Questionable "Adventures of Superman" episode

[Utility Belt]

I saw an episode of Adventures of Superman (the George Reeves series of the 50's) where Superman exhibits some un-Superman like behavior that left me quite surprised.
The episode is The Stolen Costume, season 1.
Some crooks discover Superman's secret identity and try to blackmail Clark Kent/Superman with exposing his secret. They say, "How you gonna stop us? Everyone knows Superman don't kill people." Superman says he doesn't know how he's going to keep them quiet but he'll think of something. He then flies the crooks to the top of a mountain somewhere up north (Alaska, maybe) and says he's going to leave them there until he figures something out. He promises to bring food and points out that there is wood for fire if they get cold. He leaves them there (!) and then the crooks try to descend the treacherous mountain on their own but fall to their deaths so Superman's secret is safe.
Later, at the episode's end, Superman finds out that they died but seems not to concerned at all! Yes, Superman indirectly killed those crooks. Incredible.

[robbieglenn]

Sign of the times I guess. I mean if its from the 50's, well, society was quite conservative....even supes ! haha

[Ontir]

That's how Superman used to be. He let people who deserved it fall to their deaths all the time, and in a few occasions, he even snapped necks.

[caboose]

Got to love Old Testament Superman.

[Utility Belt]

Update to my original post:
I just saw the episode again, only this time with commentary track by Gary H. Grossman, author of the book Superman: Serial to Cereal and he does indeed state that those were different times and different standards. He also points out that Adventures of Superman was never meant to be a kids show, but rather a crime show that would hopefully appeal to everyone. As such there were some things that by today's standards would never pass such as characters that smoked cigarettes and characters that actually died.

[Knight Lancer]

characters that actually died.

Dan Turpin died...

Omega Beams.

[Kage Kisaragi]

Dan Turpin died...

Omega Beams.

Didn't he also smoke? If you ask me that was just the writers way of saying they approve of the cleaning up of comics in general.

[Mon-el]

I have seen this episode a couple of times in my lifetime. First time seeing it was pretty jarring. I think I was a teenager and it was on the Tv on a rerun in the 80's. A few more times when I bought the box set when it came out.

What really got me was when the Lady mobster was climbing down the Mountain in heels.

That's what struck me as odd.

[umbc8]

Didn't he also smoke? If you ask me that was just the writers way of saying they approve of the cleaning up of comics in general.

He smokes in the comics, but not on the Animated Show, which is where he was killed by Darkseid. He's still alive in the comics, in fact he's in Final Crisis.

[Flash230]

To this day, though I don't think about it at all unless I come across a thread such as this, I'll never forget how dumb-founded I was over another Adventures of Superman episode.

In order to enjoy a Superman comic, TV show, movie, etc... you certainly have to suspend your sense of belief. One of the biggest suspension of beliefs you must accept is that all those people are fooled by a pair of glasses.

So, you go about reading a Superman comic or watching a Superman TV show or movie and....when Supes puts on the glasses and "becomes" Clark Kent, you just accept the fact that no one recognizes him as Superman.

Well, there was this one episode of the Adventures of Superman where Superman was injured so badly that at one point, in his (Clark Kent's) shower, he passes out and crashes through the glass shower doors.

I don't remember exactly what happens next, but eventually help arrives, Clark Kent winds-up in bed, Perry, Lois, and Jimmy are visiting Clark lying in the bed....and the whole time....THE WHOLE TIME, he's sitting in that bed....as CLARK KENT, mind you....WITHOUT HIS GLASSES ON! :eek:

They're just standing there talking to "Clark"... who they are now seeing for the first time without his glasses on.... his glasses being the one thing, supposedly, that disquises his true identity of Superman, and no one says "Look! I see it now! I never noticed before because he was always wearing those damn glasses but...Clark Kent is Superman!"

Even watching that episode as a kid, I felt that I was being insulted. lol

I mean, if I'm willing to follow your "rules" for the suspension of belief, you as the writer, producer, directer, whatever, are going to need to follow them, too!

[CBikle]

I first saw that episode when I was very young and it kind of threw me for a loop too.

I got the impression that the writers weren't exactly sure how to end that episode.

[suttercain]

Got to love Old Testament Superman.

:biggrin: :biggrin: