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It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!

The funniest Superhero story ever!

RELEASED 21 Feb 19751h 32m★ 4.4 TMDB

TV adaptation of the campy 1960s Broadway musical about the Man of Steel, his friends, his enemies, and his self-image problems.

WATCH NOTE

A standalone live-action television musical directed by Jack Regas, adapted by Romeo Muller from the Broadway musical. ABC presented it within Wide World of Entertainment on February 21, 1975; the umbrella guide's airing 531 is not a season/episode designation. David Wilson plays Clark Kent/Superman, Lesley Ann Warren plays Lois Lane and Allen Ludden plays Perry White. Supporting performer assignments, the Kent parents' official character-profile matches and complete silent/background coverage remain unresolved. Runtime sources differ between approximately 120 minutes and a 92-minute DVD-R presentation; exact content duration and edition differences remain under review.

Watch these first

4 titles to watch before It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman! — 109h 59m in total.

  1. Stamp Day for SupermanOptional background0h 18m★ 5.3

    A separate adaptation of Superman and Lois Lane and Perry White; useful for comparison, but unrelated to It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!’s story continuity.

  2. The New Adventures of SupermanOptional background7h 56m★ 6.2

    A separate adaptation of Superman and Lois Lane; useful for comparison, but unrelated to It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!’s story continuity.

  3. The Superman/Aquaman Hour of AdventureOptional background1h 48m★ 7.1

    A separate adaptation of Superman; useful for comparison, but unrelated to It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!’s story continuity.

  4. Super FriendsOptional background99h 57m★ 7.8

    A separate adaptation of Superman; useful for comparison, but unrelated to It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman!’s story continuity.

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How these titles are selected

Story prerequisites are curated. Likely prerequisites are inferred from sequel numbering or explicit synopsis references. Recommendations are earlier stories in the same continuity; background picks are separate adaptations. Series lists cover whole shows, not an episode-by-episode watch order.

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Where it fits in the DC universe

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman! is title 68 of 68 in our Live-action Elseworlds viewing sequence. Start with this self-contained 1975 television musical, which introduces Superman's origin before his struggle against Dr. Abner Sedgwick and Max Mencken. It belongs in Live-action Elseworlds as a separate adaptation of the Broadway musical; no other Superman film or series is required beforehand.

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Characters

Cast

David WilsonSuperman/Clark Kent
Lesley Ann WarrenLois Lane
David WayneDr. Abner Sedgwick
Loretta SwitSydney
Kenneth MarsMax Mencken
Gary OwensNarrator (voice) (uncredited)
Phil LeedsMIT Technician
Harvey LembeckGangster
Allen LuddenPerry White
Al MolinaroGangster
Malachi ThroneCrime Boss
Lou Wills Jr.Gangster

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