2009 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News Archives

July 14, 2009: Michael J. Hayde Talks "Flights of Fantasy"

GlassHousePresents.com has conducted an interview with author Michael J. Hayde in which he discusses his book "Flights of Fantasy" - The unauthorized but true story of radio & TV's "Adventures of Superman". Here's an excerpt from the interview...

    SS: Did you learn anything about George Reeves and/or The Adventures of Superman that really surprised you (that you weren't aware of prior to writing your book)?

    MJH: More about the series than George. Reading all the original scripts, seeing what was eventually omitted and what was kept - and especially learning about the two episodes that WEREN'T filmed - was a big thrill. It helped answer a lot of questions about production that have been asked for a long time.

    SS: What thoughts or information do you want your readers to come away with?

    MJH: Of course, I hope everyone enjoys learning about the Superman of radio, and of Bob Maxwell's history of bringing him to life. But for TAOS fans specifically, there are three things that, I think, will surprise readers of Flights of Fantasy: One, that Jackson Gillis, while definitely capable of conceiving great episodes, was not always the best guy to write dialogue for them. Second, that David Chantler has been unfairly maligned for everything that was bad or childish about the color episodes. His writing was often much sharper than what was actually filmed, and I cite some specific examples of this - particularly "The Gentle Monster." Three that Whit Ellsworth - who has also shouldered blame for the "dumbing down" of TAOS - was clearly impacted by the 1954 congressional investigation of the comic book's role in contributing to juvenile delinquency. There's a world of difference between the second season and the rest, and it's not just due to color film. When it went to color, TAOS was a family show, usually airing around 7 p.m. After the investigation and the subsequent creation of the comics' code, TAOS plots became more simplistic and less violent, and Kellogg's became more comfortable about moving it to earlier, less expensive time slots. By 1957, it was airing at 5 p.m., before Mickey Mouse Club! The audience got younger, so the stories became simpler. The cart was driving the horse by the final season.

You can read the complete interview at GlassHousePresents.com.

You can order "Flights of Fantasy: The Unauthorized but True Story of Radio & TV's Adventures of Superman" online from Amazon.com.



2009 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News

Listed below are all the Merchandise & Miscellaneous News items archived for 2009.


Back to the News Archive Contents page.

Back to the Latest News page.