Superman (TV series)

Format

The series was the second animated Superman television series (after the Filmation-produced The New Adventures of Superman). While its characterization was in keeping with previous licensed incarnations of Superman characters (e.g. Superman had powers from infancy, Superman had an indestructible cape, and Lex Luthor referred to himself as a "criminal scientist") the series was notable for introducing Marv Wolfman's conception of Lex Luthor into animation. In the first episode, Luthor was portrayed as a billionaire possessing a ring fashioned with a kryptonite stone, which he used to keep Superman from apprehending him. Wolfman blended characteristics of his recent comic-book revamp of Luthor with Gene Hackman's portrayal of the character in live-action films.

Other characters included Cybron (a time traveling conqueror composed of energy) and an appearance by Wonder Woman, in her first non-print appearance since the final season of Super Friends. The Prankster, General Zod and Shadow Thief also makes appearances.

Classic characters included Jimmy Olsen, bow-tied in appearance, and Perry White. Lois Lane maintained her identity as an assertive woman with initiative, both in style and business attitude, although her dress and hairstyle were more reflective of the 1980s. A new character to the series was Jessica Morganberry, inspired by Miss Tessmacher of the live-action Superman film from 1978, who appeared to be the ditzy blonde live-in girlfriend of Lex Luthor with whom he fully confided his schemes.

Superman/Clark Kent was voiced by Beau Weaver, who would later go on to voice Mister Fantastic in the 1994 Marvel animated series Fantastic Four.

The "Superman Family Album"

The final four minutes of each Superman episode were devoted to a brief snapshot from the "Superman Family Album". In addition to "super-baby" misadventures in the early episodes, the segments featured rites of passage such as Clark Kent's first day at school, an overnight scouting campout, getting a driver's license, his first date, graduation from high school, and ultimately his premiere as Superman. The initial idea for the segments was proposed by Judy Price, then head of the CBS Kids division.

Episodes

• The Adoption: After Jonathan and Martha Kent discover Jor-El's spaceship on the roadside with his son, they take the baby to an orphanage. Unfortunately there are a number of couples waiting, but - to the Kents' luck - the baby uses his superpowers in mischievous ways, which repel the other couples ahead of them. He is ultimately adopted by the Kents, with whom he gets along.
• The Supermarket: When Martha Kent takes Clark on his first shopping trip, she tries to be careful that Clark doesn't give away his powers.
• At the Babysitter's: Jonathan and Martha Kent leave Clark with Melissa the babysitter. Clark figures he can use his powers to skip bedtime, but learns even Kryptonians get naturally tired.
• The First Day of School: Clark Kent goes to school for the first time and meets Lana Lang. During his time at school, he gets blamed for letting the class guinea pig out of its cage. Note: Initially intended to be a story centered on Brainiac, due to the comic counterpart being "in flux" Post Crisis it was instead decided to create the original character of Cybron.
• Overnight with the Scouts: Clark Kent camps in the woods with his boy scout troop where they tell ghost stories.
• The Circus: Clark Kent inadvertently becomes part of the circus.
• Little Runaway: Clark is unhappy with his adoptive parents and decides to run away from him. He leaves but after a number of problems, he returns after he realizes that home is not worse than life on the run.
• The Birthday Party: Clark Kent's birthday party gets a surprise.
• The Driver's License: Clark Kent takes his driving test.
• First Date: Clark Kent takes Lana Lang on a date to a concert.
• To Play or Not to Play: Clark Kent discovers that he cannot play football since his powers give him an unfair advantage.
• Graduation: Clark Kent must solve a problem with his graduation robe when it gets dirty on Graduation Day.
• It's Superman: Upon moving to Metropolis, Clark Kent gets a job at the Daily Planet and then becomes Superman for the first time by saving Lois Lane when a bank is being robbed.

