Love that you keep the show alive. I was brought in by Ilya Salkind as the head writer on the second season. We cast Gerard Christopher and our goal was to do more of the bigger than life supervillains and more of the comic book stories, including bringing in Andy McAllister and the new Lex Luther. I wrote the two parter Bizarro episode, and many others in season 2. Your research was very good. Regards, Mark Jones
Hi there Ilan ! Just a question if you dont mind. Are you the very same 'Ilan Mitchell Smith' who played 'Wyatt Donnelly' in the immortal 80's comedy film 'Weird Science' ? I loved that film growing up ! It changed how I percieved the world so fundamentaly as a 7 year old !!! Ha Ha
Matthew Evans Thanks very much, Matthew! I _am_ the same Ilan Mitchell-Smith! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the movie. It was a blast to make, and I was lucky to be a part of it!
This is beyond cool ! I would never have guessed that 26 years later I would get a g+ msg from my fave actor from my fave film !!! And you have become a real cool and humble guy !!! I hope you dont mind me adding you, God bless to you and your family :-)
I am from India and this show was one of the most memorable parts of my childhood and I have looked for it in vain for a number of years. It amazes me how nobody even remembers it. Thanks for this video.
That guy's fight in The Living Daylights is one of the best in any Bond movie. I'm surprised to hear he needed a double in this to do his fight scenes.
When Superboy was filmed, it was shot on 35mm film and then transferred to video for editing and Visual Effects. Superboy was mastered on 1-inch video tape and then in the final two seasons on Betacam videotape.
The “Microboy” episode was a direct adaption of Action Comics #488, which featured a character called “Microwave Man.” Microboy’s powers, origin, weakness and the episode’s time-travel resolution are all directly taken from the Microwave Man story.
I remember enjoying this as a kid as well, and I ended up attending UCF where the exterior scenes were filmed. At the time I didn't realize the connection, but I ended up in one of my roommate's short films where security was provided by a university cop who also worked security on this show. He relayed the story of watching them crane the actor up through the center of one of the chemistry labs (there was an open air garden in the center). I remembered watching the show as a kid and hadn't seen it since then, but was completely surprised to hear they performed actual wire work for the show. Thanks for documenting the history of it!
I was working at the Disney-MGM studios at the time Superboy was being produced there. (The park itself was not yet open to visitors.) In addition to Superboy, other shows being made at the facility included Win Lose or Draw, The Golden Girls, and The New Mickey Mouse Club Show, with some limited animation. I remember well that the driving/parking violations were indeed the cause of his departure. The Orlando Sentinel headlines were the problem. I remember one well that went something like: "Superboy fights for truth, justice and the American way, but he doesn't pay his reckless driving tickets". Basically, he asked for a special favor in Florida, citing his clean record, but left out several tickets and suspensions in North Carolina and New York. The Sentinel found out that he got off on the Florida matter, and dug up the stuff from the other states. By today's standards, it seems almost silly by comparison. But in 1989, this was headline stuff (even the show was thought of as kind of crappy). Disney has always been very protective of its image, and no less so during Michael Eisner's tenure. I recall production halting upon release of the Sentinel article. If I recall correctly, it did not resume at Disney, and Newton did not wear the costume again. I could be wrong (it's been nearly 30 years, after all), but this is the way I recall things.
Superboy was the first-run syndicated TV series when it aired on TV stations in the U.S. it was produced by the Salkinds who did the first-three Superman movies. Warner Bros. decided not to distribute the show. instead, Viacom picked up Superboy for distribution. Superboy was filmed entirely in Florida, between the Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World for Season 1 and Universal Studios Florida for the rest of the series.
25:50 Oliver, you noted that the series was shot on 35mm film. From what I can tell, the footage was probably telecined and the *final* master edits were completed in standard definition using that LaserDisc-based CMX6000 system you mentioned. Also, maybe I'm trippin', but despite the film itself being shot at 24fps (probably sped up to 25 for you PAL Brits) some of the digitally animated/composited elements clearly seem to have been done in the 30i/60i context and very probably also in standard def. This would probably render the show virtually *unremasterable* anyway.
Fun fact: Gerard Christopher auditioned for, and landed, the lead role in Lois & Clark. The producers had no clue he had played Superboy, but let him go once they did.
Nicely presented Oliver, really enjoyed that !! I do vaguely remember Superboy on ITV or in my case it was LWT ! I do remember liking it as I was roughly the same age as you at the time. But because it was never repeated and my parents never bought Sky TV back in the day, I never got the chance to re watch it and appreciate it ! Great retrospective as ever dude.... Keep them coming :)
X24RIDER From reading many of the comments Im surprised to read many people had the same experience I had when they first saw the show. They saw it on its first initial broadcast and never got to see it again. Thanks for your feedback.
Oliver Harper is back with another lovingly crafted retrospective about one of his (and mine) favorite subjects: Superman!!! Or, in this case, the low-budget 1988 SUPERBOY television series... that I still love nontheless. Here in Ohio, SUPERBOY reruns constantly aired at 4:30am every Sunday, right before Siskel and Ebert, always making it and exciting morning for little old me... once I completely woke up, of course. Is SUPERBOY high art? Hell no. But as a lifelong Superman fan--and the following may be a difficult to relate to some in a pre-Internet world--seeing the good old red, blue, and yellow flying around in live-action was pure, childlike bliss and provided me with some great, vivid, and nostalgic memories. Nostalgia isn't a dirty world, is it? Thanks for giving this series a loving go, Mr. Harper. And, yes, I didn't forget the little chocolate/peanut butter gift I promised to send you and your friends. Unfortunately, without getting into TMI territory, some financial surprises reared their ugly head after the holiday season, so I apologize for not coming through. That said, I promise to make good on that i the near future. I mean, there are places on Earth that don't have peanut butter M&M's? I must rectify this travesty immediately -- especially for fellow Superman fans. All the best, Joshua Campbell.
