Superman and the Mole-Men (1951)

Before Henry Cavill, before Brandon Routh, before Dean Cain, even before Christopher Reeve but after Kirk Alyn we had George Reeves as Superman. Make no mistake the man was iconic and many would argue the real Superman as he was in over 100 episodes of the original Superman television series.Here in his first and sadly due to his passing last big screen adventure Superman has to tackle mysterious creatures that have come up through a drilling site.This "Movie" is actually a two parter from the television series that they stuck together and released in cinemas. For that reason it's only an hour long but is just the right length for such a brief story.It's not action packed, the creatures aren't super villians and no super powers are really seen. This is a more subtle approach and see's the citizens as the antagonists as they rally together into a mob (As people probably would in such a situation)I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did but it's a nice short bit of take your brain out entertainment and considerably better than anything Cavill has done as the worlds most famous superhero.The Good:Simple storyWell writtenA more realistic approachThe Bad:The Mole People look ridiculousThings I Learnt From This Movie:Supermans outfit is also bulletproofClark Kent and Superman look a lot alike

(Flash Review)It clocks in at 1hr yet it has a properly thought out story. I had no idea what this would be like but I was presently surprised. Oil men drill a hole 23 miles down or something into the Earth and these hilarious little creature people living way down there ascend upon the outer crust. They makes friends with a little girl but of course the itchy trigger finger locals want them gone. Once threatened, they bring up a kickass ray gun that takes two of them to hold. Superman must come to save the day! Shot in black & white, it was a bummer not to see his costume in full color but it was interesting to see the effects they create to give the impression of him flying. One is a high POV shot from a crane over the town with a loud wind roar for the audio. Humorous. The acting is firm and dry but overall it was a solid film showing Superman's powerful traits. Films geeks should check this out.

Where to even begin? For starters, this is more of a B-grade science-fiction picture that happens to feature Superman than a "Superman" movie outright. Whatever the intentions of the producers, it certainly is a product of its time. By that, and given its low budget, I mean that it's kind of what you'd expect from a sci-fi film in the 1950's: shoddy production values, questionable acting, and overt message-making. Still despite all of this there is a certain B-movie charm, and of course George Reeves has a great screen presence as the Man of Steel (not so much Clark Kent, who is played too similarly). Other than Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane, though, there isn't much else here that ties it to the Action Comics source material. Ergo, no Daily Planet, no Metropolis, etc. But I didn't really mind. As long as you do away with any expectations of what a Superman movie "should" be, this film can be a lot of fun. And, at 58 minutes, it never wears out its welcome. Considering the time in which this film was made, with liberal Hollywood under attack by fear-mongering by the likes of Joseph McCarthy and racial tensions coming to a boil, the message it conveys is actually quite radical (again, for its time). It basically says that as beings who inhabit this planet, we should all just get along regardless of who we are. There are also other things you could read into it, like anti-oil drilling and gun control, but those are secondary concerns. Did I like it? Well, yes and no. It isn't my idea of what a comic movie should be, but taken as a cheesy sci-movie, it has its charms. I wouldn't bend over backwards to see this if you haven't already, but fans of George Reeves of Superman would be remiss for not checking it out.

In anticipation of the television series, 'The Adventures of Superman', this third 'live-action' Superman was the first 'feature' film (the previous entries had been serials). Replacing serial 'King' Kirk Alyn as the 'Man of Steel' was George Reeves, a gifted 37-year old actor who had been impressive in such 'A'-list productions as 'Gone With the Wind', 'The Strawberry Blonde', 'Lydia', and 'So Proudly We Hail!' Returning from the war, however, his career, as was the case with so many other young actors, had stalled. Reduced to supporting roles, or leads in 'B' films and serials, 'Superman and the Mole Men' represented yet another minor film, but Reeves hoped the exposure from both film and television might jump-start his flagging career...He little anticipated what impact Superman was about to have on his life!A cautionary tale, with elements 'lifted' from 'Frankenstein' and 'The Day The Earth Stood Still', begins as miners drill the world's deepest shaft, and break through to an underground world. Two of it's inhabitants, bald, radioactive midgets, decide to secretly investigate our world. Doing a feature story on the well for the 'Daily Planet', reporters Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates, inheriting the role from the serials' Noel Neill), and Clark Kent (Reeves), finds a town gripped with fear and prejudice, as an old man had suffered a heart attack after seeing the 'visitors'. Despite pleas for tolerance, the residents arm themselves, and plan to 'shoot first and ask questions later', particularly after the ball of a little girl who sees them (and has an innocent encounter), has enough residual radioactivity to glow in the dark. Shots are fired, the aliens bring up their own weapons, and it's up to Superman to 'save the day'!Reeves' interpretation of 'Clark Kent/Superman' was far less jovial and buoyant than Alyn's; decisive, serious, and nearly combative, this was a 'Superman' you didn't mess with (the characterization would be toned down, for television). Square-jawed and more muscular (aided by a tee shirt with sewn-in shoulder pads, beneath the costume, to make him even more formidable-looking), the greatest variance between his interpretation and the comic books' was in his 'take' on Clark Kent. Reeves gave the reporter courage and integrity, as opposed to the 'meek, mild-mannered' geek that readers were familiar with (and who would be revived by Christopher Reeve, 26 years later). While some critics complained that he made Kent and Superman's personalities too similar, Reeves and the producers wisely realized that as budgetary restraints kept Superman's presence in the movie (with the FX required to show his 'super powers') to a minimum (there aren't ANY flying sequences in 'Superman and the Mole Men, only cast comments..."Look, up in the sky"... and a close-up of his 'catching' a falling alien), Clark Kent would be on-screen more, 'standing in' for the Man of Steel. Kent 'had' to be stronger, to fill the void.Phyllis Coates was fabulous, as Lois Lane. No longer the serials' air-headed girl reporter who kept getting into trouble, Coates' Lois was strong, smart, and every bit Clark Kent's equal. She redefined the role, and when Noel Neill returned to the part, on TV several years later, she had big shoes to fill!Aided by an excellent supporting cast (including screen veterans Jeff Corey, Walter Reed, and J. Farrell MacDonald), 'Superman and the Mole Men', despite its small budget, offered excellent performances, and a theme of tolerance that still rings true, today.With the success of the film, 'Superman' moved on to television...and history was about to be made!