Object Details
depicted; associated person
Reeves, George
associated person
Neill, Noel
copyright holder
National Comics Publications Inc.
associated person
Larson, Jack
maker
National Comics Publications Inc.
Description (Brief)
Promotional lobby card for the 1954 movie "Superman and the Jungle Devil." The film was a compilation of three previously released episodes of the popular television series "Adventures of Superman." The card, one of a set produced for the film, features a still of Superman fighting the titular monster. Superman's costume appears yellow instead of blue as the image has discolored over time, a result of the printing process.
Premiering in 1952, the syndicated program "Adventures of Superman" ran on television for 6 seasons and 104 episodes. The three episodes packaged into the movie "Superman and the Jungle Devil" were all taken from the show's second season (1953-1954.) They include the stories "Shot in the Dark;" "The Machine that Could Plot Crimes;" and "Jungle Devil."
The "Adventures of Superman" starred actor George Reeves in the title role. The show also featured Noel Neill as journalist Lois Lane, Jack Larson as cub reporter/ photographer Jimmie Olson, and John Hamilton as editor Perry White.
The character of Superman first flew into action in 1938. The costumed superhero was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish teenagers from Cleveland Ohio, who used, among other things, classical mythology and the era's popular science fiction and adventure writing for inspiration.
With his debut in Action Comics #1, Superman became an instant sensation with audiences, inspired by the "Man of Tomorrow's" virtue and heroics at time when the Nation was slowly emerging from the economic catastrophe of the Great Depression and moving closer to World War.
Born on the doomed planet Krypton, Superman was sent to Earth as a child, where our world's yellow sun granted him extraordinary powers such as flight, super-strength, near-invulnerability, as well as other extraordinary abilities including heat and X-Ray vision. As an adult living in the city of Metropolis, the alien, born Kal-El, protects his identity by assuming the persona of Clark Kent, a "mild-mannered" journalist.
Fighting for "Truth and Justice," Superman birthed a cultural fascination with superheroes, and has become one of the most recognizable and influential fictional characters in history. In addition to comic books, the character has been explored in all forms of media, including radio, television, and film, and has been used to promote a variety of successful consumer products, educational initiatives and public service campaigns.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
DC Comics, Incorporated
Date made
1954
ID Number
1987.0213.011
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.011
accession number
1987.0213
Object Name
lobby card
Physical Description
paper (overall material)
ink, colored (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 11 in x 14 in; 27.94 cm x 35.56 cm
place made
United States
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Popular Entertainment
Data Source
National Museum of American History
depicted
Superman
Subject
Motion Pictures
general subject association
Television
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_1192385