The Adventures of Superman on Radio
Towards the end of the first half of this century, as the world found herself recovering from the economic and political
troubles of the first world war while at the same time preparing for a second, Americans found solace and release from their
troubles by turning to their radios. The comedic routines of favorites like Burns and Allen or Jack Benny, the adventures
of familiar characters such as Sherlock Holmes or the Shadow, and dramatic presentations by troupes such as the Mercury
Theatre On The Air provided a welcome diversion from everyday life for millions nationwide, in all age groups. And,
starting on February 12, 1940, radio listeners began to thrill to the adventures of the Man of Tomorrow.
The Superman radio show was typical of its time, utilizing sound effects and a vast repertory of skilled radio actors
over its decade-long run. It also was immensely influential in the crafting of the Superman mythos, introducing key
characters like Perry White, and even the dangers of kryptonite. The serial also featured the first team-up between Superman
and the Batman, which began a friendship that extended into the comics several years later. Two of the stories were so
popular that they were used as the basis for the two movie serials starring Kirk Alyn which were broadcast in the 1940s.
Radio Spirits Inc, in cooperation with Smithsonian Historical Performances, has
collected and released on CD and cassette some of the thrilling adventures of the Man of Steel on radio. The first
collection, "Superman on Radio," features the first 27 episodes of the serial, which were broadcast from February 12 to
April 12 of 1940. The collection also contains an informative book containing a history of the show and plot summaries of
the stories and a foreward by Jackson Beck, who would join the show in 1942 as its narrator.
The show starred Clayton "Bud" Collyer as Superman, Juilan Noa as Perry White, and, at least on these tapes, Rollie
Bester and Helen Choate as Lois Lane. These episodes also featured the talents of Frank Lovejoy, Ned Wever, and Arthur
Vinton in various roles.
The very first episode of the radio show took place on the planet Krypton and featured Jor-El (Ned Wever) and Lara (Agnes
Moorhead, also known as the lovely Margot Lane on the Shadow) sending their infant son to Earth moments before their planet
was destroyed. The next episode had Superman full grown and ready to begin his adventures on Earth.
And what adventures they were! Over the course of the 26 episodes featuring Superman, he foils train wreckers in
Colorado and the midwest, saves the Daily Planet from destruction, rescues a girl from a burning building and a man from a
sinking ship, apprehends a couple of swindlers, stops a prison riot, prevents a madman from flooding a small town, and
protects an archaeologist from a band of bloodthirsty savages! Whew!
The next collection is called "Superman with Batman and Robin on Radio," and
as you might guess features a guest appearance by the Dark Knight Detective and his youthful companion the Boy Wonder. Like
the first collection, this one also features a booklet with background, plot summaries, and an introduction, this one by
Jackie Kelk, who played young Jimmy Olsen for seven years on the show. By this time, Joan Alexander had established herself
in the role of Lois Lane, and Jackson Beck had become very comfortable in the role of breathless and energetic narrator.
Bud Collyer and Julian Noa were still on as Superman and Perry White. Ronald Liss gave voice to young Robin, and Stacy
Harriss and Matt Crowley were featured as the Batman.
The second collection's episodes were broadcast from September 4 to October 10, 1945. By this time the show was being
sponsored by the Kellogg company, and each episode featured a commercial for Kellogg's Pep cereal. The format had also
changed; where in 1940 the show was broadcast three days a week, by this time it was on every afternoon, Monday through
Friday.
The first story on these episodes deals with a criminal mastermind, Dr Bly, who frames Lois Lane for a murder committed
by Dixie LaMarr, a member of his gang who happens to be a dead ringer for Lois. Superman enlists the help of Batman and
Robin in finding Dixie LaMarr and Dr Bly and clearing Lois's name.
The other story involves a woman known as the Scarlet Widow, "the most dangerous woman in the world!" She acquires a
piece of kryptonite, "the one substance on this earth that can harm Superman," and plots to sell it to four dangerous
criminals, The Vulture, Papa Rausch, The Laugher, and Der Teufel, a brilliant Nazi scientist whose name means "The Devil."
