Original artwork, not a still
The opening of the Superman radio serial and the 1950s TV series
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!
— Adventures of Superman ‧ 1952
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a three-beat gag in a single breath: a vague shape, a guess, a better guess, a name. The rhythm taught generations that the answer to "what is that?" is the hero, and the phrase left Superman to become the standard way to announce a surprise arrival. Every later Superman film and cartoon quotes it, usually with a wink.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Adventures of SupermanShow the scene
The Adventures of Superman radio serial opened with a fanfare. The version heard through the mid-1940s had the announcer present the transcription feature, a flying sound effect whoosh, then onlookers crying that it was a bird, a plane, and Superman. By 5 September 1945 the opening, repeated at the close, had become the famous form: speeding bullet, locomotive, tall buildings, then the sky shout. Jackson Beck, the show's announcer-narrator from 1943 to 1950, delivered it, and the 1950s television series copied the radio opening from 1945 onward.
Sources (2)
- Wikipedia: The Adventures of Superman (radio series)Opening-narration sectionReference checked
- Wikiquote: SupermanOpenings sectionsReference checked
Context reviewed
