A Superman that calls out people for acting like Nazis and takes guns away from people who would misuse them? We need this Superman in real life!

I was a 7 year-old black kid when I saw this, then recently released, two-parter on our new Philco B&W TV. And even my kid's mind was able to substitute the Mole-Men for "Colored" people. Superman, as portrayed by George Reeves has been my hero ever since.

And to think; the angry mob was lashing out with violence under the veil of “protecting the children" in their community (which they probably wouldn't give a shit about otherwise). A false justification for intolerance that echoes even today.

The look Superman gives after being shot, that disappointed "are you that stupid?" look. It's just... *chef's kiss*

Imagine if they had made a crossover between George Reeves' Superman and Adam West's Batman

Wish George Reeves had lived to see how much he was loved by the world for giving us his portrayal of Sups !!

The Golden Age era of Superman just makes me smile. A true social justice warrior, and George Reeves embodies it so well.

Jeff Corey (Luke Benson) fought his own battle against bigotry by standing up to the House Unamerican Activities Committee* and its own bigoted rabble-rouser, Sen. McCarthy. Corey was also a teacher and friend to Leonard Nimoy (so there is a Star Trek connection here too). *Never has a committee been more accurately.

I had no idea this was a "feature film" when I first saw it. We didn't get the channel at our house, we didn't have a big antenna on the roof at the time, but my piano teacher next door did. I started going over half an our early so I could watch Superman with her son who was two years younger than I was. This was the first episode I watched which was split up into a two-part episode. This was about 1965. The "Mole-Men" has always been one of my very favorites!

I will say that there is one other thing I find hard to believe. That Luke Benson wasn't on the payroll of the oil man. Maybe that's just because where I grew up the guys who nailed owls to trees were on the payroll of the logging companies, and that was honestly the first thing I thought of when the oilman came to tell Clark that the well was closed.

Fun Fact. Luke Benson was played by Jeff Corey. Jeff Corey appears in the special features for the for the 1978 Richard Donner, Christopher Reeve Superman. Corey provides the performance of Lex Luthor in the casting screen tests. This makes me wonder if Jeff Corey was in consideration for the role of Lex Luthor if they hadn’t gotten a big name actor like Gene Hackman. This is how Harrison Ford got the part of Han Solo. Ford was simply the actor hired for the screen tests of the other actors but he wound up winning the role.

I grew up watching Superman reruns, but I haven't seen an episode in literally decades. Your reviews of this series are a welcome oasis of nostalgia!

This is a fascinating film and amazing for the 50s, especially its messages in that era of history. Powerful. Something about this era of cinema is fascinating to me. I love this depiction of the character. Its what and how Superman should be.

I got the first season of the 1950s Superman TV show on DVD for my 10th birthday, and this movie was included in the set. I loved the whole show in spite of its low production value, and I'm very glad to see that other people still love it as much as I did/do

When George Reeves showed up in the Flash it was the best moment in the movie. This is a great video!!

The majority of the movie is Clark and Lois being reporters. This is why this is why I love this movie so much. As I’m watching this video, I think this is what Zack Snyder was trying to go for with his cynical Superman. I always thought Lois’ last line was sad.. I took it as an indictment of the humans’ prejudice. Today that would have been a four minute speech about a missed opportunity to learn more about one another.

I got introduced to this film thanks to the reference made to it in Action Comics #1000. Quite an excellent deep-cut within an excellent comic.

Great commentary! I loved how you pointed out not only the amazing things about this film but also made connections to the modern age. I especially appreciated how you didn't glaze over the violent history of this country. Too many (usually white) folks seem to think that things were *great* before a certain person became president and that things will snap back to being *perfect* if he doesn't govern again. That's just not true and I love how you always highlight it repeatedly and firmly in all your content.

This review is GREAT! Thank you. My two most favorite Supermans are George Reeve and Christopher Reeves. They were my first two Supermans as well. I was born in 1970 and so afternoon kids shows were very much the thing, once you got home from school. I watched The Adventures of Superman every afternoon. I saw this film, when I was very young. I only remembered parts of it. I love your breakdown here as to the positive moral messages it features. As a kid, I didn't catch those at all. I feel that his telling the mole people to "Go back to where you come from" was meant as "Go back to your home world because many humans here will not value your lives and it is too dangerous for you." Not a go back to where came from because you are different. But it does sound like a smart and thought provoking script and it is excellently played out by Reeve and the actress playing Lois. I like also how there are some people in the town that are not hateful, because they are not afraid, as even the sheriff tries to protect them as well. I will look for this and go to watch it again. I haven't seen the Adventures of Superman in decades. Remember! On Krypton they have no doors!

