
The *Adventures of Superman* television show first aired on September 19, 1952. Interestingly, the 1951 film *Superman and the Mole-Men* acted as a longer, hour-long preview of what the half-hour TV series would become. While the show kept Superman’s backstory and his secret identity as Clark Kent consistent with the comic books, the stories themselves were all new and created specifically for television, not based on existing comics. The show focused on a core group of four characters: Superman/Clark Kent, played by George Reeves, and his colleagues at the *Daily Planet*: Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White (John Hamilton). Due to the show’s limited budget and the special effects technology available in the 1950s, most of the crimes Superman solved were smaller, everyday issues. He wasn’t battling supervillains like Lex Luthor or dealing with massive threats like those seen in the recent Superman film.