Joshua Campbell Hello Joshua!. it was shown at 4:30am? christ that is way too early. Im surprised anyone got to see it. Don't worry about the M&M's sir. Someone sent me an industrial size bag of them!. Enough to last months lol. I still got loads left but Duncan and Richard have helped me consume them.
I really liked the narrative, not boring at all. You truly are a professional. I never finish presentations like this one so congrats on this one. Btw that girl stacy she was really cute at the time, her eyes at some point reminds me to lucy lawless. See ya.
I loved this show as a kid. The episode arc where Superboy travelers to alternate dimensions is great. And the costume the "bad boy " Superboy wore is very similar to the costume Superboy wore during the Reign of the Supermen story arc.
The feels... of second-hand embarrassment. I saw this retrospective and thought "Sure, the effects have dated badly, but maybe this is worth checking out." It was not. This is honestly one of the worst TV shows I've had the displeasure of watching. There's not one competent performance in its entire run, and it's so cheap and bland in every respect.
Thank you for making these retrospectives. They made me really curious about this serious and after watching the episodes you mentioned, I love it. Obviously it isn't perfect but after the first season when the makers began to understand what they wanted to do they started to make some really fun and interesting stories. My favorite episodes being the one where Superboy travels to other universes. That's so comics, I love it!
Amazing work, Oliver! I used to love this show as a kid when it would come on Saturday mornings. I got supervillains in a live action TV show, many of them recurring. It drove me crazy trying to find them when it went off the air and I eventually bought a VHS from Gerard Christopher on his site. I love this review. I can't wait for the next one with seasons 3 and 4 as I feel they're strong seasons. While I love Lois and Clark, I've always felt it was the reverse of Superboy. The more Lois and Clark went on, the worse it got. The more Superboy went on, the better it got.
Thank you I loved this series only knew about 2 seasons here in the States loved JOHN as superboy . Yes it had very bad distribution here because I really only got to see 1 1/2 seasons of the show then it wasn't on when I went looking for it again . This brings back lots of memories.
The thing that most struck me about John Haymes Newton's portrayal of Superboy was that he seemed perfectly natural in the costume. Both George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, and Gerard Christopher all struck me as being uncomfortable in the tights, resulting in them moving unnaturally while in costume. Only Newton convinced me that wearing the tights was natural.
Superboy was aired on PTV 4 Philippines back in 1989. But the most memorable is the history of Superboy when they shown the footage of Superman the movie before the opening of Superboy
Nice start, Oliver! Looking forward to Part 2. I tried to watch this show back in the day, but for whatever reason I never could keep up. You convinced me though, I'm going on Amazon for at least the Bizarro and "fake parents" two parters.
I remember watching this series with my brother in 1989 on ITV at about 5pm on Saturdays. I was 10 and he was 17. When there was a scene of a girl about to be tortured on a medieval stretching device, he made a reference to heavy metal band Iron Maiden who were themselves named after a different kind of device. ITV Granada showed only a few episodes, announced the final one as being the last in the present series before stating that The Incredible Hulk would return the following week which my brother and I taped regularly. I don't know what I'd think of Superboy now. Smallville was probably a lot better in terms of scripts and production values with a more mature feel. My cousin loved it.
I use to watch this all the time as a kid, I have never seen it as an adult. I think this show did the comic villains better than any of the other series. Looking forward to part II my favorite episodes are the multi-parter, the one where Superboy travels to parallel universes.
In the Superboy season 1 episode The Alien Solution, They used clips from the Monty Hall game show Split Second, MTV ID and Mighty Mouse and his Terrytoon friends, all from Viacom, the company that picked up Superboy for distribution to air syndicatedly on TV stations around the U.S.
I remember this show from when it aired. Don't remember specific details but from the episode breakdown it looks like a lot of these ideas were later used in Lois and Clark. Tonally as well, things got pretty silly from time to time in the latter...
Bizzaro looks way too much like Kryten from Red Dwarf. I keep thinking he will state a space corpse directive every time you showed him, but its great that he finally got on screen.
God, i'd forgotten what a massive crush i had on Stacy Haiduk when i was nine years old! (I think this show, subconsciously, is why i was so disappointed with Smallville years later) This is a brilliant retrospective - i got the nostalgia goosebumps.:)
Another great video! I really loved this show,back in the day. They don't make 'em like this any more. Much like the 90's Flash,it was more about fun and amusement than today's typical gritty, angst laden drama.
Was the assistant basketball coach for the winning team in the season one episode called “The Fixer”, where Super refs a high school basketball game. James Hampton, The late Curly Neal & ML, Jr. starred.
This was one of those shows I never made time for but would watch if I caught it while flipping through channels. I do remember I didn’t even know what I was watching at first. I only stopped because I saw Stacy Haiduk and her gorgeous red hair. I think she’s the one that started my thing for gingers😜
Thank you. That was pretty cool. I watched them first run and never did know why Newton got replaced until now. I always felt that he looked more like the 70s and 80s Superboy from the comics.
