The Adventures of Superpup is a 1958 unaired television pilot, intended to capitalize on the success of the Adventures of Superman series.[1][2] Superpup featured the first television portrayal of the Superman characters as anthropomorphic animals.[3]
| The Adventures of Superpup | |
|---|---|
 Superpup | |
| Genre | |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Cal Howard |
| Starring |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Whitney Ellsworth |
| Cinematography | Joseph F. Biroc |
| Running time | 22 min. |
Overview
editTelevision producer Whitney Ellsworth created a pilot that placed the Superman mythos into a fictional universe populated by dogs instead of human beings. The live-action actors were placed in dog suits to portray the canine versions of the Superman characters. The pilot was filmed on the same set as The Adventures of Superman, and people with dwarfism portrayed the characters. Whitney Ellsworth later produced The Adventures of Superboy television pilot.
The Clark Kent character was renamed "Bark Bent". Bark Bent worked for the Daily Bugle under editor "Terry Bite". His co-worker was reporter "Pamela Poodle". Superpup/Bark Bent was played by actor Billy Curtis, who was also in Superman and the Mole Men with George Reeves.
In the pilot, Pamela Poodle is the victim of the evil Professor Sheepdip, who has tied her to a rocket that will be launched into space. Superpup must save her.[4]
Cast
edit- Billy Curtis as Bark Bent / Superpup
- Ruth Delfino as Pamela Poodle
- Angelo Rossitto as Terry Bite
- Frank Delfino as Sergeant Beagle
- Harry Monty as Professor Sheepdip
- Sadie Delfino as Sheepdip's dupe
Other media
editA book titled Superboy and Superpup: The Lost Videos, written by Chuck Harter, was published in 1993 by Cult Movies Press.[5] Employees had seen the obscure pilots for both of the proposed replacements for the Reeves series, as well as twelve unproduced Superboy scripts. Both were released unofficially to the public domain on the VHS format. It is also available as part of Warner Home Video's fourteen-disc DVD set, Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition. Half of the episode is presented in the collection in color from a surviving print, while the other half of the pilot is presented in black & white from a video master of lesser quality. In September 2022, BearManorMedia.com republished Superboy and Superpup: The Lost Videos.
References
edit- ^ Shannon, Jeff (June 25, 2006). "Who's gonna save us now?". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
- ^ Bibbiani, William (2018-04-18). "The Adventures of Superpup: The Weirdest Superman TV Series Ever". IGN. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
- ^ Cilia, Tanja (January 21, 2008). "The media on the media". di-ve.com. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Volume 1). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3305-6.
- ^ Harter, Chuck (1993). Superboy & Superpup: The Lost Videos. Cult Movies.
External links
edit- The Adventures of Superpup at IMDb
- Superman on TV - Adventures of Superpup trailer
- Superpup Video Rarities
- The New Adventures of Superpup Superman Supersite