According to director Lee Sholem, both Phyllis Coates and George Reeves were knocked out cold on the same day in fights involving stuntmen.
This was the first feature-length film based on "DC Comics" (although others such as Batman and even Superman himself had had theatrical serials).
Over a year after this film's release, it was split up and used to make a "two-parter" to close the first season of Adventures of Superman (1952): The Unknown People: Part I (1954) and The Unknown People: Part II (1954). However, the television version discarded the musical score by Darrell Calker and replaced it with music from earlier episodes of the TV series. All references to the alien creatures as "Mole Men" were edited out of the TV version, and a chase scene was trimmed.
Kirk Alyn, who played Superman in Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950), was originally to have reprised his role, but he wanted too much money.
This was the first of only three live action theatrical "Superman" films not to feature his arch-nemesis Lex Luthor. The others are Superman III (1983) and Man of Steel (2013).