Superman on Television

Adventures of Superman: Episode Reviews

Season 2 - Episode 8: "A Ghost for Scotland Yard"

Original Broadcast Date: November 02, 1953

Writer: Jackson Gillis

Director: George Blair

Guest Cast:
Leonard Mudie as Brockhurst The Magician/Rocker
Colin Campbell as Sir Arthur McCready
Norma Varden as Mabel McCready
Patrick Aherne as Inspector Farrington
Evelyn Halpern as Betty
Clyde Cook as the News Vendor

"A Ghost for Scotland Yard"

On the way home from Sweden, Daily Planet reporters Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen have made their way to England, where there has been talk of the ghost of Brockhurst the Magician that would appear five years after his death. Brockhurst, one of the world's foremost illusionists and a man full of hate in his heart, claimed that this would be his greatest trick. After Clark returns with their traveler's checks thanks to Superman, Jimmy discusses Brockhurst, ghosts and Superman with a newsvendor, and coincidentally, editor Perry White wants young Olsen and Clark to pay a visit to the chief's old friend Sir Arthur McCready. McCready is a theater owner who was also Brockhurst's manager. Now, McCready believes that Brockhurst will come back from the dead to kill him. Clark and Jimmy are now in the middle of the most unusual mystery of their career.

Clark and Jimmy have arrived at the McCready home, only to find a distraught Mabel McCready, Sir Arthur's sister, crying. He had taken the car down the coast to Lemon Raegis. Unfortunately, he is a bad driver, but that's not the strange thing. The reason he left was because of a telephone call. The person talking to Sir Arthur was the evil, spiteful Brockhurst the Magician. He always felt Sir Arthur's theaters had cheated him, and he has every intention of doing away with Sir Arthur using any means necessary even from beyond the grave.

Jimmy is consoling Miss McCready as Superman searches for Sir Arthur. The elderly theater owner is at a road near a cliff, where he hears the voice of Brockhurst. Visions of the vengeful magician torment Sir Arthur as he continues to drive. He passes out from fright. Fortunately, Superman is able to stop his automobile before anything serious could happen. However, the Man of Steel cannot help but wonder what is really behind the threats to Sir Arthur's life.

Scotland Yard's Inspector Farrington is in the McCready home speaking with Mabel and Jimmy when he receives two telephone calls. There was nobody on the line for the first, but he's in the middle of the second one when Clark Kent arrives with Sir Arthur. This time a voice tells Farrington things that only he and Brockhurst know. Not believing in ghosts, Clark asks the operator for information. What's unusual is that no one had contacted the McCready home in the past few hours. What's even more frightening is that the housekeeper Betty has seen someone prowling around outside. Could it be the spirit of Brockhurst the Magician?

It was Rocker, a man Inspector Farrington had unsuccessfully tried to jail for the accidental death of Brockhurst, that Betty had seen skulking about. He had come to the McCready home because the magician's voice had told him to do so over the telephone. His visit isn't very long as Farrington does not wish for him to be around. Meanwhile, both Jimmy and Superman are looking at different angles to clear up this eerie mystery. The Metropolis Marvel has gone to the area where he had found Sir Arthur and found movie film of Brockhurst used to make the elderly theater owner believe the illusionist was a ghost. At the same time, Jimmy has discovered from Betty that there is another phone in the McCreadys' old carriage house. Another thing Jimmy sees shocks him. The evil Brockhurst is very much alive and wants to kill the cub reporter before this secret can be revealed. Even the tremendous speed of Superman may not be able save young Olsen from certain death.

Inspector Farrington has heard Jimmy's cries for help, but the carriage house door is bolted shut. He is unable to open it. As luck would have it, Superman arrives to break the locks. He, Inspector Farrington and the McCreadys enter to find Brockhurst holding Jimmy at gunpoint. The magician had killed another man five years ago and made the body look like his. It was he who was really Rocker. Now, the mad illusionist can get his revenge on those whom he had believed had wronged him. Brockhurst has prepared a bomb that will blow everyone, including himself, to kingdom come. Superman quickly grabs the device and hurls it into the air, where it explodes without harming anyone. Now, the mad Brockhurst will spend his remaining days in prison thanks to Superman, Jimmy Olsen and Inspector Farrington.

