Superman's publishers decided to take charge of creating the show themselves. "I sent Robert Maxwell out to organize the film company," recalled DC's Jack Liebowitz, relying on the man who had been so successful with both product licensing and radio. Proceeding with extreme caution, Maxwell wrote the pilot script himself under an alias, worked with a more experienced producer (Barney Sarecky), and arranged that the pilot film would be long enough to earn back its cost by playing in movie theaters as a feature. The result, Superman and the Mole Men, ran about an hour and was later shown as the only two-parter of the thirty-minute series, under the title "The Unknown People." By either name, the show�a plea for tolerance on behalf of a subterranean race of little people whose world is disturbed by an oil rig�is preachy, rather dull, and unconvincing in its fantasy elements (for a brief flying scene, the crude animation from the serials is employed again). Yet it served its purpose by demonstrating that an inexpensive show was feasible and by casting the right actor to play Superman. His name was George Reeves, and he still has fans who believe that the affable dignity and earnest conviction of his interpretation have yet to be surpassed. "George had a classic profile and a strong jaw -- and he was a good actor," said series director Thomas Carr. "Some of the potential stars we tested had one or the other, but George had both." Reeves eschewed stereotypical bumbling as Clark Kent, which worked particularly well because Kent had to carry most stories; Superman's stunts were often saved for the climax of each episode.
Maxwell got the green light to make twenty-six episodes of The Adventures of Superman in 1951, with Phyllis Coates returning from the pilot to play a no-nonsense Lois Lane. She was a good match for Reeves's capable Clark Kent. These early episodes, filmed in black and white, have adherents who praise them for their dark, dramatic tone. The villains meant business and death was not uncommon�although a certain amount of comedy relief was provided by the exuberant Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson) and the irascible Perry White (John Hamilton). The early episodes were hard on Reeves, who suffered some injuries while performing stunts like flying or crashing through walls.
The program was not broadcast until 1953, when Kellogg's cereals agreed to sponsor Superman in syndication. Another set of twenty-six shows was ordered, but by then Robert Maxwell was gone -- "by mutual consent," according to Jack Liebowitz. Some commentators have suggested that Maxwell left because DC and Kellogg's wanted a lighter, more juvenile program, but Liebowitz has insisted that the problem was the producer's tendency to exceed his budgets. Maxwell went on to a career that included the TV version of "Lassie". "I sent out Whitney Ellsworth and Mort Weisinger to organize the film company," Liebowitz said. "I always wanted to do the films myself. I didn't want to send them out to subcontractors."
