Superman on Radio & Audio

Superman Radio Series - Story Reviews

1946: Candy Meyers' Big Story

Reviewed by: James Lantz

Original Broadcast Dates: August 22, 1946-September 02, 1946

"Candy Meyers' Big Story"

Private detective Candy Meyers had called reporter Clark Kent to meet him in a half hour. Fifteen minutes later, some men ambush Meyers in the back yard of his waterfront home. Having taken a taxi to Candy's house, Clark and his editor Perry White find him beaten badly with a handkerchief in his hand. It is later learned that the phrase "Keep Your Nose Clean" was written on the cloth.

Superman has raced Candy to the marine hospital. Unfortunately, Clark and Perry cannot speak with him until tomorrow morning. However, when they do talk with him, he only mentions a subway and asks about the Dodgers. Candy suddenly feels dizzy, but he promises to tell Clark and Perry everything after he rests for thirty minutes. Later, Perry and Clark return from the hospital lobby only to learn from the detective's doctor that Candy isn't in his room or anywhere else in the building. Now more than ever, Clark Kent must discover what Candy wanted to tell him.

There are no clues to Candy Meyers' disappearance in his hospital room. Perry and Clark search Meyers' home for more clues to the big story that the detective wanted to reveal when Clark remembers that Candy was in the subway train when the new tunnel under Ninth Avenue had caved in. Candy had wanted Clark's help investigating, but the recent atomic bomb story interfered with that. Candy must have decided to look into the incident on his own. Despite the city finding no evidence of sabotage, Clark thinks there's more to the disaster than meets the eye.

Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen are at the scene of the destroyed subway tunnel taking concrete samples for Clark while the mild mannered reporter returns to the hospital for information on Candy Meyers' disappearance. After the pair fills a shoebox with the needed material, a black Sedan nearly runs down Jimmy. Lois takes the cub reporter's arm to move him out of the way. However, this doesn't stop two men from grabbing Jimmy and forcing him into their car. Lois is so shocked that she can't even call for help. Will Jimmy meet the same fate as Candy Meyers?

Lois has given a description of the men that had captured Jimmy to Perry and Metropolis Police Inspector Bill Henderson. In the meantime, Candy has just called Clark, but he only says that he left the hospital to take care of this problem on his own. Candy does not tell Clark where he is. Candy's location could provide clues to the people who took Jimmy.

Clark has just gone to see Mayor Henry Marshall about the reports on the Ninth Avenue subway tunnel accident. Unfortunately the man that Kent must really speak with, the building commissioner named Clint Morgan, is on vacation for two weeks. At that moment, Candy calls the mayor to say that he knows the truth about the cave-in. Hearing the L Train during the conversation, Clark knows that Candy is talking from a drug store telephone booth on Market Street. As Superman, he flies in search of the private detective only to find a crowd of people surrounding the motionless figure of Candy Meyers. Jimmy Olsen may not be found without Candy's help at this point in time.

A neighborhood doctor has looked over Candy Meyers. Shortly afterwards, the detective tells Clark Kent that he had a photocopy of a report saying that Clint Morgan knew that the fault that caused the subway cave-in was in the rock before the tunnel was created. Morgan had stated in public that the crack happened after the tube was finished. It was Morgan's henchmen that had beaten Candy on the night Clark was to meet him.

Clark and Candy are speaking with Clint Morgan's assistant to know where Morgan is vacationing. Not learning anything, Clark asks to give Morgan a message. Kent says, "The frost kills the leaves, and the frost is expected early this year."

Candy thinks Clark has gone mad. The reporter says that Morgan's assistant will call the building commissioner. In two minutes, they will find out where Morgan is, and maybe they will discover the location of Jimmy Olsen.

Superman has flown to Westbrook, a small town fifty miles away from Metropolis. He then goes to Happy Acres Farm, where he finds Clint Morgan. Clark Kent confronts Morgan about Candy and Jimmy. The building commissioner claims to know nothing, but Clark can see from his eyes that he is lying. Seeing the initials "M.R." on some ashtrays, Clark notes another thread in this mystery. All he needs to do is discover who "M.R." is.

