<Tr> <Th> Original release </Th> <Td> September 19, 1952 (1952 - 09 - 19)--April 28, 1958 (1958 - 04 - 28) </Td> </Tr> <P> Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster . The show was the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California on RKO - Pathé stages and the RKO Forty Acres back lot . It was sponsored by cereal manufacturer Kellogg's . The show, which was produced for first - run television syndication rather than a network, has disputed first and last air dates, but they are generally accepted as September 19, 1952 and April 28, 1958 . The show's first two seasons (episodes 1--52, 26 titles per season) were filmed in black - and - white; seasons three through six (episodes 53--104, 13 titles per season) were filmed in color but originally telecast in black and white . Superman was not shown in color until 1965 when the series was syndicated to local stations . </P> <P> George Reeves played Clark Kent / Superman, with Jack Larson as Jimmy Olsen, John Hamilton as Perry White, and Robert Shayne as Inspector Henderson . Phyllis Coates played Lois Lane in the first season, with Noel Neill stepping into the role in the second (1953) and later seasons . Superman battles crooks, gangsters, and other villains in the fictional city of Metropolis while masquerading "off - duty" as Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent . Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, Clark's colleagues at the office, often find themselves in dangerous situations which can only be resolved with Superman's timely intervention . </P> <P> Its opening theme is known as The Superman March . In 1987, selected episodes of the show were released to video . In 2006, the series became available in its entirety on DVD . The feature film Hollywoodland was released in 2006, dramatizing the show's production and the death of its star George Reeves . </P>

Who played lois lane in the original superman series