Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jan 5, 2023 | 6 comments

A Birthday Celebration…

By WALT GROGAN

“Faster than a speeding bullet…”

Whenever I’d hear those words, no matter where I was in my parents’ apartment, I would sprint toward the television because it was time for the Adventures of Superman!

“Yes, Superman — strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men!”

As a child in the early 1960s, I wasn’t aware of who played the dual role of Clark Kent and Superman — all I knew was that he was a nice guy and someone who would protect you and that you could feel safe around — whether he was a “mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper” or the Man of Steel.

And later, I would learn that Superman’s benevolent charm came down to the acting ability and natural charisma of the late George Reeves, who was born 109 years ago on Jan. 5, 1914. Even when he was playing Clark Kent, Reeves couldn’t bury it. Sure, he was supposed to be mild-mannered but that aspect was played down — except when he had to slip away to change into Superman! Reeves’ Kent was nearly as popular to me as his Superman.

Because the Adventures of Superman episodes had to follow a strict format to get through a lot of plot in a scant 26 minutes, there were certain things that kids could count on in each of those episodes: Boys and girls marveled as Clark Kent ducked into a storeroom to change into Superman. And it seemed mandatory for him to leap out of a window to take flight — often to save cub reporter and photographer, Jimmy Olsen, or ace reporter, Lois Lane.

But those stock flying scenes were no match for Superman crashing through walls — office walls, cave walls, cabin walls, home walls — you name it, Superman crashed through them!

And who was the stuntman who demolished all of these partitions? Why it was George Reeves himself. Often covered with soot, dust, or the residue from crumbling plaster of Paris in the aftermath, Reeves took it all in stride — sometimes breathing in clouds of fine particles!

Watching those episodes now, it’s a hoot when there is a door literally next to the hole Superman just made in the wall. But as a kid, that didn’t matter. You didn’t have to wonder who would fix the property damage caused by the Man of Steel or the cost. Imagine the insurance claims! Actually don’t, just suspend your disbelief and be a kid again!

So, to celebrate George Reeves’ 109th birthday, here are 13 TIMES SUPERMAN THOUGHT DOORS WERE STUPID:

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Adventures of Superman – S4E10 – Blackmail

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Adventures of Superman – S4E12 – The Phantom Ring

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Adventures of Superman – S5E1 – Peril in Paris

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Adventures of Superman – S5E4 – The Tomb of Zaharan

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Adventures of Superman – S5E7 – Money to Burn

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Adventures of Superman – S5E8 – Close Shave

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Adventures of Superman – S5E10 – The Prince Albert Coat

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Adventures of Superman – S5E12 – Mr. Zero

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Adventures of Superman – S6E3 – Divide and Conquer

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Adventures of Superman – S6E3 – Divide and Conquer

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Adventures of Superman – S6E12 – The Perils of Superman

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Adventures of Superman – S6E12 – The Perils of Superman

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Adventures of Superman – S6E13 – All That Glitters

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And here’s a 13th Dimension lagniappé: In “All that Glitters,” Jimmy Olsen gains superpowers and crashes out of Professor Pepperwinkle’s cabin a la Superman! Later, Superman (as seen in #13) crashes through the same spot after Pepperwinkle presumably fixed the wall!

Adventures of Superman – S6E13 – All That Glitters – BONUS 

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MORE

— The TOP 13 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN Episodes – RANKED. Click here.

— GEORGE REEVES’ SUPERMAN: It Took Decades But I Finally Get What Made Him Great. Click here.

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A 10-year-old Walt Grogan fell in love with the Big Red Cheese thanks to essays written by Dick Lupoff and Don Thompson in the paperback edition of All in Color for a Dime, released in 1970 and bought for him by his father off a paperback spinner rack in a liquor store on the South Side of Chicago. Walt runs The Marvel Family Web Facebook page devoted to all incarnations of the Fawcett/DC Captain Marvel and blogs about Captain Marvel at shazamshistorama.com.