Superman on Television

Adventures of Superman: Episode Reviews

Season 4 - Episode 11: "The Deadly Rock"

Reviewed by: James Lantz

Original Broadcast Date: June 02, 1956

Writer: Jackson Gillis

Director: Harry Gerstad

Guest Cast:
Robert Lowery as Gary Allen
Robert Foulk as Big Tom Rufus
Steven Geray as Professor Van Wick
Jim Hayward as the Airport Baggage Man
Sid Melton as The Thug
Vincent Perry as The Doctor
Ric Roman as The Snorkel
Lyn Thomas as The Duchess

"The Deadly Rock"

Two men have arrived in the Metropolis Airport. One is scientist Professor Van Wick, who has brought some rock samples with him from Africa, and the other is Gary Allen, an old acquaintance of Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent. Allen has recovered from being in an airplane crash in Africa some time back. He's felt better than he has in years until a sudden bout of weakness hits him while telephoning Clark at the baggage claim desk. Both Clark and Jimmy Olsen, who was sent to meet Gary, are surprised to see him feel better away from the luggage. However, Allen feels dizzy and ill once he returns there. Unseen by Jimmy and Gary, Clark is stunned to feel the same symptoms as his friend. This can only mean one thing. There is Kryptonite, the only substance that can harm Superman, in the area. How did it get in the Metropolis Airport, and how can Gary Allen feel the effects of its deadly radiation?

The eccentric Professor Van Wick has taken his samples with him. He asks the baggage claim man if anything inside has hurt him. The man finds Van Wick's question and behavior unusual, for he does not know that the professor is carrying Kryptonite. Professor Van Wick could have the intention of harming Superman and discovering who our hero really is. Clark Kent will have to be very alert if he is to stop Van Wick's plans from reaching fruition.

Gary Allen has been examined by a doctor. His tests show that Allen was possibly exposed to a form of metallic radiation. Both Jimmy and Clark know it's Kryptonite, but Clark quiets Jimmy before that can be mentioned. Gary reveals that the plane crash he was in occurred when Superman destroyed the asteroid in "Panic in the Sky". As you recall, the space rock gave the Man of Tomorrow amnesia during his first attempt to prevent it from decimating Earth. It's believed that there were elements of Kryptonite within it that caused Superman's memory loss. Now, Kryptonite seems to be harming Clark's friend. Superman must figure out how without killing himself in the process. If he doesn't, both he and Gary Allen could be face to face with certain death.

Professor Van Wick has gone to the home of underworld crime lord Big Tom Rufus. He explains what he saw in his telescope the night Superman destroyed the asteroid. Van Wick noticed that Superman felt weak. Upon examining some airplane wreckage in Africa, the plantation owning scientist found an unusual rock that was in the same color spectrum as the meteor. We all know it to be Kryptonite. Van Wick theorizes that if Superman is close enough to it, the alien element can weaken and even kill him. If the geologist can prove that Superman will be dead from exposure to the Kryptonite, Van Wick will get Big Tom Rufus' entire fortune of eight million dollars. Initial tests will begin at the Daily Planet Building, where Superman has been known to be seen. The Man of Steel may very well walk into a lethal trap from which he may never escape.

Disguised as a shoe shine man, Professor Van Wick, along with Big Tom's henchman the Snorkel, has been testing the hidden Kryptonite on any man who passes by them. They have no luck until Gary Allen arrives to have lunch with Clark. Allen is overcome by the alien meteor's effects. Believing Gary is Superman, Professor Van Wick and the Snorkel take him to Big Tom. Will the racketeer discover that Gary is not really the Last Son of Krypton?

Jimmy is having one of those days. Editor Perry White is angry because the cub reporter does not know where Clark Kent is. Jimmy tells Lois that he believes that Kent is searching for Professor Van Wick, the man who possibly has Kryptonite. Jimmy learns from a taxi driver that Van Wick was heading to a house in the country, which Jimmy knows belongs to Big Tom Rufus. Now, in an effort to help Superman, Lois and Jimmy go to the gangster's home to confront him. Little do they realize that they could be walking into a deadly trap from which even Superman may not be able to rescue them.

