Oliver Harper, you’re the best in retrospectives on youtube. Content creators come and go, but Oliver Harper’s heavenly narration will be with us for a lifetime.
Someone else mentioned this already but I'd like to address it because I have some more information. "Superboy... Lost" was a remake of an episode of The Adventures of Superman called "Panic In The Sky." It was also remade as "All Shook Up" in Lois And Clark. The original was one of the most popular episodes and was even made into a comic story a couple of years later. Because of its influence on fans and future Superman writers it was remade twice. It was also Bryan Singer's favorite episode.
The Bureau element was a forerunner of USA Network's Beyond Reality, a proto X-Files. And a more confident was in line with Byrne's comics. Mindscape was an homage to the For the Man Who Has Everything story. The Luthor origin was the first time the Byrne origin was used outside comics and same ep recreated his sister later used from 2008 onward. The end was part of Warner taking complete control over DC properties in light of DC selling the rights to the Salkinds.
Watching these retrospectives (I already watched part 1) brings back so many memories. This used to be my favorite TV series growing up. I watched every single episode.
It's funny how much certain plots get passed around these kind of shows. Just a few years later on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, starring Kevin Sorbo, Herc would travel to a parallel world where he was a brutal tyrant called The Sovereign. And that Sovereign Superboy outfit was clearly the inspiration for the later Red Sun outfit, down to the collar and gloves.
I met Gerard Christopher years ago at a convention, San Diego Comic Con I think. He is one heck of a nice guy. He gave me a little insight into behind the scenes. What he told me was the reason why JHN was axed from the show was because he asked for more money and when the show your on is ranking 82, you Are in no position to ask for more money. You have to kiss a little butt. He also told me that the show was contracted to do 100 episodes, and it did exactly that. That is according to him. Its too bad we couldn't see him transition into the role of Superman on TV or a motion picture because that would have been cool.That is just my opinion.
I wonder if he and John Newton have ever actually met each other in person at a con or something? That would be cool and probably awkward at the same time.
Didn't he transition into Superman at the end of the show when he got his powers back? I remember watching an interview where he said that was the moment where he became Superman (indirectly of course as the show wasn't allowed to use the word Superman).
Thanks for the reviews of this series. It aired in my area back in the day but I only saw the majority of season 3. Your reviews have filled me in on all the high and low-lights of the show. - Great work.
Seasons 3 and 4 were filmed one right after the other in one long 48 episode block. The Salkinds were always on tenuous terms with Warner Brothers, no surprise there.
Regarding 26:35, L&C didn't copy that meteor/amnesia concept from Superboy, they both copied it from the George Reeves series episode "Panic in the Sky." All TV versions of Superman have done it to pay homage to the George Reeves series. Even Smallville did it (don't recall the episode title), except Clark didn't (couldn't) fly into space to destroy a meteor.
There was also one of the Max Fleischer cartoons from the '40s with that theme, minus the memory loss. Seems to be a running theme. Wonder when they'll do a Superman movie based on the idea?
in the same year, Superboy's distributor Viacom produced Super Force and was made in the same place as Superboy, Universal Studios Florida and Composer Kevin Kiner did the score for Super Force, similar to the robot music from the season 1 episode, War of the Species.
I just discovered your review now. But I just want to say something. I don't think you're taking to account that the fact that the last 2 seasons of Superboy or 3, if you want to call that were booked on prime time at the time, that was something significant so that's the reason why it made it more adult. And second of all Those episodes that you didn't quite like I liked because they indicated the adult nature that they're trying to go with Superboy, and as you know, it kept going further than that, introducing more darker elements like one of my favorite episodes when he had to encounter death. And how it led to his aunt at least I think it was his aunt lol and the connection between her right and the afterlife
Now i'm getting where they took the idea for the black suited Superman from a parallel world in The Animated Series and the "earth 3" Clark in Smallville.
The suit really holds up for me. I would happily watch a big screen reboot of Superman with the spandex rather than another dark, muted, overly designed muscle suit.
Sherman Howard auditioned for, and very nearly won, the role voicing Lex Luthor in the 90s animated Superman series. The same producers later cast him in the similar character of Derek Powers/Blight on Batman Beyond.
Thanks for this retrospective. I remember Superboy being on TV. I was a teenager at the time. I loved the Christopher Reeve films, but I watched a little of season 1 of Superboy and hated it. I remember a little about Gerard Christopher taking on the role, but I never returned to the series. I am actually happy to know that the series improved with season 3 and 4. Maybe I need to track them down some day and give it a chance. I love Lois & Clark. I wasn't a fan at the time, but ended up watching them on DVD. It is a great show and I absolutely adore Teri Hatcher as Lois and Dean Cain as Clark. They have incredible chemistry and Teri is easily my absolute favorite Lois Lane on screen. I agree that Dean Cane isn't the best at being Superman, but he is okay. Let's face it, he was hired for his chemistry with Teri and for the role of Clark, which he excelled at. It really is a shame, though, that Superboy got cancelled over such a stupid reason. It is unfair. It would have been a smart move to retain Gerard Christopher and make Lois & Clark a merging from Superboy to Superman. But hey, it is what it is. The show may not have done as well, as the chemistry between Dean and Teri is what kept Lois & Clark alive. You just never know. I want to say, though, that Lois & Clark did not steal the asteroid/abnesia plot from Superboy. Aside from being a story from the comic books, there was also an episode of the George Reeves series that used this same plot. So if Lois & Clark stole from Superboy, then Superboy stole from The Adventures of Superman! The reality, of course, is that none of them stole anything and we're just using a common Superman storytelling device.
