Original subtitles

NARRATOR: The Adventures of Superman.

Faster than a speeding bullet.

More powerful than a locomotive.

Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound.

MAN: Look! Up in the sky! MAN 2: It's a bird!

WOMAN: It's a plane! MAN 3: It's Superman!

NARRATOR: Yes, it's Superman,

strange visitor from another planet

who came to Earth with powers and abilities

far beyond those of mortal men.

Superman, who can change the course of mighty rivers,

bend steel in his bare hands,

and who, disguised as Clark Kent,

mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper,

fights a never-ending battle

for truth, justice and the American way.

[���]

[���]

All right, number one. Uh, step forward.

What's your name, buddy?

Claude James.

Speak up. We can't hear you.

I said, Claude James.

Where do you live, Claude?

On cloud nine.

Don't get smart, mister.

Where do you live?

Hotel on Eighth Street.

Don't remember the name.

Were you in the First Continental Bank

last Tuesday afternoon, Claude?

What would I be doin' there?

Tryin' to make a withdrawal with a gun in your hand.

Not me.

I always deal with the Metropolis First National.

All right, step back.

Next.

What's your name, buddy?

Which one?

Well, how many do you have?

Several.

Let's just have one.

Lou. Lou Chambers.

Okay, Lou. Step back.

Next.

Your name, mister,

and let's have it so people can hear it.

Glad to help out any time, inspector.

Hi, Dad. Hello, son.

Uh, Kent, this is my son, Ray.

Yes, we met years ago. How are you, Ray?

Fine, Mr. Kent.

Must be somethin' big up to bring you around.

Ah, that attempted bank stickup.

I needed a few extras to fill in on the lineup.

Say, you certainly acted the part.

What was that business about having several names?

Oh, just something to say, I guess.

Well, all I've got to say is that Claude James is the man.

Claude and Muscles McGurk.

Well, you can't find McGurk.

And the bank teller won't identify James, is that right?

That in a nutshell is the situation, I'm afraid.

Hm.

Why, Bill, I didn't know

you'd taken up voice culture, old boy.

[CHUCKLES]

That's my tape recorder.

Dad promised I could make some recordings

of the Teletype machine.

I've the only son in captivity

whose hobby is collecting sounds.

Sounds? You mean, instead of butterflies or stamps,

you collect sounds?

It's a super hobby.

Listen, I'll bet even you can't guess what this one is.

[GUNSHOTS PINGING]

Well, it sounds like shots.

But, I-I can't figure out what those pings are in between.

It's the sound of bullets bouncing off of Superman's body.

Where did you get that?

I took him along in the squad car.

It just happened that Superman ended up helped us

catch a couple of crooks that night.

That kind of stuff is pretty easy to get actually.

The hard things are the real short, quick sounds.

You mean, like single words?

[CHUCKLES] He gets them all.

He's got about a million boxes full of sounds

on pieces of tape about that long.

If you spliced them all together,

it might be pretty confusing, huh?

Well, you mind if I get set up here

just in case the machine goes off?

No, go right ahead.

[SIGHS]

If I could only locate Muscles McGurk.

Is he really that slippery, Bill?

Well, we think he and Claude James

have been pulling jobs around here for years.

But we can't nail them down.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

Come in.

I'm just taking him to the lockup, Inspector.

But the chief wanted me to deliver a complete file

on this character.

The officer record said that you had it.

That's right, I was studying it last night.

That's what I like to hear: a cop doing his homework.

Someday it'll pay off, Claude.

File's in my safe.

Excuse me, son.

[SAFE LOCK CLICKING]

Here you are. Thank you, sir.

Does it say in there how I kicked my grandmother

down the stairs when I was two years old?

Take him away. Come on.

He doesn't seem very worried.

Why should he be, when he's in the driver's seat?

[TELETYPE CLICKING]

What is it?

They've captured McGurk.

Oh, boy!

And I got it recorded just as it came over.

And I'd better get it recorded in the four-star edition.

Excuse me.

Well, you better run it on page one

and hope it turns out to be something big.

