All language subtitles for Superman (1978) 720p 3 Hour TV Version - fiveofseven

BOY: "In the decade of the 1930s,
even the great city of Metropolis...

...was not spared the ravages
of the worldwide depression.

In the times of fear and confusion,
the job of informing the public...

was the responsibility
of the Daily Planet...

...a great metropolitan newspaper,
whose reputation for clarity and truth...

...had become a symbol of hope
for the city of Metropolis."

JOR-EL:
This is no fantasy...

...no careless product
of wild imagination.

No, my good friends.

These indictments
I have brought you today...

...the specific charges listed herein
against the individuals...

...their acts of treason,
their ultimate aim of sedition...

...these are matters of undeniable fact.

I ask you now to pronounce judgment...

...on those accused.

On this....

This mindless aberration,
whose only means of expression...

...are wanton violence and destruction.

On the woman, Ursa...

...whose perversions
and unreasoning hatred of all mankind...

...have threatened even the children
of the planet Krypton.

Finally, General Zod.

Once trusted by this council...

...charged with maintaining the defense
of the planet Krypton itself.

Chief architect
of this intended revolution...

...and author of this insidious plot
to establish a new order amongst us...

...with himself as absolute ruler.

You have heard the evidence.

The decision of the council
will now be heard.

Guilty.

COUNCILMEN:
Guilty.

Guilty.

The vote must be unanimous, Jor-El.

It has therefore
now become your decision.

You alone will condemn us if you wish...

...and you alone
will be held responsible by me.

Join us.

You have been known to disagree
with the council before.

Yours could become an important voice
in the new order...

...second only to my own.

I offer you a chance
for greatness, Jor-El!

Take it! Join us!

You will bow down before me, Jor-El.

I swear it.

No matter that it takes an eternity,
you will bow down before me!

Both you...

...and then one day...

...your heirs!

No!

- Let us out of here!
- Help me!

URSA: Forgive me!
ZOD: I shall return!

Forgive me!

I shall return!

[MACHINERY HUMMING]

An unpleasant duty
has been masterly performed, Jor-El.

They have received the fate
they deserved.

Isolation in the Phantom Zone...

...an eternal living death.

A chance for life, nonetheless.

As opposed to us.

It's suicide. No, it's worse.

It's genocide.

Be warned, Jor-El.

The council has already evaluated
this outlandish theory of yours.

My friends, you know me to be
neither rash nor impulsive.

I am not given to wild,
unsupported statements.

And I tell you that we must
evacuate this planet immediately.

Jor-El, you are one
of Krypton's greatest scientists.

Yes, but so is Vond-Ah.

It isn't that they question your data.
The facts are undeniable.

It's your conclusions
we find unsupportable.

This planet will explode
within 30 days, if not sooner.

I tell you,
Krypton is simply shifting its orbit.

Jor-El, be reasonable.

My friend...

...I have never been otherwise.

This madness is yours.

This discussion is terminated.

The decision of the council is final.

Any attempt by you to create a climate
of fear and panic among the populace...

...must be deemed by us
an act of insurrection.

You would accuse me of insurrection?

Has it now become a crime
to cherish life?

You would be banished
to endless imprisonment...

...in the Phantom Zone...

...the eternal void...

...which you yourself discovered.

Will you abide by the council's decision?

I will remain silent.

Neither I, nor my wife
will leave Krypton.

[MACHINERY HUMS]

[KAL-EL CRIES]

Have you finished?

Nearly.

It's the only answer, Lara.

If he remains here with us
he will die as surely as we will.

But why Earth, Jor-El?

They're primitives
thousands of years behind us.

He will need that advantage to survive.

Their atmosphere will sustain him.

LARA:
He will defy their gravity.

JOR-EL:
He will look like one of them.

He won't be one of them.

No.

His dense molecular structure
will make him strong.

He'll be odd. Different.

He'll be fast. Virtually invulnerable.

Isolated, alone.

[SIGHS]

He will not be alone.

He will never be alone.

KRYPTONIAN:
The energy input to Jor-El's quarters...

...is now in excess.

Our data indicates the loss is due
to a misuse of energy.

Investigate.

And if the investigation
proves correct?

He knew the penalty he faced.

Even as a member of this council.

The law will be upheld.

You will travel far, my little Kal-El.

But we will never leave you...

...even in the face of our deaths.

The richness of our lives,
it will be yours.

All that I have, all that I've learned,
everything I feel...

...all this and more...

...I bequeath you, my son.

You will carry me inside you
all the days of your life.

You will make my strength your own,
see my life through your eyes...

...as your life will be seen through mine.

The son becomes the father,
and the father the son.

This is all I....

All I can send you...

...Kal-El.

[HIGH-PITCHED HUMMING]

[EXPLOSIONS OUTSIDE]

[HUMMING]

[CRASHING]

[MACHINERY BEEPING]

[BEEPING FASTER]

[SCREAMING]

[HIGH-PITCHED WHINE]

[SCREAMING]

ZOD:
Stop. Stop, stop!

JOR-EL [OVER CRYSTAL]:
--which Einstein called...

...his theory of relativity.

Embedded in the crystals before you is
the total accumulation of all literature...

...and scientific fact
from dozens of other worlds...

...spanning the 28 known galaxies.

Early Chinese writings point out
the complex relationships....

By carrying this complex equation
to its ultimate power, my son....

Chief among these powers
will be your sight...

...your strength, your hearing...

...your ability to propel yourself
at almost limitless speed.

The early history of our universe was
a bloody mosaic of interplanetary war.

Each of the six galaxies
which you will pass through...

...contain their own individual law,
space and time.

It is forbidden for you to interfere
with human history.

[SIZZLING]

[CRASHES]
[SCREAMS]

What was that?

[TIRE POPS]

Now, wouldn't that beat all get-out?

Will you-- You....

Huh?

Pa....

Oh, my.

[METAL CLANGS]

[GRUNTING]

All these years, as happy as we've been...

...how I've prayed the good Lord...

...see fit to give us a child.

Honey, will you hand me
that rag up there.

You take things easy, Jonathan.

Remember what Doc Frye said
about that heart of yours.

Now the first thing we've got to do
when we get home is find out...

...who that boy's proper family is.

He hasn't got any.
Not around here, anyway.

Martha, are you thinking
what I think you're thinking?

We could say he's the child
of my cousin in North Dakota.

And just now orphaned.

- Oh, Martha.
- Jonathan, he's only a baby.

Martha, now, you saw how we found him.

There's something very strange about that boy.

Yeah, you saw him.
Martha, you saw him...

...just as plain as I did, Martha.

Martha Clark Kent, are you listening
to what I'm saying?

Jonathan!

Alright, bring that ball back.
Come on, now.

Again, and through the uprights!

[CHEERING AND CHANTING]

COACH: Pick up that ball, it's a fumble!
Come on back, let's sharpen and try again.

CHEERLEADERS:
Hey, yo! Let's go!

[COACH BLOWS WHISTLE]

Come on, let's get that ball over the uprights,
not underneath it!

What, do you think that ball's gonna do,
just fly there by itself?

- Come on!
GIRLS: Ra, ra, ra!

What's wrong?
We've got to get it together, guys.

[WHISTLE BLOWS]

Come on, gang.

BOY 1:
Come on.

BOY 2: That was a great game.
BOY 3: Yeah, but next week we're....

GIRL 1:
Alright.

Come on, gang, hustle. Let's go.

Stack your helmets neatly.

Remember about those uniforms.
Cleaned and washed by tomorrow...

...and looking like a football team.

Clark, have the clothes
washed and ready...

- ...for tomorrow's game.
- Yes, sir.

Got to beat Mount Vernon High!

BOY 4: Can you give me a lift?
COACH: Home early!

Lana? Don't bother with these, huh?

I'll take them in
with the other equipment.

- Thank you, Clark.
- Sure.

I think you're the nicest guy
in the whole school.

Well, thanks.

Of course, it's part of the job,
being team manager and all.

And I'd do it for you anyway.

Listen, a whole bunch of us
are going up to Mary Ellen's...

...play some records.

Would you like to come?

Oh, well....

Heh. I don't know....

Sure. Sounds like it'd be a lot of fun.

Kent can't make it.
Still got a lot of work to do.

What are you talking about?
I just finished stacking all the--

- All that?
- Oh.

Oh, Brad.

GIRL 2:
Hey, come on, Lana.

ALL:
Bad taste, bad Brad.

[GIGGLING AND CHATTERING]

Sorry, Lana.
Guess I'd better clean it up.

BRAD:
Come on, Lana.

Come on, let's go.