Really enjoyed that Oliver ! Had no idea that the show ran for longer and that it improved as it progressed ! Most shows today start off amazing and then their quality usually drops later ! As ever.... Very well presented and edited ! Great job dude :)
The "amnesia" plot (with the rogue asteroid element) was actually first used in Jackson Gillis's "Panic in the Sky" episode of The Adventures of Superman in the 1950s. When the story was re-used in the "All Shook Up" episode of Lois and Clark, Gillis was given a "Story By" credit, but for some reason this was not the case in "Superboy…Lost" (his agent perhaps was more alert for the network show than for the syndicated Superboy).
Thanks for sharing both these retrospectives Ollie!! Whilst being a huge Superman fan, I often avoided this show like the plague when it was on Sky thinking it was garbage but watching these have really changed my opinion and I definitely think I'll check it out! (I can't think of any higher praise for a retrospective! lol). The wire work looks really great and I had no idea some of the storylines were so involved and delved into his past (and future!). The Red Son esque ep looked interesting. Thanks again buddy, really enjoyed these!! Keep up the great work
stewmurray47 Such a shame stewmurray, I love you channel as well. I always worried modern day Mellenials will pass this up and think this is trash while praising Smallville. THis was a really good show, very cheesy which is what heroes are. Tights, undies, and do gooders. They teach the world higher moral standards
Mark M Hey Mark, sorry for the delay buddy. Thanks for the kind words about my channel, Glad you've been enjoying it. Yeah I must admit, whilst i wouldn't heave too much priase on Smallville, I did previously hold it in higher regard than Superboy but I'm the first to admit It appears I was wrong lol.
I would like to see a retrospective on Sliders, bound to get you some extra viewers too as there is not much on this great show. Your reviews are always top notch. Thoughtful, concise and friendly in in the harshest of criticism.
Same here. Some commentary on what went on behind the scenes between Fox and Tracy Torme at the beginning of season 3 would be good, as to me that's where the show took a nosedive in quality and writing and never really recovered. It got worse once John Rhys Davies left the show as well (can't blame him though due to how he was treated by David Peckinpah, the man pretty much responsible for ruining the show).
Ron Ely who played the elder Superman/Superboy also played Doc Savage in the 1975 film based on the pulp series, the pulp hero was a major influence on many heroes including Superman as Doc was called the Man of Bronze, his first name being Clark and a secret base in the artic called the Fortress of Solitude plus a female cousin who shares his bronze skin appearance and a capable adventurer in her own right (remind you of another heroic cousin of another heroic character?)
I think it might have been better to ask Christopher Reeve to play the elder Superman as a nod to the films. If he agreed, all they needed to do was age Chris with makeup and he would've been able to portray that iconic role one last time.
I doubt Chris would have bothered with that, especially considering how badly Superman IV did and his desire to move on from the role at that point in his career. Heck, he didn't even want to play Superman again but was only convinced to do so because Cannon Films told him if he played Superman once again in IV they would financially back his pet project Street Smart (great movie by the way).
I used to see this Sunday mornings in NYC on channel 9. I could not wait, since I was a kid in the early 90's, I related to Superboy. I loved this as it was meant for a wide eyes, starry eyed audience who are innocent. As Smallville was more, ahem, sexually, hormone, erogenous, teenaged Man of Steel who has more sexual exploits and run ins with dolled up chicks than just about anyone on TV. I just feel people do not get why cheesy stuff in comics are important. Heroes are supposed to be a higher ideal, something to strive for, not just dark and brooding or constantly in sexual situations.
I actually loved season 4's "Cat And Mouse". I normally don't like flashback filled episodes, but that episode had an interesting approach to it. The season 3 two parter where Clark meets up with the Loner Superboy and the Soverign is perhaps my favorite episode of the series. And I also liked obituary for a Superhero. I forgot to mention that my favorite season 1 episode is "Hollywood".
Awesome conclusion! I was very unfamiliar with this phase of the show, I didn't realize the show changed it's artistic direction. But one thing you didn't mention (I'm not sure you're aware), was that the Krytonite Kid was played by Jay Underwood, who played Johnny Storm in the Roger Corman Fantastic Four (which you, Richard, and Duncan commentated on). Not the greatest actor to ever be featured on any screen, but I thought it might be worth mentioning.
Another good review as always man. My favorite episodes of season 3 The bride of biizzaro Roads not taken Mindscape Superboy lost A day in a double life Body swap Rebirth Werewolf People vs metallo Jackson and Hyde Mine games Standoff The road to hell Season 4 The kryptonite kid Darla goes ballistic Know thine enemy To be human Threesome Who is superboy Cat and mouse Metamorphosis Rites of passage I really love this show one of my favorite versions of the character. And John and gerad are both great I sometimes can’t decided who I like better.