Wickedly awesome so far. I first heard of this show in a TV Guide, when the lackluster "Superman Returns" was getting ready to debut in theaters. Also got an introduction through the awesome Superman documentary "Look, Up In The Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman". So far this series looks interesting and I like the addition of more story for the Superman character's teenage years, alreday looks superior to "Lois & Clark:The New Adventures of Superman" and even "Smallville". Can't wait for Part 2 and how this series improved and it's decline.
What's weird is that I wasn't even aware of this show as a kid, I learned about it as an adult. In truth though I probably would have been put off by trying to fit it in the Christopher Reeve cinematic universe. He was Superman to me and I don't think I'd have been able to watch it without comparing it to the movies. I wouldn't have taken it nicely, probably similar to how I took the Star Wars prequels.
I remember this series when it aired, though I only caught a handful of episodes on TV, I never knew when it was going to aire. I think everytime I saw it, it may have been through me randomly changing the channel. I finally did see it when it was on AOL TV I back in like 2007, but they didn't have every single episode. Also no longer being a kid, the series didn't have as much an appeal for me to stick with it, but it was nice nostalgia.
Very nice Oliver. I am from NY, USA and I remember being around your age, 1990, this was shown in the USA, in NYC Sunday mornings on channel 9, and I loved it. I still tell my friends about how fantastic this show was. Very fun. This was heroes used to be fun and no dark and brooding(modern comics) or every women that comes on the show is in love with aka Smallville. I grew up loving this stuff, the flash, the Punisher movie...to me that represents comic books. Fun, not everything needs an overarching plot or complexity. Comics are supposed to be easy to read, easy to follow...but I think I am in the minority now as most comic fans existing caught onto comics around The Dark Knight movie period. I love it Oliver, hope for a season 3 and 4 soon. I actually prefer Gerard for the reasons above, funnest.
I remember when this came on TV back in the day (UK). I even bought the first couple of issues of the comic. I never noticed the actor on the cover being different to the one in the show. I do recall that the show seemed to vanish suddenly.
Seasons 2-4 were well written. Damn Warner for thinking we wanted season 1 on dvd. And GC IS Superboy. Hollywood was an homage to the Christopher Reeve film Somewhere in Time. The Red K being an altered Green later turned up in the Post Crisis books and the emotional affects later in Smallville.
@@OliverHarper This was the Superboy I remember growing up watching. I believe if my memory serves me right it was also one of the first shows to be filmed at Universal Studios, Orlando at the time?
Good review as always man. Superboy is one of my favorite versions of Superman. I have all the episodes. I love every season. My favorite episodes of season 1 Cowndown to nowhere The jewel of techacal The beauty and the beast The fixer The alien solution Troubled waters Kryptonite kills Return of the alien Meet mr mxyzptlk Luthor unleashed Season 2 With this ring I thee kill Lex Luthor sentenced to death Metallo Bizzaro thing of steel The battle with bizzaro Mr and mrs superboy Superboys deadly touch Superboy Rest In Peace Super menace Run Dracula run Abandon earth Escape to earth Nick nack Secrets of superboy
I don't think that ITV screened anything apart from the first series. I used to watch it at my Grandma's house. It must've been shown on Saturday afternoons. The only thing I could remember after so many years, until it came out on DVD, was the scene from The Birdwoman of the Swamp where Superboy is weakened by magic. It was probably so memorable because the compost heap that he landed on looked just like the one in my Grandma's garden! However, for some reason I thought that he was still dressed as Clark when he collapsed.
I remember seeing very short promotions of Superboy when I was a kid, but had never actually seen the show until now. I definitely think the first season is far better then you give it credit for, calling it "dull", and John is far better in my opinion in both resemblance of the character he's playing, and over all acting, with the exception of a few early episodes. But I enjoyed the majority of those episodes. Then I started watching season 2, and they lost me as a viewer. I absolutely dislike the change in Superboy actors. If Gerard was supposedly the better or more experienced actor, I certainly didn't see that in the few episode of season 2 I watched before I decided they ruined it. He constantly over acts as Superboy, and makes trying to enjoy the show next to impossible for me every time he suits up. Oddly enough, as Clark I don't think he's that bad, but as Superboy he's the reason I decided the show wasn't worth continuing. He also doesn't look the part, but that I could ignore. The acting however. Hopefully he got better and stopped over acting his character as the series went on.
i remember seasons 3 and 4 when i was a kid was on in the evening. I remember watching it after school, it was repeated late at night too, this was on sky.
It certainly brought back some nice after-school television memories. Most, if not all of the episodes were aired here around the same time as the US release. As a snotnosed kid I thought the Reeve movies set the bar pretty high, and remember being pretty unimpressed with this series. I also remember being obsessively peeved at Gerard Christopher's button on cape; it just looked off, cheapened the overall look of the suit, and made him appear hunchbacked. Anyways, all grown up now, so things like that don't bother me anymore... more concerned with world hunger and peace............. but seriously how could they screw the cape up that bad??? :(
I REMEMBER THIS SHOW AND IF THEY FILMED IT IF YOU DESCRIBED IT WOULD HAVE HAD A EPIC RUN LIKE SMALLVILLE. AND COULD'VE ECLIPSED SMALLVILLE'S RUN IF ALL THESE PEACES HAD FALLEN INTO PLACE AS YOU'VE LAID OUT HERE.
Oliver, thank you so much for allowing me to contribute to this amazingly well done, retrospective! This is a show that has been near and dear to my heart since I was 6 years old. This show is what started my obsession with the Man of Steel. Thank you for putting this retrospective together, this is really something special for the fans of Superboy to see as well as a way to cultivate new fans to the series! Enjoy everyone! Sam J. Rizzo superboyhomepage.com
I also used to watch this show as a kid, but I don't remember very much about it. However I would much rather watch this show than Smallville or Lois and Clark and all those other shows that are too embarrassed of their comic book roots. I think it's really cool that this show had him in the tights and had him fighting Metallo, Bizarro, and Mr. Mxptlk (however you spell that...) even if the effects were awful.