- He's got to clean up.
- Bye, Clark.

- Yeah. Bye, Lana.
- Clean this up, Clark.

GIRL 3: Let's go.
GIRL 4: Bye, Clark.

BOY 5: We're off to Mary Ellen's.
GIRL 4: See you, Clark.

GIRL 3:
Alright.

GIRL 4: Bye, Clark.
BOY 5: Bye, Clark.

GIRL 3: Bye, Clark. See you tomorrow.
Bye-bye.

[TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS]

Woo-hoo!

Golly, I saw a boy out there
run as fast as the train!

Faster even!

Lois Lane, you have a writer's gift
for invention.

- I'll say that for you.
- But-- But--

Lois, please read your book.

No one ever believes me.

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING
OVER CAR STEREO]

[CHEERLEADERS CHEERING]

[TEENS CHATTERING]

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYS ON RADIO]

Hey, look. There's Clark.

BOY:
How come he's here?

Clark.

How'd you get here so fast?

- I ran.
BRAD: Ran, huh?

Told you he's an oddball.
Let's get out of here.

Been showing off a bit,
haven't you, son?

Uh....

I didn't mean to show off, Pa.

It's just that, guys like that Brad,
I just want to tear them apart.

Yeah. I know.

- Yeah, I know I shouldn't.
- Yeah, I know...

...you can do all these amazing things...

...and sometimes you think
that you will just go bust...

...unless you can tell people about it.

Yeah. I mean, every time
I get the football...

- ...I can make a touchdown. Every time.
- That's for sure.

I mean, is it showing off
if somebody's doing...

...the things he's capable of doing?
Is a bird showing off when it flies?

No. No, now you listen to me.

When you first came to us,
we thought people...

...would come take you away
because when they found out...

...you know, the things you could do,
and that worried us a lot.

Then a man gets older,
and he thinks very differently...

...and things get very clear.

And there's one thing I do know, son...

...and that is you are here for a reason.

I don't know whose reason,
but whatever the reason...

...maybe it's because....

I don't know, it's....

But I do know one thing:

It's not to score touchdowns.

Huh?

Thanks, Dad.

I'll race you to it. Dad.

- You Will, huh?
- Come on. Come on, Pop, run.

Come on. Move. Move.
Yeah, go, go, go. Come on, run.

[DOG BARKING]

Hey, Baron! Hey, Baron. Hey, boy.

[PANTING]

Oh, no.

Jonathan.

Jonathan!

Dad.

Jonathan!

No! Jonathan!

All those things I can do...

...all those powers...

...and I couldn't even save him.

[RADIO CRACKLING]

[CRACKLING STOPS]

[WHIRRING SOUND BEGINS]

[WOLF HOWLS]

[DOG BARKING]

[ROOSTER CROWS]

Clark, get up.

Good morning, Smiley.

Clark, breakfast.

Are you gonna sleep all day?

Clark, come on. Get up.

[ROOSTER CROWS]

[DOG BARKING]

I have to leave.

I knew this time would come.

We both knew it...

...from the day we found you.

I talked to Ben Hubbard yesterday...

...and he said that he'd be happy
to help out from now on.

[EXHALES SHARPLY]

Mother....

I know, son.

I know.

Do you know where you're headed?

North.

Remember us, son.

Always remember us.

[HIGH-PITCHED WHINE]

[CRYSTAL WHINES]

JOR-EL [OVER CRYSTAL]:
My son...

...you do not remember me.

I am Jor-El.

I'm your father.

By now, you will have reached
your 18th year...

...as it is measured on Earth.

By that reckoning,
I will have been dead...

...for many thousands of your years.

The knowledge that I have...

...matters physical and historic...

...I've given you fully on your voyage
to your new home.

These are important matters, to be sure,
but still matters of mere fact.

There are questions to be asked.

And it is time for you to do so.

Here in this...

This Fortress of Solitude...

...we shall try to find
the answers together.

How does a good man live?
What is virtue?

When does a man's obligation to those
around him exceed his obligation to himself?

And these are not simple questions.

Even on Krypton...

...there is no precise science
which provides us with the answers.

I can only tell you
what I myself believe.

And to this end I've tried to anticipate
your questions...

...in the order of their importance to you.

So, my son...

...speak.

Who am I?

Your name is Kal-El.

You are the only survivor
of the planet Krypton.

Even though you've been raised
as a human being...

...you are not one of them.

You have great powers...

...only some of which
you have as yet discovered.

Come with me now, my son...

...as we break through the bonds
of your earthly confinement.

Traveling through time and space
in the six known dimensions.

Your powers will far exceed
those of mortal men.

It is forbidden for you to interfere
with human history.

Rather, let your leadership
stir others to.

In this next year, we shall examine
the human heart.

It is more fragile than your own.

For the past two years--

As we pass through the flaming turmoil
which is the edge of your own galaxy...

...we'll enter the realm
of the red Krypton sun...

...source of your strength
and nourishment...

...cause of our eventual destruction.

The planet Krypton, my son.

Your home, as it was.

This year, we shall examine
the various concepts of immortality...

...and their basis in actual fact.

The total accumulation of all knowledge,
spanning the 28 known galaxies...

...is embedded in the crystals
which I have sent along with you.

Study them well, my son...

...and learn from them.
We've reasoned out logical judgments.

By the time you return
to the confines of your galaxy...

...12 of your years will have passed.

For this reason, among others,
I have chosen Earth for you.

It is now time for you to rejoin
your new world...

...and to serve its collective humanity.

Live as one of them, Kal-El...

...to discover where your strength
and your power are needed.

Always hold in your heart
the pride of your special heritage.

They can be a great people, Kal-El.
They wish to be.

They only lack the light to show the way.

For this reason above all,
their capacity for good...

...I have sent them you...

...my only son.

[WHISTLE BLOWING]
[HORNS HONKING]

CAB DRIVER:
Okay, this is it, mac, the Daily Planet.

Fresh fruit. Hey, lady,
how about a tomato?

Fresh fruit.
Hey, baby, how's it going?

Hey, fresh fruit and vegetables.
They're so fresh....

Fresh fruit and vegetables.
Get them while they're hot.

Look at these tomatoes.
Aren't they beautiful?

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

[TYPEWRITER KEYS CLACKING]

[PHONE RINGING]

He did a great job.
You see his article this morning?

JIMMY:
Smile.

- How many T's in "bloodletting"?
- Two.

- What are you writing, Miss Lane?
- An ode to spring.

- How do you spell "massacre"?
- Uh...

- M-A-S-S-A-C-R-E.
- A...C...

...R-E. Thank you.

Golly, how come you get
all the great stories?

A good reporter doesn't
get great stories, Jimmy.

- A good reporter...
[LOIS AND PERRY] ...makes them great.

Here's that story
on the East Side murder.

Way I see, it's a banner headline,
front page with maybe my picture--

There's only one P in "rapist."
Lois Lane, say hello to Clark Kent.

- Told you one P.
- Hello, Miss Lane. How are--?

LOIS: Remember my expose
on the sex and drug orgies...

...in the senior citizens home?

How you doing?
Jimmy Olsen, photographer.

- Oh, hi. Clark Kent. Nice to meet you.
- Yeah.

It's got everything. It's got sex,
violence, the ethnic angle--

So does a lady wrestler
with a foreign accent.

- Kent, can you open this?
- Oh, sure, Mr. White.

This could be a series of articles:

"Making Sense of Senseless Killings,"
by Lois Lane.

We get psychologists, sociologists--

Lois, you're pushing a bunch
of rinky-dink tabloid garbage.

- The Daily Planet has a tradition--
- Oh, I'm sorry.

Gosh, I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to shake it up like that.

CLARK:
Oh, of course not, Lois.

Why would anyone want to make
a total stranger look like a fool?

- I'll take that.
- Oh, thank-- I'm sorry, Mr. White.

Olsen, why am I paying you when
I should have you arrested for loitering?

- Go get Mr.... A towel.
- Kent.

- Move, kid, move.
- Right, chief.

- Make mine black, no sugar.
- Right, chief.

- And don't call me sugar.
- "Blood is in Metropolis...

- Right, sugar.
- ...while the crocuses bloom."

Chief wants coffee, no sugar.
I'll take tea with lemon.

Lois, why don't you take Kent
out to meet everybody, huh?

Just introduce him around.
He's starting with the paper today.

I'm giving him the city beat.

Chief, that's my beat.

Lois, Clark Kent may seem like just
a mild-mannered reporter, but listen...

...not only does he know how to treat
his editor in chief with respect...

...not only does he have a snappy
punchy prose style...

