View source for Atom Man vs. Superman

{{Short description|1950 theatrical serial by Spencer Gordon Bennet}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Atom Man vs. Superman
| image          = Superman vs Atom Man.jpg
| caption        = Promotional poster
| director       = [[Spencer Gordon Bennet]]
| producer       = [[Sam Katzman]]
| writer         = David Mathews <br /> [[George H. Plympton]] <br /> [[Joseph F. Poland]]
| based_on       = {{Based on|Characters|{{nowrap|[[Jerry Siegel]]}} <br /> [[Joe Shuster]]}}
| starring       = [[Kirk Alyn]] <br /> [[Lyle Talbot]] <br /> [[Noel Neill]] <br /> [[Tommy Bond]]
| music          = [[Mischa Bakaleinikoff]]
| cinematography = Ira H. Morgan
| editing        = Earl C. Turner
| color_process  = [[Black and white]]
| distributor    = [[Columbia Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1950|7|20|United States}}
| runtime        = 15 chapters (252 minutes)
| country        = <!-- See guidelines for "Country" at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Infobox_film -->
| language       = English
}}
'''''Atom Man vs. Superman''''' is a 1950 American [[film serial]] and the second [[Superman (serial)|Superman movie serial]] featuring [[Kirk Alyn]], credited (as with the previous serial) only by his character name, [[Superman]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Cline | first = William C. | title = In the Nick of Time | url = https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin | url-access = registration | year = 1984 | publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc. | isbn = 0-7864-0471-X | pages = [https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin/page/250 250–251] | chapter = Filmography}}</ref>

When [[Lex Luthor]] blackmails the city of [[Metropolis (comics)|Metropolis]] by threatening to destroy the entire community, [[Perry White]], editor of the ''[[Daily Planet]]'' assigns [[Lois Lane]], [[Jimmy Olsen]] and [[Clark Kent]] to cover the story.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article99746083 |title=Marc Lawrence to Play Heavy |newspaper=[[The Cessnock Eagle and South Maitland Recorder]] |volume=40 |issue=4083 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=6 November 1951 |access-date=8 March 2016 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The first chapter was released in July 1950.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schelly |first1=William |title=American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1950s |date=2013 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=9781605490540 |page=12}}</ref>

==Plot==
[[Lex Luthor]], the Atom Man, invents a number of deadly devices to plague the city, including a disintegrating machine which can reduce people to their basic atoms and reassemble them in another place. [[Superman]] manages to thwart each scheme. Since [[Kryptonite]] can rob Superman of his powers, Luthor decides to create a synthetic Kryptonite and putters about obtaining the necessary ingredients: [[plutonium]], [[radium]] and the undefined 'etc.' Luthor places the Kryptonite at the launching of a ship, with Superman in attendance. He is exposed to the Kryptonite and passes out. Superman is taken off in an ambulance driven by Luthor's henchmen, and he is now under the control of Luthor. Superman is placed in a device, a lever is pulled, and the Man of Steel vanishes into "The Empty Doom".

==Cast==
* [[Kirk Alyn]] as [[Superman|Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman]]
* [[Noel Neill]] as [[Lois Lane]]
* [[Lyle Talbot]] as [[Lex Luthor|Lex Luthor / Atom Man]]
* [[Tommy Bond]] as [[Jimmy Olsen]]
* [[Pierre Watkin]] as [[Perry White]]
* [[Jack Ingram (actor)|Jack Ingram]] as Foster
* [[Don C. Harvey]] as Albor
* [[Rusty Wescoatt]] as Carl
* [[Terry Frost (actor)|Terry Frost]] as Baer
* Wally West as Dorr
* Paul Stader as "Killer" Lawson
* [[George Robotham]] as Earl
Noel Neill would return to the role of Lois Lane in 1953, replacing [[Phyllis Coates]] in the second through sixth (and final) seasons of ''[[Adventures of Superman (TV series)|The Adventures of Superman]]'', and would be the model for [[Metropolis, Illinois]]' 2010 Lois Lane statue.<ref>[https://6abc.com/archive/7498465/ "Metropolis unveils statue of Superman's Lois Lane"]. [[WPVI-TV]]. June 16, 2010.</ref>

