Perry White's Scoop

045 TV’s 1954 Television Adventures of Superman Episode #45 “Perry White’s Scoop” January 23,1954 © Wagner The show opened with murder as a man in a diving suit was gunned down at the entrance of the Planet building by Max Kruger. Meanwhile, a few stories up, Perry White was reading his star reporters the riot act. He complained that Lois and Clark could not get a scoop if it were not for Superman. The tirade was interrupted by Jimmy Olsen who burst in to announce, over the editor’s complaints, that a man dressed in a diver’s suit had been shot down… on the sidewalk. The victim had been taken to first aid, but the prognosis did not look good. “A man in a diver’s suit! The boy’s losing his mind!” The whole gang rushed to first aid just in time to hear the victim whisper a cryptic clue “Quincy.” Perry White took this as his opportunity to show his reporters just how a story should be written in clear, concise newspaper language. Also, he included a “plant” in the story saying that, before his death, the man in the diver’s suit had made startling and important disclosures to Perry White. He planned to get a scoop without the aid of Superman. White carefully explained to Jimmy, who did not like the idea, that the plant was a device to make the killer come to him. “And, don’t call me ‘chief’!” Next, Perry sent Jimmy off to rent a diving suit from Inshore Diving Company, where the dead man’s suit had been rented. The rental did not go unnoticed by Kruger or Maria, his boss in crime. It was apparently Perry’s intention to put on the diving suit and walk around the streets of Metropolis until someone shot him. But, this plan was foiled by Clark who bent the helmet so it would not fit over Perry’s head. Clark was sent off to have the to have the suit repaired. In the next scene, someone clad in a diver’s suit walked out of the Planet building, to be met by a hail of bullets. Of course, it was Superman and the bullets bounced off him. The gunman had apparently taken his assignment anonymously and did not know who hired him. It was difficult for Clark to explain these events to Perry. Superman just took things into his own hands… or something. 2 Convinced that Quincy stood for a telephone exchange, Perry assigned Lois the job of finding any place within that exchange where a diving suit might be used. Acting on his own with Clark, Perry decided to check out Quincy Athletic Club, since it had a pool. After making pests of themselves, both were trussed up in steam cabinets and left to die by Lynch and Bingham, a pair rivaling Max and Marie. “Turn them up full!” “You’ll be well done, Fatso, by the time you get out of here.” Perry White soon fainted, allowing Clark to break out of his steam cabinet and free his boss. Perry noticed the water cooler from which Clark drew him a drink and decided that a tank probably existed on the roof of the building for the purpose of filling the pool. (Don’t ask me why.) That tank, theorized Perry, was probably what the diver was supposed to have searched. “Of course… a water tank… Now, why didn’t I think of that?” Joined by Jimmy Olsen, our gang made their way to the rooftop, where the tank was mostly drained and Jimmy was sent inside to find whatever it was they were looking for. The background seemed to have been painted on sheets. After sloshing around in the tank for a while, Jimmy fell down and came out drenched. “Yessiree, Chief. That young reporter is sure learning fast.” But, a banded goldfish had been caught in Jimmy’s trouser cuff. The band was a coded message, referring specifically to car number 763792 East Yard at the rail yard, Clark quickly deciphered. Perry and Jimmy went off in search of the boxcar while Clark was sent to the office to write up what they had so far. Meanwhile, Max and Maria, who had been watching the trio on the rooftop from Maria’s apartment, were overpowered by Lynch and Bingham. Maria convinced the intruders that the reporters had made a find and should be followed. (It seems someone named John Devres had phoned her shortly before being fatally shot by the police and given her another cryptic message about the water tank. She had taken the apartment specifically to watch the tank with her binoculars and it was she who had hired the diver who had backed out and fled to the Planet building.) 3 Lynch and Bingham bundled the other two crooks into their automobile and followed Perry and Jimmy. At the railroad yard, the boxcar contained rolls of paper with fine silk threads perfect for counterfeiting if you had the correct plates and Bingham sure did. After forcing them to unload the car, Lynch ordered Jimmy, Perry, Max, and Maria inside. He then poured a can of gasoline on the floor and tossed in a lighted match. The four swatted at the flames almost as if the flames were matted images. As luck would have it, Clark and Lois arrived and Clark rushed to the rescue. He was about to give Bing a good thrashing when he realized Lois was watching. He ordered her to go for help and allowed himself to be beaned with a roll of paper. Lois roared off and Clark rolled under the boxcar. And… Superman burst through the floor of the burning boxcar. After extinguishing the blaze with his super breath, he physically removed the door. Outside, after the obligatory shooting, Superman rendered the killers unconscious and inside Jimmy, since Max was in no condition to sock him back, gave Max a good smack. “Superman,” said Perry White, will you do me a great favor? …. don’t let Clark Kent know I had to depend on you to save us.” “Don’t worry, Mr. White, he’ll never learn about it from me,” grinned Superman. We were never told what happened to the goldfish that had been tossed back into the water tank. (Robert Wilke (1914-1989) appeared in a huge number of films and television shows, primarily westerns and even “The Lucy Show,” and a surprising variety of films.) 4 Directed by George Blair Screenplay by Roy Hamilton WITH: Lynch………Steven Pendleton Bingham…… Robert Wilke Maria……….Bibs Borman Max………… Jan Arvan Diver……….. Tom Monroe The goldfish played the goldfish .

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