A friend who is susceptible to kryptonite radiation visits Clark at the same time a scientist offers to sell some kryptonite to the mob.A friend who is susceptible to kryptonite radiation visits Clark at the same time a scientist offers to sell some kryptonite to the mob.A friend who is susceptible to kryptonite radiation visits Clark at the same time a scientist offers to sell some kryptonite to the mob.
Robert Shayne
- Inspector Henderson
- (credit only)
Bill Kennedy
- Announcer
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is the first time that a Batman actor and a Superman actor appeared in the same television episode. Robert Lowery played Batman in Batman and Robin (1949), a 15-chapter adventure serial. But before that, the first feature film to have included in its cast an actor playing each of the two legendary superheroes was the Cary Grant movie Once Upon a Time (1944), which included in supporting roles Kirk Alyn who was the first live-action Man of Steel (in the adventure serials Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950)) and Lewis Wilson who was the first actor to play Gotham City's Caped Crusader (in Batman (1943)).
- GoofsThe survivors of the plane crash have been marooned on the island for three years, yet their clothes are clean and neatly pressed.
Featured review
EVERYONE who was ever a kid in this Land of Ours can tell you just what is the one substance that can hurt or even kill Superman; for it is just that the Man of Steel is as revered and treated much the same way that would be Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, John Henry and a Conservative Democrat.
KRYPTONITE would be what we are looking; that substance being of course radioactive chunks of rock that are fragments of the exploded Planet, Krypton. The radioactivity that emanates from any specimen of the greenish, glowing mineral is harmful, even lethal to native born inhabitants of Krypton.
INASMUCH as the young son of Joel and Lara was the only surviving person from the cataclysmic eruption of that doomed planet, it shouldn't harm anyone else.* Or would it?
OUR STORY today is one of the Superman TV Episodes that has the deadly Kryptonian radioactive element at the center of the story. This Episode, "The Deadly Rock", is not only one in that exclusive Kryptonite stories; but also it has one distinction all to itself. That being that it is the only Superman Episode that makes mention of a previous adventure.
WHEN at the beginning of the story, this South African planter and amateur scientist/mineral & gem collector, Professor van Wick (Steven Geray) states early on in the story that he watched through his telescope as Superman collided with the huge Meteor which threatened to crash land right on the City of Metropolis. At that time, Superman was nearly destroyed and suffered a weakened condition as well as Amnesia.**
ADDING to the complications in this episode was the freaky occurrence that the substance also affected a friend of Kent's, Government Investigator, Gary Allen (Robert Lowery). They do come up with a theory of why this is in recounting that Mr. Allen, who is a pilot, was flying his aircraft in an area of the sky near to the position of the Meteorite when Superman made his contact.
PROFESSOR van Wick, however, has an agenda that is far outside of any scientific interest; for he understands what he has and understands that many an Underworld Kingpin would pay royally in order to get their hands on "The Deadly Rock."Through his contacts in the Metropolis Underworld, the Professor makes a meet with one Big Tom Rufus (Robert Foulk), a gang leader and interested potential buyer.
AS with most of the rest of the series, the cast has a good supporting cast of character actors in supporting roles. Jim Hayward, Sid Melton, Vincent Perry, Ric Roman and Lyn Thomas round out the cast. Series Regulars Kent/Superman (Big George), Lois (Noel Neill), Jimmy (Jack Larson) and Mr. White (John Hamilton) all get good face time in this one. Robert Shayne (Inspector Bill Henderson) must have been on his annual furlough, for he makes no appearance other than having his name in the usual credits at the show's conclusion.
"THE DEADLY ROCK" is a well written story for a half hour episode. It has plenty of action, good storyline and character interaction (both the Good Guys as well as the Bad Ones). It is also an adventure that would have stood up well as an entry in Action Comics, Superman Comics Magazine or as a serialized story in the then McClure Newspaper Syndicate's SUPERMAN Comic Strip.
AS far as a rating for an episode within the framework of the Superman Series, me buddy, Schultz says it should be rated SS½! We heartily concur.
NOTE: * Yes, we understand, believe me. Over the years there has been many a story about other survivors; such as Supergirl, the residents of the shrunken city of Kandor and all those in the Phantom Zone. We must stick to the story at hand and deal with all those as they come up.