It'd be interesting to see if the original LaserDiscs from the editing suite still exist somewhere... The show could be remixed and improved special effects added for an improved version.
hey Oliver. great video. I have heard of this TV series but not watching it. I find it much better then ever! I would give the video and the series 3 stars. I am watching part 2 now! #37
there's a famous superman story where he travels back in time and romances an actress called Lyla Lerrol. except he travels to krypton before it exploded. The story is even called "superman's return to krypton".
hey Oliver Great Review on the superboy Season 1&2 in your channel so exited to see part 2 of Superboy so keep up great work and looking forward to you reviewing tv series in your channel, Lois&clark, Smallville, arrow, CW the flash, incredible Hulk, and Lasty Batman 1966 series
Andres The Pop Culture guy I may cover Lois and Clark at some point and possibly Batman 1966 but Smallville lasted 10 seasons which would be a long process and I lost interest in that show after season 2 so there is no desire to review it. Arrow, CW The Flash and Incredible Hulk I don't have no motivation to cover I'm afraid.
i understand smallville situation it's has prequel problems has with other prequel stuffs like Star wars, and Gotham. But am really exited you probably in nearest future you going to do 1960's Batman Show. Thanks for the respond. oh last question am surpass you going don't to review the Incredible Hulk show it's thing that made Hulk Famous but yeah this your channel Oliver you have freedom to review of best interest you and the one that you think should be review so Mate have great Day ;)
This show was real!! I watched it as a kid. I remember one episode where everything seemed to be stopped, but it turned out to be just moving extremely slowly relative to super boy. I thought it was a super man show, but I’ve never been able to find any references to it other than the later 90s show. I’d started to wonder if I had dreamed it up!
I remember watching this episode where Superboy is at the entrance to a mine or a cave or something and Lex has kryptonite, which he shoves down Superboy's throat and leaves him to die. He just lies there on the ground and then the episode ends. And they didn't show any episodes after that. Is it just me, or is this actually how the series ended?
I prefer John Newton too. Gerard Christopher arguably had the better show/production values around him. But the decision to make the second season a little more comedic/campy was a mistake in my opinion. The first season has humor, especially the unintentional humor of the really cheap first half, but Newton played it very straight and his Clark was properly "mild mannered" and not "nerdy". There is a huge difference.
Love that you keep the show alive. I was brought in by Ilya Salkind as the head writer on the second season. We cast Gerard Christopher and our goal was to do more of the bigger than life supervillains and more of the comic book stories, including bringing in Andy McAllister and the new Lex Luther. I wrote the two parter Bizarro episode, and many others in season 2. Your research was very good. Regards, Mark Jones
Bizarro was the most memorable eps from the series for me when I watched it as a kid!
Great job!
Alright, that's pretty cool
Great Retrospective! This was a really fun show to shoot, and I'm so happy that some people enjoyed the stories we told.
Ilan Mitchell-Smith Thanks very much Ilan for your feedback!. Great to hear from a cast member!
Hi there Ilan ! Just a question if you dont mind. Are you the very same 'Ilan Mitchell Smith' who played 'Wyatt Donnelly' in the immortal 80's comedy film 'Weird Science' ? I loved that film growing up ! It changed how I percieved the world so fundamentaly as a 7 year old !!! Ha Ha
Matthew Evans Thanks very much, Matthew! I _am_ the same Ilan Mitchell-Smith! I'm so glad that you enjoyed the movie. It was a blast to make, and I was lucky to be a part of it!
This is beyond cool ! I would never have guessed that 26 years later I would get a g+ msg from my fave actor from my fave film !!! And you have become a real cool and humble guy !!! I hope you dont mind me adding you, God bless to you and your family :-)
Ilan Mitchell-Smith so you debuted in the Second Season of the show as “Andy McAlistair?”
I am from India and this show was one of the most memorable parts of my childhood and I have looked for it in vain for a number of years. It amazes me how nobody even remembers it. Thanks for this video.
90s morning sundays on doordarshan
Get Superboy season 1 DVD here goo.gl/KULvU3
Get Superboy season 2 DVD here goo.gl/7XuiW1
That guy's fight in The Living Daylights is one of the best in any Bond movie. I'm surprised to hear he needed a double in this to do his fight scenes.
I remember this show as a kid, and watched it religiously. I remember one time it was pre-empted and it never came on the air ever again.
When Superboy was filmed, it was shot on 35mm film and then transferred to video for editing and Visual Effects. Superboy was mastered on 1-inch video tape and then in the final two seasons on Betacam videotape.
The “Microboy” episode was a direct adaption of Action Comics #488, which featured a character called “Microwave Man.” Microboy’s powers, origin, weakness and the episode’s time-travel resolution are all directly taken from the Microwave Man story.
Darin Wagner Thats great to hear! thanks for the info.
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I remember enjoying this as a kid as well, and I ended up attending UCF where the exterior scenes were filmed. At the time I didn't realize the connection, but I ended up in one of my roommate's short films where security was provided by a university cop who also worked security on this show. He relayed the story of watching them crane the actor up through the center of one of the chemistry labs (there was an open air garden in the center). I remembered watching the show as a kid and hadn't seen it since then, but was completely surprised to hear they performed actual wire work for the show. Thanks for documenting the history of it!
