| 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. |
The Adventures of Superpup is a 1958 unaired television pilot, intended to capitalize on the success of theAdventures of Superman series.[1][2]Superpup featured the first television portrayal of theSuperman characters as anthropomorphic animals.[3]
Television producerWhitney Ellsworth created a pilot that placed the Superman mythos into a fictional universe populated by dogs instead of humans. The live-action actors were placed in dog suits to portray the canine versions of theSuperman characters. The pilot was shot on the same set asThe Adventures of Superman, and people withdwarfism portrayed the characters. Ellsworth later produced the pilot forThe Adventures of Superboy.
Clark Kent was renamed "Bark Bent", and worked for theDaily Bugle under editor "Terry Bite". His co-worker was reporter "Pamela Poodle". Superpup/Bark Bent was played by actorBilly Curtis, who was also inSuperman and the Mole Men withGeorge Reeves.
In the pilot, Pamela Poodle falls victim to the evil Professor Sheepdip, who has tied her to arocket aimed for space. Superpup must save her.[4]
A book titledSuperboy and Superpup: The Lost Videos, written by Chuck Harter, was published in1993 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 unproducedSuperboy scripts. Both were released unofficially to the public domain on theVHS format. It is also available as part ofWarner Home Video's fourteen-discDVD 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 inblack & white from a video master of lesser quality. In September 2022, BearManorMedia.com republishedSuperboy and Superpup: The Lost Videos.