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Gord Green · Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2023 12:49 am Post subject: R.I.P. Phyllis Coates,

Phyllis Coates, the first actor to portray Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane on television, died Wednesday in Woodland Hills, Calif., her daughter Laura Press confirmed to the New York Times. She was 96.

Coates starred as Lois Lane in the "Adventures of Superman" when the series first aired in 1952, only to leave after one season. She initially played Lois opposite George Reeves as Clark Kent/the Man of Steel in "Superman and the Mole Men." The 1951 black-and-white superhero film follows Clark and Lois as they arrive in the small town of Silsby, where a race of small, balding humanoids emerge from their underground home deep in an oil well.

The "Adventures of Superman" series debuted the following year, with Reeves and Coates reprising their respective roles as Clark and Lois from "Mole Men."

Noel Neill, who had played Lois in two 15-part film serials starring Kirk Alyn - "Superman" (1948) and "Atom Man vs. Superman" (1950) - replaced Coates on "Adventures of Superman" and remained on the series from 1953 to 1958 for its final five seasons.

Coates was born Gypsie Ann Stell on Jan. 15, 1927, in Wichita Falls, Texas. After graduating from high school, she moved to L.A., where she landed a job as a chorus girl and acted in sketches in comedian Ken Murray's vaudeville show. She also performed in USO tours and, in 1948, signed a contract with Warner Bros.
In addition to the "Superman" projects, Coates worked on Republic Pictures serials like "Jungle Drums of Africa" (1952) and "Panther Girl of the Kingo" (1954), as well as guested on such TV series as "Gunsmoke," "Rawhide," "Perry Mason" and "Leave It to Beaver."
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Pow · Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2023 2:35 pm Post subject:

I've was always been very impressed by how Phyllis played such a strong Lois Lane in her first (and only) season with the series.

The 1950s rarely had women playing such strong roles on television — or being a career woman. It was practically unheard of back then.

So, Superman was quite the exception at that time. It featured not only an alien from another planet, it also featured a confident, intelligent take-charge woman.