Many times I have commented on my age and the fact that I am considering myself to be ancient. Yet there are times when I'm reminded that I'm not as ancient as I lead myself to believe. Like, when I realize that I was not present at the birth of Christ, the fall of the Roman Empire, or the sinking of the Titanic. And while I'm familiar with the age of the Silver Screen, when audiences could go to the movies and be treated by newsreels, cartoons and weekly serials (as opposed to today's experience which usually includes nausea inducing commercials for needless products). Several adventure heroes were brought to life for the first time by the weekly serials that were meant to bring people back to the theatre week after week. You could see the likes of Flash Gordon, Zorro and even Superman featured this way.

Each week you would go to the darkened theatre and watch an episode of these serials, and each one would end with a cliffhanger making audiences want to go back next week to see how our hero or heroine escaped the clutches of death.

In the case of Superman, the series was adapted from the already popular radio serial and starred Kirk Alyn as the Man of Steel. There were two serials made, "Superman" in 1948, where our hero was pitted against the evil Spider Lady, and 1950's "Atom Man vs. Superman" where he fights the equally evil (and far more famous) Lex Luthor. The series also featured favorite Superman characters Lois Lane (Noel Neill) and Jimmy Olsen (a rather older looking Tommy Bond).

Audiences of the day were thrilled by Superman's battles against the forces of evil, and now today's audiences are being given the opportunity to visit these thrilling days of yesteryear with Warner Brother's release of "Superman: The Theatrical Serials Collection." This 4-disc set includes both of the serials, each coming in at 15 episodes (for a total of 30, for those of you without Super Math Powers).

Both if these series were exemplary considering the time they were made. And that's what must be considered by today's audiences when watching them. They are products of the time, so to us some of the acting might seem to be a little stilted, dialogue delivered with the rat-a-tat cadence of a 1930's gangster film, and a cape which occasionally flops over our hero's head. You might also be taken a bit aback by the flying sequences, which are done with an animated Superman. Those with a lower intelligence might not enjoy the style of the series, but smarter viewers will recognize the quality of the serials for the fact that they were created for an audience unaccustomed to the incredible effects we are bombarded with today.

I was pleased to see that the episodes actually maintained a fairly high audio and video quality, despite the age of the original materials. I had noted in another review that the episodes from the 5th and 6th seasons of TV's "The Adventures of Superman" had not faired quite as well. This DVD set also includes a great documentary on the making of both of these serials and features interviews with Noel Neill and historians Bob Burns, Donald Glut, Gary Grossman, Jim Harmon and Jan Henderson. Their combined memories and research paint a fairly detailed picture of the Superman Serials from how they came about to the effect they had on audiences. There is also an excerpt from "Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman", which is a lengthy documentary created in conjunction with director Bryan Singer's failed attempt to breathe new life into the character with "Superman Returns." The full documentary is available separately in its own DVD set.

I would urge fans of movie history as well as fans of Superman to check out this great set and enjoy the hero as he was enjoyed over 50 years ago.

Superman:
Superman Comes to Earth
Depths of the Earth
The Reducer Ray
Man of Steel
A Job for Superman
Superman in Danger
Into the Electric Furnace
Superman to the Rescue
Irresistible Force
Between Two Fires
Superman's Dilemma
Blast in the Depths
Hurled to Destruction
Superman at Bay
The Payoff

Atom Man vs. Superman
Superman Flies Again
Atom Man Appears
Ablaze in the Sky
Superman Meets Atom Man
Atom Man Tricks Superman
Atom Man's Challenge
At the Mercy of Atom Man
Into the Empty Doom
Superman Crashes Through
Atom Man's Heat-Ray
Luthor's Strategy
Atom Man Strikes
Atom Man's Flying Saucer
Rocket of Vengeance
Superman Saves the Universe

Starring: Kirk Alyn, Noel Neill, Tommy Bond, Lyle Talbot
Extras: Saturdays with Superman, Look Up in the Sky - Excerpt
Specifications: Full Screen, B&W, Dolby Surround Stereo
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 11/28/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give an A.