As Clark Kent and Jimmy are heading for the airport for their trip back to Metropolis, they meet up with the newsvendor whom Jimmy had seen earlier. He doesn't want them to go home empty handed and gives them some Superman comic books. Clark nervously calls for a taxi as Jimmy reads on with a smile.

"Happy flying," the newsvendor says to them jovially as they leave.

Rating - 5 (out of 5): Leonard Mudie and Patrick Aherne are the only actors in the guest cast to be in more than one episode of The Adventures of Superman. Both men will be back for "The Jolly Roger". Mudie will also be in "The Magic Necklace", and Aherne will return in season two's finale "Around the World with Superman".

Colin Campbell was a very distinguished actor. His credits include Abbé Faria in 1946's The Wife of Monte Cristo and an uncredited role in 1964's My Fair Lady.

Norma Varden has a vast array of parts in her filmography. In addition to appearing in some episodes of Batman and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, she played Lady Beekman in Howard Hawks' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Mrs. Cunningham in Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train.

While he played a lot of bit parts and worked on both sides of the camera, Clyde Cook will perhaps always be best known for being one of the original Keystone Kops.

Sir Arthur McCready drives a Rolls Royce, which is all well and good for England. However, the steering wheel is on the wrong side. Cars in the United Kingdom have them placed on the right.

This scene in which Superman flies to get the traveler's checks that Clark and Jimmy left behind in Sweden was not in the original script. It actually starts with Jimmy speaking to the newsvendor, which is how the episode aired on Nick At Nite and TV Land.

In "A Ghost for Scotland Yard", we see a newsstand full of DC Comics' publications, including the titles that feature Superman. This happens on numerous occasions throughout season one of The Adventures of Superman.

This episode feels like it belongs with season one's entries. In fact, Brockhurst is a villain quite similar, at least in insanity, to Madam Selena in "Mystery in Wax". I had said some time ago that the film noir from the Robert Maxwell reign had not completely disappeared when Whitney Ellsworth took over as producer, and "A Ghost for Scotland Yard" proves that what I said is true. The extremely major change in direction for The Adventures of Superman does not really occur until after the shows are filmed in color. Anyway, the dark, eerie atmosphere works well into a wonderfully woven tale.

As a villain, Brockhurst works perfectly in "A Ghost for Scotland Yard". In addition to being a foe like many of those in season one, he could function well into the early years of the radio program. One might even go as far as to say Brockhurst could have easily locked horns with a certain Dark Knight given the proper circumstances. Leonard Mudie gives us a pretty powerful performance as a mad illusionist bent on revenge, and I honestly don't feel like anyone else could have pulled it off as convincingly as he.

While we do see both Clark Kent and Superman, "A Ghost for Scotland Yard" gives the spotlight to Jimmy Olsen. Throughout the entire series, Jack Larson has proven that he has incredible acting range and that he is the quintessential Jimmy. "A Ghost for Scotland Yard" is an episode that is shining proof of all of these things. Larson really gets a chance to give us some of the many aspects of the character he made famous. Jimmy is in slightly comedic conversations with a newsvendor, is an intrepid, investigative reporter and becomes scared for his life when captured by Brockhurst all in the space of thirty minutes. This is one of Jack Larson's best efforts in The Adventures of Superman so far.

It's a slight change of pace from the previous two entries, but "A Ghost for Scotland Yard" is yet another gem from Jackson Gillis. This time, director George Blair is at the helm, and while one can see the differences in this collaboration from those Gillis had done with Thomas Carr, both men do put together an amazing episode. Their work, along with the incredible performances from the entire cast, gives the audience what they want - an entertaining, action packed, suspenseful show in The Adventures of Superman.

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