From the pages of comic books Superman leapt into every other entertainment medium out there (except the stage; does anyone know when Superman: The Musical is coming out?). The Man of Steel captured imaginations first in illustrated form, then as a radio show, and then as a TV series, starring George Reeves.

Superman’s back story is a tale of woe. He was an alien born on the far away planet of Krypton whose inhabitants looked very much human (thank you very much, convergent evolution) and sent to Earth as an infant because his home planet was doomed to destruction. After crash landing in America’s heartland, baby Superman was adopted by the Kents of Smalliville, Kansas. The Kents named the baby alien Clark and raised him as their own. Soon Clark began to exhibit superhuman powers, like x-ray vision, flying and immense strength; his adoptive parents fessed up that Clark had quite literally fallen from the sky and was not of this earth. His mom made him a costume from the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby and Clark—or rather his alter ego, Superman—went off to fight evildoers. Quite literally bulletproof, Superman had nothing to fear except for dreaded Kryptonite, a mineral originating from his home planet that rendered him weak and helpless.

At this point, the TV series picks up the story, with Clark moving to the big city of Metropolis to be a reporter. He also kept up his hobby of crime fighting (in the baby blanket costume, yes), always careful to keep his two identities separate from each other. Clark would often encounter crime while in his professional capacity as a newspaperman and luckily for the citizens of Metropolis, Superman would soon after show up to clean up any lawlessness. Other characters included plucky girl reporter Lois Lane, who had a serious crush on Superman but never caught on that the object of her desires was actually co-worker Clark Kent plus dorky glasses; there was also Jimmy Olsen, a young and eager photographer who often got into trouble. Rounding out the newspaper staff was Clark’s boss, the brusque Perry White.

The show followed the stories set forth in the comic books quite closely, except where the villains were concerned. Lex Luthor and other dedicated Superman foes didn’t appear in the series, which instead favored generic bad guys like crime bosses, mad scientists and Soviet spies (thank you, Cold War). Like many other series of that era, The Adventures of Superman operated on a small budget, which is evident in the recycling of sets, costumes and stock footage. Every time we saw George Reeves flying, it was pretty much the same shot. Regardless, the show was a big hit with viewers, who eagerly tuned in every week to see Superman fight for truth, justice and the American way. In 1954, the black and white series converted to color until its end in 1957.

Superman is one of the most enduring icons of the 20th century with dozens of adaptations in print and on screen. Christopher Reeve would play the Man Of Steel on film but for an entire generation, George Reeves embodied Superman.