Clark has read a note from Jimmy about where he and Lois are going. As he flies to Big Tom's home as Superman, the gangster is getting more proof that Gary Allen is Superman. A knitting needle and bullets do not harm Allen. Apparently, exposure to the asteroid has also made Gary invulnerable like Superman. One of Big Tom's men has caught Lois and Jimmy. They are tied up as some napalm is lit to cover Big Tom's escape. Meanwhile, the Kryptonite has been placed closer to Gary. It is also preventing Superman from rescuing his friends. The Man of Steel will need to find another means of saving them and stopping Big Tom Rufus before it's too late.

Professor Van Wick now regrets ever finding the Kryptonite. He hurls the deadly rock before Big Tom takes him by force. It lands near Jimmy. Superman alerts him and Lois to kick it into the fireplace. The Metropolis Marvel uses a weed burner to set the Kryptonite on fire. With the lethal meteor now in ashes, Superman can free Gary, Lois and Jimmy before the napalm takes full effect. Meanwhile, sirens are heard nearby. Jimmy called Metropolis Police Inspector Bill Henderson to arrest Big Tom and his gang one hour after the cub reporter and Lois arrived at the house. Later at the Planet, Gary explains to Lois and Jimmy how he could be hurt by the Kryptonite. It is at this moment Clark Kent arrives. He says that he was searching for Gary so they can go to lunch. If Gary Allen only knew that he was friends with Superman.

5Rating - 5 (out of 5): Robert Lowery has played many roles in film and television. Superhero fans will recognize him as Batman in the 1949 movie serial Batman and Robin, making it perhaps the closest thing 1956 fans would have gotten to a team-up between Superman and Batman outside of the comic books.

Robert Foulk played Gene in the James Dean classic Rebel Without a Cause and Bice in The Love Bug.

Look for Steven Geray in such screen gems as Gilda, All About Eve and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Jim Hayward and Ric Roman both appeared in season two's "Jet Ace".

Character actor Sid Melton is best known for his roles of Uncle Charley Halper in Make Room For Daddy, Alf Monroe in Green Acres and Salvadore Petrillo, the husband of Sophia, in The Golden Girls.

Vincent Perry primarily played bit parts on television, including Judge Marshall in two episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies.

Lyn Thomas was in the episodes "Clark Kent, Outlaw" and "The Man in the Lead Mask".

It's no secret that Jackson Gillis has written some of my favorite episodes of The Adventures of Superman, and this one is one of his great entries in the series. There are some things that need to be discussed. However, "The Deadly Rock" stands out as one of the best of a season that has given us as an audience the feeling that Whitney Ellsworth and the rest of the powers that be involved with the show have not put their best foots forward like they have in previous years.

Okay, the fact that Gary Allen is invulnerable to bullets like Superman is plausible. His airplane crashed as Superman smashed the asteroid. The energy that resulted from this could be similar to the electrical storms that gave ordinary folks Superman's powers in Smallville and Lois & Clark. However, I do have to wonder why the weed burner was used on the Kryptonite. Could heat vision, or in the case of this series X-ray vision, be utilized to burn the rock? It looked like Superman was at a safe distance from it after Jimmy kicked into the fireplace. Clark used his heat vision to close the box holding the Kryptonite in the Granny Goodness episode of Smallville, and he seemed to be closer than his 1956 counterpart. It seems to me that in the case of "The Deadly Rock", there is a potential for some special effects when the rescue scene came about. Unfortunately, none were used when the time was right.

Professor Van Wick has a voice that can grate on the nerves at times, but the rest of the villains in "The Deadly Rock" are perfect for the story in spite of being the standard bad guys of the series. I only wish that Sid Melton had done more in this episode. Like the missed visual effects, he had potential that was, sadly, not used in the final product.

Now, what was written above may seem like complaints. They aren't. I merely wish to point out things that can make a great episode better. "The Deadly Rock" is, by far, the best episode in the fourth year. It's a pity the remainder of this season isn't as good. Had it been, the other entries would not be as forgettable.



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