==Production==
[[File:Kirk Alyn as Superman in a publicity still from 1948.jpg|thumb|left|[[Kirk Alyn]] as [[Superman]]]]
Lyle Talbot, who had previously starred as [[James Gordon (comics)|Commissioner Jim Gordon]] in the 1949 Columbia Serial ''[[Batman and Robin (serial)|Batman and Robin]]'', here portrays Lex Luthor (and also Luthor's alter-ego "Atom Man"). In his "Atom Man" disguise, Talbot as Luthor, utilizes a vaguely German accent and wears an ominous mask fashioned from a "Metallogen Man" robot costume left over from 1945's ''[[The Monster and the Ape]]''. Despite their onscreen personas, Talbot (Lex Luthor), who wore a rubber scalp to create the impression of baldness,<ref name="GMS">{{cite book | last = Harmon | first = Jim | author2 = Donald F. Glut | author2-link = Donald F. Glut | author-link = Jim Harmon | title = The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury | year = 1973 | publisher = Routledge | isbn = 978-0-7130-0097-9 | pages = 215–217 | chapter = 9.}}</ref> and Alyn (Superman) spent much of their time, when not shooting, exchanging recipes, both actors shared an interest in cookery.<ref name="GMS" />

=== Special effects ===
The final set piece shows Metropolis under attack by "poorly animated" flying saucers and a torpedo.<ref name="GMS" />

The flying effects were somewhat improved in this film than in the original, by the simple expedient of turning the camera on its side. Kirk Alyn stood with arms raised in front of a cyclorama, while a wind machine and smoke pot were placed above him (out of frame). This gave an inexpensive illusion of flight. Longer shots continued to use cartoon animation of the Man of Steel.

==Critical appraisal==
In their book ''The Great Movie Serials'', Jim Harman and Donald F. Glut describe the serial as "far more gimmicky and gadget prone" than the first Superman serial. In addition to this, they also found it to be flawed with its cheapness characteristic in Katzman productions.<ref name="GMS" />

==Home media==
In 2006, the ''Atom Man vs. Superman'' serial was still available for purchase on [[VHS]] [[videotape]], where it was first released back in 1989 as a double tape box set. The serial was also offered available in two separate VHS tapes as Volume 1 (Chapters 1 - 7) and Volume 2 (Chapters 8 - 15). It was officially released on [[DVD]] by Warner Home Video, along with its predecessor, 1948's ''[[Superman (serial)|Superman]]'', on November 28, 2006 as ''Superman - The Theatrical Serials Collection''.

With the previous 2006 DVD release out of print for a few years, on October 9, 2018 the serials were re-released as manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD from [[Warner Archive Collection]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/Superman-Serials-Complete-1948-Collection/dp/B07HGKPNHH/ref=pd_ybh_a_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=KQTA1DNTVB0HKMQ1CAHT|title=Superman Serials: The Complete 1948 & 1950 Collection|website=Amazon}}</ref>

==Chapter titles==
# ''Superman Flies Again''
# ''Atom Man Appears''
# ''Ablaze In The Sky''
# ''Superman Meets Atom Man''
# ''Atom Man Tricks Superman''
# ''Atom Man's Challenge''
# ''At The Mercy Of Atom Man''
# ''Into The Empty Doom''
# ''Superman Crashes Through''
# ''Atom Man's Heat Ray''
# ''Luthor's Strategy''
# ''Atom Man Strikes''
# ''Atom Man's Flying Saucers''
# ''Rocket Of Vengeance''
# ''Superman Saves The Universe''

==See also==
* [[List of film serials]] by year
* [[List of film serials by studio]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0042211|Atom Man vs. Superman}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|atom_man_vs_superman}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061211164308/http://superman.ugo.com/movies/superman_atomman/default.asp%23 Superman.UGO.com]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box 
| title=[[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]] [[Serial (film)|Serial]] 
| before=''[[Cody of the Pony Express]]'' ([[1950 in film|1950]])
| years='''''Atom Man vs. Superman''''' '''([[1950 in film|1950]])'''
| after=''[[Pirates of the High Seas]]'' ([[1950 in film|1950]])}}
{{end}}
{{Sam Katzman}}
{{Superman in other media}}
{{DC Comics films}}
{{Columbia serials}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1950 films]]
[[Category:Superman films]]
[[Category:Live-action films based on DC Comics]]
[[Category:American sequel films]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures film serials]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet]]
[[Category:American science fiction films]]
[[Category:1950s science fiction films]]
[[Category:1950s superhero films]]
[[Category:1950s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by George H. Plympton]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Joseph F. Poland]]
[[Category:1950s American films]]
[[Category:Films based on DC Comics]]
[[Category:Flying saucers in film]]
[[Category:Superhero film serials]]
[[Category:Films scored by Mischa Bakaleinikoff]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction films]]
[[Category:English-language action films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Sam Katzman]]