I read old Superman stories in the little digest collections they used to sell at newsstands (*choke* I was once so young! *sob*), and from that experience I can say that this movie is a perfect example of the early Superman stories. Clark was originally a highly competent reporter who was just considered milquetoast by Lois, and he never minced words when dealing with people who were doing wrong while wearing the cape. The Mole Men were a perfect example of the old DC Comics way of portraying "alien" beings -- usually bald humans in one-color outfits with blue or grey or green skin, the latter detail not being workable in a black and white movie. Interestingly, the modern version of Superman in comics out _right now_ behaves just like this in 21st Century adventures. Siegel and Shuster's idealistic dream lived on, saved the world a thousand times over, got married and had a son who's living up to his ideals with a cape of his own. Progressive values _are_ family values.

This feature film "Superman And The Mole Men" was actually turned into the only two part episode of the "Adventures Of Superman" TV series which was titled The Unknown People (#25 and #26). I enjoy watching this feature film and its edited down two part episode on the TV series.

Great take man. As a black kid growing up..this is spot on. Imagine if we had a Superman today.

This was not the last time a household item was used as a weapon on film. The first lightsabers were parts of a camera flash.

I agree with you "Steve Shives" Superman's first feature film is still "still" one of his best! It still holds up well to this very day in many ways. It's very film noir-ish!

Thanks Steve. George Reeves was my Superman. Did this film get cut in half and appear as a two-part episode of the series? I remember watching this as a little kid (sixty-something years ago-Holy Crap) and I sure didn't see it in a theater

This film also really continues the traditions of "The Adventures of Superman" Radio Show and the plot could have easily an assignment Perry could have sent them on during the run of that show.

I met Kirk Alyn at a Classic Film Festival in Memphis in 1974. He was a very gracious gentleman.

It's great to rediscover what Superman is about. We'll hopefully be getting more of him back day by day.

What a great review! I even agree with the critique of the ending. It might have been better for Lois to say something like, "Maybe one day our two peoples will find a way to get along," which would be at least a hopeful resolution. But George Reeves is what makes this shine. He's so believable in the role that if there was a Superman in the real world, he would have to look and act like this - which is different from Chris Reeve, who who looks like he jumped off the pages of the comic book and is the closest to the real life embodiment of the DC hero. But Chris Reeve, nice guy that he is, could never touch George Reeves' tough guy believability. That line, "I'm going to give you one last chance to stop acting like Nazi stormtroopers!" is so well delivered that Clint Eastwood would envy its ballsy-ness.

I saw this on TV when I was a kid (PBS was showing the old B&W series and it was shown as a set of episodes in that)... It was great. It's probably the only story I remember from watching it.

That Superman was built all on heart

I remember watching the mole men when I was a kid in the 1960s but never new it was the first feature show for the superman show but loved it anyway

George hives us a serious Superman with no tolerance for bigotry or mobs

The director, Lee Tabor Sholem (1913-2000), was something of a legend for his efficiency. He directed a lot of television, including The Adventures of Superman. The IMDB reports this trivia: "During the filming of the episode "Night of Terror" of the original Adventures of Superman (1952) TV series, actress Phyllis Coates (who played Lois Lane) was accidentally knocked out cold by a fellow actor. Sholem promptly revived her himself and hastily had her finish her scenes before her face swelled up." His name suggests he might have been a Jew. I mention this only to point out that he might have been aware of the resonance between Nazism and the behavior of the mob in this film.

I love this movie, It scared the hell out of me and my twin brother when we were five. But I've seen it a hundred times it never get's old.

Yes I had one of those Old Electrolux Vacuum Cleaners 55 years ago LOL

Reeves defined the role. Will always be kids of the 50's one and only Superman

Best description of why George Reeves matters to so many people and why the show has such staying power. Well done.

George Reeves was my favorite Superman. All others are judged against his version.

Anytime I'd see this movie title I'd roll my eyes and think, tedious, but the lessons in heroism and morality hold up well. Thanks for this interesting review!

1972 - 1973 I remember watching this on wpix channel 11 NYC TV 📺

Superman standing up for those who can't defend themselves. That's my Superman. The Nazi insult is just a bonus.