This was an awesome series. Would watch it every day after school with dad. Ah the memories.
Great work, mate. I find it interesting how I get Tom Welling vibes from the first actor and Reeve vibes from the second. Looking forward to part 2.
Sams ChanneI Thanks a lot Sam!. Surprisingly Gerard dials back the clumsy Clark in season 3 a bit like Reeve did in Superman III.
Wow, two of my favourite RUclips critics compliment each other, feels like a movie crossover!
I was working at the Disney-MGM studios at the time Superboy was being produced there. (The park itself was not yet open to visitors.) In addition to Superboy, other shows being made at the facility included Win Lose or Draw, The Golden Girls, and The New Mickey Mouse Club Show, with some limited animation.
I remember well that the driving/parking violations were indeed the cause of his departure. The Orlando Sentinel headlines were the problem. I remember one well that went something like: "Superboy fights for truth, justice and the American way, but he doesn't pay his reckless driving tickets". Basically, he asked for a special favor in Florida, citing his clean record, but left out several tickets and suspensions in North Carolina and New York. The Sentinel found out that he got off on the Florida matter, and dug up the stuff from the other states. By today's standards, it seems almost silly by comparison. But in 1989, this was headline stuff (even the show was thought of as kind of crappy). Disney has always been very protective of its image, and no less so during Michael Eisner's tenure. I recall production halting upon release of the Sentinel article. If I recall correctly, it did not resume at Disney, and Newton did not wear the costume again. I could be wrong (it's been nearly 30 years, after all), but this is the way I recall things.
I remember watching this show when I was five. Good times, watching as much as I could, in the mornings, before I had to get ready for school.
I loved Superboy when I was a kid. Thank you for this video.
I came across the show on TV some time ago, it was the episode with former Bond and Bond Girl George Lazenby and Britt Ekland.
Superboy was the first-run syndicated TV series when it aired on TV stations in the U.S. it was produced by the Salkinds who did the first-three Superman movies. Warner Bros. decided not to distribute the show. instead, Viacom picked up Superboy for distribution. Superboy was filmed entirely in Florida, between the Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World for Season 1 and Universal Studios Florida for the rest of the series.
For the flying shots, I wonder why they didn’t use Zoran Perisic’s Zoptics tech. A newspaper ad called Zoptics “the only way to fly.”
These retrospectives are really professionally done.
Tugg Speedman Thank you very much!. Part 2 will be up this week.
*Overweight ninja!* If this doesn't become a meme then something's wrong with this world.
25:50 Oliver, you noted that the series was shot on 35mm film. From what I can tell, the footage was probably telecined and the *final* master edits were completed in standard definition using that LaserDisc-based CMX6000 system you mentioned. Also, maybe I'm trippin', but despite the film itself being shot at 24fps (probably sped up to 25 for you PAL Brits) some of the digitally animated/composited elements clearly seem to have been done in the 30i/60i context and very probably also in standard def. This would probably render the show virtually *unremasterable* anyway.
Fun fact: Gerard Christopher auditioned for, and landed, the lead role in Lois & Clark. The producers had no clue he had played Superboy, but let him go once they did.
I honestly had never heard of this show so thank you for highlighting and reviewing it :)
Nicely presented Oliver, really enjoyed that !! I do vaguely remember Superboy on ITV or in my case it was LWT ! I do remember liking it as I was roughly the same age as you at the time. But because it was never repeated and my parents never bought Sky TV back in the day, I never got the chance to re watch it and appreciate it ! Great retrospective as ever dude.... Keep them coming :)
X24RIDER From reading many of the comments Im surprised to read many people had the same experience I had when they first saw the show. They saw it on its first initial broadcast and never got to see it again. Thanks for your feedback.
Great review, Oliver! Look forward very much to part 2!
Oliver Harper is back with another lovingly crafted retrospective about one of his (and mine) favorite subjects: Superman!!! Or, in this case, the low-budget 1988 SUPERBOY television series... that I still love nontheless.
Here in Ohio, SUPERBOY reruns constantly aired at 4:30am every Sunday, right before Siskel and Ebert, always making it and exciting morning for little old me... once I completely woke up, of course.
Is SUPERBOY high art? Hell no. But as a lifelong Superman fan--and the following may be a difficult to relate to some in a pre-Internet world--seeing the good old red, blue, and yellow flying around in live-action was pure, childlike bliss and provided me with some great, vivid, and nostalgic memories.
Nostalgia isn't a dirty world, is it?
Thanks for giving this series a loving go, Mr. Harper. And, yes, I didn't forget the little chocolate/peanut butter gift I promised to send you and your friends. Unfortunately, without getting into TMI territory, some financial surprises reared their ugly head after the holiday season, so I apologize for not coming through. That said, I promise to make good on that i the near future. I mean, there are places on Earth that don't have peanut butter M&M's? I must rectify this travesty immediately -- especially for fellow Superman fans.
All the best, Joshua Campbell.
Joshua Campbell Hello Joshua!. it was shown at 4:30am? christ that is way too early. Im surprised anyone got to see it.
Don't worry about the M&M's sir. Someone sent me an industrial size bag of them!. Enough to last months lol. I still got loads left but Duncan and Richard have helped me consume them.
14:50 Wow! Gottfried voiced Mr. Mxyzptlk in Superman: The Animated Series. Never knew he did any Superman-related work before.
I really liked the narrative, not boring at all. You truly are a professional. I never finish presentations like this one so congrats on this one.
Btw that girl stacy she was really cute at the time, her eyes at some point reminds me to lucy lawless.
See ya.
