George Reeves' Superman on DVD - Page 5

Roy Wall · 06-10-2005, 09:11 PM

I wish Warner would consider colorizing the first season of TAOS on DVD....like the work that was performed on "Bewitched" That would be nice to see.

Roy Wall · 06-10-2005, 11:19 PM

I would like to see the season produced by Robert Maxwell colorized...if only for one episode.

Carlos Garcia · 06-11-2005, 01:13 AM

With all due respect, that's sickening to me. One of the biggest reasons that first season stood out was because of the black and white "film noir" aspects of the show that made it feel like we were watching an actual movie rather than a TV show. I think colorizing it would be like colorizing "Psycho" or "Citizen Kane"...Not how I choose to remember this classic.

Roy Wall · 06-11-2005, 06:25 AM

Oh...again...I'm in full agreement with you....on the "film noir" aspect but like "Bewitched"....I would like the option to purchase both the b/w and the colorized version of the first season.

I'm sure most fans would agree with you.

Roy Wall · 06-11-2005, 06:47 AM

Whew.

JoSAN · 06-11-2005, 12:56 PM

Michael Alden · 06-11-2005, 01:04 PM

There is more to this than just adding colors to a black and white print. The cinematography of shooting black and white is so completely different. Are there really that many small minded people who wouldn't buy a show just because it's not in color?

JeffT. · 06-13-2005, 04:36 PM

Quote:

"I'm really looking forward to this set. I won't buy any of the sets from remaining seasons as Whitney Ellsworth absolutely ruined the show and his work would have been a complete flop without the writing of Jackson Gillis."--Roy Wall.

Until Warner Brothers Home Entertainment makes an official announcement about the release date for the (impending?) ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON DVD COLLECTION this entire discussion thread is completely hypothetical!

First off, I intend to buy the entire series of 104 episodes but in the particular case of Roy I strongly advise that you seriously consider acquiring the second season (1953-54) as well which can hold its own with the best of the first season efforts.

Roy you're overlooking great, classic second season episodes like "Five Minutes to Doom," "The Defeat of Superman," "Superman in Exile," "A Ghost for Scotland Yard," "The Face and the Voice," "The Big Squeeze," "The Man Who Could Read Minds," "The Man in the Lead Mask," "Panic in the Sky," "The Clown Who Cried," "Perry White's Scoop," "Beware the Wrecker," "The Golden Vulture, "Jimmy Olsen, Boy Editor," "Lady in Black" and "The Star of Fate."

Ah heck! I like them all!

I also (personally) favour the sixth season (1957-58) shows myself and feel that throughout the entire series there are many excellent segments to be found and always wonderful moments to be savoured. Whatever the quality of the individual presentations may have been the exceptional cast of series regulars (and the incredible stock company of unforgettable guest players) were always consistently topnotch.

But at this point in time the first hurdle is yet to be cleared with the DVD release of the first season.

Let's hope that it's really soon now!

Jeff T.

Gary OS · 06-13-2005, 04:45 PM

As much as I hate being a pessimist, I have to agree with Jeff's comment above:

Until Warner Brothers Home Entertainment makes an official announcement about the release date ... this entire discussion thread is completely hypothetical!

We've have just enough false alarms ("Mr. Magoo", "Pink Panther Cartoons" and "Best of Abbott & Costello V. 4" are just a few examples) to keep me from getting too excited about the release of this show. And it's a series I very much want.

Gary "until this set is in my hands, I have no faith it will be released - that's how jaded I am about classic tv on dvd at this point" O.

Bill Williams · 06-13-2005, 05:24 PM

I remember when Warner Home Video released episodes from the first two seasons (as well as "Superman and the Mole Men") on VHS and LD in their original black-and-white prints. It just simply looks better that way, especially in the extremely intense film noir-ish "Crime Wave". It would only make sense that WHV release the first two seasons as they were originally filmed.

Speaking of "Superman and the Mole Men", has any mention been made as to the pilot film being released on DVD as part of the first season set, or as a stand-alone disc? I would hope it's included in the first season set, since it was intended as a "pilot film" for the series (though it was first released theatrically, then later re-edited for AOS).

This one's a must-buy for my collection!

Roy Wall · 06-13-2005, 08:08 PM

Jeff...thanks for the delightful post. I still doubt that I'd buy season 2. It's just too much of a change from Robert Maxwell's interpretation of the man of steel.

Superman goes from being an emotional, physical hero who fights against serious criminals to an almost "babysitter" of friends of the Daily Planet.

I still say that outside of most of Jackson Gillis scripts (I would never want to include "The Wedding of Superman" or "Around the World with Superman")...I will admit liking "The Man Who Could Read Minds" or perhaps "The Man In the Lead Mask" to some degree.

I understand that some folks would want to collect the entire show...I grew up with it too. But even many years ago...those episodes shot by Bob Maxwell were the best...to me....period.

Hope you get to collect'em all.

Michael.J.Hayde · 06-18-2005, 12:35 AM

Quote:

I understand the position Whitney Ellsworth was in but he turned pretty close to 180 with it where I suspect Kellogg's and National Comics woulda been happy with a 90.

It's amazing how many people don't realize that Ellsworth was the Story Editor for the entire 1st season; that he wrote or co-wrote 3 entire scripts ("Mole Men," "Superman on Earth," "Human Bomb"); that he at least had to pass judgement on every script submitted that year, or re-write to his satisfaction.

Thanks to some sloppy scholarship, Ellsworth is viewed as a more nefarious foe to Superman than any on-screen villain. People write that the show became noticeably less violent and more childish. Not when Ellsworth first took over. There were still on-screen murders ("Perry White's Scoop"), beatings (the guard in "The Big Squeeze"), fistfights ("Jet Ace," "The Clown Who Cried"). Gary Grossman wrote that "there would be no further mention of suicide" after "Mystery in Wax" from the first year. Oops, no that's wrong: Lois and Jimmy are told they're about to fulfill "a suicide pact" in 1953's "The Man Who Could Read Minds."

Now, when the color shows began shooting in November 1954 - yes, there was a considerable change in tone. But that was due to the lambasting Superman got in "Seduction of the Innocent" earlier in the year - the book that launched a congressional investigation into comic book violence, and the subsequent creation of the Comics Code Authority. Anyone who thinks that didn't spill over into the TV series had better think again: George Reeves owned a copy of "Seduction..."

One could say that Ellworth turned at most about 60 degrees from Maxwell in 1953 - and gave us better acting and characterization to boot, IMHO. But history shows that in 1954, National Comics demanded a full 180, lest they be put out of business by Congress.

Michael