Superman on Television

Adventures of Superman: Episode Reviews

Season 3 - Episode 2: "The Talking Clue"

Original Broadcast Date: April 30, 1955

Writer: David Chantler

Director: Harry Gerstad

Guest Cast:
Billy Nelson as Muscles McGurk
Richard Shackleton as Ray Henderson
Julian Upton as Claude James
Brick Sullivan as the Uniformed Officer

"The Talking Clue"

A series of bank robberies has been committed by Muscles McGurk and his partner Claude James. Nobody can find McGurk, and the teller won't identify James. The Metropolis police are doing everything they can to catch them. Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent is helping out in the line-up while Inspector Bill Henderson's son Ray has been using his hobby of recording and collecting sounds to assist his father in finding weaknesses in the city's alarm system. Little does anyone involved in this investigation realize that they are about to take part in a very tense adventure.

Clark and Inspector Henderson are discussing the fact that Muscles McGurk has never been caught in any of the bank robberies in which he is suspected. Meanwhile, Ray sets up his tape recorder in his father's office to record the sound of the teletype machine. Shortly afterwords, a uniformed officer enters with Claude James. He needs to give James' file to the chief of police. Henderson read it the night before and placed it in his safe. James looks intensely as Henderson turns the combination lock. Little do the inspector, his son or Clark Kent realize that Claude James may have a plan that may keep him and Muscles McGurk out of the reach of the law forever.

News has just come over Henderson's teletype. Apparently, Muscles McGurk has been captured. Clark must do a follow-up on this for the Daily Planet. Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane, in the meantime, must take another assignment because editor Perry White is angry with young Mister Olsen. He accidentally spilled glue on the chief. As everyone goes about their day, one question is on Clark's mind. Has Muscles McGurk really been taken to prison?

McGurk has bailed Claude James out of jail with all the money that the pair of thieves had. Now, he's irritated about playing children's games with Muscles in their hideout in Echo Canyon. Claude wants to do something that a real gangster could accomplish. This gives Muscles an idea. He knows that James wants to make Inspector Henderson look bad, and intends to get help from Ray in order to do so. Poor Ray Henderson could be an unwitting pawn in Muscles McGurk's evil plot against his father.

Lois and Jimmy are doing a feature story on Ray's sound collection. He plays various ones for them when Muscles McGurk arrives. Ray has no idea who he is, but McGurk is paying him one hundred dollars for his latest tape. Lois now understands that there is more to this than a human interest article. Ray Henderson has just unknowingly gotten himself into such deep trouble that even his father and Superman may not be able to help him.

McGurk and James have broken into a secret weapon laboratory in Metropolis. However, the alarm to police headquarters has not gone off. Inspector Henderson gets word of it from a telephone call. Superman arrives at the scene of the crime to find Claude James with an acid gun that can melt cold steel. It has no effect on Superman. Frightened, James runs away only to hit himself in the face with a door. Claude James has been captured again, but why didn't the sound of a bell warn the authorities?

In the past five days there have been robberies all over Metropolis. Each of their alarms are connected to the system at Metropolis Police Headquarters. Inspector Henderson noticed weaknesses in it some days before and made a report, which included the blueprints, for the mayor to consider an upgrade. Henderson, who knows about electronics, even used Ray's tape recorder to dictate every word of his findings. Now, Clark Kent gives Henderson a bitter pill to swallow. There is an information leak. Henderson just needs to learn where it is and who caused it. Unfortunately, he may not like the answers to his questions.

Ray Henderson has just entered the inspector's office with Lois and Jimmy. They, along with Clark, tell him that Ray sold a tape to Muscles McGurk. McGurk claimed to need it for a party game. Ray didn't know who the gangster was, and he swears that he erased the recording of Inspector Henderson's report. However, Ray cannot tell his father how McGurk learned of his hobby. Lois' article on it was not printed until the day after McGurk met Ray. All the evidence seems to be against Henderson's son. It looks like Ray is a traitor. Worse yet, his own father may not even believe that he is innocent.

Clark believes that Ray Henderson is not guilty of anything. His father thinks that he has failed his own son because the boy had to be raised without a mother. It is for this reason that Henderson has temporarily resigned from the police force. It may be the only way to prevent Ray from walking down the wrong path - one that could lead to a life of crime.