I'll keep after it, chief.

Should be more details by the next edition.

Sorry we're late, chief.

Just got word you wanted to see us.

And here's the glue you wanted from the supply r-room.

[SIGHS]

Mr. Olsen,

I've lived a reasonably good life.

I've given money to the poor,

taken care of my mother,

kept my shoes polished and my nose clean.

And now I'd like to ask you

just one simple little question.

What's the question?

What have I done to deserve you?!

You're just lucky, I guess.

[GASPS]

Maybe we'd better come back a different time.

Uh, say, next year.

Chief, I'll be glad to pay for the pot of glue.

No, thank you. No, thank you.

Get out!

Get out! Uh, Jimmy.

Jimmy.

I don't think he likes to be called chief.

Now, come on back to my office,

and I'll explain your assignment to you.

What's the matter with you?

Old maid. Old maid.

Is that what we're gonna do?

Sit around here all day, playin' old maid?

I like it.

But it don't look right.

Listen, McGurk.

I've been to a lot of movies, see.

And I ain't never seen a couple of hoodlums like us

sittin' around playin' old maid.

Okay, so we'll play something different.

Jack straws?

Maybe you'd like to go out

and have a quick game of hopscotch.

I don't know what's eatin' you, Claude?

I'll tell you what's eatin' me,

that 5000 bucks we had to put up for bail.

That's all the dough we own.

You're a very difficult guy.

You don't like old maid.

You don't like jack straws.

Tell me,

how would you like makin' a chump out of a cop?

An inspector-type cop?

You mean like, uh, Inspector Henderson?

Uh-huh.

This is the type of game I could really go for.

Okay.

You want it, you get it.

Sure.

But how you gonna make a chump out of Henderson?

Gonna have help.

His own son is gonna help us.

I keep it in my room here

when I'm not out making recordings.

I don't know what this has to do with McGurk case.

It has nothing at all to do with the McGurk case.

Mr. Kent thought Ray's hobby of collecting unusual noises

would make a good feature story. I agree.

Sit down, I'll play you some of the things that I've got.

I keep all my sounds catalogued in here.

Now, this first one is pretty easy.

[LION ROARING]

I know what that is.

It's Perry White in a bad mood.

Jimmy and our editor had a little run-in a while ago.

Where on Earth did you get a lion roaring?

The zoo, at feeding time.

Try this one.

[AIR WHOOSHING]

Wait, Superman, he's coming!

[LAUGHS]

Sounded so real, I forgot it was a recording.

That's one of my favorites, Superman coming to Earth.

Here's one.

[BELL RINGING]

Sounds like my alarm going off in the morning.

Mm. The bell in the firehouse.

Nope. That's the burglar alarm

on Marshal's Credit Jewelry House.

I got the idea 'cause Dad's doing some research

on the whole city alarm system.

Now, you'll have to listen real close for this one.

One tick of a watch?

Or a feather falling on a haystack?

You've heard them talk about being so quiet

you can hear a pin drop?

That's the sound of the pin dropping.

You mean, your tape recorder is actually that sensitive?

Sure. Why, I can even pick up sounds that we can't hear.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

That's easy, it's a door knock.

Only that one came from the real door.

Excuse me.

Front door was open, so I came in.

I'm the guy that called you earlier, remember, kid?

Oh, sure. I'd like you to meet some friends of mine--

Never mind.

I'd like to make this little transaction alone.

You heard the man, Jim. Come on.

Okay, kid. Get me the tape.

The latest one you've been workin' on.

It's right over here.

Here you are.

Fine.

Here's 100 bucks, kid.

Remember, mum's the word.

You don't have to worry about a thing.

Thanks a lot.

It's a pleasure.

I'm sorry for the interruption.

No harm done. You know, I think, uh,

this may turn out to be a bigger story than I thought.

What might be?

Your hobby, of course. Let's hear some more.

All right.

Now, let's face it, Bill.

Ever since I wrote that McGurk story,

the Chief's been on my neck for the follow-up.

The D.A.'s working on it now.

