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DiscountDelight - Adventures of Superman - The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons
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List Price: $39.98
Our Price: $23.82
Your Save: $ 16.16 ( 40% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0012569763159
Format: Box set
Label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Number Of Items: 5
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2006-06-20
Running Time: 706
Studio: Warner Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1952-09-19
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Not Stellar, But Still Pretty Darn Good
Comment: Warners/DC has now released seasons 3 & 4 of the 1950s classic "Adventures of Superman" series, this time in color for the first time.
One would like to say the overall collection is as good as
the black & white seasons one and two episodes, but that is not the case. The addition of color to the series created budgetary problems for the producers of the t.v. franchise that more than doubled the costs of each episode. In order to shoot in color, therefore, the t.v. crew had to slash the episode numbers in
half, from 26 to 13 episodes. This is why we have two seasons in one DVD collection.
Money woes were also behind a certain ongoing cheapness in set and properties construction that shows up on film. Walls shake when doors slam, "rocks" shudder when Superman drives a fist into them, and, in one episode wherein a submarine lurks off the coast and watches a beachfront house through its periscope,
the house and its surroundings are quite obviously not even a painted matte, but, rather, A PEN & INK DRAWING COLORED WITH WATERCOLORS!
This is truly indicative of how much cost-cutting has gone on here!
The tone of the series has changed radically as well. When AOS began , it was structured as a cinematic extension of the rough and tumble Bud Collyer radio series , with a touch of the old Fleischer cartoons of the forties for added flavor. But by the time the color conversion was getting readied a whirlwind had struck the world of comics. A psychiatrist named Frederick Wertham (called "Fabulous Freddie"....sarcastically...by comics insiders) had launched a campaign to "rein in" the "extravagant evils" of comic books and got congress caught up in his drive
to "clean up" this "depraved medium". The innocent minds of the little kiddies had to be protected from such corruptive rot. In the frenzy over "Werthamism", entire lines of comics folded, and
a new industry regulatory group, the Comics Code Authority, came into being. This was the comic book equivalent of the Hays Office in the film industry.
Comics had to, under the new guidelines, "shape up" or ship out.
Most of the EC titles...from "Tales From the Crypt" to "Vault of Horror" and "Weird Science"...did the latter.
Other titles, from "Superman", "Batman", and others, began to "tone things down" as well.
And what happened to the comics got tied to the AOS t.v. series.
The decision was made to "tone down" AOS too. Make it more "kid-friendly" and less "stress-inducing".
For this reason, the 3rd and 4th seasons didn't pack the kind of visceral punch the first two seasons did. Some of the episodes are just plain cornball stupid. Others, though, work pretty WELL. "The Big Freeze", "Joey", "Dagger Island", the superb "The Wedding of Superman", and "Test of a Warrior" (along with a few others) deliver the goods as "Super" entertainment. "Test of a Warrior" I strongly recall from childhood, wherein Perry White is given the Indian tribal name of "okeecheeboygan"..."He who writes with thundering machines".
Overall, the color is good in these transfers, if somewhat inconsistent. I don't think this is a film-to-DVD pixelation problem. I think it is a problem inherent in the original color photography. It took a good deal of light (key lighting, side
lighting, back lighting) to shoot good color in those days and I sense that the lighting set-ups in use weren't always sufficient to get the job done ideally. What one notices in various scenes is that the color in CLOSE-UP shots is vibrant and sharp...often simply gorgeous...whereas in medium shots and long shots it tends to have a yellowy , washed out look...and sometimes even looks overexposed. All in all, though, the color looks good and gives the production values some extra "Pizzaz".
The acting is first rate. The ensemble of Reeves, Neil, Larsen,and Hamilton hits on all cylinders, and Reeves, especially, simply "owns" this roll. His Clark Kent is also still the best...and toughest...of all Clark Kents, movie versions included.
One additional thing should be said here. The George Reeves Superman comes across, still, as the most POWERFUL Superman.
A special feature on Disc 5 involves the special effects of flying in AOS and reminds us of one thing; Superman is the essence of POWER, and his takeoffs and landings IN AOS remind us of that. Reeves utilized the mini-trampoline and coil springboard techniques pioneered at Republic Studios for their "Captain Marvel" and "Rocketman/Commando Cody" flying hero adventures for his takeoffs (and the jump-from-a-ladder or swing-out-from-a-suspended-bar techniques for his landings). Because of this, the Reeves take-offs and landings have an athletic "muscularity" to them that none of his successors have achieved. In fact, in the world of Reeves/Reeve landings, Chris's look positively wussy compared to George's. The screaming-wind sound effect of Superman in flight in AOS is still the best audio accompanyment to all versions, as is the whipping wind effect. Again, all these elements work together to enhance the effect of kinetic POWER here, something that has largely been missed in other versions. I have not seen "Superman Returns" yet, so I cannot comment on how well that film evokes the power sense I've been addressing . Hopefully it will do so nicely.
So is this collection 3 of AOS worth the loot you need to shell out for it. Sure it is. How could it not be ? The good features still outweigh the clunkers and you're still in for a super good time watching it all.
Enjoy!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good stuff but some pixelation problems
Comment: Am I the only person who ha a bad disk? On my set, disk 3 works up until the last two episodes -- neither of which will play on my DVD player. Disks 1 and 2 were fine, and I haven't tried the remaining ones yet.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Show and Great FREE TICKET surprise!!
Comment: I pre-ordered this one a few months ago and it arrived just last week along with the new documentary dvd.
When I finally opened TAoS season 3&4 I was surpised to find a FREE MOVIE TICKET for Superman Returns inside!!!
What a great gift!!
What a great movie too!!
Customer Rating:
Summary: LOOK UP ON THE SCREEN..... IT'S Seasons 3 &4
Comment: The color is SUPER! I recall watching these episodes on WPIX channel 11 New York City in the early 60's but I did not have a color TV set. The only things I was aware then in the opening there was a diesel instead of a steam locomotive. The opening to all the 3rd and 4th season are very dusty and they used a film from 1957. The ending of each episode are correct to 1955-56. Each episode is sharp, though there are spots of irregular color saturation. The packaging is just as good as the previous 2 . The bonus clips, Special Effects and the COLOR ERA are very imformative.I can't wait for 5 and 6.
Customer Rating:
Summary: George Reeves will be missed.
Comment: This television program was a favorite of mine. George reeves will be missed. A great Supereman series to watch. I want this in my library. A great series to watch. I liked all of them.
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Editorial Reviews:
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George Reeves returns as Superman (aka Clark Kent) in 26 episodes comprising Season 3 and Season 4 of the program that ran six seasons total. This time his exploits take him to stuffy European monarchy, a remote desert isle and even a cave in the year 50,000 BC. And now for the first time the Man of Steel's exciting flights, fights, and super heroics are presented in color! DVD Features:
Documentaries
Featurette
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