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Superman On Radio: Smithsonian Historical Performances (Historical Radio Plays)

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The comic book ink was barely dry when "Superman" hit the airwaves in 1938. And just like his "Action Comics" debut, the "Superman" radio serial hit the ground running in a breathless fashion that had kids (and I'm sure many adults) transfixed in the middle of their livingrooms This was the golden age for radio adventure ("The Lone Ranger", "Jack Armstrong" and, of course, "The Shadow) and "Superman" proved to be a natural in this format where immagination was king. Armed with a novel idea for Depression era audiences (the super human hero in a all too human world) the writers of these early episodes kept a frenetic pace along the lines of creators Jerry Siegels and Joe Shusters original stories and recreated the cartoony but gloriously fun exploits perfectly. Therein lies its charm- it was pure, earnest storytelling from a bygone era.

However, the biggest asset to the "Superman" radio show was actor Bud Collyer (later host of tv's "Beat The Clock"). Attacking the role with hard professionalism, Collyer invented the device of having Clark Kent talk in a soft, understated tone while having his alter ego Superman drop down to low, commanding octaves. Thus, Collyer became the first actor to recreate the pen and ink icon for audiences with a vivid performance that stands to this day. A decade before Kirk Allyn and George Reeves, Collyer WAS Superman.

SUPERMAN ON RADIO has been mastered with state of art technology that breaths new life on 50 year old audio. The booklet that accompanies is a colorful history of the radio show with rare photos. Other sets are available (including episodes featuring "Batman" who, strangely, never starred in a radio series of his own).

This set presents the debut episodes of the Superman radio serial in best-ever sound. While the writers of the serial skimped on the origin by having Superman arriving on Earth as a full-grown man (instead of being raised by the Kents), the Man of Steel rarely gets better than what is heard here and elsewhere in the series. The impeccably researched booklet tells you everything you need to know about this long-running children's serial.

When I was young I had two Superman lp's (yes 33's) that I got by sending in Wheaties proof of purchases. They were the first two episodes on this cd collection. Boy did that bring back memories.