Superman on Television

Adventures of Superman: Episode Reviews

Season 2 - Episode 6: "The Defeat of Superman"

Original Broadcast Date: October 19, 1953

Writer: Jackson Gillis

Director: Thomas Carr

Guest Cast:
Peter Mamakos as Happy King
Sid Tomack as Ruffles
Maurice Cass as Professor Meldini

"The Defeat of Superman"

Years ago, Metropolis crime lord Happy King left the country just as Superman, Clark Kent, Lois Lane and the police were about to put him behind bars for good. Now, King has returned from Europe and wishes to discuss things with Superman on 360 Warehouse Street at noon tomorrow. However, the Man of Steel wants to check things out today to make sure a trap isn't waiting for him. There, he only finds a tommy gun in a room. It is set to fire on its own when Superman enters. Bullets ricochet, and the Metropolis Marvel scratches his shoulder. Happy King's trap didn't work. Now, Superman is more intent on finding the gangster and bringing him to justice.

As Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen ponder King's failed booby trap for Superman, and Kent continues to rub his shoulder, King's henchman Ruffles, who was disguised as a homeless man on Warehouse Street, takes the fired projectiles and film from a movie camera to Happy King and Professor Meldini, a scientist King brought with him from Europe. Meldini theorizes that Superman is from the planet Krypton. This means that the professor could possibly help King destroy Superman. Watching the footage taken by Ruffles, Meldini notices that the fourteenth bullet was not smashed as it hit the Man of Tomorrow. Rather, it bounced off and injured him. Meldini covered it with a substance he had discovered, which can only mean that the elderly professor's next words ring true.

"Superman is vulnerable to Kryptonite."

Kryptonite is basically all that remains of Superman's homeworld, and it is very deadly to the Man of Steel. Now, it looks like Happy King has a means of ridding himself of his most hated foe forever.

All the real Kryptonite from a meteor Meldini had found has been used for the bullet used in Happy King's trap. Now, Meldini is working on a synthetic version of the lethal element. The process has finished successfully. All that needs to be done is to test it on Superman himself.

Happy King has sent a message to Superman in care of Clark Kent. He is to meet King at his house on the coast at 3420 Ocean Drive. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen have intercepted the letter before Clark can even read it as he's out on a story. Lois promises to put the paper on Clark's desk, but she rips it up and throws it in Clark's wastebasket. Thinking they are going to scoop Clark, Lois and Jimmy leave the Daily Planet Building unaware that they're walking into a trap from which even Superman may not be able to rescue them.

Lois and Jimmy have arrived at Happy King's home. Unfortunately, they are now locked in the basement as bait for a trap for Superman. Meanwhile Clark has pieced together King's message and is leaving to rescue his friends. He doesn't realize that doing this could mean the death of Superman.

Superman has found Lois and Jimmy. However, Happy King has locked and bolted the basement door and thrown the synthetic Kryptonite down the coal chute. The Last Son of Krypton has now been exposed to the lethal element and is near death. Jimmy and Lois try everything to get it away from him as King, Ruffles and Meldini make their escape. Struggling to speak, Superman tells Jimmy about the lead pipes on the cellar's sink. This makes Jimmy understand that the box King had put the Kryptonite in was also made of lead. With the Kryptonite now safely inside the lead piece Jimmy and Lois had removed, Superman is back to his old self again. This time, he's ready to get rid of the very thing that is extremely deadly to him.

Superman has hurled the pipe containing the Kryptonite into space. The flash of its movement into the air distracts Ruffles, causing him to not keep his eye on the road on which he is driving Professor Meldini and Happy King. The car crashes, killing the villainous trio. News of this is in a Daily Planet article written by Lois. One thing she does not mention is Superman's weakness to Kryptonite, even though Meldini had the only sample. She, Jimmy and Clark discuss Superman's Achilles Heel that makes him almost human. The world is lucky that Lois and Jimmy rescued the Man of Tomorrow. Two citizens that are extremely fortunate are Clark Kent and Superman.

Rating - 5 (out of 5): Peter Mamakos had the re-occurring role of Jean Lafitte in The Adventures of Jim Bowie. He was also Royal Lapidary in Batman starring Adam West. "The Defeat of Superman" is his first outing in The Adventures of Superman, but he'll be back for two more episodes.

Sid Tomack appeared in season one's "The Secret of Superman". He'll return for three more episodes in The Adventures of Superman, including "Clark Kent, Outlaw".

Maurice Cass makes his second and final appearance in The Adventures of Superman. He died shortly after finishing Rocky Jones, Space Ranger.

There is a stock footage mishap in this episode during the scene in which Happy King's car crashes. A completely different automobile can be seen tumbling to the bottom.

A prototype of Kryptonite first appeared in an unpublished Jerry Siegel Superman story called "The K-Metal From Krypton". In addition to this deadly menace, the status quo of the character would have changed a great deal because Lois Lane would learn that Superman is Clark Kent. Kryptonite was introduced to the public in The Adventures of Superman radio series back in 1944, and it would later become part of the comic books and other versions of Superman lore. "The Defeat of Superman" marks Kryptonite's first appearance in The Adventures of Superman television show.

Maurice Cass chews scenery and gives an over the top performance worthy of William Shatner, but it honestly works for the Meldini character. One gets the feeling that old coot is crazier than an outhouse rat; while at the same time he's brilliantly evil. Had anyone besides Cass played Meldini, the episode would have been a total failure because the character would have become a bad parody of your typical mad scientist.

"The Defeat of Superman" and "The Man Who Could Read Minds" set up a formula that is used quite a bit throughout Whitney Ellsworth's run as producer. Lois and Jimmy, thinking they'll get a scoop, end up in over their heads. Superman has to save them before it's too late. It possibly also occurred during Robert Maxwell's reign, but it seems more prominent in the Ellsworth shows. In the case of "The Defeat of Superman", Jimmy and Lois return the favor by saving the Man of Steel from Kryptonite. What helps add tension to this is the acting of both Noel Neill and Jack Larson. Their delivery of their lines and emotions during the scene in which they must remove the lethal element are some of the many things that make this an absolute classic in The Adventures of Superman.

So far, season two has been well done, and episodes like "The Defeat of Superman" prove this. Cast and crew did stupendously. George Reeves does extremely well portraying the fallen, weakened hero while his co-stars add their gigantic talents to one of the best stories in the entire series so far. "The Defeat of Superman" is sure to be remembered by fans for many years to come.

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