Superman (1948, Spencer Gordon Bennet and Thomas Carr), Chapter 13: Hurled to Destruction

Hurled to Destruction once again has the Spider Lady’s goons outsmarting the Daily Planet reporters. In the latter category is also Superman, who delivers a dangerous criminal to the Planet for questioning instead of the police.

Said criminal attacks Pierre Watkin, leading to a pretty good fist fight and then the cliffhanger. There’s some hurling in it, but not exactly to destruction.

The opening resolves the previous chapter’s cliffhanger with another unveiling of new information. It’s an almost okay sequence though, just because it gives Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill a moment together. Sure, he gaslights her, but he’s got to keep his secret identity secret, doesn’t he?

Most of the chapter is the goons trying to steal something from Metropolis University. Tommy Bond gets wise and gets a fist fight of his own. Not as good as Watkin’s, but not terrible.

Alyn’s got more lines than usual as Superman. Opposite Watkin, he doesn’t deliver them well. Maybe the silliness of the scene–Superman handing over a wanted criminal to a newspaper editor–gets in the way.

Hurled has some decent special effects for the cliffhanger, but also the worst Superman flying effects in the serial. Cartoon Superman’s flight pattern doesn’t make any sense. He sort of floats–quickly–up the screen.

With only two chapters to go, it’s safe to say Superman is never going to top its first three chapters. If only the script were better.

Superman (1948, Spencer Gordon Bennet and Thomas Carr), Chapter 12: Blast in the Depths

Blast in the Depths resolves the previous chapter’s cliffhanger with a reveal–something happened the viewer didn’t get to see, changing the outcome. It’s a cheat, but Superman hasn’t had a decent cliffhanger so it doesn’t really matter. In fact, the serial’s structured not to have them.

Pretty soon the action ends up back at Pierre Watkin’s office; he’s happy his staff has finally captured some of the Spider Lady’s goons. Blast is when I realized I’m not sure there’s ever been a cop in Superman. They’re always off-screen.

Watkin sends Noel Neill on assignment. She ends, no surprise, kidnapped. Kirk Alyn and Tommy Bond go after her–after missing her kidnappers walking right past. There’s a lengthy, not particularly suspenseful sequence with Alyn and Bond roaming the Depths looking for Neill.

When they do find her, the goons knock out Bond and presumably Alyn. The chapter ends with him unable to save Neill because it’d reveal his secret identity. Though it’s unclear why Alyn didn’t use any of his powers earlier to save the day. The script leaves a lot to be desired.

Superman (1948, Spencer Gordon Bennet and Thomas Carr), Chapter 11: Superman's Dilemma

Superman’s Dilemma has a scene where Kirk Alyn, as Superman, talks to a conscious Noel Neill. She’s telling him how Tommy Bond stupidly has gotten himself in trouble with the goons again. Bond’s apparently trouble-proof to some degree, however; at the end of the previous chapter, he was being held hostage. At the beginning of this one? Free as a bird. He, Alyn, and Neill have their joint scene with Pierre Watkin, who informs them the only reason he cares about them living or dying is so they can dig up a story before the cops.

The opening cliffhanger resolution has another unconscious Neill–the second rescue has her passed out too, but this time Alyn waits around for her to regain consciousness.

There’s some more with Spider Lady Carol Forman forcing good guy scientist Herbert Rawlinson to help her. George Meeker apparently tortures him (but very courteously).

Neill and Bond get into trouble at the end because Neill hijacks Alyn’s story assignment and schemes a way to get him arrested. If only Neill put her powers to good.

There’s a fun, gentle screwball sequence in the Daily Planet newsroom with Neill sneaking around Alyn and hiding his hat. The acting from Neill and Alyn is good in it–not Bond, but he’s got problems throughout Dilemma–and it’s a shame there isn’t more like it in Superman. Bennet and Carr direct comedy better than anything else.

Superman (1948, Spencer Gordon Bennet and Thomas Carr), Chapter 10: Between Two Fires

Between Two Fires does indeed feature two fires. The opening fire is when Noel Neill has been knocked out and captured. Kirk Alyn–and a nicely animated Superman–save her. Of course, the rescue does come with Alyn’s most unlikely change of outfit. And Neill’s asleep for the whole thing, so no dialogue between her and Alyn, not as Superman or Clark Kent.

Then it’s Tommy Bond’s chapter for a while. He’s out trying to get a story and happens upon some of the goons. He follows them, bursting in without any thought, and gets promptly captured.

It takes Alyn and Neill a while to find out Bond’s missing. Bond’s hanging out with captive scientist Herbert Rawlinson who is using the phone lines and Morse code to try to get rescued.

Unfortunately, Neill ditches Alyn to burst in without any thought and gets locked into a room with, you guessed it, another fire. And cliffhanger.

Even with poorly executed material (Earl Turner’s editing is terrible in Fires), Bond makes a fairly solid lead in his subplot. He at least gets to interact with people. Alyn and Neill’s team-up to cover the phone service interruption–no one at the phone company knows Morse code, apparently–has no dialogue between the stars.

Neill getting into trouble with the second fire requires so much stupidity and carelessness on her part, Superman breaks its disbelief suspension. Of course, why Alyn keeps trusting her to get him when there’s trouble has got the disbelief suspension primed for failure.

Superman’s consistently bumpy; between chapters and during them.

