054 TV’s 1955 Adventures of Episode #54: The Talking Clue By Charles A. Wagner April 23, 1955

This episode gives the viewer a rare glimpse into Inspector Henderson’s personal life and provided Robert Shayne with his biggest role in the series. The story began at the police lineup. Inspector Henderson was giving the motley crew the third degree, attempting to pin a bank robbery on someone, preferably Muscles McGurk and Claude

James. Clark was the number two man in the lineup. “What’s your name, buddy?” asked the inspector. “Which one?” replied Clark. “How many do you have?” “Several.” Clark finally admitted to be called Lou Chambers. Actually, Kent had just been filling in at the inspector’s request and he explained the talk about names was just something to say. Henderson’s son Ray was visiting police headquarters. The young adult and motherless lad had a hobby of collecting sounds and the inspector bet that Ray had about a million boxes full of recording tape, each a couple of inches long… and Ray’s recorder was running on the safe. In came Claude James, who was also in the lineup, with a police officer. Inspector Henderson unlocked the safe to retrieve some needed evidence. Next, Muscles McGurk was arrested, but he was out on bond before the news hit the Planet’s front page. To complicate matters, Lois and Jimmy had been sent to do a feature story on Ray’s sound collection and during the interview were interrupted by Muscles McGurk who bought a reel of tape from Ray for $100.00. 2

As Clark and Bill Henderson were talking at police headquarters, news came in that a robbery was in progress at the secret weapons lab. Henderson bounded for his squad car and Clark switched suits. After smashing though a concrete wall, Superman confronted Claude James who attempted to melt him with a secret weapon. Claude, however, succeeded only in getting himself captured. Shortly thereafter, was besieged by a series of robberies involving burglar systems that fed directly into the police network. Henderson told Kent he had personally researched the systems. The system details had been taped. Then, after his secretary had typed an original for the mayor, Henderson filed a copy in his safe and gave the tape to Ray to be erased. There had to be an information leak somewhere and then Clark sprung the news about the McGurk tape sale. Later, Henderson suspended himself from the force because he did not want to arrest his own son. He was ready to stand behind him, but not arrest him. “There are over a million people out there… it could have been anyone of them,” said Clark. McGurk, now convinced that Ray’s sound collection really contained valuable information, showed up at Henderson’s house and kidnapped Ray, his recorder, and his boxes of sound. Only two small pieces of tape were hastily left behind. When Clark and the inspector arrived at the scene, Henderson jumped to the conclusion Ray had fled. Clark, however, surmised foul play and guessed the two pieces of recording of recording were clues. In ’s office, Clark spliced the pieces together and played them. It sounded like and explosion and someone saying “hello” in an echo chamber. Finally, Lois and Clark and the gang decided the clues meant “Echo Canyon,” an old hideout of the McGurk gang. Clark sent everybody ahead and stayed in Perry’s office to make the switch. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll see you later.” Superman arrived on the scene in time to block McGurk’s getaway with a boulder. “That kid with the sounds— some hobby,” Moaned McGurk. “I’ll bet that reporter had something to do with this,” he added. “I’ll bet he did,” replied Superman. In the finale, Clark explained

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the reel McGurk had purchased contained the sound of the tumblers on the inspector’s safe that had been accidently recorded at headquarters. McGurk had used a stethoscope to count the clicks and Claude had gotten into Henderson’s office disguised as a janitor to photograph the burglar system documents. “Incidentally, Mr. Kent, the next time you get in touch with Superman,” said Ray, “tell him I said ‘Thanks.’” “I think he’s already had his thanks, Ray,” replied Clark. Directed by Harry Gerstad Written by David Chantler WITH: Police officer: Brick Sullivan Ray Henderson…. Richard Shackleton Claude James…. Julian Upton McGurk…………. Billy Nelson Inspector Henderson.. Robert Shayne

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(A critic remarked that the pieces of recording tape were indeed too short to have produced the signs and that when Superman crashed the wall of the weapons lab his uniform was covered with dust and seconds later was immaculate.)