But we can't revoke the bail or submit it to the grand jury

until we have enough evidence.

And I don't think we're gonna get it.

But why can't you do--? [PHONE RINGS]

Inspector Henderson?

Yes?

Yeah, uh, thanks.

What's up, Bill?

There's a patrolman on duty

at the secret weapons laboratory.

He thinks there's some prowlers inside.

How could anybody break in there

without the alarm going off here?

I don't know, but I better go over there. Want to come?

No, I'll see you there later. Okay.

[SIREN WAILING]

[���]

I guess that's all we can get our mitts on.

Grab a couple and let's blow.

We could turn this burg inside out with these, McGurk.

I'll go out and wire that, uh, burglar alarm.

You see what else you can find.

All right.

[���]

Isn't it a bit late for you to be up?

Stay back, Superman.

This ain't no ordinary gun.

Look, uh, I'll show you.

I don't wanna hurt anybody, Superman, not even you.

But I will if I have to.

I warned ya.

It's gotta hurt you.

It's gotta, it can melt cold steel.

I guess you'll keep until Inspector Henderson gets here.

But someone has a lot of explaining to do.

What am I supposed to do, Kent?

Even with Claude James in jail,

there've been five big robberies in the last five days.

And each of these places, plus the weapons lab,

has an alarm system connected directly here

at headquarters, right? Right.

And each of these systems has been short-circuited

so it wouldn't go off, am I right?

Right. And that's what I can't understand.

Well, there's only one possible explanation.

Whoever's pullin' these jobs

knows the weak points of each system.

Therefore, there has to be an information leak somewhere.

All right, Kent.

I've gotta tell somebody, so it might as well be you.

Our whole network of burglar alarms is pretty old.

So a couple of weeks ago,

I got hold of all the wiring plans.

I studied each one,

looking for possible places the lines could be shorted,

particularly from the outside.

Right, you did study electronics, didn't you?

Exactly, so I know what I'm talking about.

Well, I found a couple of weak spots.

[CHUCKLING] I even used my son's tape recorder

to dictate my report and suggestions.

I had a secretary type it out and send it to the mayor.

The plans themselves and a copy of the report

are in that safe there.

Are you sure they're still there?

I checked an hour ago, still there.

But you did put the report on tape, didn't you, Bill?

Sure, what's the matter with that?

Well, I don't like to say this,

but I'm afraid I have your information leak for you.

Well, all right. Let's have it.

I don't like doing this to you, Bill.

I don't like it a little bit.

Hello, son.

Hi, Dad.

What's this all about?

I don't know.

You better explain, Clark.

Well, this morning, Lois happened to remember

something that ties in.

I'll let her explain.

The other day, Jimmy and I saw Ray

sell a man a spool of tape for $100.

What's that got to do with it?

The report was on tape, remember? Yeah?

Well, the man that bought it was Muscles McGurk.

McGurk?

I didn't know he was McGurk.

What was on the tape you sold to McGurk?

Just sounds, that's all.

I told you to erase the tape

as soon as I was through with it.

I did, Dad. Honest.

I wanna believe you, son, but you make it awfully hard.

Why would McGurk be interested in sounds?

I didn't know it was McGurk.

Look, I got a phone call.

A guy said he heard about my hobby and wanted to buy a tape.

What for?

He said he was having a party and he wanted

to use my sounds for some new sort of a guessing game.

It doesn't make sense, son.

How would McGurk even know about your hobby?

I don't--

Maybe he saw it in the paper? The article Miss Lane wrote.

But the article didn't come out till the next day, Ray.

Dad, I know how it sounds.

But you have to believe me.

I didn't sell you out.

You better go along home, son.

I'll talk to you later.

[���]

I, uh-- I guess I better go too, Bill.

I'm sorry.

[KNOCKING IN DOOR]

Come in.

Oh, hello, Bill.

Hello, Clark.

I've been expecting you.

I know you're gonna blame me for a lot of things.

I only wish there were some other way to say it,

but all I can say is that I'm sorry.

Oh, that's not why I came, Clark.