Superman (1948) ch10 – Between Two Fires

Then it’s Tommy Bond’s chapter for a while. He’s out trying to get a story and happens upon some of the goons. He follows them, bursting in without any thought, and gets promptly captured.

It takes Alyn and Neill a while to find out Bond’s missing. Bond’s hanging out with captive scientist Herbert Rawlinson who is using the phone lines and Morse code to try to get rescued.

Unfortunately, Neill ditches Alyn to burst in without any thought and gets locked into a room with, you guessed it, another fire. And cliffhanger.

Superman’s consistently bumpy; between chapters and during them.

Superman (1948, Spencer Gordon Bennet and Thomas Carr), Chapter 9: Irresistible Force

Again, a Superman chapter where the title really has nothing to do with the content. Unless the Irresistible Force refers to Superman vs. train, which is one of the serial’s better composite effects sequences. At least ones involving Kirk Alyn and not the cartoon Superman fill-in.

But after resolving the previous chapter’s cliffhanger, Alyn vanishes for most of Force. It’s a Spider Lady and goons episode. They’re plotting to kidnap a scientist (Herbert Rawlinson) from under Noel Neill’s nose, replacing him with bad guy scientist Charles Quigley in makeup.

Whether it’s Rawlinson as Quigley as Rawlinson or just Quigley as Rawlinson, the make-up on the imposter is actually pretty darn good. Neill knows something’s up and is trying to figure it out. Too bad she acts like a complete idiot and gets busted.

Spider Lady Carol Forman has her own reveals as she executes the kidnapping herself. The serial goes for surprising but it’s hard to get jazzed up about anything involving Forman and her band of thugs. They’re exceptionally slight villains.

Force also introduces a facet of Alyn’s x-ray vision. He can see through Quigley’s disguise from a photograph. Not sure how the yellow sun makes that one happen but it does.

There’s very little action with the kidnapping; once Force finally does get going, it’s already time for the finish.

Superman (1948) ch09 – Irresistible Force

Force also introduces a facet of Alyn’s x-ray vision. He can see through Quigley’s disguise from a photograph. Not sure how the yellow sun makes that one happen but it does.

There’s very little action with the kidnapping; once Force finally does get going, it’s already time for the finish.

Superman (1948, Spencer Gordon Bennet and Thomas Carr), Chapter 8: Superman to the Rescue

Superman to the Rescue fails to feature one thing–Superman to the rescue. The cliffhanger resolution goes from sped-up film fistfight to Kryptonite gas filling a room. Tommy Bond saves himself–lucking out because apparently a convener belt is poorly designed–while Kirk Alyn’s Superman stumbles out of the gas cloud.

Noel Neill shows up just in time for the scene to end and Alyn, Neill, and Bond to go back to the Daily Planet. Pierre Watkin gets to yell at them a bit–they missed the story but at least they rescued Bond–before it’s time for Carol Forman’s Spider Lady to take over the plot.

She’s going some infighting to deal with before she can try to steal the Reducer Ray. Superman’s supposed to be guarding it. Unfortunately, she’s able to figure out his plan to safely transport it. Oddly, no one notices Superman’s not doing anything to help with the transportation. Alyn’s in Clark Kent garb for most of it.

Lots of back and forth with Forman and her goons as they plan and execute said plan.

It’s a fairly boring chapter. Even if Alyn up, up, and awaying is a little pricey, it’s not like Neill and Bond couldn’t be doing something. Instead, Forman’s a supervillain with a dysfunctional work place. Yawn.

Alyn does have a solid action sequence in the last third. Not really the cliffhanger, which is forgettable and doesn’t need Alyn; so in the lead up to the cliffhanger.

But Rescue is still incredibly tedious.

Superman (1948) ch08 – Superman to the Rescue

Lots of back and forth with Forman and her goons as they plan and execute said plan.

Alyn does have a solid action sequence in the last third. Not really the cliffhanger, which is forgettable and doesn’t need Alyn; so in the lead up to the cliffhanger.

But Rescue is still incredibly tedious.

Superman (1948, Spencer Gordon Bennet and Thomas Carr), Chapter 7: Into the Electric Furnace!

Into the Electric Furnace starts with Noel Neill in trouble and ends with Tommy Bond in trouble. In between, Pierre Watkin yells at Neill, Bond, and Kirk Alyn for not working together in their attempts to capture an escaped mad scientist (Charles Quigley) before the cops.

Quigley’s working with Spider Lady Carol Forman. Their acting ability is on about the same level, making Forman’s one scene this chapter rather tedious. At least when George Meeker is condescending to his evil supervillain mastermind boss, he’s giving an adequate performance. Quigley wobbles between a passable bad and an intolerable one.

Bond ends up in trouble because Neill tries again to scoop Alyn. They have a scene together–Neill and Alyn–where they agree not to try to scoop one another a few minutes before. It’s kind of nice for Neill and Alyn to have a scene with Watkin bossing them or Alyn rescuing Neill. In the former, Watkin’s too bombastic for anyone to get any space. The latter, however–the Superman rescues Lois scenes–always have bad post-action scenes. This time Neill doesn’t even wake up for her rescue. She does get her first animated flying stand-in though.

The chapter’s cliffhanger–the one with Bond the damoiseau in distress–is a result of Alyn being really bad at toggling between foolish newspaper reporter and superhero.

Superman’s got no balance. Its cast is mostly wasted; except Watkin. Watkin always gets the good material. Maybe everyone just needs to sit behind a desk and yell.