Cast

• Beau Weaver – Clark Kent / Superman
• Ginny McSwain – Lois Lane, Ursa (in "The Hunter"), Faora (in "The Hunter")
• Michael Bell – Lex Luthor, Patron (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time")
• Tress MacNeille – Martha Kent
• Alan Oppenheimer – Jonathan Kent
• Stanley Ralph Ross – Perry White, Starrok
• Lynne Marie Stewart – Jessica Morganberry, Young Clark Kent
• Mark Taylor – Jimmy Olsen
• Bill Woodson – Opening Narration

Additional voices

• Jack Angel – General Hawkins (in "Cybron Strikes")
• René Auberjonois – General Zod (in "The Hunter")
• Brandon Bluhm – Scout Kid (in "Overnight with the Scouts")
• Don Bovinglough – Coach (in "To Play or Not to Play")
• P.L. Brown – (in "Night of the Living Shadows")
• William Callaway – Defendroids (in "Destroy the Defendroids"), (in "The Last Time I Saw Earth")
• Joey Camen – Short Henchman (in "Triple-Play")
• Darleen Carr – (in "The Hunter")
• Pat Carroll – Queen Hippolyta (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time")
• Nancy Cartwright – Melissa (in "At the Babysitter's")
• Cathy Cavadini – Barbara (in "Bonechill"), Co-Ed (in "The Driver's License"), Maria (in "The Driver's License")
• Townsend Coleman – Teenage Clark Kent, Ted Kline
• Christopher Collins – Minotaur (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time"), Cyclops (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time")
• Danny Cooksey – George (in "The First Day of School")
• Peter Cullen – The Hunter (in "The Hunter")
• Keene Curtis – Bonechill/Chilton Bone (in "Bonechill")
• Gabriel Damon – (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time"), Jessik (in "The Last Time I Saw Earth")
• Victor DiMattia (in "The First Day At School" and "Overnight with the Scouts")
• Shawn Donahue –
• Jeff Doucette – Sideshow Barker (in "The Circus")
• Jeannie Elias – Mrs. Murphy (in "The Supermarket")
• Ron Feinberg – (in "Night of the Living Shadows", "The Last Time I Saw Earth")
• Ben Ryan Ganger – Scout Kid (in "Overnight with the Scouts")
• Linda Gary – (in "Graduation")
• Liz Georges – Teenage Lana Lang
• Ellen Gerstell – Madame Nikua (in "By the Skin of the Dragon's Teeth")
• Ed Gilbert – Shuttle Captain (in ""The Last Time I Saw Earth")
• Dan Gilvezan – Dr. Morpheus (in "The Beast Beneath These Streets")
• Barry Gordon – (in "The Driver's License")
• Patrick Gorman – Ship Computer (in "Fugitive from Space")
• Edan Gross – Scout Kid (in "Overnight with the Scouts")
• Kenneth Hartman –
• Darryl Hickman – (in "The Last Time I Saw Earth")
• Jerry Houser – (in "To Play or Not to Play")
• Dennis Howard – (in "Wildsharkk")
• Erv Immerman – (in "Night of the Living Shadows")
• Danny Mann – (in "Bonechill")
• Kellie Martin – Young Lana Lang (in "The Birthday Party")
• Ron Masak – (in "Wildsharkk")
• Mary McDonald-Lewis – Syrene (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time")
• Cindy McGee – (in "Graduation")
• Howard Morris – Prankster / Oswald Loomis (in "Triple-Play")
• Ron Palillo – (in "Night of the Living Shadows")
• Diane Pershing – Anne White (in "Wildsharkk")
• Pat Pinney – Scout Leader (in "Overnight with the Scouts")
• Henry Polic II – Captain Wildsharkk (in "Wildsharkk")
• Hal Rayle – (in "The Big Scoop", "The Last Time I Saw Earth")
• Kathy Ritter – (in "Bonechill")
• Jennifer Roach –
• Stu Rosen – Catcher Henchman (in "Triple-Play")
• Neil Ross – S.T.A.R. Labs Security Guard (in "Fugitive from Space")
• Will Ryan – Conroy (in "The Adoption")
• Susan Silo – Jenet Klyburn (in "Fugitive from Space"), Xelandra (in "Fugitive from Space")
• John Stephenson – Driving Instructor (in "The Driver's License")
• Carl Steven –
• Lynne Marie Stewart –
• Andre Stojka – Professor Gerber (in "Bonechill"), Bowling Alley Manager (in "Bonechill")
• Cree Summer – Barbara (in "Bonechill"), Astronaut (in "The Last Time I Saw Earth")
• Eric Suter – (in "Bonechill")
• Russi Taylor – Young Lana Lang (in "The First Day of School")
• B.J. Ward – Wonder Woman (in "Superman and Wonder Woman vs. the Sorceress of Time")
• Frank Welker – Cybron (in "Cybron Strikes")
• Tom Williams – Judge Cook (in "Triple-Play")
• Stan Wojno – Fat Henchman (in "Triple-Play")
• Patric Zimmerman – (in "Bonechill")