Love your channel. Heads up The guest star from the episode Kryptonite Kid was also the Human Tourch from the ashcan version of Fantastic Four from the early to mid 90's. Fun fact
Yep. that was Jay Underwood. he was previously played Eric Gibb, an autistic boy who wants to fly in The Boy who could Fly and The Boy-Android Chip Carson in the Not-Quiet Human TV Movies.
The story about Superman lost his memory after dealing with a meteorite comes from an episode in Season 2 of The Adventures of Superman with George Reeves. Both, "Superboy" and "Lois & Clark" were doing a tribute to that classic episode.
I need to watch this show simply to see more of the best live action Superman suit ever on screen. I watched the first season. It was really hard to get through it if I remember correctly.
I will admit, I'm in the UK too (as you well know) and for some reason I thought this series merely made it to one pilot and then never got picked up afterwards, so you're comment about it struggling to reach an audience outside of the US would seem very true. Great review as always, Oliver!
+Sams ChanneI i am from the uk as well I looked up superboy on wiki and started buying some of the episodes from my T-tunes and I have to say it a pretty good series
It can't be over-emphasized that it was the rights tangle vis-a-vis LOIS & CLARK was what consigned this to the memory hole. I mean, something truly lousy like the SWAMP THING show is better remembered and that's basically because it was re-run forever; SUPERBOY was four years and then nothing for 15 years. I caught it first-run and enjoyed it for what it was, and IIRC it had a good slot usually showing before ST:TNG or thereabouts.
That's how I remember watching it as well. It was sometimes on in the afternoon and sometimes the evening, followed by TNG and after that The War of the Worlds and Friday the 13th The Series. The last two I wasn't allowed to watch as much due to the content but I did watch Superboy and TNG a lot.
Looking at Dean Caine's costume now, his looks more like a shop-bought one. Plus, towards the end, the show screwed up the big selling factor, the sexual tension between Lois and Clark. Once they got together, what was the point of watching? Just like with Moonlighting
Mark M I don't completely agree. A beautiful marriage is a beautiful thing, and can make for great storytelling. Look at Rocky and Adrian, for example.
Very good retrospective, I enjoyed it a lot and I would love to see one about Lois and Clark. Superman's pretty much been around on TV throughout my life, we had Superboy which I saw on/off due to poor syndication when I was really little. We had Lois and Clark when I was an older kid and then when I was in my late teens Smallville came around.
I have to say that seasons 3 and 4 are what I remember most about Superboy. I'm not even sure if I watched the first 2 seasons when they first came out, because I was only 3 and 4 at the time, but during seasons 3 and 4 I became obsessed with the show. I looked forward to it every week. I liked the changes they made, and most of my favorite episodes are from the 3rd and 4th seasons. I was so thankful to see them dial back Clark's goofiness though, which was one of the things I really hated about season 2. I also loved that they brought back Darla. Tracy Roberts and Sherman Howard had great chemistry. I remember when I was little I saw Road to Hell Part 1, but Part 2 didn't air the following week. I don't know if it had been a rerun or not, but I was never able to catch Part 2 on TV. I had to wait over 20 years to see the conclusion of that episode. There are so many good episodes from season 3, but I think my favorites are Mine Games, Bodyswap, Roads Not Taken Parts 1 and 2, and Road to Hell Parts 1 and 2. I think my favorite episodes from season 4 are Kryptonite Kid, Know Thine Enemy Parts 1 and 2, To Be Human Parts 1 and 2, and Darla Goes Ballistic. I never knew that Superboy had been cancelled, but once I saw Lois and Clark I knew that my favorite show was gone for good. That is the sole reason why I have never, and will never watch a single episode of that series. As far as I'm concerned Lois and Clark can go straight to hell! I thought Dean Cain was a horrible choice to play Superman, and I still do. Back when Superboy ended I had no reason to think I'd ever see the series again. You couldn't buy TV shows back then, and once Lois and Clark started Superboy was never rerun again. At least not on any channel I got anyway. I'm just thankful that I live in a world where Superboy finally got it's DVD release. Now I can enjoy all the episodes again and again. I just wish there were more of them.
This is a well done retrospective. I enjoyed the show. I think the amnesia thing was done in Smallville too so it must be a popular idea for the character.
Cant wait for your review on Lois and Clark. Being from Australia, Superboy was also poorly syndicated, and I can only remember hearing about the show once during its actual lifetime. Lois and Clark was the show I remember fondly and even though the Superman elements of the show were a little lackluster, the dynamic between L&C was fantastic and what kept me coming back. P.s don't forget to mention "Old man on the bridge by king kong" as the ridiculous mind control song from season 3.
Nice one on reviewing this what I will refer to as a 'lost' series for us here in the UK. It's a series I remember from my childhood but had no idea it got this many episodes/seasons. And whenever I mention it most of my friends don't even remember the show. It's also good to know they have released them on dvd which is something I might have to look into getting just for the memories.
Great Retrospective Oliver as always. I wasn't too keen on "Lois & Clark:The New Adventures of Superman" myself, it just looks so cheesy. I don't think I've ever watched this series in reruns, I did see clips on TH-cam, like when Metallo introduces himself, and a clip featuring Bizzaro. Happy Easter Oliver.
Mr. Harper, I've been a fan of your work for a while. I truly appreciate your love for the Superman movies and tv shows. Now I would like to ask if you ever plan on talking about Smallville. I really enjoyed certain parts of it, but I feel that alot of the show had problems. I would like to hear your opinion on it all.
