Blog
The Adventures of Superman
1/3/2017
Since we started out with the very latest movie depiction of the characters of DC, then just for fun we should flip it around completely and go all the way back to the beginning. The Adventures of Superman was a TV series that aired in the 50's and was heavily influenced by the radio series of the same name that ran through the 40's. Bear in mind, Superman was only created in 1938, so at that point we're talking about a very contemporary character, which is hard to imagine when you're talking about Superman.
There is a LOT that came from those early radio and TV series that we now consider to be so entrenched in the cannon that it's hard to imagine the character without those things. The iconic 'Up, up and away!" is actually from the radio show... because how are we supposed to know he's flying unless he TELLS us? Similarly, when you actually listen to the old shows he will also announce when he's descending from flight by saying "Down, DOWN!" This is also where the "It's a bird!" "It's a plane!" thing comes from... although why that first person is so excited about seeing a bird is still a mystery.
Interestingly, I actually think the story element that has had the grandest influence from the original series is the role of Lois Lane. Obviously even today we're still dealing with a lot of weird entrenched ideas about the roles of women in society, but even with that understood we all know that it was even weirder a few decades ago. Still, it's really bizarre to see those things play out in something as innocuous as a children's fantasy character. Comics had, and many still have, a section in the back where the creators respond to reader feedback; and there was a LONG campaign that insisted that Lois needed a spanking. Needed it because she was so naughty, not simply doing as she was told and being subserviently to... who, exactly? To just manhood in general? There are a zillion tiny references to Lois being spanked in actual in-continuity comics because of the constant, ongoing effort of comic readers who so earnestly believed that she deserved a spanking that they wrote a letter about it and paid for postage. That's the world Lois existed in.
Now, the dual identity of Superman and Clark Kent is one of the main drivers of the drama in these classic stories. Yea, there might be molemen or gangsters... but the single consistent plot point is that Clark has to hide his identity from Lois. (I have a theory that this is a key part of maintaining the power fantasy of Superman. the kids could imagine that they had those superpowers without having to explain why they were also normally NOT able to fly. Because they were hiding it.) Lois didn't really function as a romantic interest, and why should she? This is a story for kids!
Then the TV series started. Suddenly Lois is played by Phyllis Coates. She was a former vaudeville performer, comedian and dancer... and was clearly an absolute firecracker. She might have been playing the same "gee-golly who is superman?" character, but suddenly it was obvious that Lois was putting two and two together. Whatever else came down the pipeline (romantic subplots, letter writing spanking campaigns, six decades of gaslighting) Lois had always remained a smart, capable woman who stood out as being unwilling to kowtow to the patriarchy and the role they assigned her. This took a LOT of forms over the years, but it's been a constant, and I happen to think that this is not just a good thing, but it's one of the best things.
Interestingly, I actually think the story element that has had the grandest influence from the original series is the role of Lois Lane. Obviously even today we're still dealing with a lot of weird entrenched ideas about the roles of women in society, but even with that understood we all know that it was even weirder a few decades ago. Still, it's really bizarre to see those things play out in something as innocuous as a children's fantasy character. Comics had, and many still have, a section in the back where the creators respond to reader feedback; and there was a LONG campaign that insisted that Lois needed a spanking. Needed it because she was so naughty, not simply doing as she was told and being subserviently to... who, exactly? To just manhood in general? There are a zillion tiny references to Lois being spanked in actual in-continuity comics because of the constant, ongoing effort of comic readers who so earnestly believed that she deserved a spanking that they wrote a letter about it and paid for postage. That's the world Lois existed in.
Now, the dual identity of Superman and Clark Kent is one of the main drivers of the drama in these classic stories. Yea, there might be molemen or gangsters... but the single consistent plot point is that Clark has to hide his identity from Lois. (I have a theory that this is a key part of maintaining the power fantasy of Superman. the kids could imagine that they had those superpowers without having to explain why they were also normally NOT able to fly. Because they were hiding it.) Lois didn't really function as a romantic interest, and why should she? This is a story for kids!
Then the TV series started. Suddenly Lois is played by Phyllis Coates. She was a former vaudeville performer, comedian and dancer... and was clearly an absolute firecracker. She might have been playing the same "gee-golly who is superman?" character, but suddenly it was obvious that Lois was putting two and two together. Whatever else came down the pipeline (romantic subplots, letter writing spanking campaigns, six decades of gaslighting) Lois had always remained a smart, capable woman who stood out as being unwilling to kowtow to the patriarchy and the role they assigned her. This took a LOT of forms over the years, but it's been a constant, and I happen to think that this is not just a good thing, but it's one of the best things.