I'm a cop, you're a reporter. We both have our jobs to do.

And we both have to hurt people at times we'd rather not.

Thanks for letting me off the hook.

Look out there, Bill.

Pretty big town, isn't it?

Too big at times.

Well, what I'm trying to say is,

somebody gave Muscles McGurk

some very valuable information. All right.

For the present it looks like it might've been Ray.

But there are over a million people out there.

And it could've been any one of 'em.

Yeah, but which one?

That's what we've gotta find out.

Meanwhile, the important thing is that you realize

it couldn't have been Ray.

[CHUCKLES] No son of yours

could go wrong, Bill, you know that.

I appreciate you saying that, Clark, I really do.

Of course, in my heart I know it too.

I've got to believe it.

Having trouble believing it?

That's my trouble.

In my business I've seen it happen

to lots better men than I am.

Aw, there aren't any better men than you are, Bill,

and I don't think there's a better kid than Ray, either.

But the kid could've gotten himself in a jam, you know?

And even if he is a good kid, he could've made a mistake.

Anybody can make a mistake.

That's when you gotta really stand behind him.

I intend to.

Ray could be the wrongest kid in the world,

but he's still my kid.

But perhaps it's been my fault.

Maybe I failed him.

Nonsense.

Well, it hasn't been easy trying to raise the boy

without a mother.

But I've tried, Clark.

I've tried. And if I have failed--

You haven't failed him. It's all gonna work out.

I-I'm sure of it.

Well, I hope so.

So in the meantime,

I've suspended myself from the force.

You've done what?

That's what I came to tell you.

There's a lot of things a cop can do,

but arresting his own son isn't one of them.

[SIGHS]

[���]

Get up, kid.

We're goin' for a little ride.

A ride? Where?

I guess it won't hurt to tell ya.

It's a place called Echo Canyon. Nice and quiet.

You'll like it, kid, if you behave.

I ain't goin' anywhere with you, McGurk.

So you know my name now, huh?

Then you should know I'm not afraid

to use this on your old man.

You win.

I've caused him enough trouble as it is already.

I'd sure like to know what this is all about.

Where are we goin' and why?

Sure, I'll tell you, kid.

But not with that machine running.

I don't know what you're talkin' about.

Then I'll tell ya.

You and me are gonna take that machine of yours,

and we're gonna go to a nice quiet place

with all the tapes.

Then you're gonna play me every one of them things.

What good's that gonna do you?

Well, if you've got anything on them tapes

as valuable as what was on the first one,

I wanna know about it.

There's nothin' on those tapes but sounds.

Sure, and that's all that there was on the first one.

Now, I'll take the machine,

you pick up the rest of the stuff.

Come on. Let's get outta here.

Come on, kid, we haven't got all day.

Hey, what are you doin' over there?

Some of these tape ends are loose.

You don't want spools unwinding all over town, do ya?

Okay, okay, but let's get goin'.

When will I be back?

You shouldn't worry about when, kid,

you should worry about if.

Now, grab your coat. You might need it.

[PHONE RINGS]

Kent speaking.

Oh, hello, Bill.

What?

I'm sorry.

Of course, I'll be right over.

The boy's gone, Clark.

It doesn't mean he's gone for good, Bill.

His tape recorder's gone.

Yes, but he took that with him a lot, didn't he?

Sure, but his whole collection of sounds is gone.

They were his most prized possession.

He wouldn't take them unless he were leaving for good.

It does look like he's run away.

Yeah, go ahead. Finish it.

It also makes him look ten times guiltier.

He didn't leave any notes, I've looked around.

Well, just a minute. He did leave something.

What's that?

Just two little pieces of tape recording.

Hey, they don't tell us anything.

Well, not yet, but let's give it a chance.

Look here, Bill. See the edges?

They're all ragged, like they were torn off in a hurry.

You think he left them deliberately?

There's one way to find out.

We'll go to the office and use the chief's tape recorder.

Then I'll splice these onto a new spool and--

And we'll hope we hear something.

What are we standing here for? Let's go.

