Joe Heath is a big fan of comic books and watching things in order. So he made this spreadsheet containing every serial, short, film, television episode, commercial, motion comic, and web series based on a comic book. Now he’s watching them all. Previously, Joe watched the first Superman Sequel. This time, he watches the first feature-length Superman film.

Superman and the Mole-Men (November 23rd, 1951) - 58:02

Released on Nov. 23, 1951 by Lippert Pictures, the first ever Superman feature film was directed by Lee Sholem and written by Richard Fielding.

Sholem would go on to direct multiple episodes of The Adventures of Superman show and numerous other television shows and films. Famously, none of the projects he worked on ever went over-schedule, which earned him the nickname "Roll 'Em" Sholem which is one of the cleverest nicknames I've ever heard.

Richard Fielding was actually a pseudonym for Robert Maxwell and Whitney Ellsworth. Ellsworth had previously worked in comics and created the character of Congo Bill. He was also a creative consultant on the Batman and Superman serials. Both Maxwell and Ellsworth would go on to write for The Adventures of Superman television show.

Another thing that would carry over into The Adventures of Superman show was the movie itself. The film was made and released as a trial run for what would eventually become the television series. The film was later re-edited into a two-part episode that served as the season one finale.