George Reeves

Adventures of Superman - The Complete Fifth and Sixth Seasons
$39.98
I had three episodes on VHS tape that I thought were missing on DVD when I realized I was missing the entire 5th and 6th seasons of the Superman TV series! Sure enough, with this purchase, one of my favorite episodes where Superman walks through a sealed vault to capture a crook who was in hiding waiting out his 7 years 'staute of limitations' to beat the rap was in this series. Of course, Superman never actually walks completely through the wall, but he hears enough conversation to understand the plot. He works with the authorities to have the official Naval Observatory clock turned back 10 minutes so that when the crook, with the help of his brother, steps out of the vault, he walks into the open arms of the waiting police 10 minutes early instead of 10 minutes late! "Sometimes brains is better than braun" Superman quips to Jimmy Olsen. Great Stuff!!!

Adventures of Superman - The Complete First Season
$39.98
Since the movie of Superman and the Mole Men is packaged with this, I'll be doing a double review.

First the movie: For only being an hour and on a very low budget, this is a very entertaining film. It's more enjoyable than the Pryor Superman III, the overly long Superman Returns and, sad to say for me as I am a proud defender, Superman IV. George Reeves is my favorite Superman/Clark Kent, not that Christopher Reeve didn't do a good job it's just that I hate that he portrays Clark as a bumbling idiot. Reeves' Kent is smart, quick witted and able to hold his own ground against criminals. His, along with Reeve's, interpretation make me feel proud to be an American and be patriotic. It's mystifying that they didn't remove the whole bit of "Truth, Justice and the American Way" and make it feel like Superman Returns when Perry White says "Does he still stand for Truth, Justice...all that stuff?" But I digress. Anyway, Phyllis Coates' Lois Lane also is probably my favorite out of the live action portrayals. Her interpretation of the character is strong, considering this was done in the fifties, and she hardly needs to be saved at all in this movie compared to later versions of the character. The plot is well written, given the probably short time they had to write this. Special effects are to a bare minimum, more than likely because they hadn't worked out how they were going to show him flying. All in all, a very entertaining piece of nostalgic Superman history.

The show I also have nothing but praise for. Reeves and Coates have an abundance of chemistry. John Hamilton is my favorite Perry White because they actually give the character something to do. Jack Larson's Jimmy White is also a favorite and his portrayal is not as annoying as what future actors to play the part would do. The stories are, like the movie, well written and thought out. Quality storytelling, that unfortunately wouldn't last the entire series run (mainly seasons 3 and 4), with interesting villains that didn't have some piece of Kryptonite lying around (Kryptonite wouldn't even be used until season 2 and only play a minor role, at that, as a plot device throughout the series' run). The flying scenes are probably some of the best special effects for television that I've seen, not as a retrospective for how far we've come, but its just the way Reeves takes off and lands for the flying that seem more believeable than just being lifted off with wires. A very entertaining series that won't fail to entertain.

George Reeves Double Feature (Thunder in the Pines / Jungle Goddess)
$14.99
This was a very enjoyable film. A fantastic Sepia tone print. I recommend this cool little fun movie.

Adventures of Superman - The Complete Second Season
$39.98
These episodes have been digitally re mastered professionally and they are flawless. The quality is superb and they are better than I have ever seen them as a child. The episodes are timeless and you must keep in mind that for that era, this was great stuff. It can't compare with the flying effects nowadays. George Reeves is the charming force that makes it as he really is "Superman"