Superman on Television

Adventures of Superman: Episode Reviews

Season 4 - Episode 8: "The Wedding of Superman"

Reviewed by: James Lantz

Original Broadcast Date: May 12, 1956

Writer: Jackson Gillis

Director: Phil Ford

Guest Cast:
Julie Bennett as Sometimes Mabel
Doyle Brooks as Mister Poole
John Cliff as the Thug
Milton Frome as Mister Faraday
Dolores Fuller as Lorraine
Nolan Leary as the Justice of the Peace

"The Wedding of Superman"

Lois Lane is taking over the "Advice for the Lovelorn" column while the Daily Planet's editor for the woman's page is on vacation. The letters that have been coming in have proven to be too much for her. Lois has gone to Perry White for help, but he's too busy meeting with District Attorney Mister Faraday, Metropolis Police Inspector Bill Henderson and Superman to discuss a recent wave of bank robberies. Even White's guests want to assist. However, they seem to be uninterested in matters of the heart. To add insult to injury, a red carnation is found on her desk. Cub reporter Jimmy Olsen believes that the cleaning woman left it for Lois. Exasperated with the situation and Clark Kent's glib attitude, she decides to take mail home with her to read even if it takes all night. Hopefully, Lois will complete her job and eventually make the love of her life, Superman, see the light.

Lois is up late wondering where the man of her dreams is as she reads the various letters from broken hearted women. She awakens the next morning to find some flowers awaiting her at her apartment door. She reads the card that came with them. The person who wrote it apologizes for being so busy with the recent crime wave. Once he is free, he wants go out on a date to ask Lois an important question. The note is signed by Superman. Lois Lane could very well get her heart's greatest wish very soon.

Lois has received a telephone call from a woman that has signed her letters to the lovelorn column as Sometimes Mabel. Her boyfriend is behind the rash of robberies throughout Metropolis, and he's forced her to give her engagement ring back to Poole's Jewelry Store for the seventh time. Mabel has told Lois his name. However, before she can continue her conversation, a thug is ordered to grab her and Mister Poole. The master criminal, who happens to be Mister Faraday, will take no chances by having his identity written in the Daily Planet. Now, Lois is caught in the middle of a dangerous mystery that could prevent her from ever having a future with Superman.

Lois has entered Poole's to find only a lit stick of dynamite. Having followed her as Clark Kent, Superman takes the brunt of the explosion and shields her from thugs' bullets as they drive away in a black sedan. Once things are more calm, our hero professes his love for Lois. Then, the Man of Steel crushes a bunch of little diamonds to form one big one. It is at this moment Superman asks Lois Lane to marry him, making her the happiest woman on Earth. However, both Superman and Lois may get something more than they bargained for once word of their union has gotten out. Will wedded bliss interfere with Superman preventing the greatest crime wave in the history of Metropolis?

Plans are being made for Lois and Superman's wedding. Meanwhile Clark Kent has just been given the shock of his life. Lois wants him to be the best man. He runs out of the office confused in an attempt to figure out how to tell Lois that he is Superman. At the same time, Mister Faraday has figured that after their nuptials, Lois will reveal that she knows who is behind the crime wave. To prevent this, Faraday intends to marry Lois first. If he is her husband, Lois cannot testify against him in a trial. Superman will have to move faster than usual if he is to walk down the aisle with Lois before Faraday does.

Faraday's thug, disguised as a color consultant at the beauty parlor where Lois is getting her hair styled, has suggested that she use an edelweiss flower to compliment her wedding attire. The plant only grows in the Swiss Alps, and Superman will be occupied in finding it, allowing Faraday to proceed with his evil plan to marry Lois. If he succeeds, Superman may not be able to stop Faraday's criminal empire from taking over the city.

Superman has arrived with the edelweiss mere seconds before the justice of the peace can even begin to marry Lois to Faraday. The corrupt district attorney makes his getaway before he is forced to confront the Man of Steel. In the meantime, the judge has agreed to perform Superman's wedding ceremony in Perry White's office at 7:00 PM. However, Lois is worried about Clark Kent. Smiling, Superman reveals his greatest secret. He and Clark are one and the same. With the truth now told, all that's left for Lois and Superman is to enjoy their marriage.