John Lechlieter Hi John!. Thanks for your feedback. I have been asked a number of times to review Smallville. But it would be huge undertaking to produce a video in this style to cover 10 seasons. It would take a long time to produce and i would have to watch all the episodes again to do it justice. I just don't have the enthusiasm to cover the show Im afraid.
I am a huge Superman fan since the 80's while growing up & still am. I have ever TV show & movie of Superman even the 40's serials. But I don't have the 60's Superboy or season 2 through 4 of the 80's Superboy but I do have one. Do u know where I can find the 60's Superboy show on dvd & also season 2 through 4 of the 80's one as well cuz that will compete my collection of Superman plz let me know ok ty
All four seasons of this show are now available on DVD but you need to order them online directly from WB. I believe they're printed on demand so it's a little harder to get than a normal mass-produced DVD set. As for the 1961 series pilot, it's a special feature on the Smallville series box set. I'm not aware of any way to obtain copies of the unproduced scripts though I'd love to get my hands on those. If you're not willing to buy the entire Smallville series set the pilot is on TH-cam currently so you might want to download that soon in case it's ever taken down. You may just need to burn it onto a DVD-R. To my knowledge the Smallville set is the only official release that pilot has ever gotten. It was, however, unofficially released on VHS with Superpup as a "public domain" release, which I'm not sure it actually is. I'd wager you won't be able to find that VHS anywhere though. You also didn't mention Superpup or the 1975 musical special. You may not be aware of those. Being a pretty hardcore Superman fan I am but I don't think most fans are. Superpup was an unsold pilot depicting the Superman characters as anthropomorphic dogs. It was horrendous. That's available on the Ultimate Superman Collector's DVD set, which I own, and that's the only official release I know of. As far as the musical special, its official title is "It's A Bird... It's A Plane... It's Superman: The Musical!" and it has not been officially released and was considered lost until a few years ago. Fortunately, a VHS copy was found and it's now available as a bootleg. It's also on TH-cam so if you want a truly complete collection I'd recommend downloading that too and burning it to a DVD-R. I hope this helped. Good luck with your collection. Mine is nearly complete myself, though I still have some of the animated sets to pick up. And don't even get me started on the damn Superfriends DVD sets. That thing is a mess.
Get Superboy season 3 DVD here goo.gl/glVBnu
Get Superboy season 4 DVD here goo.gl/EcAZI2
Are you gonna do the Dean Cain show ?
I remember watching this show on Saturdays in the late 80s/early 90s. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. ❤💙
The wire work on this show is amazing.
Oliver Harper, you’re the best in retrospectives on youtube. Content creators come and go, but Oliver Harper’s heavenly narration will be with us for a lifetime.
ahh that superboy/superman suit always give me a warm feeling.
Someone else mentioned this already but I'd like to address it because I have some more information. "Superboy... Lost" was a remake of an episode of The Adventures of Superman called "Panic In The Sky." It was also remade as "All Shook Up" in Lois And Clark. The original was one of the most popular episodes and was even made into a comic story a couple of years later. Because of its influence on fans and future Superman writers it was remade twice. It was also Bryan Singer's favorite episode.
The Bureau element was a forerunner of USA Network's Beyond Reality, a proto X-Files. And a more confident was in line with Byrne's comics. Mindscape was an homage to the For the Man Who Has Everything story. The Luthor origin was the first time the Byrne origin was used outside comics and same ep recreated his sister later used from 2008 onward. The end was part of Warner taking complete control over DC properties in light of DC selling the rights to the Salkinds.
The Gerard Christopher era was the best especially in the 3rd and 4th season when they worked for the paranormal investigation center!!!!
Watching these retrospectives (I already watched part 1) brings back so many memories. This used to be my favorite TV series growing up. I watched every single episode.
It's funny how much certain plots get passed around these kind of shows. Just a few years later on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, starring Kevin Sorbo, Herc would travel to a parallel world where he was a brutal tyrant called The Sovereign. And that Sovereign Superboy outfit was clearly the inspiration for the later Red Sun outfit, down to the collar and gloves.
Hey this was really informative, would love to see one on both Lois and Clark and Smallville.
I met Gerard Christopher years ago at a convention, San Diego Comic Con I think. He is one heck of a nice guy. He gave me a little insight into behind the scenes. What he told me was the reason why JHN was axed from the show was because he asked for more money and when the show your on is ranking 82, you Are in no position to ask for more money. You have to kiss a little butt. He also told me that the show was contracted to do 100 episodes, and it did exactly that. That is according to him. Its too bad we couldn't see him transition into the role of Superman on TV or a motion picture because that would have been cool.That is just my opinion.
I wonder if he and John Newton have ever actually met each other in person at a con or something? That would be cool and probably awkward at the same time.
Didn't he transition into Superman at the end of the show when he got his powers back? I remember watching an interview where he said that was the moment where he became Superman (indirectly of course as the show wasn't allowed to use the word Superman).
I will never forget the show.
I remembered watching this show just a few times. Thanks for filling in the blanks on it!
Thanks for the reviews of this series. It aired in my area back in the day but I only saw the majority of season 3. Your reviews have filled me in on all the high and low-lights of the show. - Great work.