Crew

• Ginny McSwain – voice director
• Lynne Batchelor – talent coordinator

Production

During the approach of Superman's 50th anniversary, CBS teamed with Ruby-Spears to produce a new animated series hoping to tap into the zeitgeist having already produced the television special Superman's 50th Anniversary. Marv Wolfman was hired as story editor for the series as CBS had responded favorably to a Superman parody he'd written for the Garbage Pail Kids animated series and were unaware that Wolfman had written for the actual Superman comics. Wolfman had no problem adhering to the expectations of DC Comics and Warner Bros. due to his experience writing the character, but would often receive notes from CBS executives that proved challenging to work with. Producer Joe Ruby stated that when it came to Superman's character, the show took inspiration from Christopher Reeve's portrayal from the film series as they liked the combination of a sense of humor while still being Superman. Lex Luthor was written as a mixture of Gene Hackman's take on the character from the Reeve films as Wolfman found him fun to write, but did incorporate the Post Crisis take on the character making him a wealthy business magnate rather than a mad scientist criminal mastermind as he was in the film series and Silver Age of Comic Books. As Wolfman was not a fan of the Post Crisis Lois Lane on Superman's relationship, he also reintroduced the classic love triangle aspect where Clark Kent loves Lois while she loves Superman unaware that the klutzy Kent is in fact him.

Wolfman and his staff attempted to build stories incorporating Mister Mxyzptlk and Bizarro, but ultimately scrapped them as they couldn't find a way to make them work. Wolfman stated that the decision to incorporate more original rather than adapted antagonists for the series came from Wolfman feeling that Superman in contrast to Batman didn't have as good of a rogues gallery.

Superman struggled in the ratings as, according to Wolfman, the person in charge of CBS' children's programming had a thinly veiled distaste for superhero shows and put the show early in the morning where it struggled to meet its targeted demographic of 9-13 year olds. Coupled with the high licensing fees the series was canceled by CBS after one season. The series featured the final work of Jack Kirby during his time at Ruby-Spears as he would lose his position in the company following the end of the series.

Ties to other Superman adaptations

The series is also of note due to its use of re-orchestrated versions of John Williams' classic themes from 1978's Superman: The Movie, as well as an opening sequence that delivered the same narration as the 1950s Adventures of Superman television series (but by the narrator from Super Friends).

Home media

Warner Home Video, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment released the series as a 2-disc set on November 3, 2009.

References

References

1. [https://web.archive.org/web/20191124025048/http://rubyspears.com/film.shtml#C TV SERIES CREDITS]
2. (2005). "Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003". McFarland & Co.
3. "Ruby-Spears Superman DVD Review". IGN.
4. Gross, Ed. (2009-10-25). "Exclusive Interview: Marv Wolfman On the Ruby-Spears Superman Series".
5. Price, Matthew. (October 30, 2009). "DVD Review: "Ruby-Spears Superman"".
6. (October 2, 2011). "Super '70s and '80s: "Superman" (1988 Ruby-Spears cartoon)—Beau Weaver (Superman), part 1 of 2".
7. "Ruby-Spears Superman". [[DVD Talk]].
8. Warren, Bill. (October 1988). "The Animated Adventures of Superman". [[Starlog.
9. Rossen, Jake. (2008). "Superman Vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon". Chicago Review Press.
10. Rossen, Jake. (2008). "Superman Vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon". [[Chicago Review Press]].
11. "Ruby-Spears "Superman"".
12. Ro, Ronin. (2005). "Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and the American Comic Book Revolution". Bloomsbury.
13. "1988 Animated Theme – RM".
14. "1988 Animated Theme – MP3".
15. "1988 Animated Theme: Version 2 – RM".
16. "1988 Animated Theme: Version 2 – MP3".
17. "Superman – Package Art Swoops In for 13 Heroic Ruby-Spears Episodes". [[TVShowsOnDVD.com]].