...but he is, in my 40 years in this
business, the fastest typist I've seen.

- That's great.
- Excuse me. I'm sorry.

Here, you forgot my article.

Oh, excuse me, Mr. White?

I was wondering if perhaps
you could arrange for half my salary...

...to be sent to this address
on a weekly basis.

- Your bookie, right?
- My what?

Don't tell me, he sends a check every week
to his sweet, gray-haired mother.

Actually, she's silver-haired.

Uh, I'll see what I can do.

Uh, thank you very much, Mr. White.

Excuse me.

Well....

Any more at home like you?

Not really, no.

I didn't think so.

- Well, get yourself a desk over here.
- Over here?

Yeah, right here.
There are some papers in a pile right there.

Sorry. Excuse me.

- Hi, Bill Breesen.
- Hi, Clark Kent.

- Very nice to meet you.
- Welcome aboard.

Thank you.

- Here's your towel, Mr. Clark.
- Um, Kent.

- What?
- Kent.

Oh. Clark Kent.

Jimmy Olsen.

WOMAN: Yeah. It's fantastic.
LOIS: So you--?

- I met this really great guy.
- Hey, fabulous.

Yeah, fabulous.
I met him at this dude ranch.

- Did you know I used to ride?
- Yeah, I've been since I was 7.

- Oh, I gotta mail these letters.
- Okay, bye. Good luck tonight.

- Oh, hi, Clark.
- Hi, Lois.

How'd you like your first day on the job?

Well, frankly, the hours
were sort of longer than I expected...

...but on the whole, I mean, meeting you
and Jimmy Olsen and Mr. White...

...gosh, I'd say it's been swell.

- Swell?
- Yeah.

You know, Clark, there are very few people
left in the world...

...who feel comfortable saying that word.

- What word?
-"Swell."

Really? I always thought
it was kind of natural.

Ooh.

- I'm sorry.
- Clark.

MAN:
It's alright.

- Sorry, Lois.
- Oh, hi, Rex.

- Oh, Lois.
- See anything good today?

- Not until you came along.
- Lois?

- Oh, Rex, this is--
- Clark Kent.

- Yeah, hi, see you around.
- Bye.

- Lois?
- Hey, where you going?

- Can I help you with your coat?
- Oh, yeah. Thanks.

- So you like Mr. White.
- I thought he was a nice guy.

- Jimmy Olsen was fantastic.
THUG: Hey, come here.

Come on, come on. Get in here.
Hurry up. Come on.

- We'd better get out of here.
- I think we'd better do what he says.

- Come on, come on. Get in here, quick.
- Don't do anything.

- That's it.
- We're coming.

- Come on.
- We're coming. Excuse me.

- Go on, back there.
- Here?

Please don't point that at me, sir.

- You could hurt somebody with that.
- Yeah, yeah.

- Okay, okay, hold it there.
- Just a minute, mister.

I realize of course that times are tough
for some these days...

...but this isn't the answer.

You can't solve society's problems
with a gun.

You know something, buddy? You're
right. I'm gonna turn over a new leaf.

Good for you, sir. That's the spirit.
He doesn't really want to hurt anybody.

Uh-huh.

- Right after I rip off this lady's purse.
- Of course.

Now come on, lady, hand it over.

Lois, I think maybe you better....

CLARK:
Lois, what are you doing?

[GRUNTING]

Clark! Clark.

Clark, are you alright? Clark!

What happened?

Golly. I guess I must have fainted.

Fainted?

- You fainted?
- Sorry.

Swell.

Oh, really, Lois, supposing that man
had shot you?

Is it worth risking your life over $10, two
credit cards, a hairbrush, and lipstick?

- How'd you know that?
- Know what?

You just described the exact contents
of my purse.

Hm.

Um, wild guess.

Taxi!

- Mustard, sauerkraut?
- Plain.

- What, no mustard or sauerkraut?
- No, plain, man. Plain.

Here's a buck.
Go buy yourself a trip to Bermuda.

Gee, thanks a lot.

- Hey.
- Hi, Otis.

- So, what's happening, partner?
- Look what we got.

- Let's take him.
- Wait a minute.

Maybe he'll lead us
to the big man himself.

- Lex Luthor?
- You got it, Armus.

We'll make captain by midnight.

Metropolis 46 to headquarters.
We have suspect under surveillance.

Let's go.

Hey, what do you read?

XK 101 rocket to be used.

Hey, what do you read?

- Hey, Matt.
- Hey, hey, Otis.

Just getting the Daily Planet here.

Hey, what do you read?
Down, down.

Okay, okay.

Okay. Alright. See, I'm paying him.
I got a pretzel too.

Thanks, Otis. Okay.
How many did he take, Shutzy?

WOMAN [OVER PA]:
Now arriving on track 10 upper level...

...the Yankee Clipper from Augusta, Boston,
Springfield, Hartford....

This is Metropolis 46. We're on foot.
Over and out.

Let's go.

WOMAN [OVER PA]:
Your attention, please.

Your attention, please.

Metropolis Railway is announcing
a delay of departure for the express...

...to Philadelphia, Cleveland, Indianapolis,
and Chicago.

That train will now depart on Track 28
lower level at 8:15.

No further delays are expected at this time.

WOMAN [OVER PA]:
Your attention, please.

Your attention, please.

The Metropolis Flyer is now ready
for departure...

...on the upper level, Track 6,
stopping at New Rochelle.

Alright, he's going down to
the train platform. I'm going after him.

Okay, Harry. I'll call for backup.
Be careful, now.

- Alright, Armus, alright.
WOMAN: All aboard, please.

Now boarding on the lower level--

MAN: Smoking cars forward, all aboard.
- Hey.

Metropolis Transportation. Metropolis
Transportation. Buffalo, Syracuse.

Come along, gotta get these oars going.
Keep it moving, keep it moving.

Ten minutes we leave, folks.
Ten minutes.

Metropolis Transportation, folks.
Hurry along, now.

All aboard. Boarding.

Ten minutes, folks.
Come on, air-conditioned cars.

Mount Vernon, Poughkeepsie,
Glen Corners.

Aboard now. All aboard.
Metropolis Transportation.

Metropolis Transportation.
Buffalo, Syracuse.

Smoking cars are forward.
Move along now.

Put your luggage up the top.

Smoking cars forward.
All aboard. Boarding.

Armus, Armus, make it Track 22.

I seen him, and I'm right on him.
Lower level, Track 22.

[TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS]

[BELL DINGING]

So that's it.

Armus, come in please. Listen,
make it Track 23. Repeat, Track 23.

I watched him and I think
I know how he does it. Out.

[MACHINE BUZZING]

LEX: It's amazing that brain can generate
enough power to keep those legs moving.

[TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS]

[HYDRAULICS HISS]

[GRUNTING]

[SCREAMS]

Harry.

Harry, where are you? Harry.

Oh, no.

Harry....

Sick.

- Sick. You're really sick.
- Sick, Miss Teschmacher?

Sick, when I'm mere days from executing
the crime of the century?

No, no, no.
Step away from that, please.

How do you choose to congratulate
the greatest criminal mind of our time?

Do you tell me that I'm brilliant?
Oh, no, no.

That would be too obvious, I grant you.

Charismatic. Fiendishly gifted.

Try "twisted."

[CHUCKLES]

Get away from there.
Get away, get away, get away!

Tell me something, Lex.

Why do so many people have to die
for the crime of the century?

Why? You ask why?

Why does the phone always ring
when you're in the bathtub?

Why is the most brilliantly
diabolical leader of our time...

...surrounding himself
with total nincompoops?

I'm back, Mr. Luthor.

Yes, I was just talking about you.

You were followed again.

In spite of those catlike reflexes.

Mr. Luthor. Mr. Luthor, I'm sorry.

Otis.

Is that the newspaper
I asked you to get me?

Yeah.

Why am I not reading it?

Because I haven't given it to you yet?

- Right.
- Oh.

At last, it's official.

Thanks to the generous help of the United
States government, we will pull off...

...the greatest real-estate swindle
of all time.

Lex, what is this obsession
with real estate?

All the time, "land, land, land."

Miss Teschmacher, when I was
6 years old, my father said to me--

"Get out."

Before that. He said,
"Son, stocks may rise and fall.

Utilities and transportation systems
may collapse.

People are no damn good.
But they will always need land...

...and they'll pay through the nose
to get it."

"Remember," my father said....

- Land.
- Right.

It's a pity that he didn't see
from such humble beginnings...

...how I've created this empire.

An empire? This?

Miss Teschmacher,
how many girls do you know...

...who have a Park Avenue address
like this one?

