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 1: 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.

[���]

[DRUMS BEATING RHYTHMICALLY]

[RHYTHMIC CLACKING]

Great Spirit. Hear me.

As the sands of time passes

through my fingers,

so has our chieftain gone

to the happy hunting grounds,

leaving no son to succeed him.

With the voting sticks, we choose another chief.

Give us wisdom,

that our new leader may guide us

with the spirit of a warrior.

Chief Great Horse.

Do Naga.

The test of a warrior.

It is the law of our tribe, my son.

Do Naga for the new chief.

I must undergo the test.

In two days, Do Naga.

[���]

Wow. I mean, "how."

How do you do?

Would you be so kind as to direct me

to the office of the editor?

Certainly, chief. I mean, sir.

My name is John Tolstar.

I'm Jimmy Olsen.

How do you do?

It's right this way.

There's, uh, someone to see you, chief.

Don't call me--

[SIGHS]

That will be all, Olsen.

Oh, but let me--

That will be all, Olsen!

[SIGHS]

Ooh! Hey!

What's the matter?

Aww. Did you lose your bubble-gum?

Ug.

[CLICKS TONGUE]

I come to you as a messenger.

Uh, would you sit down, sir.

Thank you.

I am not a chief, nor the son of a chief,

so I may not sit in council.

Yet I can be of service to Red Hawk.

And you come to me with a message from this "Red Hawk"?

Yes, Mr. White.

And though I am much older than he,

we have both been to the white man's school.

And, thus, he feels he can depend upon me

to make his message clear to you.

Well, I'm very flattered that your friend

should send you to me.

And I'm flattered that you should come.

By the way, how did you get here?

Fortunately, my family owns oil lands.

I flew here in my own plane.

I was a pilot in the last war.

Well, that's interesting.

But the purpose of my visit, Mr. White,

is to ask your help.

In what way?

My friend Red Hawk is much concerned

about his father, Great Horse,

who has just been elected chief.

Well, I should think that would be

considered quite an honor.

Why is he concerned about it?

Because it is the law of the tribes

that a chieftain-elect

must pass through a great ordeal.

A warrior's test.

Our people call it, "Do Naga."

I think I'm beginning to understand.

You're a bit doubtful that Great Horse

will be equal to this warrior's test,

as you call it.

It is almost too much for a young warrior.

I think it will kill Great Horse, Mr. White.

Then why did he accept the chieftainship?

For the sake of our people.

His days are numbered,

and he knows that if he does

pass the test and become chief,

Red Hawk will succeed him.

Then Red Hawk, as a college graduate,

will bring the benefits

of modern progress to our tribe.

And for this, he's willing to risk his life?

Great Horse is a proud man.

A stubborn man.

He will go through with the test of a warrior.

Well, uh...

what brings you to the Daily Planet?

I seek the only one who can help us.

There is an ancient legend in our tribe.

It tells of a mighty warrior.

The greatest fighter,

hunter, leader our tribe ever knew.

When he died, according to the legend,

he flew off into the clouds.

Since then, he has become

a strong totem,

a symbol of help.

We call him the, "Great White Bird."

This interests me. Go ahead.

A living counterpart of our Great White Bird

can be located, I have heard,

through your newspapers.

I speak of Superman.

I've come to ask his help,

that Great Horse may be saved.

Just a moment.

Lois.

LOIS [OVER INTERCOM]: Yes, sir?

Will you come in a moment, please.

And bring Jimmy Olsen with you.

Right away.

Clark Kent, who is the one to contact Superman,

is away on an assignment.

When he returns, I'll speak to him about this.

In the meanwhile, your story has news value.

Uh, Lois Lane, a staff reporter,

can investigate for Mr. Kent.

And if you have no objections, I'd like Jimmy Olsen

to go with both of you, for pictures.

Fine.

I can fly them to meet Red Hawk.

He will welcome the young people.

Meanwhile, I will pray for the speedy flight

of the Great White--

I mean, Superman.

[���]

Boy, this is the life, Miss Lane.

Real Indians. Mm-hm.

When may we meet your father?

We may be too late.

Okatee, the medicine man,

must have found out I was up to something.

He has already started Do Naga.

And your father?

He is praying to the Great Spirit

that he may find the strength.