I hope they do bring this to tv again
I loved this show as a kid. The episode arc where Superboy travelers to alternate dimensions is great. And the costume the "bad boy " Superboy wore is very similar to the costume Superboy wore during the Reign of the Supermen story arc.
man i remember watching this show as a kid.... THE FEELS!!
thank you so much, this was amazing... great work as always
The feels... of second-hand embarrassment. I saw this retrospective and thought "Sure, the effects have dated badly, but maybe this is worth checking out." It was not. This is honestly one of the worst TV shows I've had the displeasure of watching. There's not one competent performance in its entire run, and it's so cheap and bland in every respect.
Thank you for making these retrospectives. They made me really curious about this serious and after watching the episodes you mentioned, I love it.
Obviously it isn't perfect but after the first season when the makers began to understand what they wanted to do they started to make some really fun and interesting stories.
My favorite episodes being the one where Superboy travels to other universes. That's so comics, I love it!
Amazing work, Oliver! I used to love this show as a kid when it would come on Saturday mornings. I got supervillains in a live action TV show, many of them recurring. It drove me crazy trying to find them when it went off the air and I eventually bought a VHS from Gerard Christopher on his site. I love this review. I can't wait for the next one with seasons 3 and 4 as I feel they're strong seasons.
While I love Lois and Clark, I've always felt it was the reverse of Superboy. The more Lois and Clark went on, the worse it got. The more Superboy went on, the better it got.
Thank you I loved this series only knew about 2 seasons here in the States loved JOHN as superboy . Yes it had very bad distribution here because I really only got to see 1 1/2 seasons of the show then it wasn't on when I went looking for it again . This brings back lots of memories.
The thing that most struck me about John Haymes Newton's portrayal of Superboy was that he seemed perfectly natural in the costume. Both George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, and Gerard Christopher all struck me as being uncomfortable in the tights, resulting in them moving unnaturally while in costume. Only Newton convinced me that wearing the tights was natural.
Superboy was aired on PTV 4 Philippines back in 1989. But the most memorable is the history of Superboy when they shown the footage of Superman the movie before the opening of Superboy
I used to love this show back when i was a kid. I totally forgot about it until this video!
Nice start, Oliver! Looking forward to Part 2. I tried to watch this show back in the day, but for whatever reason I never could keep up. You convinced me though, I'm going on Amazon for at least the Bizarro and "fake parents" two parters.
I feel like this narrator could make anything interesting I loved shows like this nice work
Ben waiting for this!!! Just settling down with a cuppa on my day off from work to watch this!! Top man Oliver for all of your hard work!!! 👍👍👍👍👍👍
I rember watching this every Saturday afternoon when I was in Jr. high. I loved it.
I remember watching this series with my brother in 1989 on ITV at about 5pm on Saturdays. I was 10 and he was 17. When there was a scene of a girl about to be tortured on a medieval stretching device, he made a reference to heavy metal band Iron Maiden who were themselves named after a different kind of device. ITV Granada showed only a few episodes, announced the final one as being the last in the present series before stating that The Incredible Hulk would return the following week which my brother and I taped regularly.
I don't know what I'd think of Superboy now. Smallville was probably a lot better in terms of scripts and production values with a more mature feel. My cousin loved it.
I use to watch this all the time as a kid, I have never seen it as an adult. I think this show did the comic villains better than any of the other series. Looking forward to part II my favorite episodes are the multi-parter, the one where Superboy travels to parallel universes.
In the Superboy season 1 episode The Alien Solution, They used clips from the Monty Hall game show Split Second, MTV ID and Mighty Mouse and his Terrytoon friends, all from Viacom, the company that picked up Superboy for distribution to air syndicatedly on TV stations around the U.S.
I remember this show from when it aired. Don't remember specific details but from the episode breakdown it looks like a lot of these ideas were later used in Lois and Clark. Tonally as well, things got pretty silly from time to time in the latter...
That was brilliant and well researched. Well done Ollie. I was 17 when this show came out. Watched a few episodes but never really gave it much time.
I’m from the UK, I remember watching them in the 80s and have since bought all 4 seasons on DVD
Really cool how much the first movie inspires the look of this show!
Bizzaro looks way too much like Kryten from Red Dwarf. I keep thinking he will state a space corpse directive every time you showed him, but its great that he finally got on screen.
Oliver i love the art on thumbnail and the review is as just great thanks Oliver : )
God, i'd forgotten what a massive crush i had on Stacy Haiduk when i was nine years old! (I think this show, subconsciously, is why i was so disappointed with Smallville years later) This is a brilliant retrospective - i got the nostalgia goosebumps.:)
Another great video! I really loved this show,back in the day. They don't make 'em like this any more. Much like the 90's Flash,it was more about fun and amusement than today's typical gritty, angst laden drama.
Clark Kent sure did go though a lot of button down shirts.
I'm just glad you're reviewing tv shows now. I'm hoping you cover Xena, Hercules and/or Highlander in the near future. As usual good job Mr.Harper.
Was the assistant basketball coach for the winning team in the season one episode called “The Fixer”, where Super refs a high school basketball game. James Hampton, The late Curly Neal & ML, Jr. starred.
This was one of those shows I never made time for but would watch if I caught it while flipping through channels. I do remember I didn’t even know what I was watching at first. I only stopped because I saw Stacy Haiduk and her gorgeous red hair. I think she’s the one that started my thing for gingers😜
I don't remember seeing this series growing up, but I recognize some of the cast members in the clips from various other films and shows.
Didn't realize that I was just 9 years old when this show came out. We used to watch it here in the Philippines.