Park Avenue address?

Two hundred feet below.

Do you realize what people
are shelling out up there...

...for a few miserable rooms
off a common elevator?

TOGETHER:
What more could anyone ask?

Sunshine? A night on the town
instead of under it?

[GROWLING]

- Otis?
- Yes?

Did you feed the babies?

Not-- Not today, Mr. Luthor.

Otis, feed the babies.

- Mr. Luthor, please.
- Otis!

[GASPS]

[SIGHS]

Relax.

[GROWLING AND SNARLING]

[PLAYING CLASSICAL MUSIC ON PIANO]

[BUBBLING AND SNORTING]

Your babies weren't hungry, Mr. Luthor.

Ugh. Lex, you're sick.

You are really sick.

You would take a diaper pin
to cut a baby's throat.

You'd fix the brakes
on your own grandmother's wheelchair.

I don't know, just explain
one thing to me, Lex.

Why do I love you so much?

[CHUCKLES]

Because life with me is never dull.

No, it's never dull, Lex...

...because you are the pits.

You're really the pits.

Later.

- Olsen!
JIMMY: Yeah?

Get this Loch Ness update
right into Composing.

Yeah? No, that's it, Roth.
Put it to bed. Right.

- What are you standing around here for?
- I'm not--

- I wasn't gonna say it.
- Go.

- Ah, the sex maniac profile.
- Right.

Look, 9-to-5 it's a Pulitzer Prize winner.
What do you bet?

There's no Z in "brassiere."

Hey, nice job
on that union scandal, Kent.

Well, gosh, thanks, Mr. White.

Uh....

Oh, hi, Clark. Good night.

- Here, let me carry that for you.
- Oh, thanks a lot.

Lois, have you got a minute?

Excuse me, please. Lois?

And these two go to the addresses
on the envelope, okay?

Lois, I was wondering if you
would like to have dinner with me?

- Gosh, Clark, I'm sorry. I'm booked.
- Oh.

Air Force One's landing at the airport
and this kid's there...

...to make sure you-know-who answers
a few questions he'd rather duck.

- My goodness, don't you ever let up?
- What for?

I've seen how the other half lives.
My sister, for instance.

Three kids, two cats,
and one mortgage. Yech.

I would go bananas in a week.

Oh, can I take you to the airport?

Not unless you can fly.

- Clark? Ladies.
- Sorry.

- Change my clothes. Thank you. Bye.
- Hey, Lois, maybe we could--?

[SIGHS]

Um....

Lois?

- Would you be a pet and mail that?
- Oh, sure-- Good night.

[EXHALES SHARPLY]

Oh. Going down, please. Going down.

- Going down?
- Going up, up, up.

[CHATTERING]

Good night.

MAN [OVER RADIO]:
Daily Planet Copter 1, this is ground.

PILOT [OVER RADIO]:
Planet 1, go ahead.

MAN: We have Miss Lane for a ride to
Metropolis Airport to meet Air Force One.

PILOT: Roger, we're on our way
and have you in sight.

Have one aboard for transfer, over.

MAN: Roger, Planet 1. You're cleared.
Wind, 020 at 15, gusting.

Altimeter two-niner-eight-niner.

PILOT:
Roger, over and out.

[HELICOPTER WHIRRING]

[RATTLING]

A malfunction. Can't get liftoff.

MAN: You hooked the cable.
- What's happening?

- Ah!
- Set it down.

Oh, my God! We've lost stabilizer
rotor control, I can't hold it!

I can't hold it! I can't hold it!

[SCREAMING]

Wake up!

Help!

Help! Help!

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

[LOIS GRUNTING]

[SIRENS WAILING]

Come on, step back. Step back, folks.

- Alright, let's get back a little.
- Move over across the street.

Bring the cameras over here. Okay.

Okay, you see the helicopter up there?

Help me!

[SHRIEKS]

COP: Alright, move back.
Let the ambulance through.

Help me!

Ah!

Okay. Come on, hold it. Get back.

[SCREAMING]

Come on. Come on, get off the streets.
Come on, get back.

Move, let the firemen through.

Boys, come on, now. Make a line.

Move to the other side of the street.

Come on. Get along.

Get away from the building.

Hold these crowds back. Move. Move.

LOIS:
Help me!

[HONKING]

- Say, Jim, woo!
- Excuse me.

That's a bad outfit.

- Woo!
- Okay, Bresslaw, move these people out.

COP:
Oh, God, look up there.

What the hell's that?

- Oh!
- Easy, miss. I've got you.

You-- You've got me?

Who's got you?

I can't believe it. I just cannot believe it.
He got her.

[GASPING]

[SCREAMS]

[CHEERING]

Gentlemen, this man needs help.

Well, I certainly hope this little incident
hasn't put you off flying, miss.

Statistically speaking, of course,
it's still the safest way to travel.

Right. Wait.

Who are you?

A friend.

Bye.

[GRUNTING]

Hi there. Something wrong
with the elevator?

Ah!

Going down.

Nah.

Officer.

Good evening, Officer Mooney.

Well, they say confession
is good for the soul.

I'd listen to this man.

Take him away.

[TIRES SCREECH]

[SIREN WAILING]

Come on. Let's get out of here.

[GUNFIRE IN DISTANCE]

MAN 1:
Move your ass. Come on. Come on.

Okay, let's go. Let's go.

Drop your weapons.
Drop your weapons.

Come on, let's get out of here.

COP:
Okay, hold it. Hold it right there.

- Freeze, you turkeys.
MAN 2: Don't shoot.

MAN 3:
Be cool. You got us.

Bad vibrations?

Sergeant, you don't believe me.
I swear, flying.

With a big red cape
and bright red boots, as well.

- Watch the desk.
- Quick as a wink, he was gone.

Flew up in the air again, he did,
like a big blue bird.

- A blue bird...
- You don't believe me.

- ...with bright red boots.
- Flying.

Take off, go back to Murphy's bar.

- Continue what you started.
- Don't believe me.

I'll be off in a few minutes
and I'll meet you there myself.

[CROWD CLAMORING]

Mooney, the first bottle's on me.

Let me get my hat.

[THUNDER CRASHES]

GIRL: Hey, Frisky,
will you come down from there.

Hey, cat. Come on, Frisky,
come down!

Come on down, you dumb cat.

Come on.

Frisky, you dumb cat, will you
come down from there?

Come on, Frisky, come on.
Come down.

Hi. I'll get him.

[MEOWS]

Come on. It's alright.

Here you go, miss.

Gee, thanks, mister.
He's such a naughty cat.

- I always tell him not to--
- Hold on, now.

Let's not be too hard on Frisky, okay?
You know something...

...we all get a little afraid of heights
now and again.

Well...

...goodbye, Frisky. So long, now.

- Bye.
- Bye.

Mommy, Mommy,
Frisky was stuck in the tree.

This man swooped out of the sky
and gave him to me.

MOM:
Haven't I told you to stop telling lies?

[THUNDER CRASHING]

Get a weather report
from Metropolis Airport.

Metropolis Airport,
this is Air Force One.

- Could we have the weather report?
MAN: Roger, Air Force One.

Metropolis, currently
ceiling 500 overcast.

700 broken,
visibility one half and showers.

Wind 240 at 25,
altimeter niner-niner-eight.

Roger.

Well, it doesn't look too good.
What do you think?

No, it doesn't.

Yeah, and the old man hates bumpy,
that's great.

- Better tell him to get rid of his drink.
- The old man drinks?

After a mouthful of peanuts,
wouldn't you? Ha-ha-ha.

- What the hell was that?
- What happened?

We lost power in number one.

Lost power? We lost the whole engine.

- Shut down one.
- Pull one throttle closed.

- Bring up two and three.
- There's not enough pressure....

Mayday, mayday, Metropolis tower.
Air Force One.

We have lost port outboard engine
and part of wing.

Request emergency landing.
What's the position?

Ten miles southwest
of Metropolis Airport.

- Notify them the president's on board.
- Position, 10 miles...

...that's 10 miles southwest
Metropolis Airport.

Heading 305. Height, 6000 feet.

What the hell happened?
We got our engine back?

What the hell's going on out there?

Fly. Don't look. Just fly.

We got something.

I ain't saying what it is. Just trust me.

JOR-EL:
You enjoyed it.

I don't know what to say, Father.

I'm afraid I just got carried away.

- I anticipated this, my son.
- You couldn't have.

You couldn't have imagined....

How good it felt?

You are revealed to the world.

Very well. So be it.

But you still must keep
your secret identity.

Why?

The reasons are two.