Muscles McGurk has just taken Ray at gunpoint to Echo Canyon. He has taken the lad's sound collection and tape recorder with him to see if there is anything useful to him. If Ray does not cooperate with the gangster one hundred percent, both he and Inspector Henderson could pay the final price with their lives.

Inspector Henderson and Clark have discovered that Ray is missing. The only clues seem to be two pieces of tape that were torn off a spool in a hurry. Perry White has a machine that can play them in his office at the Daily Planet. All Clark needs to do is splice them together. Hopefully, they will help Ray to be rescued. Otherwise, the boy could in a grave danger in which even Superman cannot save him.

The two threads of recording tape only give an explosion and someone repeating the word hello. Perry, Jimmy, Lois, Clark and Inspector Henderson are trying to figure out the meaning of this enigmatic clue. They trade words about until Jimmy says, "Echo cannon." This sounds like Echo Canyon, where Muscles McGurk has a hideout. Clark says he wants to confirm this with the incarcerated Claude James while everyone else heads for Echo Canyon. In reality, Clark wants to change into Superman, and he hopes that he can rescue Ray Henderson before it's too late for the boy.

Ray is playing various sounds for McGurk. While the thief has his back turned, he activates one of Superman flying. Muscles believes that the Man of Steel is over Echo Canyon. He makes a hasty retreat as Ray wishes the real Superman could be there to save him. Both he and McGurk do not realize that the caped hero is on the way. They will really be in for a surprise.

A boulder hurled by Superman has prevented Muscles' car from leaving Echo Canyon. He will spend the rest of his life in prison while Ray Henderson's name has been cleared. Clark Kent is explaining to Ray, his father, Lois, Jimmy and Perry that Muscles McGurk and Claude James listened to the tape they had purchased with a stethoscope. James knew of it because he saw Ray's equipment in Inspector Henderson's office. They had heard the tumblers of Henderson's safe. In this way, they knew the combination, unlocked it and photographed the Metropolis burglar alarm system's blueprints. Now, Inspector Henderson and his son are very happy that this ordeal is over. They can finally spend some quality time together. Ray even wants to thank Superman for his part in saving him from Muscles McGurk.

"I think he's already had his thanks, Ray," Clark says with a look to the audience.

Rating - 4 (out of 5): Billy Nelson makes his fourth appearance, including "Stamp Day For Superman," in The Adventures of Superman. Look for him as Sully in season four's "Joey".

Richard Shackleton played Pat Garner in 1954's The Desperado. He also had an uncredited role as a bellboy in How to Marry a Millionaire starring Marilyn Monroe.

Julian Upton was Steiner in 1955's To Hell and Back. He'll return to The Adventures of Superman in season four's "Peril by Sea".

Brick Sullivan would often play policemen. Look for him to do so in such films as Abbott and Costello Go to Mars and Singin' in the Rain.

George Reeves goofs up his lines when he's threading the tape into the machine in Perry's office. Instead of spool or roll, he says, "Rule".

This is what I expected from the season premiere. The episode is better than that one. It just doesn't quite merit a perfect score. The acting and story are decent, but "The Talking Clue" is not without its flaws.

It was great to finally see an episode that centered on Inspector Henderson. We got a lot more insight on the character. However, I do wish there had been more of a focus on his and Ray's relationship before and after Muscles bought the tape. It would have given both father and son more depth in my opinion.

It's a pity we don't see more of the Ray Henderson character. He could intern at the Planet or help his father out at police headquarters. Someone like Jimmy could be mentor for him. There are unexplored possibilities that Whitney Ellsworth and company should have tried with Ray.

As much as I've enjoyed Billy Nelson in The Adventures of Superman, he just looks out of place as a crook named Muscles. Had he been named Lefty McGurk or even Moose McGurk, he would have looked perfect for the role. The name Muscles just conjures up images of a gangster built like Lou Ferrigno.

Claude James is, perhaps, the most irritating character in this entire episode. Every time I saw him, I hoped Superman would drop him from the highest building in Metropolis. To top things off, what happens when he tries to get away from Superman? He runs into a door and knocks himself out. I don't blame Julian Upton for the fact James is an idiot. I give fault to Whitney Ellsworth and David Chantler. They have proven what I said last week about the bad guys in the series being more bumbling stooges.

In spite of its problems, "The Talking Clue" redeems itself with an engaging story that nearly makes up for its shortcomings. It's far from perfect, and it cannot compare to the gems we've seen in the first two seasons. However, it is helping year three to be more entertaining than I had expected it to be.

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