Very entertaining and informative. Looking forward to part 2.
Thank you. That was pretty cool. I watched them first run and never did know why Newton got replaced until now. I always felt that he looked more like the 70s and 80s Superboy from the comics.
Wickedly awesome so far. I first heard of this show in a TV Guide, when the lackluster "Superman Returns" was getting ready to debut in theaters. Also got an introduction through the awesome Superman documentary "Look, Up In The Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman". So far this series looks interesting and I like the addition of more story for the Superman character's teenage years, alreday looks superior to "Lois & Clark:The New Adventures of Superman" and even "Smallville".
Can't wait for Part 2 and how this series improved and it's decline.
What's weird is that I wasn't even aware of this show as a kid, I learned about it as an adult. In truth though I probably would have been put off by trying to fit it in the Christopher Reeve cinematic universe. He was Superman to me and I don't think I'd have been able to watch it without comparing it to the movies. I wouldn't have taken it nicely, probably similar to how I took the Star Wars prequels.
@10:30, which “Star Trek” story? “The City on the Edge of Forever?” That one seems like the most likely inspiration for the Superboy story.
I remember this series when it aired, though I only caught a handful of episodes on TV, I never knew when it was going to aire. I think everytime I saw it, it may have been through me randomly changing the channel. I finally did see it when it was on AOL TV I back in like 2007, but they didn't have every single episode. Also no longer being a kid, the series didn't have as much an appeal for me to stick with it, but it was nice nostalgia.
Very nice Oliver. I am from NY, USA and I remember being around your age, 1990, this was shown in the USA, in NYC Sunday mornings on channel 9, and I loved it. I still tell my friends about how fantastic this show was. Very fun. This was heroes used to be fun and no dark and brooding(modern comics) or every women that comes on the show is in love with aka Smallville.
I grew up loving this stuff, the flash, the Punisher movie...to me that represents comic books. Fun, not everything needs an overarching plot or complexity. Comics are supposed to be easy to read, easy to follow...but I think I am in the minority now as most comic fans existing caught onto comics around The Dark Knight movie period.
I love it Oliver, hope for a season 3 and 4 soon. I actually prefer Gerard for the reasons above, funnest.
Mark M .so.did.i.wwor.every.sunday.and.channel.4.season.1.and.2
The production values look pretty good, I had only heard a little bit about it and assumed it wouldn't be very special. I'll have to look into it.
I remember when this came on TV back in the day (UK). I even bought the first couple of issues of the comic. I never noticed the actor on the cover being different to the one in the show. I do recall that the show seemed to vanish suddenly.
Giving you a like. Not o ly because of the amazing vid but the showing of the old Anglia logo. So many memories.
I loved this show when I was a kid, but watching it now makes me giggle.
Seasons 2-4 were well written. Damn Warner for thinking we wanted season 1 on dvd. And GC IS Superboy. Hollywood was an homage to the Christopher Reeve film Somewhere in Time. The Red K being an altered Green later turned up in the Post Crisis books and the emotional affects later in Smallville.
I didn't even know this was ever a thing haha
Most of my friends have no memory of it haha
It was on in the early 90s
@@Mightymick114 I used to watch it.
@@OliverHarper This was the Superboy I remember growing up watching. I believe if my memory serves me right it was also one of the first shows to be filmed at Universal Studios, Orlando at the time?
Good review as always man. Superboy is one of my favorite versions of Superman. I have all the episodes. I love every season. My favorite episodes of season 1
Cowndown to nowhere
The jewel of techacal
The beauty and the beast
The fixer
The alien solution
Troubled waters
Kryptonite kills
Return of the alien
Meet mr mxyzptlk
Luthor unleashed
Season 2
With this ring I thee kill
Lex Luthor sentenced to death
Metallo
Bizzaro thing of steel
The battle with bizzaro
Mr and mrs superboy
Superboys deadly touch
Superboy Rest In Peace
Super menace
Run Dracula run
Abandon earth
Escape to earth
Nick nack
Secrets of superboy
I grew up watching the show as well, so LOVED THIS RETROSPECT! Are you able to list the recommended episodes?
After remaining part(s) of Superboy, could you do a retrospective of 80's Ruby-Spears Superman animated series? :)
Im covering a movie after finishing Superboy. I will be covering another TV series later in the year.
Oliver Harper with those other projects out of the way, would you be willing to cover the 1988 Ruby-Spears animated series now?
I don't think that ITV screened anything apart from the first series.
I used to watch it at my Grandma's house. It must've been shown on Saturday afternoons.
The only thing I could remember after so many years, until it came out on DVD, was the scene from The Birdwoman of the Swamp where Superboy is weakened by magic.
It was probably so memorable because the compost heap that he landed on looked just like the one in my Grandma's garden!
However, for some reason I thought that he was still dressed as Clark when he collapsed.
Good stuff. Looking forward to part two!
30:22 boom mic in top right corner
Awesome Ollie, you are Superboy! 👍
I remember seeing very short promotions of Superboy when I was a kid, but had never actually seen the show until now. I definitely think the first season is far better then you give it credit for, calling it "dull", and John is far better in my opinion in both resemblance of the character he's playing, and over all acting, with the exception of a few early episodes. But I enjoyed the majority of those episodes. Then I started watching season 2, and they lost me as a viewer. I absolutely dislike the change in Superboy actors. If Gerard was supposedly the better or more experienced actor, I certainly didn't see that in the few episode of season 2 I watched before I decided they ruined it. He constantly over acts as Superboy, and makes trying to enjoy the show next to impossible for me every time he suits up. Oddly enough, as Clark I don't think he's that bad, but as Superboy he's the reason I decided the show wasn't worth continuing. He also doesn't look the part, but that I could ignore. The acting however. Hopefully he got better and stopped over acting his character as the series went on.