Can't believe my luck, there's a new Oliver Harper video out!!!!
These are great and honest reviews, thanks for making them.
Gerard Christopher Fan Showcase hello Gerard Christopher is the best I am gonna subscribe to your channel will you subscribe to my channel thanks
Seasons 3 and 4 were filmed one right after the other in one long 48 episode block.
The Salkinds were always on tenuous terms with Warner Brothers, no surprise there.
Regarding 26:35, L&C didn't copy that meteor/amnesia concept from Superboy, they both copied it from the George Reeves series episode "Panic in the Sky." All TV versions of Superman have done it to pay homage to the George Reeves series. Even Smallville did it (don't recall the episode title), except Clark didn't (couldn't) fly into space to destroy a meteor.
wudaddy this!
The George Reeves episode was adapted from a storyline in the radio series.
There was also one of the Max Fleischer cartoons from the '40s with that theme, minus the memory loss. Seems to be a running theme. Wonder when they'll do a Superman movie based on the idea?
I used to tape hits show religiously back in the day. I still have them on vhs.
Two Wrestlers appeared in the Adventures of Superboy, "The Total Package" Lex Luger from WCW and WWE and The late Rowdy Roddy Piper from WWE and WCW.
33:00 George Reeves' Superman had an amnesia episode also.
in the same year, Superboy's distributor Viacom produced Super Force and was made in the same place as Superboy, Universal Studios Florida and Composer Kevin Kiner did the score for Super Force, similar to the robot music from the season 1 episode, War of the Species.
Superboy Lost was taken from an old Superman comic book story, which was also done in the Adventures of Superman back in the fifties.
I just discovered your review now. But I just want to say something. I don't think you're taking to account that the fact that the last 2 seasons of Superboy or 3, if you want to call that were booked on prime time at the time, that was something significant so that's the reason why it made it more adult. And second of all
Those episodes that you didn't quite like I liked because they indicated the adult nature that they're trying to go with Superboy, and as you know, it kept going further than that, introducing more darker elements like one of my favorite episodes when he had to encounter death. And how it led to his aunt at least I think it was his aunt lol and the connection between her right and the afterlife
Now i'm getting where they took the idea for the black suited Superman from a parallel world in The Animated Series and the "earth 3" Clark in Smallville.
The suit really holds up for me. I would happily watch a big screen reboot of Superman with the spandex rather than another dark, muted, overly designed muscle suit.
Sherman Howard auditioned for, and very nearly won, the role voicing Lex Luthor in the 90s animated Superman series. The same producers later cast him in the similar character of Derek Powers/Blight on Batman Beyond.
This was a really interesting retrospective! I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on a Lois and Clark retrospective.
Thanks for this retrospective. I remember Superboy being on TV. I was a teenager at the time. I loved the Christopher Reeve films, but I watched a little of season 1 of Superboy and hated it. I remember a little about Gerard Christopher taking on the role, but I never returned to the series. I am actually happy to know that the series improved with season 3 and 4. Maybe I need to track them down some day and give it a chance.
I love Lois & Clark. I wasn't a fan at the time, but ended up watching them on DVD. It is a great show and I absolutely adore Teri Hatcher as Lois and Dean Cain as Clark. They have incredible chemistry and Teri is easily my absolute favorite Lois Lane on screen. I agree that Dean Cane isn't the best at being Superman, but he is okay. Let's face it, he was hired for his chemistry with Teri and for the role of Clark, which he excelled at.
It really is a shame, though, that Superboy got cancelled over such a stupid reason. It is unfair. It would have been a smart move to retain Gerard Christopher and make Lois & Clark a merging from Superboy to Superman. But hey, it is what it is. The show may not have done as well, as the chemistry between Dean and Teri is what kept Lois & Clark alive. You just never know.
I want to say, though, that Lois & Clark did not steal the asteroid/abnesia plot from Superboy. Aside from being a story from the comic books, there was also an episode of the George Reeves series that used this same plot. So if Lois & Clark stole from Superboy, then Superboy stole from The Adventures of Superman! The reality, of course, is that none of them stole anything and we're just using a common Superman storytelling device.
Really enjoyed that Oliver ! Had no idea that the show ran for longer and that it improved as it progressed ! Most shows today start off amazing and then their quality usually drops later ! As ever.... Very well presented and edited ! Great job dude :)
The "amnesia" plot (with the rogue asteroid element) was actually first used in Jackson Gillis's "Panic in the Sky" episode of The Adventures of Superman in the 1950s. When the story was re-used in the "All Shook Up" episode of Lois and Clark, Gillis was given a "Story By" credit, but for some reason this was not the case in "Superboy…Lost" (his agent perhaps was more alert for the network show than for the syndicated Superboy).
Thanks for sharing both these retrospectives Ollie!! Whilst being a huge Superman fan, I often avoided this show like the plague when it was on Sky thinking it was garbage but watching these have really changed my opinion and I definitely think I'll check it out! (I can't think of any higher praise for a retrospective! lol). The wire work looks really great and I had no idea some of the storylines were so involved and delved into his past (and future!). The Red Son esque ep looked interesting. Thanks again buddy, really enjoyed these!! Keep up the great work
stewmurray47 Such a shame stewmurray, I love you channel as well. I always worried modern day Mellenials will pass this up and think this is trash while praising Smallville.
