Steel Yourself

When Nick at Nite introduces a new old series to its lineup, the cable network pulls out all the stops.

Case in point: “Super Weekend on Nick at Nite,” which kicks off Friday with three evenings devoted to the Man of Steel. Yes, the guy who is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in single bounds and who manages to maintain his integrity and his virility despite flying around the skies of Metropolis in tights and a cape. Yes, Superman.

Nick at Nite has acquired all 104 episodes of “The Adventures of Superman,” one of the most successful syndicated TV series of all time--and one of the first series to be shot in color (the first half of the episodes are in black and white).

“The Adventures of Superman” went into production in the fall of 1951 and began airing in 1952. Production continued until 1957, and the show has been seen in reruns ever since.

Character actor George Reeves, who had appeared in “Gone With the Wind” and “So Proudly We Hail,” starred as Superman, who, according to D.C. comic book lore, was born Kal-El, the son of scientist Jor-El and wife Lara, on the planet Krypton.

Just before the planet’s destruction, his parents sent the infant Kal-El on a mini-rocket ship to Earth where it landed in Smallville, U.S.A. He was found and raised by a childless couple, Eben and Sarah Kent, and named Clark. As he grew older, Clark discovered he had superhuman powers and learned about his origins. After Eben’s death, he moved to Metropolis and landed a job as a “mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper; he fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way!”

Besides Reeves, “Superman” also starred Phyllis Coates (1951) and Noel Neill (1953-57) as Daily Planet ace reporter Lois Lane, who kept wondering why Clark would disappear every time Superman appeared; Jack Larson as the timid cub reporter Jimmy Olson; Jack Hamilton as Kent’s blustery boss Perry White, and Robert Shayne as Inspector William Henderson.

The budget was so low on “Superman” that the cast usually wore the same outfits so scenes from various episodes could be shot at the same time. Ditto Superman’s flying sequences.

When the series stopped production, Reeves was typecast as a Superman and he couldn’t find any other roles. He died on June 16, 1959. Though to this day there have been conflicting reports about his demise, the coroner officially declared his death a suicide--a self-inflicted gunshot in the head. According to Hollywood lore, for years Reeves haunted his own house and would appear in front of its occupants brandishing a gun.

“Super Weekend” begins with the commercial-free presentation of “Superman and the Molemen,” Sup’s first full-length feature, which hasn’t been seen in its entirety since its theatrical release in 1951. Reeves and Coates star in the 60-minute feature. Immediately following and continuing through Sunday night will be a nonstop marathon of Superman episodes, Superman movie serials from the 1940s, Max Fleischer’s Superman cartoons and other Superman rarities.

“Super Weekend on Nick at Nite” airs Friday 9 p.m.-6 a.m. and Saturday 8 p.m.-next Sunday 6 a.m. on Nickelodeon. “The Adventures of Superman” airs weeknights at 8:30 on Nickelodeon starting Sept. 23.