Superman on Television

Adventures of Superman: Episode Reviews

Season 1 - Episode 19: "The Evil Three"

Original Broadcast Date: January 23, 1953

Writer: Ben Peter Freeman

Director: Tommy Carr

Guest Cast:
Jonathan Hale as Colonel Brand
Rhys Williams as Macy Taylor
Cecil Elliott as Elsa

"The Evil Three"

Daily Planet editor Perry White and cub reporter Jimmy Olsen are on a rather unsuccessful fishing trip together. All they seem to be getting is bitten by mosquitoes. Perry wants to stay the night at the Hotel Bayou, where he can catch bass from the property's stream. Meanwhile, in the establishment in question that evening, Colonel Brand has his sword poised to attack Macy Taylor. The two men fight as Elsa, an elderly woman confined to a wheelchair, watches from the top of the second floor stairs. She is laughing maniacally while the two trade punches and break objects. Perry and Jimmy may be walking into trouble on their vacation.

The Hotel Bayou is in a sorry state when Jimmy and Perry arrive. Debris from the brawl between Macy and Brand is all over the place. Perry remembers staying there seven years ago when Macy's uncle George Taylor owned it. Macy claims that George had drowned and tries to dissuade the pair from staying the night. Perry goes out to his car, leaving Jimmy to sign the hotel's register. The editor is suspicious of Macy Taylor. He seems to recall that George had disappeared. To confirm this, Perry calls Clark Kent from his automobile's radio-telephone. The mild mannered reporter is ordered to discover what he can about the elder Taylor's death, and contact the chief in an hour. In the meantime, Macy is telling Jimmy that the Hotel Bayou hasn't had any guests since Uncle George's ghost was first seen walking through the halls. Perry and Jimmy may regret spending the evening there.

In spite of Jimmy's fears, Perry still insists that they stay in the Hotel Bayou. He senses that there is a story for the Daily Planet there. Perry seems to remember that the eccentric George Taylor did not trust banks. The editor also believes that Macy has lied about many things to scare him and Jimmy away. Macy had said that the hotel's stream had no fish, but Perry and Jimmy saw some bass jumping when they had arrived. Clearly, Macy is hiding something. However, whatever it is may place Jimmy and Perry in grave peril.

Jimmy has seen what appears to be the ghost of George Taylor on two occasions. The spectral form even slapped him in the face while he slept. The cub reporter has also heard the insane laughter of Elsa echoing through the hotel's corridors. Jimmy and Perry are now investigating things further. They discover a ramp that leads to a subterranean level where a skeleton is chained to a wall. Perry seems to know who was held captive, but before he can reveal this to Jimmy, Macy and Colonel Brand attack him and young Olsen. Brand is disposing of Perry's car while Macy prepares to kill his new prisoners. Perry and Jimmy may not be able to leave the Hotel Bayou alive.

Clark Kent has not gotten a response to his call to Perry. Worried, he becomes Superman and flies to the Hotel Bayou. Meanwhile, Perry and Jimmy have regained consciousness and managed to get back to their room. It is at this point Elsa reveals herself to them and explains the true motives of Macy Taylor. Macy had killed George Taylor for the money that had been hidden in the cellar for years. The insane Colonel Brand and Elsa knew that the nephew had kept his uncle chained under the hotel and starved him to death. Macy had no choice but to share the wealth with Elsa and Brand while pretending to be George's ghost to fend off hotel guests. Now, Elsa wants no more blood on her hands. She wishes to help Perry and Jimmy if they assist her in getting the riches buried in the cellar. She is the only one with the location's information, but she is unable to go there without help. The pair of men agree with the old woman's plan. However, it could mean their doom. Macy Taylor has pushed Elsa's wheelchair down the ramp to the basement, leaving her with Jimmy and Perry hidden behind the same rock where bunches of one hundred dollar bills are stashed. It looks like there may be no way out for Superman's friends.

Superman has met Colonel Brand, who is leading him away from the Hotel Bayou. Neither Brand nor his sword are a match for the Man of Steel. He returns to the hotel to fight Macy and free Elsa, Perry and Jimmy. The police have captured the Evil Three, with the mad Elsa laughing that nobody got the money. Superman offers to fly Jimmy and Perry back to Metropolis, but the chief has had enough excitement for one night. He and Jimmy will take a train home. However, Jimmy wants a rain check on the flight.

"Sure thing, Jim. Anytime at all," smiles the Man of Tomorrow.

Rating - 5 (out of 5): Hitchcock fans will probably recognize Jonathan Hale. He was Mister Anthony in Strangers on a Train. Hale will appear in season two's classic "Panic in the Sky". He is the only member of the guest cast of "The Evil Three" to return to The Adventures of Superman.

Rhys Williams played Lucilius in 1953's Julius Caesar. He's also portrayed judges and doctors quite a bit in his career, including Judge Cranston in an episode of The Andy Griffith Show.

Cecil Elliott plays remarkably similar roles of an annoying lady with an equally annoying small dog that causes a good deal of trouble in the films The Killing and The Reluctant Astronaut. She also plays a gossip on the train in the film The Rebel Set, which starred Edward Platt of Get Smart and was featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

George Taylor was the name of the editor for the Daily Star, the newspaper for which Clark Kent and Lois Lane had been reporters in the original Siegel and Shuster comics and later in DC's Earth-2 continuity. Whether or not the name of Macy Taylor's uncle was intended as a tribute remains unknown.

There are two bloopers in this episode. The first is a jump cut in the background as Colonel Brand confronts Superman. The second occurs as Superman flies away from Brand to rescue Perry and Jimmy. The springboard from which George Reeves had launched himself can be seen.

There is a bit of a plot hole in "The Evil Three". It doesn't take anything away from the overall enjoyment of the story. I just felt the need to point it out. Elsa says that only she knows where the money was hidden by George Taylor, yet she also states that she could not make it back up the cellar ramp if she had gone down there with Perry and Jimmy to get it. Now, the incline does look rather steep, but how did she discover the cash's location? I'm going to assume that she wasn't always disabled and somehow learned everything from George Taylor before her accident. I'll also wager a guess that Brand and Macy caused her to be in the wheelchair.

This episode is full of stupendous performances. Jack Larson and Cecil Elliott, in particular, steal the show. Larson, as Chuck Harter points out in his DVD commentary on "The Evil Three", does a perfect job at being scared. He also shows this in "The Haunted Lighthouse". It's a pity he never got a chance to do Hitchcock or horror films.

Cecil Elliott, much like Mira McKinney in "Mystery in Wax", tends to exaggerate and go over the top with her character. However, this works perfectly into the episode's atmosphere and story. Her insane, cackling laughter gives the "The Evil Three" the perfect chills for a rainy night of viewing.

There are moments in which the film noir feeling of "The Evil Three" seems like it belongs in an EC comic book. It still works for the series' first season, but there seems to be an element or two from some of William Gaines' stories from the 1950s. This is especially true when Macy pushes Elsa down the ramp in an attempt to possibly kill her. Again, this functions perfectly into the show. With amazing acting combined with a great story, "The Evil Three" will give the audience goosebumps while entertaining them.

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