The Widow lures Superman to her apartment, where the close proximity to the kryptonite renders him unconscious. Three of
the criminals agree to pay the Widow for some of the kryptonite, but Der Teufel steals some and runs. While the other
criminals give chase, the Widow and her assistant, Sniggers, take the unconscious Superman to the ocean, intending to drown
him. Superman is resuced in the nick of time, and regains his strength in time to begin his next, greatest adventure, which
it just so happens is featured in the next collection!
"Superman Versus the Atom Man on Radio" begins with Der Teufel putting his
horrible plan into action. Teufel uses the kryptonite to create an Atom Man, a creature in whose veins flows the atomic
power of kryptonite. Young Henry Miller, played by Mason Adams, is this Atom Man. Under Teufel's instructions he obtains
a job at the Daily Planet and learns of Superman's secret identity. He attempts to kill Superman and, when Der Teufel tries
to stop him, murders the Nazi scientist.
When the Atom Man discovers that he has exhausted the supply of kryptonite in his blood, he turns to Sidney, a Nazi
sympathizer, for aid. With Sidney's help, the Atom Man obtains more kryptonite and again tries to kill Superman. He also
kills Sidney and threatens to destroy all of Metropolis! It is only through the most amazing luck that Superman is able to
find the Atom Man, leading to their final confrontation more than a mile above the Metropolis dam!
Like the other two collections, this also has an informative booklet with history, plots, and a foreward by the Atom Man
himself, Mason Adams.
A massive fourth collection, also named "Superman with Batman and Robin on Radio," features seven stories from the 1947
season. The first story, "Drought in Freeville," involves a farm community of war veterans suffering an inexplicable drought.
The next story, "The Monkey Burglar," involves a thief who climbs up the outer walls of the tallest apartments in the city
of Metropolis to rob their occupants--and is, apparently, Robin, Batman's young companion! "Knights of the White Carnation,"
the next storyline, involves a group of hate-mongers who take action to stir racial prejudice against boys on the Metropolis
High basketball team who are of foreign ancestry. In the next story, "The Man Without A Face" hatches a plot to destroy
the World Peace Organization.
In "Mystery of the Lost Planet," Clark Kent recounts an earlier adventure of the Man of Steel, involving a trip to the
planet Utopia, for the Daily Planet's Sunday magazine section. "The Phantom of the Sea" pits Lois Lane and an eccentric
Daily Planet correspondent, Horatio F. Horn, against a mysterious monster which terrorizes a small fishing village. And
finally, in "Superman vs. Kryptonite," Superman goes up against his unconquerable foe, that mystery metal which was once
a piece of his shattered homeworld. Batman and Robin (Matt Crowley and Ronald Liss) play a key role in this storyline, in
which Superman loses his memory and becomes the greatest baseball pitcher the world has ever seen!
(An interesting note about two of these storylines: Starting in 1946, the Superman radio series tackled racial
intolerance. "Drought in Freeville" and "Knights of the White Carnation" were only two of a number of stories to deal with
this issue on what Newsweek magazine called the "first children's program to develop a social consciousness.")
This series also includes four audition episodes from 1939: "The Shark" Parts 1 and 2, and earlier versions of "The Baby
from Krypton" and "Clark Kent-Reporter," the first two episodes of the series. It also includes "The Story of Marina Baum,"
the only surviving episode from the final season of the series, featuring Michael Fitzmaurice as Superman and Clark Kent.
This collection also includes an informative booklet, written by Anthony Tollin.
The fifth collection is the 11-part story, "Batman's Great Mystery." Matt Crowley and Ronald Liss return as the
Caped Crusader and his laughing young partner. Robin finds Clark Kent and tells him of Batman's mysterious disappearance.
But then Batman suddenly shows up, inexplicably making anti-American speeches! But the mystery has far more sinister
implications, as young Robin soon finds out!
Last but by no means least is the audio dramatization of "Kingdom Come," produced by Time Warner Audio Books. This full-
cast recording is an adaptation of Elliot S! Maggin's novelization of the graphic novel by Mark Waid and Alex Ross (probably
the most popular graphic novel of all time). The story takes place in the not-too-distant future, a future in which Superman
has retired and most of his compatriots have disappeared from public view to be replaced by the next generation of heroes--
a generation "inspired by the legends of those who came before...if not the morals."
Return to the collection