First, you cannot serve humanity
28 hours a day.

- 24.
- Or 24...

...as it is in Earth time.

Your help would be called for endlessly.

Even for those tasks which human beings
could solve themselves.

It is their habit to abuse their resources
in such a way.

And secondly?

Second, your enemies will discover...

...their only way to hurt you:

By hurting the people you care for.

Thank you, Father.

Lastly...

...do not punish yourself
for your feelings of vanity.

Simply learn to control them.

It is an affliction common to all,
even on Krypton.

Our destruction could have been avoided
but for the vanity of some...

...who consider us indestructible.

Were it not for vanity, why...

...at this very moment...

...I could embrace you in my arms...

...my son.

MAN [ON TV]: Reports are coming in
of a miraculous saving...

- ...of Air Force One...
MAN 2: A burglar was apprehended...

- ...by a man in a blue suit and red cape.
- ...rescuing Miss Lois Lane...

...writer on the Daily Planet,
with one hand, and a....

Yeah, that'll be the day, huh?

I said, that'll be the day
when a guy could fly, huh?

Oh, I don't know. You'd be surprised.

- Yeah.
- Some sort of fantastic hoax.

Your guess is as good as anybody's.

True or false, miracle or fraud?

- The answer is up to you. Man or myth?
LEX: Miss Teschmacher!

Turn it off.

[HAWAIIAN MUSIC PLAYS ON STEREO]

Mr. Luthor? What's a myth?

Something unreal.
Something not quite human.

Something like you, Otis.

I'm a myth.

Lex, what's the story on this guy?

Do you think he's the genuine article?

- If he is, he's not from this world.
- Why?

If any human being were gonna perpetrate
such a fantastic hoax...

...it would have been me.

[GASPS]

Otis! My robe!

Right away, Mr. Luthor.

It all fits somehow,
his coming here to Metropolis...

...and at this particular time.

There's kind of a cruel justice about it.

Miss Teschmacher, you look so pretty today.

I'm gonna take your picture.

Smile.

There you go.

Otis!

To commit the crime of the century...

...a man would just naturally want to face
the challenge of the century.

Listen, Mr. Luthor, maybe this guy that
flies is just sort of passing through.

- You know?
- Passing through?

Not on your life, Otis...

...which I would gladly sacrifice,
by the way...

...for the opportunity of destroying
everything that he represents.

And, Otis, by the way...

...the next time, put my robe on
after I'm out of the pool.

[GASPS]

Mr-- I'm sor--

PERRY:
Now look. The Post: "It flies."

The News: "Look, Ma, no wires."

The Times: "Blue bomb buzzes
Metropolis."

The Planet:

We have the story of the century here.

I want the name of
this whatchamacallit...

...to go with the Planet
like bacon and eggs...

...franks and beans, death and taxes,
politics and corruption.

I don't think that
he would lend himself...

...to any cheap promotion schemes,
Mr. White.

Exactly how would you know that, Kent?

Um....

Just a first impression.

Who's talking cheap?
I'll make him partner if I have to.

- Right?
- Right, chief.

I want the real story.

I want the inside dope on this guy.

Has he got a family? Where does he live?
What does the S stand for?

LOIS: "Tonight at 8, your place.
Hopefully, a friend."

PERRY:
How does he fly?

A friend?

Tony, who is he? Mike, what's his name?

What's he got hidden under
that cape? Batteries?

Why did he show up last night?

Dick, where does he come from?

Does he have a girlfriend?

What's his favorite ball team, Kent?

Now, listen to me.
I tell you, boys and girls...

...whichever one of you
gets it out of him...

...is gonna wind up with
the single most important interview...

...since God talked to Moses.

What are you standing around about for?

Move. Get on that story.

Let me tell you something, Vinnie.
A good reporter doesn't get great stories...

- ...a good reporter makes them great.
- Oh, yeah?

- Olsen!
- Yeah. Chief wants me.

- Yeah, chief?
- Black, no sugar.

[LAUGHS]

Black, no sugar! You heard him.

Sheesh.

[PHONE RINGS]

"Eight o'clock," he says, 8:00, 8:00.

Some friend.

The story of my life.
Cinderella bites the dust.

Good evening, Miss Lane.

Uh, hi.

Oh, I'm sorry,
did you have plans this evening?

Oh. Oh, this old thing-- No.

- It's no trouble at all to come later.
- No. Don't move!

Um.... Or....

Sure, you can move.

Just don't fly away, alright?

Sorry to drop in on you like this,
Miss Lane...

...but there must be a lot
of questions about me...

- ...that people would like the answers to.
- Of course, yes.

You really shouldn't smoke,
you know, Miss Lane.

Don't tell me. Lung cancer, right?

Well, not yet, thank goodness.

Um, would you like a glass of wine?

No, thanks. I never drink when I fly.

Nice place.

Oh, thank you. Thank you.

Should we get started
with the interview?

Oh. Thank you.

Well, let's start with your vital statistics.

Are you married?

No. No, I'm not.

Do you have a girlfriend?

No, I don't, but if I did, Miss Lane,
you'd be the first to know about it.

Um, how old are you?

- Over 21.
- Oh, I get it.

You don't want anyone to
know how old-- Okay.

How big are you? How tall are you?

- About 6'4".
- Six-foot-four.

- And how much do you weigh?
- Around 2, 225.

Two-- 225?

Hm.

Well, I assume, then, that...

...the rest of your bodily functions
are normal?

Sorry. I beg your pardon?

Well, putting it delicately...

...do you...

...eat?

Yes. Yes, I do. When I'm hungry.

You do. Of course you do.

Well. Well, then, is it true...

...that you can see through anything?

Yes, I can. Well, pretty much.

And that you're totally
impervious to pain?

Well, so far.

What color underwear am I wearing?

Hm.

- I'm sorry. I embarrassed you, didn't I?
- No.

- I did.
- No, no. Not at all.

It's just that this planter must be
made of lead.

- Yes, it is. So?
- Oh, you see, I...

...I sort of have a problem
seeing through lead.

Oh, that's interesting.

"Problems seeing through lead."

- Do you have a first name?
- What, like Ralph or something?

- No. I mean like--
- Pink.

- Huh?
- Pink.

I'm sorry, Miss Lane.
I didn't mean to embarrass you.

You didn't embarrass me.

Um.... Uh....

What's your background?
Where do you hail from?

Well, that's kind of
hard to explain, actually.

You see, I'm from....
Well, pretty far away.

Another galaxy, as a matter of fact.

- I come from a planet called Krypton.
- Huh?

Krypton.

Oh, Krypton. With a C-R-I...? No.

No, actually, it's Krypton,
with a K-R-Y-P-T-O-N.

K-R-Y.... Do you like pink?

I like pink very much, Lois.

- Why are you--?
- I'm sorry?

I mean, why are you here? There
must be a reason for you to be here.

Yes. I'm here to fight for truth
and justice and the American way.

You're gonna end up fighting
every elected official in this country.

I'm sure you don't really mean that, Lois.

- I don't believe this.
- Lois?

- Hm?
- I never lie.

Oh.

Um....

Uh-- Oh.

- Just how fast do you fly, by the way?
- I don't know, really.

You know, I never actually bothered
to time myself.

- No?
- Say...

...why don't we find out?

And how do you propose we do that?

Take a ride with me?

You mean I can fly?

Actually, I'd be handling the flying,
if that's okay.

- This is utterly fantastic.
- Wait a minute. Where are you going?

- Are you serious?
- Sure.

What's the matter, don't you want to go?

Okay. You don't need these.

I need a sweater.
It must be kind of cold.

No, you'll be warm enough.

- Ready?
- Clark...

...said that you're just a figment
of somebody's imagination...

...like Peter Pan.

Clark. Who's that, your boyfriend?

Clark? Oh, Clark. No, he's nothing.

- He's just a--
- Peter Pan, huh?

Uh-huh.

Peter Pan flew with children, Lois.
In a fairy tale.

Ah!

Oh!

[GASPS]

Oh! Ah!

[SCREAMING]

LOIS:
Can you read my mind?

Do you know what it is
that you do to me?

I don't know who you are.

Just a friend from another star.

Here I am, like a kid out of school...

...holding hands with a god.

I'm a fool.

Will you look at me, quivering.

Like a little girl, shivering.

You can see right through me.

Can you read my mind?

Can you picture the things
I'm thinking of?

Wondering why you are...

...all the wonderful things you are.

You can fly.

You belong in the sky.

You and I...

...could belong to each other.

If you need a friend...

...I'm the one to fly to.

If you need to be loved...

...here I am.

Read my mind.