Faraday has hatched another evil plot to eliminate Lois. A time bomb covered in lead foil is hidden in a wedding cake. It is set to go off at the same hour in which Lois and Superman's marriage ceremony begins. Should the explosive work, none of the Man of Tomorrow's friends will survive to prevent Faraday from becoming the biggest crime boss in Metropolis.

As the time bomb ticks during her wedding with Superman, the alarm clock rings in Lois' bedroom. The entire affair was only a dream. Lois awakens confused and disappointed when she hears her doorbell. Even Faraday, Perry and Clark are bewildered by her odd behavior. Superman had caught the entire ring of bank robbers. Faraday, who really isn't a criminal, and Perry want Lois to cover the woman's angle of the arrest. Clark is even surprised when Lois almost removes his glasses. Lois is saddened by the fact her dream was not real. She even refuses to take flowers that a delivery boy gave to Jimmy for her. Everyone wonders why Lois does not want them.

"I just couldn't stand to know who sent them," Lois says while crying.

3Rating - 3 (out of 5): Julie Bennett has had a lot of roles in film and television. However, she is best known for her voice work in animated cartoons. Bennett was Cindy Bear in various Yogi Bear series and Aunt May in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.

Doyle Brooks had uncredited roles in Naked City and Tension at Table Rock. He also was stunt man for an episode of Tallahassee 7000, which starred Walter Matthau.

John Cliff will be back in season five's "The Phony Alibi".

Milton Frome returns for "Disappearing Lois" in season five.

Dolores Fuller was in many B movies, including two Ed Wood films. She was Margie in Bride of the Monster and Barbara in Glen or Glenda.

Nolan Leary is perhaps best known as Pa Chaney in Man of a Thousand Faces and Judge Baxter in Lassie.

When Superman makes his return flight to give Lois the edelweiss, his S is backwards.

This episode is adapted from the story "Superman Marries Lois Lane" that appeared in Action Comics #206, cover dated July 1955. This is not the only case in which the Man of Steel wed the star reporter. They became husband and wife in the December 20, 1949 newspaper comic strip. Action Comics #484's "Superman Takes a Wife!" saw Earth-2's Superman and Lois tie the knot in June 1978. Superman: The Wedding Album was released during the week of October 6, 1996 to coincide with the broadcast of the fourth season episode "Swear To God, This Time We're Not Kidding" of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. The couple is currently still married in the comic books.

While this is not what one would come to expect from Jackson Gillis, the episode is decent. The thing that honestly hurts "The Wedding of Superman" is that much of the characters' dialog and behaviors are rather dated. They don't feel as timeless as much as the rest of the series has been, and, as a result, the audience is left feeling like they are in the middle of one of those sitcoms of the period.

One character that doesn't really seem himself is Inspector Henderson. He seems, for lack of a better term, too sugary in this episode. Plus, there's never been any indication that he had feelings for Lois until "The Wedding of Superman". Had we seen something before, I could let his behavior slide. As Henderson is in the final product, he feels like he should be someone else.

"The Wedding of Superman" suffers from what I call the Nemesis Syndrome. Basically, Star Trek: Nemesis borrows heavily from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Remember season one's "Crime Wave"? The district attorney was the Number One Man. The same is true of Faraday in Lois' dream. I'm glad that part of the episode turned out to be a red herring. Otherwise, we'd have a huge case of the Nemesis Syndrome, and I would have felt cheated by the whole thing.

I loved Clark's reaction to Lois wanting him as best man for her wedding to Superman, but I do wish something more dramatic had been done when his secret identity is out in the open. As flawed as Smallville and Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman are at times, I do like how both series have handled Lois' discovery that Clark Kent is more than he appears to be. So much could have and should have been done with the revelation that Superman and Clark are the same person.

"The Wedding of Superman" is a favorite episode of Noel Neill. I can honestly see why. In spite of its flaws, particularly the fact that it feels dated, unlike most episodes in the series, it is a decent entry. It's not what one would normally get from a Jackson Gillis script. However, it does have moments that no fan could ever forget.



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