Superman on Television

Adventures of Superman: Episode Reviews

Season 2 - Episode 14: "Jungle Devil"

Original Broadcast Date: December 14, 1953

Writer: Peter Dixon

Director: Thomas Carr

Guest Cast:
Damian O'Flynn as Doctor Ralph Harper
Doris Singleton as Gloria Harper
Nacho Galindo as Berto
James Seay as Bill Hurd
Al Kikume as the Native Chief
Leon Lontoc as the Witch Doctor
Steve Calvert as a Native
Henry A. Escalante as a Native
Bernard Gazier as a Native

"Jungle Devil"

Doctor Ralph Harper and his wife Gloria have been on an expedition in the jungles of Zinaya with a guide Berto. They were searching for plants that could be used to create a drug of great medical value. Gloria had taken one of the diamond eyes out of an idol to admire it. However, she dropped it in a pool of quicksand when a native startled her. Now, Doctor Harper, Gloria and Berto are prisoners of a tribe of savages awaiting whatever fate might be in store for them.

Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent has been ordered by editor Perry White to go to Zinaya to search for Doctor Harper. Lois Lane convinced the chief that the assignment is too big for just one reporter. Clark's protests are useless because Perry has gone on vacation without telling anyone where he'll be. This gives Jimmy Olsen the idea to go along with Lois and Clark. Clark, on the other hand, believes that it would be better if Jimmy stayed in Metropolis. Disappointed, Jimmy says goodbye to his friends, who are about to embark on a dangerous and wondrous adventure.

Jimmy has stowed away in the airplane that will take Lois and Clark to the jungle while pilot Bill Hurd goes to the hangar. Meanwhile, the Zinayan natives are dancing and performing rituals to ward off a beast of great strength called the Jungle Devil. Doctor Harper, Gloria and Berto are safe for now, but, in two days time, a sacrifice will occur when the moon is full. Superman may not make it to Zinaya in time to rescue Harper's expedition.

Jimmy comes out of hiding once he smells the breakfast of turkey sandwiches and coffee. Hurd and Clark joke around about rations for stowaways until they let the young man join everyone else for the meal. Soon afterwards, the search for the Harpers begins. Lois and Jimmy look through the plane's windows while Clark goes to the baggage compartment to become Superman. The Man of Steel has found the explorers, and the native guards saw him flying. However, he may not get a chance to save the Harper expedition. Hurd's engines are acting up, and he has no time to go to the coast for repairs. Jimmy is trying to warn Clark Kent, but there is no response from him in the locked storage area. It looks like Superman's friends are really in grave danger this time.

Superman has returned to the airplane in time to help guide Bill Hurd into a forced landing as Clark Kent. While Hurd is on the clearing repairing the engines, Clark, Lois and Jimmy are searching the jungles for the Harpers. Unfortunately, the natives have just captured the intrepid trio of reporters, and there may not be any way for Superman to save everyone without revealing that he is Clark Kent.

Lois, Clark and Jimmy have met the Harpers and Berto. Now the natives have six prisoners and look to their witch doctor for answers. One of the party must be sacrificed, and the other five must never return to Zinaya. It's only a matter of the group choosing who will face certain death. Can Superman find a way to rescue everyone before it's too late?

After some debate, it's been decided that six pebbles - five white and one black - are to decide who will be sacrificed to the Jungle Devil. Should someone choose the black one, they will be the person sentenced to death. While picking up the stones to place in Lois' hat, Clark notices a piece of coal. Doctor Harper had noticed some all over the area. The right amount of pressure can turn the dark mineral into a diamond, something that the group could use to make peace with the Zinayans. In the meantime, the vote has been decided. Clark has picked the black rock. This could give him a chance to go into action as Superman.

Superman has suddenly replaced Clark Kent after the witch doctor had created a ritual with fire and smoke. The natives fight the Man of Steel until the Jungle Devil frightens them away. The Zinayan chief falls and is unable to escape, but Superman now understands that the Jungle Devil is merely a gorilla that escaped from a circus and took to the wilds. The Last Son of Krypton frightens the animal away, saving the chief's life. Now, Clark Kent is considered by the Zinayans as a great warrior. This could help our hero's friends in leaving the jungles alive.