Oh, we forgot to time ourselves.

Uh-huh.

Oh, well, maybe next time.

Oh.

- You okay?
- Uh-huh.

Well, good night.

Oh, good night.

What a super man.

Superman.

[KNOCKING]

CLARK:
Lois? Lois?

Anybody home? Hello? Lois?

- Hi. Can I come in?
- Oh, yeah.

Lois, for goodness' sake,
did you even hear me knocking?

Uh-huh.

Lois, we did have a date tonight,
remember'?

Oh.

- Lois? You haven't been:
- Oh, no, no.

Well, I should certainly hope not.
Well, let's push off, shall we?

- I'd better get a coat.
- Okay.

It might be kind of cold out.
No, I mean...

...I need a purse, and I have to
fix my hair, and...

...put some blush on...

Lois...

...there's something I have to tell you.
I'm really--

I mean, I was, at first,
really nervous about tonight.

But then I decided, well, darn it, I was
gonna show you the time of your life.

That's Clark, nice.

I was thinking maybe we could go
for a hamburger.

LEX:
Now, then...

...given the exact location of the galaxy
that he mentions...

...and the proximity
to our own solar system...

...it's amazing.

Amazing. Too good to be true.

It's too good to be true.
He's 6'4", has black hair...

...blue eyes, doesn't drink, doesn't smoke,
and tells the truth.

Miss Teschmacher, some people read
War and Peace...

...and come away thinking
it's a simple adventure story.

Others can read the ingredients
on a chewing gum wrapper...

...and unlock the secrets of the universe.

Lex, what has chewing gum got to do
with the secrets of the universe?

[SIGHS]

Right. Right, Miss Teschmacher.

[SIGHS]

N, N, N....

M. You want M, Mr. Luthor?
Coming right up.

So there you go. M.

M, as in "moron," Otis?
No, no, no. It's N!

N, as in "Neanderthal,"
"nincompoop," "nitwit."

- And L, as in "ladder"!
- Ladder, Mr. Luthor. Coming right up.

I didn't see, because I....

I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor. I-- Ooh!

In the interview,
he says that the planet Krypton...

...exploded in 1948.

Ridiculous little freak took three years
in a rocket ship to get to Earth.

- Ergo....
- Ergo. Ergo, 1948, three years....

- He's 6'4", you know that?
- I said that.

Did you say he don't drink
and he don't smoke?

I said that. It was in the paper
right there. I said it.

Do you know why the number 200
is so vitally descriptive...

...to both you and me?
It's your weight and my IQ.

Now, think, people, think.

Deductive reasoning,
that's the name of the game.

Fragments from the planet Krypton
exploded and went into outer space.

It is reasonable to assume
that some of those particles of debris...

...drifted to Earth.

Meteorites.

[SPEAKS GERMAN]

Voilà!

Voilà.

Voilà.

A meteorite found in Addis Ababa?

Uh, I know I'm gonna get rapped
in the mouth for this, but so what?

So what? You mean, to us
they are just meteorites.

Fair enough. But the level
of specific radioactivity is so high...

...to anyone from the planet Krypton,
this substance is lethal.

Wait a minute, Mr. Luthor.

You mean fire and bullets
can't hurt this guy, but this stuff here....

OTIS AND TESCHMACHER:
Will kill him.

- Oh.
- Oh.

Yeah, wow....

Doesn't it give you kind of...

...a shudder of electricity through you
to be in the same room with me?

Not like the one you'll get
when you try to lay that rock on him.

He can see you coming from miles
with those super peepers of his.

Oh, Lord, you gave them eyes,
but they cannot see.

Nor can Superman, through lead.

He can't see through lead.

And kryptonite will destroy him.

Any questions, class?

Wonder what they're wearing
in Addis Ababa.

Looks like a burnoose.

TESCHMACHER:
There's gold. It's 24 karat...

OTIS: Are we going to Addis Ababa?
- ...not 18 karat gold.

MAN 1 [OVER RADIO]:
Mother Bird to missile convoy. Over.

MAN 2:
Missile convoy to Mother Bird, go ahead.

MAN 1: Everything looks good.
See you at base. Over and out.

Roger, Mother Bird. Over and out.

[MACHINERY BEEPING]

[TIRES SCREECH]

Mr. Otis, do you live in England?

I-- I don't think so, Mr. Luthor.

Why are you driving on the left side?

[DEVICE BEEPS]
[TIRES SCREECHING]

Ready, Miss Teschmacher?

Have you ever tried running in high heels?

He probably has.

[EXHALES SHARPLY]

[SCREECHING]

God, what a mess.

- What?
- I don't know, man.

Yeah, I'm gonna get a call to headquarters.
See if we can get an ambulance here.

Uh, this is Charlie-Baker-Four....

- Man, look at this.
- Looks pretty bad.

MAN 1: Think she's dead?
MAN 2: Better check her pulse.

Alright, get an ambulance down here.

I don't wanna hold this convoy up
more than I have to.

She's having trouble breathing, sir.
What do you think?

Well, I suggest vigorous chest massage.

If that doesn't work, mouth-to-mouth.

Yes, sir.

Sergeant, I won't have one of my men
doing anything I wouldn't do myself.

- Yeah, but, sir--
- Get an ambulance.

Alright, men. Gather around.

About face!

Ow!

Hup! Two, three, four.
Hup! Two, three, four.

[CONTROLS BEEPING]

[SIREN APPROACHES]

Enough. Enough, enough, enough!
I'm okay now. I'm okay.

By the way, what did you have for lunch?
Whew!

- My, my.
- Sorry.

Hi.
Somebody hurt?

- Well, that was fast.
- Fast?

When this woman's life is at stake?

Let's see here....

- You have a stretcher?
- Get a stretcher.

- Get a stretcher.
- Get a stretcher.

- Get a stretcher.
- Get a stretcher! Go on, you guys!

- Anything I can do?
- Oh, I think you've already done it.

- Oh, yeah?
- She's gonna be alright.

TESCHMACHER: I don't feel too good.
- Miss Teschmacher...

- ...you've done very well.
- I've done very well.

I said that.

[TESCHMACHER SIGHS]

[OTIS GIGGLING]

I did it. I did it, Mr. Luthor,
Miss Teschmacher.

- I did it, just like you told me.
- Alright, Otis. Alright.

Alright, Otis. Listen,
it isn't that I don't trust you, but....

I don't trust you, Otis. What'd you do?

Well, I-- I set the first directional vector
to 38...

...the second one to 67,
and the third one to 117.

- What about the fourth one?
- What fourth one?

Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute.
The third one to 117?

Yes. See? I wrote it down, Mr. Luthor.
I wrote it--

Otis. Otis!

The third one was supposed to be 11,
and the fourth one, seven.

Oh. Well, gee, Mr. Luthor.

Oh, I see. I guess my arm
wasn't long enough, see?

Otis, would you like to see a long arm?

Otis, would you like to see
a very, very long arm?

- Oh, no, Mr. Luthor.
- Otis. Otis!

Ah!

- My marshmallow!
- Leave me alone! Give me your arm, Otis.

Hand it over! I'll wring your neck!
I'll give you a long arm!

I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

- I-- I just got-- I got mixed up.
- It's alright.

- I'll go in there and fix that thing.
- It's okay.

It's okay, Otis, it's okay.

There's another XK 101 being launched
at the same time.

See? There's another XK 101 being launched
at exactly the same time.

- I just said that.
- No, she said there was a XK 101...

...being launched at "exactly" the same time,
Mr. Luthor.

- Don't tell me that.
- But there is another XK 101 being launched...

- ...at exactly the same time.
- I told you not to tell me that!

Oh, no, no, no. Mr. Luthor, please.
She didn't mean it. Miss Teschmacher--

[OTIS AND TESCHMACHER
SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

Shut up in there!

Mr. Luthor, are you mad?

TESCHMACHER: You did it again, Otis.
- Miss Teschmacher, I think you did.

[BOTH ARGUING]

- I know! But he didn't say "exactly."
- But he always hits me!

Mr. Luthor, come on. Let me do it again.
I can get it right.

- Otis!
- I got experience now.

Otis, how would you like the heady experience
of being thrown from a moving vehicle?

You want a bite of that?

[HONKING]

[SIREN WAILS]

- Alright, get it right, will you?
- Yes, Mr. Luthor.

[HONKS]

McDonald, I thought you told me
this road was blocked off.

- Jablonski, you said it was blocked.
- I didn't ask him, I asked you.

Alright, follow me. Follow me, men.

- Back that thing off the road.
- Back that thing up out of here.

Off the road!

