Superman on Television

Adventures of Superman: Episode Reviews

Season 3 - Episode 3: "The Lucky Cat"

Original Broadcast Date: May 07, 1955

Writer: Jackson Gillis

Director: Harry Gerstad

Guest Cast:
Harry Tyler as Mister Botts
Ted Stanhope as Mister Fredericks
Carl Harbord as Charlie King
Charles Watts as Bill Green
John Phillips as the Plainclothes Police Officer

[Dedicated in memory of writer Jackson Gillis, who passed away on Thursday, August 19, 2010. His contributions to The Adventures of Superman will be remembered as among the best in the series, and he will be greatly missed by family, friends and fans alike. Rest In Peace, Mister Gillis.]

"The Lucky Cat"

Our story takes us to 720 Weeping Willow Lane in Metropolis, where the landlord Mister Botts is warning Daily Planet reporters Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen to keep away from the property. Botts has been doing this to people ever since he rented his house to a newly formed Anti-Superstition Society. This club's objective is to debunk such things as black cats crossing paths and broken mirrors causing bad luck, and Clark and Jimmy have been assigned to do a story on it. Little do they realize that they are about to become involved in one of the strangest mysteries in their career.

After a black cat crosses their path, Clark and a somewhat apprehensive Jimmy have been greeted by Bill Green. He and many other prominent Metropolis businessmen, including Charlie King, founder of the King Chemical Company, formed the Anti-Superstition Society to prove that there is no foundation to many of the things that supposedly create good or bad luck. A mirror is broken to call the meeting to order in the next room. Before the steward Mister Fredericks can bring the feline inside to start everything, Mister Green hops on the cracks in the floor to get to the head of the table. Clark's X-ray vision notices that the supports underneath are unstable. In spite of Kent's warnings, Green continues with his unusual ritual. Clark runs to become Superman to fix the broken beam in the basement. The Man of Steel places a plank of wood on the broken area. Bill Green is safe for now, but Clark Kent has some saw dust in his hands. It appears that someone, possibly even Mister Botts, is sabotaging the Anti-Superstition Society.

As Clark goes to investigate the house rented by the Anti-Superstition Society and report his findings to Metropolis Police Inspector Bill Henderson, Lois Lane and Jimmy intend to investigate the place further. Meanwhile, a mysterious person has crossed out Bill Green's name from the club's registry book. The members of this eccentric lodge are possibly in such grave peril that even Superman might not be able to save them.

The police will check into the situation with the Anti-Superstition Society in spite of Henderson's belief that there is no ill will involved. He merely feels that some crazy person wants to scare the organization's members. Clark Kent believes that the person who cut the support plank has malicious intent toward anyone in the strange club. One way to discover the truth is to question Mister Botts. He could hold the key to discovering what is really happening in this unusual case.

A match has been lit and placed in a full garbage can in the King Chemical Company as Henderson warns Charlie King of a possible threat to him and other members of the Anti-Superstition Society. Clark's sensitive ears pick up the sound of fire during King and Henderson's telephone conversation. Superman flies at top speed to aid King. The Last Son of Krypton puts out the flames with a fire extinguisher before they can reach any dangerous substances. Someone obviously wishes to eliminate everyone involved with the Anti-Superstition Society. Hopefully, Superman can discover who is behind the attempted murders before the first victim is claimed.

Lois and Jimmy are looking around in the house used by the Anti-Superstition Society. So far, they only find the black cat that serves as the club's mascot. The feline scratches Lois and runs in another direction. The pair of reporters hear footsteps after they enter the basement. Jimmy hides to surprise the approaching person, only to find that it is Clark Kent. However, he just arrived. Someone else is in the house, and he's locked the thick cellar door from the outside. How can Clark help his friends get out without revealing that he's Superman?

Taking Jimmy's lucky horseshoe, Clark rubs it with both hands to magnetize it. This helps to find the metal in the door's bolt to unlock it. Clark, Lois and Jimmy are free, but someone, as Clark sees with his powerful eyes, has put poison on the black cat's claws. Should she scratch any member of the Anti-Superstition Society, they will most certainly perish.