NOTE ** The story to which this one refers is "Panic In The Sky"; which was from the series' excellent second season. This entry was an adaptation from DC Comics WORLD'S FINEST COMICS, No. 68, dated January/February 1954, entitled "The Menace From The Stars"; which was also adapted to an episode of LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (1993-97).
NOTE: *** THE earliest of the Superman stories had him leaping rather than truly flying. There was no mention of X Ray Vision, Telescopic Vision or Super Breath. As he became more Super, writer/editor Mort Weisinger came up with the Kryptonite angle in order to give Superman an Achille's Heal.
POODLE SCHNITZ!!
KRYPTONITE would be what we are looking; that substance being of course radioactive chunks of rock that are fragments of the exploded Planet, Krypton. The radioactivity that emanates from any specimen of the greenish, glowing mineral is harmful, even lethal to native born inhabitants of Krypton.
INASMUCH as the young son of Joel and Lara was the only surviving person from the cataclysmic eruption of that doomed planet, it shouldn't harm anyone else.* Or would it?
OUR STORY today is one of the Superman TV Episodes that has the deadly Kryptonian radioactive element at the center of the story. This Episode, "The Deadly Rock", is not only one in that exclusive Kryptonite stories; but also it has one distinction all to itself. That being that it is the only Superman Episode that makes mention of a previous adventure.
WHEN at the beginning of the story, this South African planter and amateur scientist/mineral & gem collector, Professor van Wick (Steven Geray) states early on in the story that he watched through his telescope as Superman collided with the huge Meteor which threatened to crash land right on the City of Metropolis. At that time, Superman was nearly destroyed and suffered a weakened condition as well as Amnesia.**
ADDING to the complications in this episode was the freaky occurrence that the substance also affected a friend of Kent's, Government Investigator, Gary Allen (Robert Lowery). They do come up with a theory of why this is in recounting that Mr. Allen, who is a pilot, was flying his aircraft in an area of the sky near to the position of the Meteorite when Superman made his contact.
PROFESSOR van Wick, however, has an agenda that is far outside of any scientific interest; for he understands what he has and understands that many an Underworld Kingpin would pay royally in order to get their hands on "The Deadly Rock."Through his contacts in the Metropolis Underworld, the Professor makes a meet with one Big Tom Rufus (Robert Foulk), a gang leader and interested potential buyer.
AS with most of the rest of the series, the cast has a good supporting cast of character actors in supporting roles. Jim Hayward, Sid Melton, Vincent Perry, Ric Roman and Lyn Thomas round out the cast. Series Regulars Kent/Superman (Big George), Lois (Noel Neill), Jimmy (Jack Larson) and Mr. White (John Hamilton) all get good face time in this one. Robert Shayne (Inspector Bill Henderson) must have been on his annual furlough, for he makes no appearance other than having his name in the usual credits at the show's conclusion.
"THE DEADLY ROCK" is a well written story for a half hour episode. It has plenty of action, good storyline and character interaction (both the Good Guys as well as the Bad Ones). It is also an adventure that would have stood up well as an entry in Action Comics, Superman Comics Magazine or as a serialized story in the then McClure Newspaper Syndicate's SUPERMAN Comic Strip.
AS far as a rating for an episode within the framework of the Superman Series, me buddy, Schultz says it should be rated SS½! We heartily concur.
NOTE: * Yes, we understand, believe me. Over the years there has been many a story about other survivors; such as Supergirl, the residents of the shrunken city of Kandor and all those in the Phantom Zone. We must stick to the story at hand and deal with all those as they come up.
NOTE ** The story to which this one refers is "Panic In The Sky"; which was from the series' excellent second season. This entry was an adaptation from DC Comics WORLD'S FINEST COMICS, No. 68, dated January/February 1954, entitled "The Menace From The Stars"; which was also adapted to an episode of LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN (1993-97).
NOTE: *** THE earliest of the Superman stories had him leaping rather than truly flying. There was no mention of X Ray Vision, Telescopic Vision or Super Breath. As he became more Super, writer/editor Mort Weisinger came up with the Kryptonite angle in order to give Superman an Achille's Heal.
POODLE SCHNITZ!!
Details
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content