Superman on Television

Adventures of Superman: Episode Reviews

Season 1 - Episode 8: "The Mind Machine"

Original Broadcast Date: November 7, 1952

Writers: Dennis Cooper and Lee Backman

Director: Lee Sholem

Guest Cast:
Griff Barnett as Doctor Edward Stanton Dan Seymour as Lou Cranek Ben Welden as Curley James Seay as Senator Taylor Harry Hayden as Carl Wagoner Lester Dorr as The Bus Driver Frank Orth as Al Stephen Carr as John Hadley

"The Mind Machine"

Doctor Edward Stanton and his assistant John Hadley are working in their laboratory on the Hypnotherapy Transmitter, a device intended to make contact with a person's mind to treat minor nervous disorders. If the project is successful within its twenty-five mile range, imaginary fears and phobias can be cured. Stanton has been working on this invention for the past five years. Three masked men have just entered. They are taking Doctor Stanton and his machine. Hadley has been ordered not to go to the police. Otherwise, Stanton will most certainly perish.

Lou Cranek, better known as Mister Big, has been dubbed by the Daily Planet as the Kingpin of all organized crime in Metropolis. Tomorrow, Senator Taylor and his Crime Committee will begin interrogating many people about Mister Big's illegal activities. Among those being questioned will be Lois Lane, who had exposed the mobster's racket in a series of newspaper articles. As the hearings are being discussed by editor Perry White, Clark Kent and Lois, cub reporter Jimmy Olsen tells Kent that Hadley is in his office. Doctor Stanton's assistant tells the mild mannered reporter of the kidnapping and theft that had occurred the previous night. Clark makes no promises, but he will do what he can to find both Doctor Stanton and the Hypnotherapy Transmitter. What Hadley and Kent to not realize is that this new mystery may truly be a job for Superman.

A personal ad has been placed in the Daily Planet asking for any information on the whereabouts of Professor Stanton, who is being held by Lou Cranek and his gang in the Blue Mountains about twenty miles from Metropolis. Curley, one of Mister Big's men, shows his boss the newspaper. Cranek, however, doesn't want anyone to give Stanton to the Planet for the reward offered by the periodical. Mister Big has other plans for Stanton. He wants the scientist to use the Hypnotherapy Transmitter on witnesses at the Senate Crime Committee's hearing to persuade them to change their testimony. Cranek had learned of the device from his henchman Al, who had briefly worked as Doctor Stanton's chauffeur. Now, with the mechanism activated, Mister Big's plans have been set into motion. Even the mighty Superman may not stop the Metropolis Kingpin.

Senator Taylor is questioning Carl Wagoner, an accountant who had served as head bookkeeper of Mister Big's Playtime Syndicate for several years. He is very cooperative until his image is in full focus on the Hypnotherapy Transmitter's screen. As Doctor Stanton operates the controls, Cranek gives Wagoner orders through the device's microphone. Wagoner has an odd look on his face as he claims to know nothing of Cranek. Lois Lane and Clark Kent are surprised by his change of heart. The pair of reporters ask for a statement, but Wagoner, in his trance like state, wants to be left alone. Curious by Wagoner's odd behavior, Lois and Clark follow him, unaware that they are about to witness something extremely strange and deadly.

To evade Lois and Clark, Wagoner steals a woman's automobile. The pair of reporters follow him in Lois' car. Suddenly, Wagoner gets a flat tire and is forced to hijack a school bus carrying three students. Unfortunately, the driver was trying to repair the brakes. Without them, the bus will go down the nearby hill at tremendous speeds, and the children will possibly meet their doom.

Feigning that he'd prefer to check on the woman that Wagoner left behind in the stolen car, Clark changes into Superman. The Man of Steel manages to stop the bus while Lois and the driver look amazed. The children are now safe, but Carl Wagoner is dead. Severe brain damage caused by Stanton's mind machine has killed him. Mister Big, Lou Cranek, has removed one obstacle that hindered his criminal operations, and he intends to eliminate more.

So far, including Carl Wagoner, three witnesses in Senator Taylor's investigation of Mister Big have died of severe brain injuries from the Hypnotherapy Transmitter. Lois Lane is the next to testify against Cranek in spite of Perry White and Clark Kent's protests. Lois cannot just give her files to the Taylor Crime Committee because much of what she knows was memorized. John Hadley and Clark have been unsuccessful in convincing Senator Taylor to postpone the hearings. Their only course of action now is to find the Hypnotherapy Transmitter. Otherwise, Mister Big's criminal organization will still run rampant in Metropolis.