This is the second video of yours that I watched today, never knew of your channel. I am so blown away by how entertaining you make everything and your infectious glee with this movie has me searching for it ASAP. I have subscribed, keep up the good work.

Been saying for years that SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE MEN is an underrated gem. And while Christopher Reeve is "my" Superman, I did watch the 50s TV series after school before and after the Donner movie came out and its easy to see why George Reeves embodied the character for my Dad and his generation. The guy seemed effortlessly charming and charismatic.

One of the great things about the "cheap" film was its respect for its core audience. They did not have to give us an origin story like ALL superhero movies of the last 30 years have felt the need to. "Hey fan base, here is how the character you have loved all your life got started!!" "Ya, we KNOW that .

WHile watching this I was struck by the similarity to "The Hungry Earth" episode of new Dr. Who. Matt Smith as the Doctor trying to prevent war between the Silurians and initially a small town who has dug a hole into the stasis area of creatures living deep in the Earth.

Great review Steve. I enjoyed watching & listening to your commentary. I first watched the Mole Men when I was 6 years old back in 1960. This series had such an impact in my life growing up. Cried my heart out when George died. Had so much charisma & so likable. George Reeves best Superman ever & Christopher Reeve second.

I was born in '56 and Superman & series live in my earliest memories. I'm pretty sure his ethics shaped mine. truth, justice and the American way/better tomorrow kind of motto

I didn't know this was movie. I always thought it was an episode. My favorite and most memorable one. As a little kid watching, the ray gun was believable and scary. The sound fx (and music) were good. And I'm OK with the ending as it leaves a mystery and unanswered questions. What's it like in that underground world? How did they evolve? Do they have tax-paid universal healthcare? Are there restrictions on who can own and carry a ray gun in public???

The concept and morals are srill good, and still works for today.

I always wondered what was going on down where the mole people live that they needed that Electrolux deathray contraption 🤔

Of course, Superman famously decked Hitler in the comics (after Captain America had his go?), and his creators were Jewish, so he's not exactly sympathetic to bigots. Which is just one more reason why Superman is awesome. Always has been. Always will be. We could really do for a good Superman.

I have one of those Electrolux vacuums, minus the funnel for the death ray. Does that make it a "Ghost Ray"? I wonder if I can 3D print the parts. 😄 LOL. Great review!!!

If this film came out today that line of Superman's about taking away the guns would have resulted in an insane rant from one of the lunatics at Fox "News"

This was unexpectedly great! Thanks 😊❤

It is socially relevant even today (sadly) and not over reliant on special effects unlike most modern super hero movies. I see why it's your favourite Superman film. I wish modern filmmakers would take a cue from this.

I loved this move, but I watched as The Adventures of Superman's only 2-part episode arch of the series. A product of the time in regard to special effects, but the message of tolerance was ahead of its time.

Very enjoyable. Great Job Steve!

Nice job! Love your George Reeves style shirt.

I liked it too. I saw this when it was on TV. I even remembered the "death ray" that the molemen had fired at the bad guy. I always wondered what kind of people they were - now i know. Thanks!

A five year old does not look at movie looking to find things he does not approve of. He does not look at a movie with the eyes of a film critic. He just tries to enjoy the movie. All my childhood friends who were young grade school kids loved this movie and now as adults we still love this movie.

Robert Maxwell was the supervising producer, and wrote the screenplay {with Whitney Ellsworth} under his alias, "Richard Fielding". He was the original producer of the radio series- and, of course, season one of the TV show.