The lives of the six strangers have been spared thanks to Superman, but because Gloria Harper lost one eye of the Zinayan idol, the explorers and reporters can no longer enter the tribe's jungles. This means Doctor Harper will have to look elsewhere for the medicinal plants. The expedition seems to have failed until Clark goes searching for the lost jewel in the quicksand. With his other hand hidden, Clark crushes some coal he had found into a diamond. He then pretends to find the gem and places it on the totem's face. As a result of this act, the Zinayan's have agreed to help Doctor Harper look for whatever he may need for the new drug. Meanwhile, Jimmy has traded his scout knife for the witch doctor's headdress. All's well that ends well, for Doctor Harper's group, Superman and his friends.

Lois, Clark and Jimmy are now walking back to Bill Hurd's airplane. Lois is greatly impressed that Clark was able to make things right without the help of Superman.

"Superman... Say, whatever became of him?" Clark says to her with a smile.

Rating - 4 (out of 5): In addition to this episode and "Jimmy The Kid", Damian O'Flynn was Gideon Peale in the first two episodes of Batman. He also played various roles on Green Acres and The Jack Benny Program.

Doris Singleton portrayed Caroline Appleby in I Love Lucy. She would play the role in the episode "Lucy and Superman", which guest starred George Reeves.

Nacho Galindo played many characters in films and television. He was even Jose Rodriguez in A Star is Born.

You'll probably remember James Seay as Senator Taylor in "The Mind Machine". He has appeared in such science fiction classics as The War of the Worlds, Phantom from Space and Killers from Space.

Al Kikume has played in another project based on a comic strip character. He was Lothar, Mandrake's Assistant in 1939's Mandrake the Magician. He also had some minor roles in various Charlie Chan films.

While Leon Lontoc played various character roles, he is best known for playing Henry in sixty-four of the eighty-one episodes of Burke's Law.

Steve Calvert did not get credit for this episode, but he will receive it for season three's "The Seven Souvenirs".

Like Bernard Gazier, Henry A. Escalante was in Creature from the Black Lagoon. He portrayed Chico.

Bernard Gazier had some uncredited roles in Around the World in Eighty Days and The Ten Commandments. Look for him as Zako in Creature from the Black Lagoon. Gazier is also the son of Al Kikume, making this, perhaps the first time that a father and son worked in The Adventures of Superman.

George Reeves was involved in jungle adventures even before being a part of them as Superman. He played the character of Mike Patton in 1948's Jungle Goddess.

Shortly after Lois enters Clark's office in her safari outfit, Clark tries to fold up his knife to put it in its case. Unfortunately, it's not a fold-up knife, and he then has to play it off. Also, look at the ropes the natives used to tie up Clark. They shift positions from close to long shots.

This episode was better than I expected, but it doesn't merit a perfect score. Once again, we have a decent story. It just isn't as good as previous efforts in the series. One thing that brings down the quality of the episode is Damian O'Flynn's performance. At times, he's not that convincing in the role of Doctor Harper. It feels like he's trying to decide how to play the character in the middle of shooting "Jungle Devil".

"And Who Disguised As Clark Kent..." "Jungle Devil" is an episode where we do see Superman, but Clark Kent really is the hero. We got to see this to some small degree in season one's "Mystery of the Broken Statues". This time around, Clark pretty much steals the show from his caped alter ego by saving the natives and mending diplomatic relations between Doctor Harper's team and the Zinayans. This element in the show is what really helped its score for me.

I came into "Jungle Devil" ready to give it a three or worse because, let's face it, it's difficult to top such gems as "The Face and the Voice" and "Panic in the Sky". Still, in spite of its flaws, it is yet another entertaining entry in the second season that will be sure to please any fan of The Adventures of Superman.

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