Crazy Movie Trivia (That You Just Found Out)

Apparently Jonas Akerlund the director of Horsemen, Polar and Lords of Chaos played in early Bathory.

Was looking for an existing thread on which to post a trivia question...

What was the first movie to be turned into a television show?

I'd guess a serial that was ported to TV. Superman?

I don't know the correct answer... but that's a great guess (and I'm a bit ashamed I didn't think of it myself).

Superman vs the Mole Men (Released November 6, 1951 - Movie)
The Adventures of Superman (Released September 19, 1952 - TV series)

Can anyone confirm?

The character of Superman was originated in the comics before he appeared on radio, film, or television. Many of the first generation of television series were based on radio series.

It was an extremely common practice in the 1970s, for a series to be adapted from a movie. But it must have been happening since the 1960s.

My guess would be maybe "Gidget"?

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

"Gidget" is a good guess.

I thought this question would have a concise answer, but as yet I haven't turned one up in a search.

And perhaps I should rephrase the question to: What was the first TV series to be adapted from a movie.

(This is because some very old movies have been made into TV series even in recent years, but I'm looking for the first time that happened - so it would have to be a fairly old movie and a fairly old TV show as opposed to say a cartoon from the year 2000 that was based on the original King Kong movie of 1933 for example).

This is not necessarily exclusive to also stating that Superman was a film before it was a TV show.

The only question is whether we should say it was the movie that was made into the TV show or whether they were both adaptations of the comic. Superman vs. the Mole Men stars George Reeves (the same guy who would star on the TV), so we can argue that "The George Reeves Superman appeared on film before appearing on television in 1952." In which case, yes the movie Superman (the George Reeves version of the character) came before the TV show, which would satisfy the conditions of the question.

Here's a candidate. Both adapted from a novel but it's safe to say the film's success made the TV series happen.


In April 1946, Universal-International announced the purchase of the film rights for The Egg and I for $100,000, plus a percentage of profits.[3] Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray were cast in the lead roles, with Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride cast in the roles of Ma and Pa Kettle. The film, loosely based on the book, was released in 1947. Main received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and the film inspired nine subsequent Ma and Pa Kettle features.


A 15-minute daytime TV series based on the book aired on CBS from September 3, 1951, to August 1, 1952.[4] The program starred Bob Craven and Patricia Kirkland.

I'm certainly not going to discount it as everything you say is true.

But further research also reveals that the Supermen vs the Mole Men movie was a "trial balloon" - meaning it was intended as a TV series from the start, but the producers wanted to test it on audiences first (in movie form). It still ranks as the first comic book superhero movie ever made.

The movie itself is only 58 minutes long (which splits nicely into 2 TV episodes) and it was even adapted later to fit into The Adventures of Superman TV series (the show's only 2-part episode - retitled "The Unknown People").

Still, none of that disqualifies it as a potential "first" TV series to come from a movie.

Indeed the TV show was based directly on the 1951 movie - it even had the same cast, but what obfuscates matters is, as Holden Pike pointed out, both were based on a comic book character that had already been adapted to radio (1940), cartoons (1941) and a movie-serial (1948).

I welcome this data as it indicates a tight genetic connection between the film and the TV show. And the film does precede the show, so the requirements of your question are satisfied. Indeed, we're not just talking about the actor playing the role as a version of Superman, but you have proved that there was an entire production team behind this. Thus, the "George Reeves Superman" is definitely a thing which is distinct from the cartoons and the comic and the film precedes the show. This only helps my case.
But NONE of these are the "George Reeves Superman." And everything is influenced by or adapted from something. Moreover, there is nothing in your question that asks for a unique film without historical precedent which came before the TV adaptation.



At any rate, the point is moot as "The Egg and I" predates "Superman." Captain Terror has the most competitive answer at the moment.

Agreed.

Just as we could say every subsequent version of a character may draw some degree of influence from their predecessors, they are not necessarily based directly on their predecessors.

To wit: Chis Reeves' Superman was not based on George Reeve's Superman (but rather on 40 years of comic book & media history) just as George Reeve's Superman was not based on Kirk Alyn's Superman. Each portrayal was based on an amalgam of presentations & stories up to the point of their specific portrayal.

Similarly, subsequent TV portrayals (Superman in various animated series, Lois & Clark, Smallville, Supergirl) are not necessarily based on or spun off from any previous movies, while The Adventures of Superman was directly based on Superman and the Mole Men due to its producers, dates, star and cast.

Very early television was a real hoot.

Just some related trivia: The Egg and I (1947) is also cited as "inspiration" for the TV series Green Acres (as it has a similar plot). However, Green Acres was not a direct TV adaptation of the film.

P.S. I just watched my first Ma and Pa Kettle movie on TCM about a week ago (but I can't remember which one it was).
Then, last night, I saw the actress who played Ma Kettle (Marjorie Main) in Meet Me In St. Louis (1944).

How about "I Remember Mama"?


Movie: 1948
Series ("Mama"): 1949-1957


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mama...ican_TV_series)

I think you're definitely in the lead. We're in the 40s now.

I only found out fairly recently that in Star Wars:The Force Awakens Daniel Craig was actually the Storm Trooper that Rey Mind Tricks into releasing her from her restraints while she was on the Death Star planet.

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Did you know that in the 1980s movie PREDATOR the titular character was not originally portrayed by Kevin Peter Hall. It was in fact Jean-Claude Van Damme donning a much more insect inspired full body suit before he left the production which then led to the recasting and redesigning of the famous hunter.

It'll be hard to beat that one. Anything before that is from the days when hardly anyone had a set, and the screens were like 4" wide.

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My Collection

Wow, that TV screen is tiny!

Big Screen in '48

A handsome 10 inch