Great review and commentary, Steve! “Superman and the Mole Men” is my favourite Superman film. Having grown up with the series, I always felt that the first year (1951) had the best episodes. This included an edited version, “The Unknown People,” as a two-part season finale (with the established TV music). It was only in 1988 - Superman’s 50th Anniversary - that the complete feature became available on VHS, along with the Kirk Alyn serials. I share your admiration for the star. No one was able to invest more humanity, more dignity, into the role than George Reeves. It was that certain “something,” a combination of face, voice, and overall bearing that won him the role. At the same time, he conveyed an air of mystery during these early episodes. His Clark Kent had a personality and strength all his own, something no other actor has matched. He even shows a flash of temper against Lois Lane - which quickly evaporates. (There were more urgent matters to settle!) The supporting cast is excellent, especially Phyllis Coates. She had one of the best screams in the business, but played a tough, no-nonsense character. Her Lois was a more believable reporter than Noel Neill’s. (Frankly, Neill became a bigger pain-in-the-ass; as the colour scripts became more insipid, so did she, along with Olsen and White.) The screenplay by “Richard Fielding” (pseudonym for producer Robert Maxwell) still has the power to stir emotions. I’ve seen the film with adults who groaned when the first Mole Man was shot, and wondered whether Superman would rescue the second one from the fire. In fact, this latter point is one of my criticisms of the film. The chase goes on far too long; hard to believe that Superman would be absent all that time. And (not to nitpick) I would have added to his mysterious aura by hiding his face, until he emerged from the house to confront the mob. Just thinking aloud . . . It’s easy to sneer at the flying effects, but they don’t diminish the dramatic impact of the story. Certainly they’re an improvement over the grade-school cartoons of the Alyn serials, and are not far below the Christopher Reeve films. The musical score is bland, as are the opening credits. (I had no idea that the solar system contained so many Saturns!) But it’s good that the first view of Superman/Clark Kent was carried over to the series. Your analysis, Steve, is sound. I would add that the film stands as a metaphor for the “witch hunts” of the filthy McCarthy era. The fear of the Silsby townsfolk ably represents the anti-Communist paranoia of the 1950s. Thank you for this video; it’s always enjoyable to hear from another George Reeves fan! Oh, one more thing - where can I find one of those t-shirts?

You sir are a brilliant narrator!!!!! Thank you…

I absolutely agree with tour final thoughts about smaller stakes superhero movies/shows. I think the MCU tv series could learn some good lessons there. WandaVision still tops many folks lists because while it meandered a bit and overcomplicated itself, it was still a pretty focused and tight story that didn't try to shift the levers of the world. In a way, Loki almost did too- focused pretty tightly on the TVA mystery, only broadening out when the solution to that was world/time spanning. The series that failed worst all tried to be world shifting conspiracy tales, and could never pull together a coherent or compelling throughline. For years I've been begging for a Batman film that is just the Greatest Detective solving a mystery, and at the end of the day Gotham ends up slightly safer. No need for a supervillain plotting to take over, just a bad guy determined to keep doing a bad thing over and over, and needs to be stopped.

At least they nailed Superman's iconic white, red, and no blue at all outfit.

God, i love this seties so much. Every single Best Superman Ever just fills me with so mucb hope and optimism and is such a great intro to Superman stories i didnt know and reminder of everything i love about the character

Great job. I don’t remember it ever saying that Silby was in Texas. I’ll have to watch it again.

Thank you!!

Superman really drops the ball here for being so super. 1) He does not prevent the one mole man from being shot at the dam, which he could have easily done. 2) He abandons the other mole man, to be hunted and almost burned to death, when he takes the injured mole man to the hospital. 3) Superman does not stop one of the mob guys, standing right in front of him from shooting into the hospital and he uses none of his powers to quell the mob, who continue to cause harm.

Love that one. Reeves really was better than most of the material he had to work with.i liked this Lois better than later.

Great analysis!

This is one of the best !! Loved the "Mole Men" and I loved when Superman was shown in Black and White, it was more real to me as a kid than the color versions but I still loved the show anyway. 👍

TIL the movie came before the tv show, thanks Steve! I remember watching the Mole Men on our local OTA independent TV station back in the early 80s.

I have a soft spot for these old films. They have more of a quality of theatre about them than modern cinema. The effects aren’t great today (though often great for their time), but it didn’t matter. It didn’t pull people from their suspension of disbelief because nobody was primed like they have been since the late 70s to expect cinematic realism. I once saw Richard III performed on stage with a budget so low the horse was a sack truck, and it stands as one of the greatest and immersive plays I’ve ever seen. And old cinema was like that. When we see superman swooping down as an obvious animated figure and find it cheesy, those audiences mostly wouldn’t have. They’d have just lapped it up, like watching Richard pushed around on a sack truck on stage and just going “yep, that’s a horse. He’s on a horse. He’s about to fall off and say his famous line. I can’t wait.” I’m not going to decry the death of “old cinema”, because I don’t think it died. It still informs and influences cinema today, but I do worry that modern audiences don’t get to enjoy it and discard it like used candy wrappers. I worry that spectacle has taken over in modern tastes so much that production values count more than story and characters - and consequently the level set for the suspension of disbelief leaves little for people’s imagination to take over. Even in the 50s, cinema was still largely theatre being filmed. You’d still go to see plays, and so you were still primed to view cinematic works like you’d view a play. They’d use certain techniques only film would allow, but even those weren’t mostly about “making it look real”. They were mainly just extra things you could do to theatre when you had the tools of film making behind you. So here’s to the sack truck horse and the obviously animated superman, and the ability to tell a good story in its own right with the tools around you, and the audience’s ability to go along with it and love it not just on its own merits but because of what it does.