Inspector Henderson has just promised Clark to wait to enter the clubhouse. Meanwhile, policemen have Mister Botts surrounded in one of the other houses he owns. Superman now must race to save the agitated landlord, for only the Man of Steel knows that he may not be responsible for the crimes against the Anti-Superstition Society.

Mister Botts refuses to cooperate with the police. They have launched tear gas into the window of his house. The timely arrival of Superman prevents it from getting to him. The Man of Tomorrow inhales it and blows every bit of the substance out the window. Afterwards, Superman promises that the person who has framed Botts will confess to his crimes soon. It's just a matter of time before the culprit is unmasked.

A plainclothes police officer, Misters King, Green and Fredericks are in the Anti-Superstition Society's meeting room with Jimmy and Lois waiting for Inspector Henderson and Clark Kent to arrive. When they enter, Kent says that someone in this group framed Botts, but the truth will be revealed soon. Clark has placed catnip into the guilty party's pocket. He will allow the black feline mascot to find him so he can be put to justice. Charlie King is very afraid of the animal. It was he who had tried to kill Green and placed the poison on the cat's claws. Clark had removed it earlier without telling anyone. King had set fire to his own chemical factory because he needed the insurance money as nobody was ordering products from him. Superman and Clark Kent have ruined the corrupt businessman's plans. Now, before he goes to prison, King wishes to know how Clark discovered everything.

"Well, maybe I'm lucky, or maybe I'm Superman," Clark replies to King.

"Big joke," King says. "You better knock on wood when you say things like that."

With that, King is taken away, and Clark does just as King suggested with a wink to the audience.

Rating - 5 (out of 5): Harry Tyler was an accomplished character actor. He played Steve Rhodes in Black Saddle and Max, the waiter at Mindy's in Guys and Dolls.

Carl Harbord can, perhaps, be remembered best for his roles of Inspectors Hopkins and Sanderson in 1946's Dressed to Kill and 1947's Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back respectively.

Ted Stanhope has had quite a few uncredited roles in his career. Some of them include The Babe Ruth Story, High Noon and Valley of the Dolls.

Charles Watts was the Sanitarium Manager in A Star is Born. Look for him in the Dennis the Menace television series and as Crawford Owens in Apache Rifles.

John Phillips is the only actor in the guest cast to return to The Adventures of Superman. He'll be back in season four's "The Big Freeze".

Actors keep changing positions from one camera shot to the next in this episode. George Reeves and Jack Larson are inches apart from one another when we see Harry Tyler, but when they face us, Larson is behind Reeves. Also, the character of Charlie King has his hands in full view when he enters the clubhouse. However, afterwards, they are in his pockets.

I'm not quite certain what I had expected from this episode, but it was better than I had anticipated. It's a brilliant mix of a mystery film, old comic books and The Adventures of Superman radio program. The previous two entries in season three should have been this good.

One thing that really stands out in "The Lucky Cat" is the actors' performances. Sure, in general, they normally do splendidly, but there was something in the way every scene was acted that helped make the episode so much more delightful. George Reeves especially stands out when he is about to reveal the culprit using similar methods to Charlie Chan.

The way we are led to believe that Botts is the villain in "The Lucky Cat" works perfectly into the story. I believe this partly due to the script of Jackson Gillis, but Harry Tyler really put everything into playing the character. He portrayed the old grumpy crackpot stupendously. However, I must say that I'm glad Botts was not the one trying to kill members of the Anti-Superstition Society. It just would have been too obvious. That could cause the audience to be disappointed.

It might have been a bit evident to some that Charlie King is the bad guy of the week, but "The Lucky Cat" is so well written and spectacularly acted that the viewer can overlook that in order to just have fun watching. This is yet another gem from Jackson Gillis that is one of the best of season three. See it whenever you have a chance. You'll be entertained from start to finish.

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