Back it off the road, we got a convoy.

[CAR DOORS CLOSE]

You fellas get back into that thing
and back it off the road.

We got a convoy coming through here.

Listen, you're gonna have to circle back.
I don't have time to argue.

Heck of a day, isn't it?

LEX: We took the wrong turn.
We were looking for Route 12.

- Route 12? That's back there, isn't it?
- No, sir. It's up there.

[MEN CHATTERING]

- Sergeant, we took the wrong route.
- I'm a lieutenant, a naval officer.

MAN:
Shut up!

Route 12 is back that way.

This man is a diabetic, you see.
And he has to have his insulin.

- What's he eating chocolate for?
- Well, it gives him a lot of sugar.

- Yeah.
- Alright, now listen, fellas.

Back out here, go back a few miles,
pull off--

- Just back up, we'll open an exit.
- Can't we get past you here?

[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING]

LOIS: Tell me, chief, what do you think
about all of this?

No oil, no uranium, no coal,
no precious minerals.

Hell, no water anymore.
Not since the government dammed it all up...

...to service those towns
on the other side of the mountain.

- If we still had water, we would never sell...
- Mm-hm.

- ...our beloved land.
- Well my, uh--

My associate, Mr. Olsen...

...is taking pictures of that dam,
but what I don't understand...

...is why you'd sell out
to a person you've never met.

I mean, you don't even
know his name. Oh, yeah.

MAN:
At the stupid-high price he offered...

...for this worthless piece of desert,
I hope it's Custer.

Perfect. That's just what I need,
thank you.

[ON TV] Reporting live
from the launch site, ground zero.

Well, today marks an historic occasion.

Two XK 101 rockets
will be launched simultaneously...

...one by the Army and by the Navy.

Hi, everybody. Has anybody
seen Lois around today?

GIL: No, I haven't, but the chief
wants to see you.

You're blocking the set, Clark.

Sorry, Gil. How's Judy today, okay?
Good? Great.

- Excuse me, Mr. White?
- Come in, Kent.

You wanted to see me?
Sir, have you seen Lois anywhere today?

She's out west looking into
a land fraud deal.

Sent young Olsen with her
on his first assignment.

Some unidentified clown out there
is buying up thousands of acres...

...of worthless desert
at incredible prices.

That doesn't seem to make sense.

The world doesn't make sense.
You ought to know that by now.

Look at this dispatch
from Addis Ababa.

People break into a museum at night,
kill two people...

...and what do they take?
A worthless piece of meteorite.

- How do you figure that?
- Well...

...frankly, I've never been able
to understand violence in any form.

I know that about you, Kent. That's one
of the reasons I wanted to talk to you.

I've been in this news game 40 years,
man and boy.

And I got where I am
with guts, compassion, elbow grease...

...and something
you're sadly lacking in, son.

- Um, humility?
- No, not humility.

You got bags of humility.

Aggression, confidence, that's the ticket.

Take charge. Let people know
who you are.

[HIGH-PITCHED FREQUENCY]

[DOGS BARKING]

LEX [OVER FREQUENCY]:
This is Lex Luthor.

Only one thing alive with less than four legs
can hear this frequency, Superman: You.

In approximately five minutes,
a poison gas pellet...

...containing propane-lithium
compound...

...will be released through
air ducts in the city...

...effectively annihilating
half the population of Metropolis.

I was a reporter before
most of my friends were copy boys.

I want you to do that.
Get Lois to introduce you to Superman.

Find out who he is. What's he like?
Where'd he get that blue suit?

Did he have it made?
Is it silk? Is it plastic?

I know it all seems a bit much,
but how else was I going to meet you?

I knew you'd never accept
an invitation to tea.

But a disaster, with people in danger,
people who need help...

...well, I just knew you couldn't resist
the chance to sort of pitch in.

Know what I mean?

It's Superman.

- Look.
- Oh, my God!

There's a strong streak of good
in you, Superman...

...but then, nobody's perfect.

Almost nobody.

- What the--?
- Oh, Superman.

- Gee.
- Stand back, please. Stand back.

Nothing to get worried about.

Well, don't just sit there. Get out.

Look at that overgrown boy scout,
Miss Teschmacher.

Tell me what you see.

Cuteness, dimples.

You like cuteness, huh?

Dimples.

I'll give you dimples.

The pressure is still on you, Superman.
You know what they say:

"if you can't stand the heat,
get out of the tunnel."

This is your last chance, Superman.

Why don't you do yourself
a flavor and freeze.

[MACHINERY HUMS]

Yeah.

Hah.

[CRACKING]

I think he's coming, Mr. Luthor.

[CREAKING]

He's definitely coming, Mr. Luthor.

It's open. Come in.

My attorney will be in touch with you
about the damage to the door.

Otis, take the gentleman's cape.

- I don't think he wants me to.
- Luthor, where's the gas pellet?

Somewhere...

...in the back of my mind, actually.
It's a little idea I was toying with.

Is that how your warped brain gets its
kicks? Planning the death of innocents?

No, by causing the death
of innocent people.

MAN 1 [OVER RADIO]: Seven, six,
five, four...

...three, two, one.

Fire.

Navy Bird, we have a launch.

Navy missile, XK 101.

Angle of attack is perfect.

MAN 2: Climbing fast.
- Hydraulics, general function.

Now, as you may or may not know,
I am, as they say...

...very heavy into real estate.

To make money in that game, you have
to buy for a little and sell for a lot, right?

- Right.
- Right.

So the problem:

How to make land more valuable
between the time you buy it...

...and the time you sell it.

Now, this is California, the richest,
most populous state in the union.

I don't need a geography lesson
from you, Luthor.

Oh, yes, of course, you've been there.
I do forget, you get around, don't you?

- Where was I?
- California.

California, right. The San Andreas Fault.
Maybe you've heard of it?

Yes. It's the joining of two land masses.
The fault line is unstable...

...which is why you get earthquakes
in California.

Wonderful.
Couldn't have said it better myself.

Everything west of this line
is the richest real estate in the world.

San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco.

Everything on this side is just hundreds
of miles of worthless desert land...

...which happens to be owned by....

[THWACK]

Lex Luthor, Incorporated.

Now, call me foolish,
call me irresponsible....

It occurs to me
that a 500-megaton bomb...

...planted at just the proper point,
would....

Would destroy most of California.

Millions of innocent people would die.
The West Coast as we know it would--

Fall into the sea. Bye-bye, California.

Hello, new West Coast. My West Coast.

Costa del Lex, Luthorville,
Marina del Lex, Otisburg--

- Otisburg?
- Miss Teschmacher...

- ...she's got her own place, Mr.--
- Otisburg?

- It's a little bitty place.
- Otisburg?

Okay. I'll just wipe it off, that's all.
It's a little town.

You're a dreamer, Lex Luthor.
A sick, twisted dreamer.

Your plan couldn't possibly work.

I'll admit there were a few problems.

Adjusting the precise trajectory
of the missile...

...finding the optimum stress point
for the fault line itself.

Which, by the way, is target zero, right...

...here.

Ooh.

[CHICKENS CLUCKING
AND DOG BARKING]

Chief, listen. I promise you my friends and I
are gonna do all we can...

- ...to get to the bottom of this.
- Thank you, Miss Lane.

Okay, bye.

[HUMMING]

[ALARM BLARING]

[CHATTERING]

- What's happening, lieutenant?
- Trajectory malfunction, sir.

- Then abort.
MAN: Yes, sir.

Function negative, sir.

- Can't you knock them down?
- Absolutely impossible, sir.

They have the new B-20 low-level
avoidance systems.

Get me the Pentagon.

Red line.

Hello? Hello!

That's impossible. Stand by.

Two hundred and eighty million dollars
and there's not a goddamned thing...

- ...we can do about it?
- That's right, senator.

You got what you paid for.

Can't happen here. Heh.
Can't happen here.

Get me the president.

[BUZZING]

Yeah?

Mr. President. Mr. President!

- Goddamn it, what is it now?
- The Pentagon's calling, sir.

[CHATTERING]
[PHONE RINGING]

Well, what do you think, Supe baby?
Interesting?

- Your theory's quite impressive, Luthor.
- Would you go to the viewing room?

But as for the rest,
it's nothing but a sick fantasy.

Fantasy? No. No.

It's history. It's happening, Superman.

Miss Teschmacher!

- Yes, Lex?
- Where's the rocket now?

It's going like a bat over the Grand Canyon.
So is the other one.

The other one? There's two of them?

Yeah, Superman. Double jeopardy.

Even you, with your great speed,
couldn't stop both of them.