Totally agree with you on this review. Well done look at a fun movie.

You neglect to mention that this movie was eventually rearranged into a two-part episode of the television series. I saw it in reruns, probably when I was seven or eight. The whole things is creepy and weird, what with all the fake night-time photography, but those mole men simply freaked me the fuck out. Also, I think Reeves is still the best Clark Kent. No one else comes close.

Superman knows what it's like to be misunderstood outsider.

Wow watching your videos are amazing I never knew the early versions of Superman were so Rad. You made me a fan of this show I mean movie, that's really good . Lois Lane looks like a good actress in the first Superman!Ver independent , her counterpart Clark also amazing, very caring most of all he as his Superman calling out Luke Benson for acting like a Nazi stormtrooper! Turned out my great grandparents came from the Netherlands to escape them to Canada! Thank you so much Steve.😅❤

That one line Supes says to the bad guy has more meaning than any dialogue Superman says to any humans in any of Snyders movies.

Great content. 👍

Well, it may be cheesy, but it's good ol' fashioned cheesie! 😊 Aged cheese. Partake and drink with Pinot Noir. I like it!!

Remember things like this when people try to excuse others' bigotry as a "a product of their time." That's an explanation, not an excuse.

"Not a bird's eye view" - I saw what you did there! 😂👍

Superman stands for-“Truth, justice, and the American way.”

My favorite episode as a kid I thought one would come through my bedroom window.

Liked the commentary and totally agree. Never saw it until I got the Season 1 DVD. Also, where’d you get the b/w Superman t-shirt?

Corrigan, as in James Corrigan, The Specter? A fellow creation of Jerry Siegal, with Bernard Bailey).

I had seen this before, but honestly just thought it was an episode of the tv show.

There is an original poster for this movie in a small theater in a small town on the island of Hawaii. It's in the men's room.

I was five years old when I first saw this movie and I still love it!!!! The ending is great!!!! I especially love the way it ends with Lois getting in the last word and Superman agreeing with her!!!

My first live-action Suerman experience was old reruns of The Adventures of Superman on a local independent station. George Reeves WAS my Superman...until Christopher Reeve came along, that is.

What I love so much about this (my #1 favorite) George Reeves Adventures of Superman tv series was the music tv version which in my opinion is much better than the original full length movie music score, because the music in the tv series had that action music sound which coincide with the film!

George Reeves Superman was a badass

Love that shirt!

Nice journalism! Phyllis Coates, such a beautiful young woman . . .

Simply Amazing

I spent a day in a small town in Texas recently.....and I too want nothing to do with humanity

Solid Superman depiction. And it would be cool if this video specifically was FWDed to creative teams prior to the inevitable scrambling to make Superman "more relatable". I don't see the Resolution as a missed opportunity though. It suited the level of focus with which the story was told. Especially since there was no intent to turn it into a series or mini-series about interaction between Mole-People & Surface Dwellers. One may think humans can do better than a Separation solution in an anti-prejudice allegory, but cooperative action to fight bigotry only occurs after one group has cannibalized the other(s). This film took place at First Contact. Unlike real life, they had the opportunity to block further interaction before things went Off-The-Rails. It simply cannot be said convincingly that all the plunder, genocide, colonization, etc that has taken place via invasion would have been a sound risk if there was a force with the ability to Cut-It-Off-At-The-Pass.

I think I saw this, as a kid. I know I've watched the TV show as often as I could. Because, honestly, back when I was a kid there was seldom anything better on. Even now, with all the options available to us, I honestly seldom found anything better. Heck, back in the 1970s and 80s, even after MTV - back when it was good - Superman was better than most of what was on. Sure, a - what? - 25 minute run time, didn't give us much plot development, but in many ways it also made them pare it down to the essential elements. There were some "hour" long stories that should've been cut back to 30 minutes... I guess I never was that into the relationship developments... to paraphrase Dragnet - "Just the acts, Mame..."