THis was a really good show, very cheesy which is what heroes are. Tights, undies, and do gooders. They teach the world higher moral standards
Mark M Hey Mark, sorry for the delay buddy. Thanks for the kind words about my channel, Glad you've been enjoying it. Yeah I must admit, whilst i wouldn't heave too much priase on Smallville, I did previously hold it in higher regard than Superboy but I'm the first to admit It appears I was wrong lol.
I would like to see a retrospective on Sliders, bound to get you some extra viewers too as there is not much on this great show. Your reviews are always top notch. Thoughtful, concise and friendly in in the harshest of criticism.
Same here. Some commentary on what went on behind the scenes between Fox and Tracy Torme at the beginning of season 3 would be good, as to me that's where the show took a nosedive in quality and writing and never really recovered. It got worse once John Rhys Davies left the show as well (can't blame him though due to how he was treated by David Peckinpah, the man pretty much responsible for ruining the show).
"superboy Lost" was taken from "The Adventures of Superman" with George Reeves called "Panic in the sky"
I never knew the show existed until season 1 come out.
Ron Ely who played the elder Superman/Superboy also played Doc Savage in the 1975 film based on the pulp series, the pulp hero was a major influence on many heroes including Superman as Doc was called the Man of Bronze, his first name being Clark and a secret base in the artic called the Fortress of Solitude plus a female cousin who shares his bronze skin appearance and a capable adventurer in her own right (remind you of another heroic cousin of another heroic character?)
Badre Bally He also played Tarzan, years ago.
I think it might have been better to ask Christopher Reeve to play the elder Superman as a nod to the films. If he agreed, all they needed to do was age Chris with makeup and he would've been able to portray that iconic role one last time.
I doubt Chris would have bothered with that, especially considering how badly Superman IV did and his desire to move on from the role at that point in his career. Heck, he didn't even want to play Superman again but was only convinced to do so because Cannon Films told him if he played Superman once again in IV they would financially back his pet project Street Smart (great movie by the way).
I used to see this Sunday mornings in NYC on channel 9. I could not wait, since I was a kid in the early 90's, I related to Superboy. I loved this as it was meant for a wide eyes, starry eyed audience who are innocent.
As Smallville was more, ahem, sexually, hormone, erogenous, teenaged Man of Steel who has more sexual exploits and run ins with dolled up chicks than just about anyone on TV.
I just feel people do not get why cheesy stuff in comics are important. Heroes are supposed to be a higher ideal, something to strive for, not just dark and brooding or constantly in sexual situations.
dude yours is becoming one of my favorite youtube channels right now, amazing work.
Great review. Everybody on that show, top notch. Especially to Stacy an Gerard. Really enjoyed series on tv then, now its great to own on dvd.
Oliver, will you do a retrospective of the Incredible Hulk show with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno eventually?
I actually loved season 4's "Cat And Mouse". I normally don't like flashback filled episodes, but that episode had an interesting approach to it. The season 3 two parter where Clark meets up with the Loner Superboy and the Soverign is perhaps my favorite episode of the series. And I also liked obituary for a Superhero. I forgot to mention that my favorite season 1 episode is "Hollywood".
Another well done retrospective by Oliver Harper!
Thank you Oliver for all the information about the series and the long review,it must be a pain to edit : )
A really nice retrospective and review. A lot of it I'd forgotten.
You should review the highlander TV show.
Superboy is awesome 🤩 👍🇺🇸 Florida is beautiful
Awesome conclusion! I was very unfamiliar with this phase of the show, I didn't realize the show changed it's artistic direction. But one thing you didn't mention (I'm not sure you're aware), was that the Krytonite Kid was played by Jay Underwood, who played Johnny Storm in the Roger Corman Fantastic Four (which you, Richard, and Duncan commentated on). Not the greatest actor to ever be featured on any screen, but I thought it might be worth mentioning.
These are some of the best quality reviews on TH-cam Oliver !
Another good review as always man. My favorite episodes of season 3
The bride of biizzaro
Roads not taken
Mindscape
Superboy lost
A day in a double life
Body swap
Rebirth
Werewolf
People vs metallo
Jackson and Hyde
Mine games
Standoff
The road to hell
Season 4
The kryptonite kid
Darla goes ballistic
Know thine enemy
To be human
Threesome
Who is superboy
Cat and mouse
Metamorphosis
Rites of passage I really love this show one of my favorite versions of the character. And John and gerad are both great I sometimes can’t decided who I like better.
Congratulations on another wonderful retrospective. You have my respect and admiration.
Love your channel. Heads up The guest star from the episode Kryptonite Kid was also the Human Tourch from the ashcan version of Fantastic Four from the early to mid 90's. Fun fact
Cory Hendricks I knew he looked familiar!.I just couldn't put my finger on it from where I had seen him from.
Cory Hendricks I did not know that, I loved the Kryptonite Kid.....just awesome, cheesy fun as comics should be.
Yep. that was Jay Underwood. he was previously played Eric Gibb, an autistic boy who wants to fly in The Boy who could Fly and The Boy-Android Chip Carson in the Not-Quiet Human TV Movies.
Jay Underwood was in a lot of Disney stuff back in the 80's from what I can remember.
Ron Ely who played Tarzan in movies and hosted the game show Face the Music guest starred as the elderly Superman in part II of The Road to Hell.