Perry and Lois are discussing the disappearance of Jimmy when copy boy Beany Martin calls them into Clark Kent's office. From the window, they see the insurance company's clock tower, and hanging from the minute hand is Jimmy Olsen. Clark has just entered to see the scene. Running into Perry's office, he becomes Superman, crashes through the closed window and grabs the cub reporter just as the clock's hand is about to break. Jimmy is now perfectly safe thanks to Superman.

Jimmy barely remembers how he got to the clock tower. He only knows that the two thugs knocked him out before dropping him in the park. Hazy from his head injury, Jimmy was compelled to go the clock tower near the Daily Planet. Inside Jimmy's jacket, Clark finds another handkerchief with the same phrase that was written for Candy Meyers. Now, Clark must find those who are covering up the subway incident before more lives are at risk.

Clark and Perry have gone to the cave-in site to search for more evidence. Unfortunately, it is now clean as a whistle. The Man of Steel's search for more proof against Clint Morgan has suddenly reached a dead end.

Clark thinks contractor Fat Mike Ricki was the one who worked together with Clint Morgan on the Ninth Avenue tube. Ricki used inferior materials to construct the tunnel and owns the Happy Acres Farm. Kent learns the debris from the cave-in will be dumped into the Metropolis Harbor. Before that can be done, Superman gets a piece of concrete and a confession that the rubble was from the Ninth Avenue passage in exchange for an autograph.

Perry White has told Candy Meyers of Clark's suspecting Mike Ricki, who is now speaking with Clint Morgan. The hotheaded detective leaves to confront Ricki. The crooked contractor believes that Meyers took the concrete in Superman's possession and that Kent told Candy about the dumping of the debris. Mike Ricki and Clint Morgan will do anything to rid themselves of both Clark Kent and Candy Meyers, and the latter has just made it much easier for them. Candy is waiting to see them them right now.

Clint Morgan has gone into the bedroom while Mike Ricki and his henchman Shortcake fight with Candy. The crooked contractor pulls a gun and is about to shoot the private detective when Superman crash through the window of Ricki's penthouse. The Man of Steel deals with Ricki and Shortcake before forcing corrupt building commissioner Morgan to come out of hiding. Both Ricki and Morgan confess something that an analysis of the concrete rubble done by Doctor John Millicent confirms. With Morgan's approval, Ricki used inferior materials in building the subway tunnel that had caved in. Now, Morgan and Ricki have appointments with Inspector Henderson and the warden of the state penitentiary. Another case has been solved by Candy Meyers and Superman. However, unknown to our hero and his friends, "George Latimer, Crooked Political Boss" will be an even greater threat to the citizens of Metropolis. Tune in next week, fellows and girls, to see how Superman will handle this new foe.

Trivia:

Commander Joseph M. Stack, National Commander-In-Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1946, presented the cast and crew of The Adventures of Superman and DC Comics President Harry Donvelle with a citation of merit before chapter five began.

Review:

After the lackluster serial that was "The Secret Menace Strikes," "Candy Meyers' Big Story" was a breath of fresh air. Many elements seem to be borrowed from episodes of The Green Hornet, but they also work very well in Superman. This is what I was expecting from last week's arc.

It was good to see Candy Meyers be a part of the action. While he's in "The Story of the Century" and "Is There Another Superman?," those appearances feel like Candy's just stopping by for a visit. He really wasn't used to his full potential. In fact, Candy really hasn't done much since saving Clark Kent from Henry Miller and Sydney's trap in "The Atom Man in Metropolis." Candy is a great character an deserves more exposure. Let's hope he's in more serials in the future.

One thing about "Candy Meyers' Big Story" is that it works well with other versions of the Man of Steel. I particularly felt like I was visualizing images from the George Reeves television series during certain points of this serial, especially in the final chapter. Many of the best Superman tales should work in any form of entertainment and time period in my opinion, and this fun arc does that in many ways.

The villains, unlike those in the previous arc, work well in this serial. This really helps "Candy Meyers' Big Story" be more believable and enjoyable for the audience. Let's hope "George Latimer, Crooked Political Boss" will do the same when we're here again in seven days or so, Superfans. Until next week, don't touch that dial, and remember to keep smiling and look up in the sky.



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