Episode #8: Superman vs. The Klan (When We Last Left Our Heroes)

In the 1940s, The Adventures of Superman was a radio sensation. Kids across the country huddled around their sets as the Man of Steel leapt off the page and over the airwaves. Now the producers of the Superman radio show were never hesitant on tackling the issues of the day. The Superman radio show had provided astute social commentary subjects as diverse as juvenile delinquency, rising racial tensions, political corruption, and the treatment of war veterans. Through his radio show and cartoons, Superman was an incredible propaganda tool in taking on America’s foreign enemies. In his time, the Man of Tomorrow had taken on the Nazis and the Japanese, he had served as part of a successful PR strategy that reached millions of Americans.

This week, on When We Last Left Our Heroes, Umapagan Ampikaipakan tells the story of how Superman - with the help of a man called Stetson Kennedy - took on the Ku Klux Klan. And won.