Mine Games reminds me of a Smallville episode where Clark and Lex examine their friendship while in a krytonite mine. It's called nemesis.
Thank you for this Oliver Harper i missed this in the states looks like a fun show.
Great two part review. I had never heard of Superboy previously. Thanks Oliver.
Did I see Gregg Allman at 26:28?
The story about Superman lost his memory after dealing with a meteorite comes from an episode in Season 2 of The Adventures of Superman with George Reeves. Both, "Superboy" and "Lois & Clark" were doing a tribute to that classic episode.
Really loved Lois and Clark. Thanks for the review of Superboy I'm excited to watch it! Might get the DC app so I can watch it.
Can you do a Retrospective of the Sliders TV series please
I need to watch this show simply to see more of the best live action Superman suit ever on screen. I watched the first season. It was really hard to get through it if I remember correctly.
I will admit, I'm in the UK too (as you well know) and for some reason I thought this series merely made it to one pilot and then never got picked up afterwards, so you're comment about it struggling to reach an audience outside of the US would seem very true. Great review as always, Oliver!
_"Thoughts are concealed and can only be discussed with oneself. Words are public, and can lead to enlightening and fun discussions."_
+Sams ChanneI i am from the uk as well I looked up superboy on wiki and started buying some of the episodes from my T-tunes and I have to say it a pretty good series
Lol, that carnival episode. Torchwood did the exact same episode years later. The only difference was theirs had escaped from an old movie reel.
I wondered, will you be reviewing "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" as well at some point?
I have to say, the look of Old Superman looks a lot like Marlon Brando's Jor-El, which is very fitting.
Superboy was awesome. Seasons 3&4 were definitely more mature and slightly darker than the first couple seasons.
I remember watching this show back in the late 80's/early 90's. I thought it was fantastic.
Capitol City in the Adventures of Superboy is the Florida version of Metropolis.
When are you going to discuss Lois & Clark (all 4 seasons) in more detail?
Hey Oliver, you should do a retrospective on the animated superman series from the 90s.
Superman losing his memory from a meteor was a George Reeves episode, Superboy and Lois & Clark are paying homage to that one.
It can't be over-emphasized that it was the rights tangle vis-a-vis LOIS & CLARK was what consigned this to the memory hole. I mean, something truly lousy like the SWAMP THING show is better remembered and that's basically because it was re-run forever; SUPERBOY was four years and then nothing for 15 years. I caught it first-run and enjoyed it for what it was, and IIRC it had a good slot usually showing before ST:TNG or thereabouts.
That's how I remember watching it as well. It was sometimes on in the afternoon and sometimes the evening, followed by TNG and after that The War of the Worlds and Friday the 13th The Series. The last two I wasn't allowed to watch as much due to the content but I did watch Superboy and TNG a lot.
Linda Carter 70's Wonder Woman should be your next C-B show review.
Looking at Dean Caine's costume now, his looks more like a shop-bought one. Plus, towards the end, the show screwed up the big selling factor, the sexual tension between Lois and Clark. Once they got together, what was the point of watching? Just like with Moonlighting
LiamTheGreat Totally agreed, once the hero gets the girl...no where to go.
Mark M I don't completely agree. A beautiful marriage is a beautiful thing, and can make for great storytelling. Look at Rocky and Adrian, for example.
COmparing a movie where it is one hour and a half while it is a season worth of marriage is completely different animals.
Bollocks. Lois and Clark is way superior relationship wise and Moonlighting is a crap comparison.
To be fair, Teri Hatcher was a better lizard person than Cybill Shepherd. I'll give you that
Very good retrospective, I enjoyed it a lot and I would love to see one about Lois and Clark. Superman's pretty much been around on TV throughout my life, we had Superboy which I saw on/off due to poor syndication when I was really little. We had Lois and Clark when I was an older kid and then when I was in my late teens Smallville came around.
It's an amazing show. Love comic books
The whole amnesia thing also happened in the adventures of superman
Looking forward to hearing you cover Lois and Clark the New Adventures of Superman.
I have to say that seasons 3 and 4 are what I remember most about Superboy. I'm not even sure if I watched the first 2 seasons when they first came out, because I was only 3 and 4 at the time, but during seasons 3 and 4 I became obsessed with the show. I looked forward to it every week. I liked the changes they made, and most of my favorite episodes are from the 3rd and 4th seasons. I was so thankful to see them dial back Clark's goofiness though, which was one of the things I really hated about season 2. I also loved that they brought back Darla. Tracy Roberts and Sherman Howard had great chemistry. I remember when I was little I saw Road to Hell Part 1, but Part 2 didn't air the following week. I don't know if it had been a rerun or not, but I was never able to catch Part 2 on TV. I had to wait over 20 years to see the conclusion of that episode. There are so many good episodes from season 3, but I think my favorites are Mine Games, Bodyswap, Roads Not Taken Parts 1 and 2, and Road to Hell Parts 1 and 2. I think my favorite episodes from season 4 are Kryptonite Kid, Know Thine Enemy Parts 1 and 2, To Be Human Parts 1 and 2, and Darla Goes Ballistic. I never knew that Superboy had been cancelled, but once I saw Lois and Clark I knew that my favorite show was gone for good. That is the sole reason why I have never, and will never watch a single episode of that series. As far as I'm concerned Lois and Clark can go straight to hell! I thought Dean Cain was a horrible choice to play Superman, and I still do. Back when Superboy ended I had no reason to think I'd ever see the series again. You couldn't buy TV shows back then, and once Lois and Clark started Superboy was never rerun again. At least not on any channel I got anyway. I'm just thankful that I live in a world where Superboy finally got it's DVD release. Now I can enjoy all the episodes again and again. I just wish there were more of them.