Clark and Hadley are pondering their options. The Hypnotherapy Transmitter uses a great deal of power and can be detected by radar when activated. Doctor Stanton's private airplane is equipped with a lot of state of the art machines, including the aforementioned radar and a radio telephone. The craft may help Superman stop Lou Cranek before more innocent lives are taken.

Lois will testify a half hour sooner than anticipated. She was originally to do so at 3:00 PM. Cranek has learned of this from the live radio broadcast. Doctor Stanton refuses to help the mobster after discovering the news of three men's deaths caused by his invention. However, Cranek no longer needs Stanton. He will operate the machine himself. He'll rid himself of the scientist later. First, he must deal with his remaining enemies, beginning with Lois Lane.

The Hypnotherapy Transmitter's signal has been found by the radar in Doctor Stanton's plane. However, Clark has been told by Perry White via radio telephone Lois has just taken the witness stand. This means time is of the essence. Kent is forced to take drastic measures. He knocks out Hadley and puts the aircraft in automatic pilot mode. This gives him a chance to become Superman. The Man of Steel swoops into Lou Cranek's mountain hideout mere seconds before he can give Lois orders to change her testimony. Cranek and his two henchmen attack, but they are no match for the Last Son of Krypton. Meanwhile, Professor Stanton has smashed his mind machine. He never wants to invent another device that can fall into criminal hands.

With Hadley still unconscious, Doctor Stanton's plane has run out of fuel. Stanton himself is watching over the dormant forms of Mister Big's gang while Superman lands the aircraft safely. Later, on the way to Perry White's office, Clark Kent convinces Hadley that the lab assistant had actually done this. As the two men enter, Perry is angry with Kent's sudden absence. Superman saved Doctor Stanton, found the mind machine and defeated Mister Big. As a result of the recent events, Stanton will become a key witness in Senator Taylor's investigation of Lou Cranek. Meanwhile, Lois would also like to know where Clark was.

"Well Lois, I thought you were in danger. I just tried to help," Clark replies.

"You?," Lois jeers, "Why should I need your help when I can always count on..."

"I know. Superman," Kent says with a slight smile.

Rating - 5 (out of 5): Mister Big actor Dan Seymour has played everything from crime bosses to world leaders. He'll return to Metropolis as different gangsters in "The Stolen Costume" and "The Runaway Robot". Both he and Ben Welden, who portrayed Curley, have starred in episodes of Batman starring Adam West, and Welden has done a total of eight shows in The Adventures of Superman series. Walden is also in season two's "The Dog Who Knew Superman" along with Lester Dorr, the bus driver in this story.

Stephen Carr normally seemed to play bit parts in The Adventures of Superman. However, his role is much larger in "The Mind Machine" as he is one of the episode's central characters He is often uncredited for the things he's done for the series. In addition to his cameos, Carr served as dialogue director and script supervisor during the show's first two seasons. Carr is an underrated actor who worked extremely well with George Reeves. It's a pity they didn't work together more often.

Many elements seen so far in season one have been taken from The Adventures of Superman radio program. One of them is Clark Kent being forced to knock out someone to protect his secret identity. Kent has had do this on many occasions, including to Perry White, during the audio adventures of the Man of Steel. Poor John Hadley must be dealt with in this way during "The Mind Machine" to prevent him from discovering that Kent is Superman. Future versions of the Man of Steel probably would have found other means to keep his double life hidden, but it's always interesting when something from the radio serials is in another form of media.

"The Mind Machine" provides the audience with amazing examples of Superman doing something superhuman. The first of which is when the Man of Steel stops the school bus. The other occurs when he prevents the airplane crash. Daniel Hays, Ray Mercer and Jack Rabin provided this episode's special and photographic effects. I must say that they did a stupendous job. In an age when CGI saturates a film or television series with very little plot, it's refreshing to see the simplicity and brilliance that is The Adventures of Superman.

Like any other plot device, a mind control machine could become campy and cheesy in the wrong hands. Fortunately, Lee Sholem, Dennis Cooper and Lee Backman give us a tale of science fiction that doesn't come across to the audience as hokey. In fact, "The Mind Machine" is superbly written and stupendously directed. The cast is also to be commended for their performances. Dan Seymour particularly steals the show as Lou Cranek. There are moments when he's over the top, but that works for his character. He, like the other actors involved, deserves a lot of praise for their work in this episode.

I mentioned in my review of "Night of Terror" that the closing scene felt tacked on with forced dialogue. The opposite is true of "The Mind Machine". Everything feels natural and flows evenly. In fact, this episode feels like it was fixing problems the previous two had had. The cast and crew really worked hard, and it shows. This is, surprisingly enough, one of the best episodes of season one of The Adventures of Superman.

Back to the main TELEVISION page.