The Adventures of Superman on DVD (The First Season)

I was a bit disappointed, as the shows are not complete as originally aired.

Example: in "The Monkey Mystery", the scene were the organ grinder was killed was omitted.

I wonder why they didn't release the entire shows rather than edited down versions.

Any one know?

50's Buff,

I don't know the answer to your question, but I have a hunch about one possible reason for re-edits of old TV shows, namely, commercials. As the television industry grew in the early-to-mid 1950s, commerical time was increased. Older television programs shown in reruns had to be re-edited to accommodate the longer and/or more plentiful ads, and it's possible the studios didn't keep the original versions of their shows. (As I say, only a guess.)

John

Appreciate the reply, John. I would hope that Warner Bro.s would have kept the masters intact as they released the edited version. It sure would be a tragedy if they didn't!

Wonder how I could ask them if they just released wrong version.

Thanks.

It's surprising but sad how many entire theatrical movies the studios simply threw away or destroyed over the years. The American Film Institute estimates that something like 75% of all the films ever made are now gone, forever, because of neglect, damage, or indifference.

Few filmmakers in the first half of the twentieth century foresaw the coming impact of video tape or DVD or even TV, for that matter. There was little foresight involved. Once a film finished its theatrical run, unless it was a big spectacular that might be re-released, a studio would often simply dispose of it. They often didn't have the storage space to keep old films stacked around. Fortunately, a few of the studios' bigger films were saved (and people like Walt Disney and Charlie Chaplin were among the most cautious of all, preserving their material in vaults).

But old television shows? Depressing to say, but, at the time, who cared?

Now, we care. You might try calling the studio or even try contacting the producer of the DVD. Worth a shot.

John

Thanks, John.

Well, even tough a few scenes were missing from a couple of the shows and no "Previews", I must say I enjoyed the DVD very much! Sure was great fun to watch!