This is a well done retrospective. I enjoyed the show. I think the amnesia thing was done in Smallville too so it must be a popular idea for the character.
Cant wait for your review on Lois and Clark. Being from Australia, Superboy was also poorly syndicated, and I can only remember hearing about the show once during its actual lifetime. Lois and Clark was the show I remember fondly and even though the Superman elements of the show were a little lackluster, the dynamic between L&C was fantastic and what kept me coming back. P.s don't forget to mention "Old man on the bridge by king kong" as the ridiculous mind control song from season 3.
Nice one on reviewing this what I will refer to as a 'lost' series for us here in the UK.
It's a series I remember from my childhood but had no idea it got this many episodes/seasons. And whenever I mention it most of my friends don't even remember the show. It's also good to know they have released them on dvd which is something I might have to look into getting just for the memories.
Was this the first DC program to explore the multiverse? They all seem to do it eventually.
ive seen this show around the 90's in Indonesia... ahhh those memories... great review sir..
All four seasons are available to buy in the UK on Amazon's streaming service. £1.89 per episode in SD.
Gerard looks like young Clark from the first Superman movie.
Right at the perfect time I needed to escape, thank you Oliver...
Gerard was a real trooper
Great Retrospective Oliver as always. I wasn't too keen on "Lois & Clark:The New Adventures of Superman" myself, it just looks so cheesy. I don't think I've ever watched this series in reruns, I did see clips on TH-cam, like when Metallo introduces himself, and a clip featuring Bizzaro.
Happy Easter Oliver.
Where'd you find all of the behind the scenes interviews and footage, like what appears to be Christopher's screen test?
Kamdan all the behind the scenes footage was contributed by Superboyhomepage.com
It’s odd seeing a grown man call himself The Boy of Steel.
man, memories... thanks again
Holy shit this season has so many great ideas, hell, I should finally watch this show
Are you planning on doing a retrospective on Lois and Clark anytime soon?
Mr. Harper, I've been a fan of your work for a while. I truly appreciate your love for the Superman movies and tv shows. Now I would like to ask if you ever plan on talking about Smallville. I really enjoyed certain parts of it, but I feel that alot of the show had problems. I would like to hear your opinion on it all.
John Lechlieter Hi John!. Thanks for your feedback. I have been asked a number of times to review Smallville. But it would be huge undertaking to produce a video in this style to cover 10 seasons. It would take a long time to produce and i would have to watch all the episodes again to do it justice. I just don't have the enthusiasm to cover the show Im afraid.
Oliver Harper Thanks for replying. Maybe someday though.
Great! P.S: judging from the new poster at the beginning.....does that mean The Iron Giant (1998) will be landing soon?! ;)
13:34 What is Murdoc from MacGyver doing in this???????
Would love to see you do. A review of Lois and Clark
I am a huge Superman fan since the 80's while growing up & still am. I have ever TV show & movie of Superman even the 40's serials. But I don't have the 60's Superboy or season 2 through 4 of the 80's Superboy but I do have one. Do u know where I can find the 60's Superboy show on dvd & also season 2 through 4 of the 80's one as well cuz that will compete my collection of Superman plz let me know ok ty
All four seasons of this show are now available on DVD but you need to order them online directly from WB. I believe they're printed on demand so it's a little harder to get than a normal mass-produced DVD set. As for the 1961 series pilot, it's a special feature on the Smallville series box set. I'm not aware of any way to obtain copies of the unproduced scripts though I'd love to get my hands on those. If you're not willing to buy the entire Smallville series set the pilot is on TH-cam currently so you might want to download that soon in case it's ever taken down. You may just need to burn it onto a DVD-R. To my knowledge the Smallville set is the only official release that pilot has ever gotten. It was, however, unofficially released on VHS with Superpup as a "public domain" release, which I'm not sure it actually is. I'd wager you won't be able to find that VHS anywhere though.
You also didn't mention Superpup or the 1975 musical special. You may not be aware of those. Being a pretty hardcore Superman fan I am but I don't think most fans are. Superpup was an unsold pilot depicting the Superman characters as anthropomorphic dogs. It was horrendous. That's available on the Ultimate Superman Collector's DVD set, which I own, and that's the only official release I know of. As far as the musical special, its official title is "It's A Bird... It's A Plane... It's Superman: The Musical!" and it has not been officially released and was considered lost until a few years ago. Fortunately, a VHS copy was found and it's now available as a bootleg. It's also on TH-cam so if you want a truly complete collection I'd recommend downloading that too and burning it to a DVD-R.
I hope this helped. Good luck with your collection. Mine is nearly complete myself, though I still have some of the animated sets to pick up. And don't even get me started on the damn Superfriends DVD sets. That thing is a mess.
15:42 - Murdoc from MacGuyver.