Superman on Television

Adventures of Superman: Episode Reviews

Season 5 - Episode 6: "Disappearing Lois"

Original Broadcast Date: April 12, 1957

Writers: David and Peggy Chantler

Director: George Blair

Guest Cast:
Milton Frome as Lank Garrett
Ben Welden as Lefty
Yvonne White as Sarah Green

"Disappearing Lois"

Bank robber Lank Garrett is out on parole after being in prison for seven years. Nobody knows where the million dollars he stole is hidden. Police believe that Garrett will wait patiently for his probation to be up to use the money to finance a new criminal empire. The gangster is not talking to reporters about anything. However, Daily Planet editor Perry White is willing to pay an extra month's salary to either Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen or Clark Kent if one of them can land an exclusive interview with Garrett. Lois and Jimmy have every intention of scooping Clark. Should they get Lank Garrett to talk, the Planet could have one of the biggest articles ever printed. On the other hand, Jimmy and Lois could wind up in the middle of yet another dangerous situation that will require Superman's help.

Lois, working together with Jimmy, has an idea how to get the Lank Garrett interview. In the meantime, Clark has driven her to her new apartment. Lois then calls Clark when he returns home. She forgot her purse in his car. However, when Clark arrives at her door, a woman named Sarah Green answers. Plus, the inside, including the furniture, is completely different. The landlady, the janitor and the switchboard operator all claim that Ms. Green has lived there for three years. Worse yet, they don't even know who Lois is. Metropolis Police Inspector Bill Henderson agrees to keep an eye on things, but one question is still first and foremost on Clark Kent's troubled mind. What has happened to Lois Lane?

Disguised as cleaning people who work for the Carlton Arms Hotel, where Lank Garrett is currently staying, Lois and Jimmy manage to enter the gangster's room. Besides belittling his henchman Lefty, nothing much goes on until Garrett finds Lois' press card in her apron pocket. Desperate, Lois tells Garrett and Lefty the truth. Lois switched apartments with her neighbor Sarah Green after Clark had dropped her off. This explains why Clark found everything had changed. The landlady, the janitor and the switchboard operator were all in on Lois' plan to confuse Clark. With Clark believing her missing, Lois can scoop him for the Garrett interview. The criminal now believes Lois' plan was an intelligent one. As revenge against Kent for articles written about him, Garrett agrees to possibly be interviewed by Lois and Jimmy if, and only if, they make the place spotless and immaculate. Otherwise, Lank Garrett won't speak about anything, and Lois and Jimmy may not even receive a tip for their services. The only thing they could get is an invitation to certain death unless Superman can find them soon.

Fearing he will tell Clark Kent where they are, Lois and Jimmy are hiding from Superman when he flies in through the window of Garrett's room. The Man of Steel's powerful eyes find the stolen million dollars hidden under a floor board near the front door covered by a green throw rug. After Superman leaves, Jimmy and Lois open the secret compartment containing the cash box. Their discovery could get them into grave peril if Lank Garrett catches them. With Superman unaware of this, there may be no way to stop the criminal's bullets from hitting them.

Superman tells Inspector Henderson where Garrett has hidden the stolen money. However, upon searching the apartment, both men do not find their objective. Lefty has been ordered to bury the cash box in an old mine while eliminating Jimmy and Lois. He intends to kill two birds with one stone, or rather a bunch of stones, by making the shaft entrance cave in. Once Lois and Jimmy are trapped within, they will suffocate. The pair of reporters are going to have to think fast to save themselves should Superman not come to the rescue.

Having convinced Lefty that he is the leader of a new gang, Lois has told him that Jimmy always wanted to be a henchman, and she wishes to be a gun moll. Lefty will meet Lois and Jimmy at the former's apartment with the million dollars so they can all get away from the police and Lank Garrett by running off to South America. This is all part of a plan Lois has. With phase one complete, all that's needed is to contact Clark Kent, who will call Inspector Henderson. Should things go accordingly, Henderson can arrest Lank Garrett and Lefty. Should Lois fail, it may be up to Superman to save her and Jimmy from the criminals.