While I, on the other hand,
could stop them with my detonator.

Alright, Luthor. Where is it?
Where's the detonator?

[GRUNTS]

You diseased maniac.

Did you really think you could hide it
from me by encasing it in lead?

[GRUNTS]

- I'll mold this box into your prison bars.
- Don't touch that.

I told you. It's kryptonite, Superman.
A little souvenir from the old hometown.

I've spared no expense
to make you feel right at home.

You were great in your day, Superman.
But it just stands to reason...

...when it came time
to cash in your chips...

...this old, diseased maniac...

...would be your banker.

Mind over muscle.

[EXHALES SHARPLY]

You don't even care where
the other missile's headed, do you?

Certainly, I do.
I know exactly where it's headed.

Hackensack, New Jersey.

[GROANS]

I have to leave you now.
No hard feelings.

We all have our little faults.
Mine's in California.

Lex, my mother lives in Hackensack.

Miss Teschmacher!

MAN [OVER RADIO]:
Both birds uncontrolled.

Impossible to reset.

[RADIO CHATTER CONTINUES]

LEX:
Otis.

Freeze.

[GASPS]

Miss Teschmacher.

Miss Teschmacher.

Please, you can't...

You can't just stand there.

Shh.

You can't just stand there...

...and let innocent people,
millions of innocent people, die.

- Maybe.
- Please.

If it wasn't for my mother....

Please. Please help me to save them.

If I help you, do you promise
to save my mother first?

But Lois and Jimmy....

Oh, but my mother comes first.

If you promise me, I'll believe you,
because you always tell the truth.

I promise. I promise.

Why did you kiss me first?

It-- I didn't think you'd let me later.

Thank you, Miss Teschmacher.

Why is it I can't get it on
with the good guys?

Stand aside now.

I wouldn't stay here, either.

MAN 1 [OVER RADIO]:
Army bird still heading due east.

MAN 2: Navy bird still heading due west.
- Losing radar contact.

Next radar contact in three seconds.

--Intercept both birds.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Army bird still headed east, sir.

Someone's trying to destroy Metropolis.

Uh, actually sir, it looks like it's headed
for New Jersey.

Jersey? What the hell's in New Jersey?

[BEEPING]

MAN: Army bird gaining altitude.
- Miss Teschmacher.

MAN 2: Radar contact strong.
- We have straight climb.

Miss Teschmacher!

Radar report,
Navy bird, San Andreas area.

Heading down.
Fifteen seconds to impact.

Navy bird heading down,
15 seconds to impact.

Fifteen seconds and counting.

[MUSIC PLAYS ON RADIO]

[HONKING]

MAN: Impact: San Andreas.
- God!

NEWSMAN: We interrupt the program
for a news flash.

A military missile has exploded
in the Southern California desert.

The force of the explosion has activated
the San Andreas Fault.

California is suffering
a major earthquake.

[CRACKING]
[SCREAMING]

[SCREAMING]

[CREAKING]

[CLAMORING]

[CREAKING]

[CHATTERING]

[CARS HONKING]

[SCREAMING]

What the--?

[BAAING]

MAN 1:
What's going on?

MAN 2:
It's a quake. Look!

[YELLING]

[TIRES SCREECH]

TEEN:
Look out!

[SHUDDERING]

DRIVER:
Get to the back of the bus!

[SCREAMING]

[SCREAMING]

Okay, kids. It's alright now.

GIRL:
Thank God, we're back on the bridge.

- Hey, it's Superman.
BOY: It's Superman!

Holy mackerel!

MAN:
Going off the tracks!

Hang on!

I can't hold her!

[RUMBLING]

[ALARM WAILS]

[SCREAMS]

[SCREAMING]

MAN [OVER PA]:
All personnel, evacuate now.

All personnel, evacuate now.

WORKER 1:
Watch that cable!

My eyes! I can't see!

MAN [OVER PA]:
Execute earthquake procedure.

- Execute earthquake procedure.
- Get out! Get out, get out!

WORKER 2:
Someone try and pull the main!

WORKER 3:
It's impossible, it's red-hot!

[SCREAMING]

[POWERS DOWN]

- Gentlemen, is that man alright?
- Yeah.

Gee, that's Superman.
He must've been the one that saved us.

[GRUNTING]

- Ah--!
- Hang on, Jim.

Go ahead, shoot.

MAN:
The dam burst!

Forget the car! Come on, come on!

You're safe here, son.

That's okay!
Miss Lane will be driving by soon.

- Come on, George.
MAN: Make for the hill.

[RUMBLING]

MAN [ON RADIO]:
There has been major quake damage...

...to Southern California.

The San Andreas Fault
has miraculously sealed itself...

...yet Southern California is suffering
major aftershocks of a major earthquake.

[ENGINE SPUTTERS]

The population is warned
to be aware of....

Please, come on, turn over.

- Which in some areas has--
- Come on!

[GASPS]

[SCREAMS]

Help me. Help me.

No.

[SCREAMING]

[GRUNTING]

[COUGHING]

Water!

[COUGHING]

[MOUTHS]
Lois.

[GROANS]

No, no, no.

No. No.

[SCREAMS]

[THUNDER CRASHING]

JOR-EL:
My son.

It is forbidden for you to interfere
in human history.

JONATHAN: One thing I do know, son,
and that is you are here for a reason.

- It is forbidden for you to interfere....
CLARK: Those things I can do...

...all those powers,
and I couldn't even save him.

JOR-EL:
It is forbidden.

It is forbidden.

JOR-EL: It is forbidden for you to interfere
with human history.

It is forbidden.

[ENGINE SPUTTERS]

Hi.

Don't bother, I think it's dead.

Sure it's dead.

The problem with men of steel, there's
never one around when you want one.

Know what happened to me
while you were off flying?

I was almost in an earthquake...

...I had this gas station blow up...

...there's telephone poles
falling all over...

...I'm almost killed,
and to top the whole thing off...

...this stupid car runs out of gas!

I'm sorry about that, Lois...

...but I've been kind of busy
for a while.

I'm sorry. That's alright.

We're sort of alike, aren't we?

I mean, our work comes first.

JIMMY:
Hey!

Thanks a lot, Superman.

You put me in the middle of nowhere
during an earthquake.

No food, no water, snakes everywhere.

- I had no idea if you were coming back--
BOTH: Jimmy.

[MUFFLED SPEAKING]

Listen, there's something I have to do.
I'll see you later.

He can't stay still for a second.

You could at least send for a tow truck!

Oh. Golly, Miss Lane, it's too bad
Mr. Kent didn't see all this.

Yeah, poor Clark.

He's never around when S--

Clark-- Wait a minute.

- Wait a minute.
- What?

Lois Lane, that is the silliest idea ever.

Let me tell you something, Miss Lane,
I think he really cares about you.

- Clark? Of course he does.
- No, not Clark.

Oh, well, Superman cares
about everybody, Jimmy.

But, who knows, someday,
maybe, if he's lucky....

- Miss Lane?
- Hm?

[SHUTTER CLICKS]

Jimmy, my hair!

Now.

Ooh, nice. Nice, nice.

Front page, Daily Planet?

Oh, gosh. I didn't have any film.

LEX:
♪ You must have been a beautiful baby ♪

♪ You must have been a wonderful child ♪

♪ When you were only starting
To go to kindergarten ♪

♪ I'll bet you drove the little boys wild ♪

[CREATURE GROWLS]

♪ And when it came to winning blue ribbons
Bet you showed the other kids how ♪

♪ I can see the judges' eyes
As they handed you the prize ♪

♪ I bet you made the cutest bow ♪

♪ Oh, you must've been a beautiful baby
'Cause baby.... ♪

But Lex, you can't do this to me.

Why, Lex, why?

Because I love you, Miss Teschmacher.

Miss Teschmacher....

[SCREAMS]

[RUMBLING]

[CREATURES GROWL AND SNARL]

By the way Miss Teschmacher,
your mother sends her love.

[ALARM WAILS]

LEX:
You're messing up my suit.

You big lummox, you.

Come on, stop it, will you.

Otis, it's your fault.
Watch the ground!

Good evening, warden.

These two men should be safe here...

- ...until they can get a fair trial.
- Who is it?

Lex Luthor!

- The greatest criminal mind of our time!
OTIS: Of our time!

- I hereby serve notice...
- Notice.

- ...that these walls--
- These walls here....

Will you shut up, please.

Alright, take them away, boys.

- You nitwit. Nincompoop!
OTIS: Guard, guard....

This country is safe again, Superman,
thanks to you.

No, sir. Don't thank me, warden.

We're all part of the same team.

Night.