The council awaits him at the Cave of the Bear.

There, the first of the three tests will take place.

Come.

It is almost time.

What's gonna happen?

The warrior enters the cave blindfolded,

after the bear has gone in the cave.

My father will be unarmed.

And he's expected to come out alive?

If the gods will it.

Jimmy, stand by.

I'm driving back to the station to call Clark.

I hope he's back in Metropolis.

Oh, but jeepers, what can I do?

I don't know, Jimmy.

But if there's any way to stall, stall.

I've got an idea. Wait here.

Wise Okatee,

guardian of the tradition of our tribe,

may I speak?

Son of Great Horse,

Do Naga should not be interrupted.

Not even if our customs are being violated?

Speak.

Come, brother.

A guest has come to my father's wigwam.

A mighty wise man of his people.

A young chieftain.

In the presence of the council,

you have heard me call him, "brother."

Then, Okatee,

if we do not bestow membership in our tribe

on our guest...

we will offend our ancestors.

And all else must wait.

It shall be done.

Let your "brother"

be seated with the council.

[���]

I'm at the reservation trading post, Mr. White.

And I'll be waiting.

Please ask Clark to call me the moment he arrives.

[SIGHS]

[COUGHING]

All the clan,

the mighty hunters,

now a brother joins our tribe.

His name is...

Sagoa.

What does that mean?

Big Cough.

[CLAPS TWICE]

Now. Do Naga.

My poor father.

Guri. "The Bear."

The bear?

Wh-- I-is that man the bear?

Yes.

The first test of a warrior.

You all heard Red Hawk.

He called me a chief, did he not?

I demand test of a warrior.

And as honorary guest,

I wish to undergo the ceremony

before Great Horse.

What are you doing?

You heard Miss Lane. I'm stalling.

You don't know what you're saying.

You'll be clawed to death.

I'm gambling on Superman to arrive on time.

That's what I'm doing.

And I've never been much of a gambler.

Red Hawk,

your new "brother" speaks like a foolish paleface.

I see no powers in him that make him rank as a chief.

Oh, no? Well, watch.

[RINGS]

Yes?

Oh, Clark, thank heavens.

Oh, hello, Lois. I just got back.

Yes, the chief told me about your Indian expedition.

How's life in the wigwam?

It's no joke, Clark.

This weird medicine man of theirs smelled a rat

and pushed this-- ooh

--this test of a warrior ahead.

Jimmy Olsen's back at camp trying to stall them.

What? You mean to say you left Jimmy alone

with a character like that?

You know Jimmy hasn't got sense enough

to come in out of the rain.

He probably won't have to.

Hasn't rained here in months.

Oh, very funny.

Yes. Yes, of course. I'll do everything I can.

[���]

If I make the lightning gods obey me,

would that not be the mark of a chief?

It would be. If.

Then let the lightning flash.

Well...?

Red Hawk's brother is indeed a chief.

Let him enter the Cave of the Bear.

Guri.

He won't have any mercy with those claws.

You must walk to the back of the cave,

where he is waiting, and return, if you can.

Just watch me run.

Blindfolded?

Jimmy!

[GASPS]

OKATEE: Do Naga. The bear.

[GROWLING NOISES]

[GROWLING]

[GROWLING]

[GROWLING]

[GASP]

Jimmy, are you all right?

I think so.

The-- The bear.

The claws are gone.

Then the bear is no more.

And my father?

The bear must have struck the wall of the cave.

Do Naga must go on.

Great Horse must now face the Test of the Tree.

To the tree.

What is this test, Red Hawk?

Look.

He must chop down that tree with his tomahawk

in a matter of minutes.

The effort and strain will be

too much for an old man's heart.

But not too much for the Great White Bird.

Oh, if Superman would only get here.

Impossible.

Impossible.

He'll collapse at any moment now.

Mr. Kent said he'd try to get Superman--

I am grateful.

But I am afraid it'll be too late.

Look.

[CHOPPING CONTINUES]

The Great White Bird.

It's Superman, Red Hawk. The help you asked for.

Wait a minute. He's trying to tell us something.

It is the sign language of my people.

What does he want?

He wants to get across

the open space to the tree

and my father,

without my people seeing him.

I can take care of that.

