth as part of his information-gathering trek across the galaxy. But, as Superman discovers, Brainiac's intent after gathering the world's knowledge is to destroy the Earth.This is another great Braniac story. The writers and producers clearly had a plan, and like the early seasons of Batman: The Animated Series, they executed it brilliantly, setting up threads, and pulling those strings later when necessary.
- 1996–200021mUnrated7.4 (490)TV EpisodeDirectorCurt GedaStarsTim DalyDana DelanyMichael YorkIntergang boss Bruno Mannheim receives powerful alien weapons from a mysterious benefactor.While a little improbable, this episode sets up the notion that the minions of Darkseid are dipping their toes in the affairs of Earth, in this case, by selling futuristic weapons to gangsters.
- 1996–200022mUnrated7.1 (459)TV EpisodeDirectorNobuo TomizawaStarsTim DalyDana DelanyDavid KaufmanWhile on a space mission, Superman discovers a massive humanoid stone giant, lashed to an asteroid, that breaks loose and runs amok.From the first episode, STAS established itself as a science-fiction series first and foremost. It only stood to reason then, that there should be giant monsters at some point. The series was notable for showing Superman with limited powers more in line with the Max Fleischer cartoons, where he really had to work to keep an airplane from crashing, for example, making him more vulnerable than some depictions, where he could fly into the sun without breaking a sweat. In Bruce Timm's universe, when the Man of Steel battles a giant monster, he's not always sure he'll be able to beat him with brute strength, forcing him to use his mind. THAT attribute made this Clark Kent very much like the John Byrne comic book variant.
- DirectorToshihiko MasudaStarsTim DalyDana DelanyCharlie SchlatterSuperman and The Flash compete in a charity running race around the world, but have to stop to deal with the Weather Wizard.It's an age-old question among comic book geeks - who's faster? Superman, or the Flash? Here, the world of animated superheroes opens up the throttle as Superman welcomes the first of three future Justice League members to appear on his show (eventually including Green Lantern and Batman). Who wins? Who cares? Its twice the super-power crammed into one memorable episode.
- 1996–200021mUnrated8.2 (501)TV EpisodeDirectorCurt GedaStarsTim DalyDana DelanyClancy BrownClark encounters a clone of himself who decays into a flawed version dubbed Bizarro.Bizarro's origins are modified here from their origins in the comics, but he's such a ridiculous character to begin with, it's hardly a bad thing. What's great about Bizarro is that he's a literal mirror opposite of Superman. He's a tragic villain, to be sure, but often a humorous one, albeit a deadly threat that Superman can't simply ignore.
- 1996–200021mUnrated7.5 (429)TV EpisodeDirectorKenji HachizakiStarsTim DalyDana DelanyMalcolm McDowellAn amnesiac Metallo reemerges from the ocean and is adopted by two children on an island.
- 1996–200022mUnrated8.2 (433)TV EpisodeDirectorHiroyuki AoyamaStarsTim DalyDana DelanyClancy BrownBrainiac's consciousness, in control of LexCorp's computer systems, forces Luthor to rebuild his primary body in secret.Couldn't get enough of the new-and-improved Braniac.
- DirectorDan RibaStarsTim DalyDana DelanyMichael IronsideTo curry his father's favor, the New God brute, Kalibak, goes to Earth to battle Superman.I read the comic books where Darkseid invaded Earth and did all kinds of shocking things to Superman, and I knew the series was heading there, but the insufferable TEASE! Bruce Timm made us wait for it...
Here, Darkseid's son Kalibak attacks Metropolis to win favor with his father, on the day when Johnathan and Martha Kent are visiting the big city. It's a great juxtaposition of parenting styles and one of those things that makes Clark Kent such a Superman.