Lank Garrett follows Lefty to Lois' new apartment and takes all weapons from both his fellow gangster and Inspector Henderson. Garrett also shoots Clark Kent. Inspector Henderson, Lefty, Jimmy and Lois are now the villain's prisoners. He intends to bury them in tons of rock from the old mine shaft entrance. At the same time, Superman is in hot pursuit. Can even he stop Lank Garrett before his friends meet a brutal, deadly end?

Superman has prevented the avalanche of rock from harming his friends while, at the same time, literally halting Lank Garrett's car. Bullets bounce off the Man of Tomorrow, and Lank Garrett's gang will spend the rest of their days in prison. Later in Perry White's office at the Daily Planet, Clark Kent must pretend to have his arm in a sling from the gunshot Garrett fired at him. He, Lois and Jimmy are recounting the adventure to the chief. Perry is ecstatic. He was merely anticipating an interview with Lank Garrett. The editor did not expect anyone to find the stolen million dollars. As a result of her efforts, Lois has gotten a double bonus of two months' salary. All is well for Clark Kent, Superman, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White and Inspector Henderson as they wait for their next adventure.

Rating - 3 (out of 5): Milton Frome will be back in this season's finale "Whatever Goes Up".

Semi-regular Ben Welden returns in season six for "The Mysterious Cube".

Yvonne White will play Ethel in season six's "The Perils of Superman"

An uncredited actor appears as another of Lank Garrett's henchmen. He helps set the trap for Lefty, Inspector Henderson, Jimmy and Lois toward the episode's conclusion. His face is not seen very well by the audience.

While this episode is not a direct adaptation of "A Mystery For Superman", a radio serial from 1942, it uses similar plot elements of switching home furnishings and Lois disappearing.

While not as good as "Peril in Paris" or "The Tomb of Zaharan", "Disappearing Lois" is slightly better than "The Man Who Made Dreams Come True", "Tin Hero" and "The Town That Wasn't". There is room for improvement, but, all things considered, this episode does have its moments.

Most of this entry's shortcomings are in the story itself. Granted, Peggy and David Chantler are capable scribes, but the filmed finished product is littered with scenes that crawl at a snail's pace. Peggy Chantler, in my humble opinion, did a lot better with her season three effort "Superman Week". David has written a lot worse. However, he's also done some good things for The Adventures of Superman.

Speaking of "Superman Week", "Disappearing Lois" seems to borrow elements from that story. This is neither good nor bad. It's merely an observation. The scenes in which Lois and Jimmy enter Lank Garrett's room seem to mirror Jimmy's doing the same thing to get an article on Sy Horton in "Week". Apparently, Peggy Chantler follows a particular formula in her scripts for The Adventures of Superman. We'll wait and see what her next offering provides us.

While he is a great actor, Milton Frome seemed to be better suited for his role of district attorney Faraday in "The Wedding of Superman". What really doesn't make him convincing as Lank Garrett is his voice. It's way too calm and reassuring to be a bad guy for the series. He does work well with regular heavy Ben Weldon, but perhaps Billy Nelson and/or Ralph Sanford would have been better.

I've found myself growing more nostalgic for The Adventures of Superman radio show lately. I guess that's why I enjoy to see things in the television show that remind me of it. I haven't had much time recently to sit down and listen to them again after reviewing the story arcs in the audio dramas. "A Mystery For Superman", while somewhat flawed, did have some great elements in it. The best of them are used in "Disappearing Lois". This helps the episode be somewhat more entertaining and engaging than much of what we've seen in season five. Would I recommend this to anyone that asked? Yes, but I'd do so with some reservations. "Disappearing" is a decent effort, but there are so many in the series that are a lot better.

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