I'm finally watching these on DC streaming so glad I finally get to go through this series it may take a bit of time though
Super interesting watched in London as a kid then moved to Orlando fun seeing the place I drive by now :D
i remember seasons 3 and 4 when i was a kid was on in the evening. I remember watching it after school, it was repeated late at night too, this was on sky.
It certainly brought back some nice after-school television memories. Most, if not all of the episodes were aired here around the same time as the US release. As a snotnosed kid I thought the Reeve movies set the bar pretty high, and remember being pretty unimpressed with this series. I also remember being obsessively peeved at Gerard Christopher's button on cape; it just looked off, cheapened the overall look of the suit, and made him appear hunchbacked. Anyways, all grown up now, so things like that don't bother me anymore... more concerned with world hunger and peace............. but seriously how could they screw the cape up that bad??? :(
I REMEMBER THIS SHOW AND IF THEY FILMED IT IF YOU DESCRIBED IT WOULD HAVE HAD A EPIC RUN LIKE SMALLVILLE. AND COULD'VE ECLIPSED SMALLVILLE'S RUN IF ALL THESE PEACES HAD FALLEN INTO PLACE AS YOU'VE LAID OUT HERE.
Excuse the stupid spell check!
Oliver, thank you so much for allowing me to contribute to this amazingly well done, retrospective! This is a show that has been near and dear to my heart since I was 6 years old. This show is what started my obsession with the Man of Steel. Thank you for putting this retrospective together, this is really something special for the fans of Superboy to see as well as a way to cultivate new fans to the series! Enjoy everyone!
Sam J. Rizzo
superboyhomepage.com
Sam J. Rizzo Sam, your website has disappeared. Any chance that you have a backup site?
I want to see what you had done for Superboy online.
I also used to watch this show as a kid, but I don't remember very much about it. However I would much rather watch this show than Smallville or Lois and Clark and all those other shows that are too embarrassed of their comic book roots. I think it's really cool that this show had him in the tights and had him fighting Metallo, Bizarro, and Mr. Mxptlk (however you spell that...) even if the effects were awful.
It'd be interesting to see if the original LaserDiscs from the editing suite still exist somewhere... The show could be remixed and improved special effects added for an improved version.
hey Oliver. great video. I have heard of this TV series but not watching it. I find it much better then ever! I would give the video and the series 3 stars. I am watching part 2 now! #37
Yes they never showed all of season 1 in the UK. I have the season 1 DVD which works on my region 2 and multi region DVD players.
Used to watch this and even though the special effects weren’t that good even then, it was pretty cool.
I LOVED this show. Shame to see Newton go when he did, but its too bad it wont get newer fans because it got better as it went along after season one.
there's a famous superman story where he travels back in time and romances an actress called Lyla Lerrol. except he travels to krypton before it exploded. The story is even called "superman's return to krypton".
hey Oliver Great Review on the superboy Season 1&2 in your channel so exited to see part 2 of Superboy so keep up great work and looking forward to you reviewing tv series in your channel, Lois&clark, Smallville, arrow, CW the flash, incredible Hulk, and Lasty Batman 1966 series
Andres The Pop Culture guy I may cover Lois and Clark at some point and possibly Batman 1966 but Smallville lasted 10 seasons which would be a long process and I lost interest in that show after season 2 so there is no desire to review it. Arrow, CW The Flash and Incredible Hulk I don't have no motivation to cover I'm afraid.
i understand smallville situation it's has prequel problems has with other prequel stuffs like Star wars, and Gotham. But am really exited you probably in nearest future you going to do 1960's Batman Show. Thanks for the respond. oh last question am surpass you going don't to review the Incredible Hulk show it's thing that made Hulk Famous but yeah this your channel Oliver you have freedom to review of best interest you and the one that you think should be review so Mate have great Day ;)
This show was real!!
I watched it as a kid. I remember one episode where everything seemed to be stopped, but it turned out to be just moving extremely slowly relative to super boy.
I thought it was a super man show, but I’ve never been able to find any references to it other than the later 90s show.
I’d started to wonder if I had dreamed it up!
I remember watching this episode where Superboy is at the entrance to a mine or a cave or something and Lex has kryptonite, which he shoves down Superboy's throat and leaves him to die. He just lies there on the ground and then the episode ends. And they didn't show any episodes after that. Is it just me, or is this actually how the series ended?
I prefer John Newton too. Gerard Christopher arguably had the better show/production values around him. But the decision to make the second season a little more comedic/campy was a mistake in my opinion. The first season has humor, especially the unintentional humor of the really cheap first half, but Newton played it very straight and his Clark was properly "mild mannered" and not "nerdy". There is a huge difference.
Wow, I hadn't thought about this show in a long time. Didn't age well, but it has a soft spot in my heart, as I did enjoy it way back when ^_^
Very comprehensive guide to a series I had never heard of. To my knowledge this was never broadcast here in the Uk?
Am I the only one who wants your retrospective on the movies you've done?like some bonus feature or something?
Oliver I loved your dog soldiers review please do the descent! Keep up the good work! You should have way more subscribers
And I liked the first Superboy better between the two actors. He always looked like a younger Chris Reeve to me, and had a more natural delivery.
I used to love this show in B the 80's every Saturday and Sunday on channel 50
I'm 17 and I love this show