One of the most important stars ever to appear in The Adventures of Superman television program (starring George Reeves as The Man of Steel) was never mentioned in the end credits of that show during the program’s entire six season run—even though that star appeared in every single episode.

That star was Reeves’s Superman costume!

Since 1948, there have been about a half-dozen or so live portrayals of The Man of Steel. From Bob Holiday on Broadway in 1966 to Christopher Reeve in 1978 to Dean Cain in 1993, the Superman costumes these actors wore were very close in design to the classic version featured in DC’s comic books. (A modern exception would be Brandon’s Routh’s “updated” costume in 2006’s Superman Returns.)

However, the Superman costume worn by George Reeves in the 1950s Superman television series differs from the classic comic book version in a number of ways, and for this reason it has always been instantly identifiable from all the rest.

Kirk Alyn was the first live actor to don a Superman costume on film, for the 1948 Columbia serial Superman. His costume was also quite close to the one featured in the comic books, but with a couple of significant changes. His boots were laced up the side to hold them together, unlike Superman’s boots in the comic books. Also, the “S” shield on his chest was significantly different from the comic book version. Since Alyn’s costume was manufactured by Western Costume in Hollywood (the film capital’s largest and most well-known costume house), it is to be assumed that some unnamed designer there came up with that unique “S” design. Hand cut out of a very thick felt material and hand sewn onto Alyn’s Superman shirts, the “S” shield was brown and white in color—instead of the red and yellow of the comic books—because these colors photographed better on black and white film (with which the serial would be shot). Alyn wore this same costume again for 1950’s Atom Man vs. Superman.

When George Reeves took over the role of The Man of Steel in Lippert’s Superman and the Mole Men in 1951, his costume was once again manufactured by Western Costume in the brown, gray and white colors of Alyn’s. The same “S” shield design that Alyn wore was also used by Reeves, presumably because Western simply reused the design template it had already created for Alyn. But Reeves’s costume differed in a number of ways from Alyn’s. Reeves’s boots zipped up in the back, instead of using the cheaper-looking side laces of Alyn’s outfit. But the most significant design change from Alyn’s outfit was in Reeves’s cape. Alyn’s attached directly to his shoulders, trying to simulate the look of the cape drawn in the comic books. However, someone at Western Costume apparently decided to re-design Reeves’s cape for Mole Men to give it a more “classic” look: unlike Alyn’s cape, Reeves’s attached at either side of the neckline of his shirt and hung down in the back, not unlike the cloaks worn by ancient Roman soldiers in movies of the time. This very distinctive design was kept for the entire run of the subsequent TV series. Also, the “S” shield on the back of the cape, even though it was depicted as all yellow in color in the comic books, was the same two-tone shade as the logo on Reeves’s shirt (both were sewn on by hand). Another difference: whereas Alyn was beefy enough to stand on his own (some say a little too beefy!), apparently Robert Maxwell, the producer of the television episodes, didn’t feel that Reeves was quite muscular enough to be the Man of Steel—so he had a t-shirt outfitted with rubber “muscles” which was worn under Reeves’ Superman shirt to give him larger shoulders and a bigger chest. This padding was tweaked and altered slightly a number of times over the years while the TV series remained on the air.

It has been reported that George went through about four costumes a year, with some spare parts also used along the way for torn “S” shields, snagged capes, etc. His costumes cost $500.00 each to manufacture—which, in 2009, would translate to just over $4000.00 apiece! Reeves biographer Jan Alan Henderson reports that, after inspecting both Kirk Alyn’s and George Reeves’s Superman boots in 1991 at Fountain Valley, California, he discovered that they both had four-inch lifts in them.

Some sources have reported that, at the end of each season of The Adventures of Superman, George would tear the “S” shield off his costume and burn it as a sort of year-end ritual. Both Noel Neill and Stephanie Shayne (Robert Shayne’s daughter) have confirmed that George never did this. Ms. Shayne also confirmed that, to her knowledge, the only ‘S’ shield George ever gave away to anyone was to her older brother in 1953, on the set during the filming of “The Man Who Could Read Minds”.

In 1954 it was decided to film The Adventures of Superman in color. This necessitated more changes in Reeves’ costume. It was now made in the original comic book colors of red, blue and yellow, making Reeves the first actor to wear the costume on film in its original colors. Reeves’ ‘S’ shield went through some minor variations too, and he was given much more extensive padding, making him appear much bulkier from the waist up (and more like artist Wayne Boring’s barrel-chested renditions in the contemporary comic book).

The many unique design elements of George Reeves’ Superman costume have always identified that outfit as specifically his, and because of this fact it deserves an honored place in the George Reeves Hall of Fame!