For heaven's sakes, Clark,

you thread that tape like a man threads a needle.

It's just about through, Lois.

There, I think that's got it.

I thread the two little pieces on the beginning of a new reel.

Well, turn it on, Clark, and let's get it over with.

[EXPLOSIONS]

Jeepers, it sounds to me like--

Quiet, you young idiot.

MALE VOICE [ECHOING]: Hello.

Hello. Hello.

Well, it was worth a try. Even if it came to nothing.

Well, I don't know, Bill.

When a hunch is all you got left, I say work on it.

Do you still think those sounds mean something?

An explosion and somebody saying, "Hello."

I don't get it.

Let's try it again.

[EXPLOSIONS]

MALE VOICE [ECHOING]: Hello.

Hello. Hello.

Hello.

Ah, it's no use. We're up a blind alley.

[SIGHS]

Lois, get your pad and pencil.

Now, I want you to write down just what everyone says.

Jim, I think I'll start with you.

What did those sounds mean to you?

I told you.

An explosion and somebody saying, "Hello."

Just a voice.

Chief?

I'll go along with Olsen on the first one.

But the second one, I'd say that Ray was trying

to get an echo rather than just a voice.

And I think you're right about the echo,

but the first sounded more like thunder to me.

Lois?

Sounded more like a cannon.

Cannon?

Let's see what we've got.

Explosion, explosion. thunder, cannon,

voice, echo. echo.

Well, where do we go from here?

Well, let's try putting any two together.

And remember, they may be backwards.

Explosion echo.

Echo thunder.

Thunder voice.

Voice cannon.

Echo cannon.

Voice-- What did you say, Jim?

Echo cannon.

Clark, that sounds like Echo Canyon.

And that's where Muscles McGurk had a hideout 10 years ago.

Now this is making sense. Why don't you all go there?

What are you gonna do?

I'll go to the jail and check with McGurk's partner.

But never mind about me, I'll see you later. Go on.

[BIRD CHIRPING]

And what was that one?

Happens to be a parakeet squawking.

One more smart remark, and I'm gonna get mad.

Here's one you'll enjoy.

[CELL DOOR CLOSING]

Hey, what did I tell you about being a wise guy?

It's just the sound of a jail door closing, Mr. McGurk.

Well, it ain't gonna close on me.

Jail door closing.

[AIR WHOOSHING]

Hey, what's that noise I hear outside?

Oh, I don't know.

It's probably the wind.

No, no.

I've heard that sound before.

Sounds like something flying.

That's it. That's it.

It's Superman.

He's flying over the canyon.

Superman? But how could he--?

I don't know, but I ain't waitin' to find out.

Too bad this is just a tape.

I could sure use Superman now.

[���]

[THUD]

He can't do this to me.

Oh, I wouldn't say that. Would you, McGurk?

That kid with his sounds.

Some hobby.

You better find a hobby for yourself.

You're gonna have a lot of time on your hands.

I bet that reporter Clark Kent had somethin' to do with this.

I'll bet he did.

Now, if you remember,

this microphone was on top of this safe

when Inspector Henderson had to open it.

I just meant to leave it there for a minute.

Nobody's blaming you for anything, son.

We've done too much of that already.

This is the original tape that McGurk bought from Ray.

Listen.

[DIAL CLICKING]

Did you hear the tumblers click?

Four, two, seven.

I don't hear anything.

How can you?

Oh, uh, Bill and I listened to that earlier at McGurk's hideout

with the doctor's stethoscope we found there.

I see, they listened to the tape with the stethoscope,

counted the clicks, that gave them the combination.

And Claude dressed like a janitor,

got into the office and photographed the documents.

They sure came close to getting away with it.

It taught me a lesson.

And I don't mean about police work either.

Forget it, Dad. I have.

Incidentally, Mr. Kent,

the next time you get in touch with Superman,

tell him I said thanks.

I think he's already had his thanks, Ray.

[���]

NARRATOR: Don't miss the next thrill-packed episode

in the amazing Adventures of Superman.

Superman is based on the original character

appearing in Superman magazine.