On June 10, 1946, hundreds of thousands of kids gathered around their radios for one of the most popular children's programs of the time "The Adventures of Superman." They were about to hear the Man of Steel take on a new enemy: The Clan of the Fiery Cross.
Rick Bowers, author of the book "Superman vs. The Ku Klux Klan" explains a bit about how this came about:
"By 1946 the war had ended. The producers of the radio show were looking for a new villain. But they were also looking to do something that might make a difference in the world. So Robert Maxwell, the producer of 'The Adventures of Superman' . . . , decided that Superman would take on hate, intolerance, and bigotry."
Bowers also said the 16-part series that resulted was the culmination of a running theme on the show in which Superman battled against purveyors of hate and intolerance in various forms. He also said:
"It was an amazing show. It got heralded in both the mainstream press and the trade press as a breakthrough for children's programming."
At the time, kids' radio shows and comic books were criticized for violent content and for not being educational enough. Bowers says the producers of "Superman" made a conscious effort to blunt that criticism by taking on serious issues.
Bowers went on to explain that the show did not go after the Ku Klux Klan by name and they also made the the victim an Asian boy rather than Black because:
"They didn't want to stir up too much backlash from the actual Klan. They went to some lengths to try to moderate the show, but as one of the creators said afterwards, we shouldn't have gone to the trouble because we were criticized anyway from what they called 'the folks in Atlanta' (where the KKK was based)."
Bowers said Robert Maxwell received death threats from the KKK, but the show was generally well-received - more than a decade before the civil rights movement began.
Bowers thinks it may have helped a whole generation of kids to think differently:
"Because after all, who better than Superman to know? And if Superman says it's wrong to hate people based on the color of their skin or their religion, it must be true."
Orignal article written by Nathan Hager, wtop.com
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