Nearly half a century before "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" or "The Matrix," George Reeves was the "Mac Daddy" of wire work. Starring in the immortal "Adventures of Superman" TV show, Reeves spent seven years in harness (literally) as the Man of Steel, convincing millions of young viewers that a man could fly before any PR experts conceived of that tag line for the 1978 motion picture.

The show was a bonafide phenomenon in its day, and even now it remains one of the very few shows from the era that is still airing ("I Love Lucy" and "The Honeymooners" are the others), despite extremely low budgets and prehistoric "special effects." The key, of course, was Reeves himself, a talented and telegenic actor who transmitted his own charisma and gentle humor through the screen to create a hero that made every kid in America feel like "Superman's Pal." Patient, wise, protective and all-powerful, Reeve's Superman was the ultimate 50s authority figure, the very embodiment of benevolent paternalism. And for many fans, his portrayal has never been surpassed.

Like any series, the show had strong episodes and weak ones, but many fans agree the highpoint was "Panic In the Sky." For one thing, in a series that continually re-played the same stock "flying" footage, "Panic" had a plethora of special effects that appeared nowhere else. Furthermore, the plot expanded the action into outer space for the only time in the series (except the origin story, of course) and gave Superman a threat worthy of his powers...a threat to the safety of everyone on Earth!