And now, another exciting episode in the
Adventures of Superman…

On July 23, 1951, a marvelous cast and crew assembled to begin a summer of work on the first twenty-four episodes of the Adventure of Superman.

Most filming that summer took place at the RKO Pathé Studios and its back lot (known as Forty Acres), but several, including those on first day’s schedule, happened at the nearby Hal Roach Studios.

The twenty-four episodes were arranged in groups of four or five and were allotted two 6-day weeks for completion. The first set to go before the cameras consisted of “The Secret of Superman,” “The Case Of The Talkative Dummy,” “Runaway Robot,” “Double Trouble,” and “The Mystery Of The Broken Statues.”

While it's difficult to determine which particular scenes were filmed on any specific date, we do know that Phil Pine and Tris Coffin both worked on Monday July 23, so it's reasonable to assume that “Talkative Dummy” and “Broken Statues” were of primary concern. Indeed, Jack Larson often said that his scenes with the safe were filmed on the first day. Those scenes were filmed at the Hal Roach Studios.

Admittedly, some of the information on this and the following pages is guesswork... for although we have the cast sheets for the first season, they are sometimes sketchy. I have done my best, however, to make educated guesses so that we can have a better understanding of the challenges they overcame that summer and a better appreciation for the episodes we’ve enjoyed over these many decades.

Next: First set… Day 2
Tuesday July 24, 1951

Posted: July 23, 2021
Jim