Panic in the Sky

Yes! I graded this a " 10" for when I first watched this at age 5, in 1955, I was so glued to our 12 inch Zenith TV I never heard my mom call me for dinner! For those without being a kid in the 1950's or having no imagination, they will never appreciate the wonderfulness of this great series! George Reeves is wonderful as Superman and though Phyllis Coates was a great Lois Lane in Season 1, my heart lies with Noel Neill! What a great cast, Jack Larson as Jimmy Olson and John Hamilton as Perry White. This is my favorite episode of the series as he Flys into Outer Space to stop a menacing Meteor and in the process loses his memory!: This is where your imagination comes into play, forget trying to nit pick the science and just lose yourself in the fantasy of this wonderful episode!! George's portrayal of Superman is spot on for he treats the roll seriously without camp and when you are a kid in the 50's watching this series, you hang on to every scene! The cast works so well together and the appearance of Jane Frazee only adds spice to the story. Yes PANIC IN THE SKY is a fun episode and even watching it 68 years later it still fills me with delight! I'm happy to own it on DVD but can you imagine IF it were remastered to BLU RAY??? SUPER wishing... enjoy this episode and all rest of the 104 episodes in this series!!

I think episodes where Superman has some vulnerability work quite well. Metropolis appears doomed. A gigantic, fire spewing, glowing asteroid is on its way to Earth. Of course, we call on Superman and he answers. He flies up into space and manages to temporarily maneuver the asteroid out of its orbit, but over time it again becomes a menace. The problem is that Clark/Superman have taken an incredible hit and have developed amnesia. Clark gets back to his apartment where Jimmy is waiting. He doesn't recognize Jimmy and passes out in the shower. A "Super" concussion. Jimmy gets him to bed and calls the news people. What ensues is a ridiculous wave of harassment toward Clark. No one is willing to accept that he is in danger and Perry White is downright abusive, accusing him of a practical joke. I never noticed how inflexible and mean-spirited Perry could be until I started rewatching these episodes. Clark/Superman tries to appease him, but he doesn't even know who Superman is or anything about his role at the Daily Planet. With the asteroid back, something must be done. Very good in most way; lacking in some others.

Over the past 25 years there's been a shift in the quality of TV and motion-picture programming. TV shows have generally gotten better, while movies have gotten worse.

The improvement in TV shows was particularly noticeable in fantasy and science-fiction. For example, "Hercules: the Legendary Journeys" and "Xena -- Warrior Princess" were treated largely as dramas, with believable characterizations and plausible interpersonal interactions -- that is, they were primarily character-driven, rather than plot-driven. Though there was plenty of action, the stories were /not/ generally built around having the hero step in and resolve problems by force. This /was/ the basic plot line of most "Adventures of Superman" episodes. *

"Panic in the Sky" was a welcome change. Superman has a terrible problem that can't be solved with his super powers. And that's what elevates this episode above all the others. (The "Lois & Clark" remake -- "All Shook Up" -- is atrocious. It quite misses the point of the original.)

George Reeves was not a "great" actor (though anyone who could hold his own against Claudette Colbert deserves respect), but he is completely convincing. It's impossible to think of George Reeves -- who belongs near the top of a short list of beloved actors -- without wanting to cry.

George, we didn't love you because you played Superman. We loved you because your basic goodness and decency were always visible. X-ray vision was never needed.

* Though the first-season episodes mostly follow this pattern, it would be unkind and ungracious not to recognize their distinctive noirish atmosphere. Produced by Robert Maxwell, they are strictly adult in their sensibilities, not at all kiddie fare. They are often quite violent and sometimes just plain nasty, suggesting John Meston's "Gunsmoke" scripts. ("The Stolen Costume" and "The Evil Three" would rightly receive a TV-14 rating.) Considering just the first season, "Adventures of Superman" remains one of the all-time-great TV series. (Yes, I'm ranking it with "The Sopranos", "Deadwood", "Breaking Bad", "Rocky & Bullwinkle", etc.)