Small House of Everything

Small House of Everything

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: PILLAR OF FIRE AT GRAVE'S END (AUGUST 5-9, 1940)

 The Adventures of Superman began its radio run in "some put of the way radio stations" as a test in 1938.  The program officially got its start on February 12, 1940, with fifteen-minute episodes three times a week.  By April of that year, three-part episodes were appearing each week.  The syndicators, in a case of corporate stupidity, cancelled the program in March of 1942, never realizing how popular the show was with the nation's youth.  After receiving thousands of letters protesting the cancellation, which led to Mutual reviving the program that August with five episodes each week.  (Mutual had just lost Jack Armstrong, All-American Boy to the NBC Blue Network and need a popular juvenile show to replace it.)   The Adventures of Superman then continued on Mutual until February 4, 1949, after which it moved to ABC radio on Saturday nights on October 29.  On June 5, 1950, the program moved back to afternoon, twice a week episodes.  The series ended on March 1, 1951, having logged in 2088 episodes.

Superman, of course, was played by Bud Collyer. George Lowther (1940-41), Jackson Beck (1943-1951), and Ross Martin (1951) did the announcing duties, introducing each program with the famous "Faster than a speeding bullet" speech..  Collyer was replaced by Michael Fitzmaurice during the show's last year.

Enjoy this early episode of the Man of Steel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm6Omw4XtKE

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