Okatee.

With this machine...

the paleface keeps records

of important events.

The medicine men of my people would be proud

to have a picture

of the brave ceremony of Do Naga.

There, uh--

There will be a picture for the wise Okatee

to hang in his medicine lodge.

So be it.

All right. Now, keep your eyes on me,

and don't move.

Keep your faces right here.

That's it.

[CRACKS]

It is, indeed, a miracle.

I don't know how to thank Superman and you.

Golly. You translated the message, didn't you?

Superman has the spirit of help,

as did the Great White Bird.

The last of Do Naga. The Test of Black Smoke.

Now your fate is indeed

with the gods, my father.

Not even the Great White Bird can help you.

I wanted only one thing, Red Hawk.

That you should one day be chief.

Should the time come,

I pray to the gods that I will be

as brave a warrior as Great Horse was.

Was? Wait a minute.

You're talking as though he were already--

Pipe of black smoke means death,

if the medicine man is displeased.

And Okatee is angry.

That is quite obvious, Mr. Olsen.

Oh, what will happen?

Okatee will fill the pipe.

My father will smoke it.

If the gods will it, the legend says he will live.

But if Okatee is against Great Horse becoming chief--

But why should he be?

I think he senses that I am against

the old superstitions and fears

that the medicine men

have always played on to rule us.

Besides, he lost face

when the bear lost his claws

and the tree fell so easily.

It is time.

[���]

No.

I won't let him go through with it.

It'll break his heart,

but I'm going to stop it.

What is it?

That black powder, it is a poison.

I am sure of it.

I won't let my father smoke it.

I won't let you smoke that black smoke.

It would be foolish--

My son.

If I have not the courage to complete Do Naga...

tell me...

can a man live without honor?

Could I ever again face my people?

Or you?

The black smoke.

Great Spirit. Touch the pipe to be smoked.

Let the lips

of the warrior Great Horse

bring him life...

or death.

Do Naga.

The smoke, it's white.

The outside of the bowl, it's-- It's charred.

Somehow, the black, poisonous powder

was burned away... neutralized.

I don't know where Superman is,

but I'll bet his x-ray vision

had something to do with this.

The Great White Bird has brought you a new chief.

The good spirit of help

is now with our people, Okatee.

Not your evil tricks.

You speak of legends, Red Hawk.

There is no such person.

You speak with split tongue to the tribe.

Oh, Great White Bird.

The time has come.

I need your help.

Did you ask my help, my friend?

For what you have done, I am grateful.

This is a trick.

A paleface trick.

He is not the Great White Bird.

The Great White Bird could run the gauntlet, untouched.

Let this one dare that, Red Hawk.

Oh, boy, what a cinch.

Get up your gauntlet, brother tribesman,

and watch Super--

I mean, uh, watch the Great White Bird

run it like it's never been run before.

Prepare the gauntlet.

[���]

Let the warriors strike hard.

Now.

[WARRIORS SHOUTING]

Do Naga is complete.

I am chieftain of this tribe.

Okatee, hear my words.

Red Hawk shall be the true medicine man of our people.

And he shall succeed me as chief.

Warriors of the past.

Gods and Great Spirit.

Peace and plenty must be ours...

for the Great White Bird

has come amongst us, and he has blessed us.

Let the hunting be good.

Let the warriors be brave.

And above all...

let there be rain.

Rain is our greatest need.

But not even the Great White Bird

can bring us that blessing.

Great Horse. Wait.

Remember the legend of the Great White Bird.

Remember how he flew away into the sky?

Let this man of paleface trickery fly.

Such is the test of the Great White Bird.

[���]

[LOUD EXPLOSION IN SKY]

Well, I wish I could have been there.

It sounds like it must have been pretty exciting.

Golly, look at the swell souvenir I got.

The hatchet Great Horse used

to chop the tree down.

I got one too.

A necklace from the claws of the bear.

My father is honored

to present you with a symbol

of our tribe's gratitude.

You have shared

the blessings and friendship

of the Great White Bird with my people.

I name you Okeecheboygan.

"He who writes with thundering machine."

Gosh, chief.

Don't call me--

Well, all right, James.

This is one time you may call me, "chief."

[ALL LAUGH]

And thank you very much.

[���]

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.