Superman on Television

Adventures of Superman: Episode Reviews

Season 4 - Episode 1: "Joey"

Original Broadcast Date: February 18, 1956

Writer: David Chantler

Director: Harry Gerstad

Guest Cast:
Janine Perreau as Alice
Tom London as Peter Thomas
Billy Nelson as Sully
Mauritz Hugo as Luke Palmer
Jay Lawrence as the Second Henchman
Bill Kennedy as Race Track Announcer

"Joey"

To save his farm from debt, Peter Thomas, an old school chum of Daily Planet editor Perry White, must sell a young thoroughbred horse named Joey. Joey's father, War King, was in many races, and Joey himself has the potential to fill his dad's horseshoes. Alice, Peter's granddaughter, is quite attached to Joey. She will miss him greatly, but at the same time, she does not want to lose her home. The Planet has purchased Joey in hopes of winning money for charity with him. Reporter Lois Lane has even promised Alice that she can visit Joey anytime. Little do Lois, Peter, Alice, Perry, and even Joey realize that they will be put smack dab in the middle of an adventure that they will never forget.

Joey is being trained by one of the best trainers for the Jupiter Stakes. Perry Lois and cub reporter Jimmy Olsen believe the horse has a chance of winning. Clark Kent, however, thinks that something might happen to keep Joey from being victorious. He hopes his friends are right, but something tells him that he'll need to keep an eye on things as Superman.

Luke Palmer has put a lot of money on Rover Girl to win the Jupiter Stakes. His key twirling henchman Sully has warned him that Joey could beat Rover Girl. Sully watched Joey run and thinks Luke should cancel his bets. Luke, on the other hand, intends to make certain his horse is in first place. Tonight, he and Sully will pay a visit to Joey. Afterwards, the young thoroughbred may not feel like racing. Can Superman prevent a game of sabotage from ruining an honest race?

As Sully and Luke arrive at the stables, they notice Perry, Lois, Clark and Jimmy around an ailing Joey. The horse only reacts to the mentioning of Alice's name. This means that he misses his young friend. Lois and Jimmy prepare to go to Peter Thomas' farm in Green Grass County to get Alice, while Clark is ordered to stay with Joey. This gives Luke an idea. Sully can be in Green Grass County before Lois and Jimmy if he flies Luke's private airplane. If the pair of reporters are deterred from their mission, Joey will not run, and Rover Girl will most likely win the Jupiter Stakes.

Lois and Jimmy have nearly reached their destination. Unfortunately, the only thing they find is Sully pointing a rifle at them. He tells Jimmy and Lois that Pete sold the farm yesterday, and the new owners hate visitors. The pair of reporters have no choice but to go back to Metropolis. It looks like all odds are against anyone contacting Alice to help Joey win the horse race.

Jimmy and Lois feel foolish. Clark Kent has learned by telephone that Pete has not sold his farm. Still, there isn't enough time to bring Alice to Metropolis to help Joey, or is there? Clark has a plan that could very well be a job for Superman. Only the Man of Steel can restore the hope lost by his friends and Joey.

Sully is sleeping under a tree when Superman arrives. His fear of the Metropolis Marvel causes him to hit his head on a large branch. With Sully unconscious, Superman bends the rifle barrel and heads for the Thomas Farm. The caped hero has flown Alice to the stables to see Joey. The horse is revived. Now, Joey will attempt to run faster than lightning in order to win the Jupiter Stakes.

So far, it's been a close race between Joey and Rover Girl. Unfortunately, Rover Girl wins. However, Superman has gone to the winner's circle. His X-ray vision reveals that Rover Girl's saddle was rigged to give her electric shock without the knowledge of the owner or jockey. Luke Palmer used a remote control from the stands. Superman has prevented Luke and his second henchman from escaping. They, like Sully, will spend a long time in prison for fixing the Jupiter Stakes. Now, Joey has been declared the true victorious horse thanks to Superman.

Now that the Daily Planet won what they paid for Joey along with enough money for charity, Perry White has decided to give Joey back to his rightful owner - Alice. The chief's unusually sentimental moment allows young Alice to keep her promise of being together forever with Joey.

Rating - 3 (out of 5): Janine Perreau played Kathy Wilson in the 1953 science fiction film Invaders From Mars.

Tom London was primarily in westerns. He played various parts in episodes of Annie Oakley and The Roy Rogers Show.

Billy Nelson will be back in season six's "The Big Forget".

Mauritz Hugo returns in season five for "Money to Burn".

Jay Lawrence played Clark Gable in the film Train Ride to Hollywood and provided voices for Hong Kong Phooey and The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat.

Bill Kennedy was the wrestling announcer in season one's "No Holds Barred". He also served as the narrator of the classic introduction for every episode of The Adventures of Superman television series.

Much like the previous year, this fourth series doesn't quite begin with the impact of the first two's premieres. The story itself has potential. However, the execution of the final product seems to lack the energy in "Superman on Earth," "Five Minutes to Doom," or even "Through the Time Barrier," and the latter of those three was an average episode. Maybe Lost has spoiled me, but I feel season openers and finales should leave the audience with a good impression. "Joey", unfortunately, does not do that.

"Joey" honestly feels like the script was intended to be for fifteen minutes instead of a half hour. Often, there are scenes that crawl at a snail's pace worse than Bruce Jones' run on The Incredible Hulk. By the time the episode reaches its conclusion, the viewers are too bored to give a darn how it ends.

Most of the acting, with the exception of some scenes with Noel Neill, feels phoned in for "Joey". The performers really don't put their best foots forward this time around. Even George Reeves, who normally puts everything he can into his scenes, seems like he'd rather be elsewhere. The same thing could also be said about Janine Perreau as she isn't very convincing as a girl who is pining over her beloved horse.

As much as I tried, I really couldn't get myself to like, or rather dislike, the villains in "Joey". They felt like some of second rate bad guys from a fill-in story in a comic book that you never want to see as long as you live. Perhaps with a little more character development, Luke Palmer and his gang, like every one else in "Joey", might have been more interesting.

I'm usually a sucker for episodes that involve Superman interacting animals. "The Dog Who Knew Superman" and "The Monkey Mystery" are among my favorite entries in the series. However, an average script combined with mediocre acting bring down the quality of what could have been a great story. It's still better than the worst of season three, but in the end, you'll most likely forget about it and move on to "The Unlucky Number" when you watch the DVDs.

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