The Human Bomb
Reviewed by Bruce Dettman

One fine spring day during my less than stellar college career a fellow student decided, for reasons never quite clear (although there were rumors of a romance that had gone sour), to take a suicide leap off one of the tallest buildings on campus-only three stories, if I recall right. At the time, I was attempting to chat up an actress in the drama department who looked a little bit like a young Linda Darnell (and getting absolutely nowhere in the process) when everyone around us started to race over to the site of the leap. The guy didn't make a big production about it. He said nothing, made no significant gesture-he just jumped. There wasn't even enough time for the local press to show up. The Darnell look-alive and I were just in time to see him land and roll. He didn't die but he did break a kneecap and leg. It could have been my imagination, but at the time, I could have sworn some campus wit in the large crowd said something like "Now there's a guy who could have used Superman." It was then that I recalled the first year episode The Human Bomb in which not only Lois Lane but Jimmy Olsen could well have been the victims of a significant plunge from the Daily Planet building.

The fine character actor Trevor Bardette plays "Bet a Million" Butler, an unsavory fellow who is known city-wide to make wagers on just about anything. Bardette logged a long career of film and TV parts going back to the late 1930s, but I will personally always recall him as Old Man Clanton, a semi-regular character on Hugh O'Brien's The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, for several seasons until his character died in a hail of bullets fired by some Mexican banditos.

In the story Butler, hanging out at the Metropolis City Club, makes a $100,000 bet with a crony named Conway played by Lou Krugman (of Andy's Gang fame) that he can control Superman for thirty minutes. One wonders if the plan he eventually puts into action occurs to him at this exact instant or whether he can't resist the challenge and manages to come up with his plan later. Whichever, what he does come up with is that he will strap some dynamite to himself, visit the Daily Planet, handcuff himself to Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates) and demand that Superman sit tight for half an hour-while a couple of his stooges rob the Metropolis Museum-and do nothing to intervene or he will detonate the explosive. Interestingly enough, when Lois realizes the danger she is in she first thinks of going to Clark Kent for help, an odd request since she is continually lambasting the reporter for his timidity.

Despite protests from Jimmy Olsen, Butler eventually leads Lois out on the building ledge where she sheds her shoes, which fall to the pavement below and are found by Clark (a very similar scene would occur decades later in the first Christopher Reeves Superman film) who, of course, rushes up to see what's going on. By the way, if you look closely you will notice in the Daily Planet offices the first Miss Bachrach (played by Almira Sessions) walking briskly by in the background although unlike her part in Night of Terror she has no dialogue. This time the Planet receptionist is played by Ailene Towne who was Lara in Superman on Earth (as well as Commando Cody's secretary in the serial Radar Men from the Moon).

Clark, who angrily responds to Jimmy's urging that he locate Superman with "Do you think that I can turn Superman on and off like a faucet?" knows he needs to disappear so he accuses the Planet-and by extension Perry White-of creating this whole scenario as a publicity stunt, says he wants nothing to do with it and vamooses in order to re-appear as Superman. By this time, Lois is understandably growing impatient and suggests that the Man of Steel might not appear but Butler disagrees. "Superman seems to show up when you're in trouble…It may even be that he's fond of you." The look on Phyllis Coates face when reacting to this line is worth the whole price of admission.

In any case, Butler might have a plan but the Man of Steel is pretty quick in the brain department too and quickly hatches his own scheme to counter the cocky criminal. Telling the human bomb that it makers him nervous to see Lois in such predicament ("It makes you nervous!" she responds incredulously) he goes back into the office where he promises to stay visible to Butler. By this time the cops have shown up led by Inspector Hill (Marshall Reed, an actor I most remember for his regular appearances in the 1950s cop show The Lineup (aka: San Francisco Beat). This was a one shot deal for Hill. Apparently Inspector Henderson was off on another assignment that day (although most Superman fans are now aware that actor Robert Shayne was at the point of this shooting having troubles with the government during the Hollywood witch hunts of that period, the details are a bit sketchy). Superman switches places with the policeman so that only a shadow can be seen, records his own voice on a tape recorder ("No comment until the time limit is up") and exits to round up the Museum thieves (note Reeve's priceless double-take as he picks up the one petite cook and carries him away). The problem is that Lois is still out on that ledge with the wacko. Jimmy decides to do something about this after first calling his girlfriend Miriam in case a final good-bye is necessary. It isn't, of course. The Cub reporter does show a lot of guts by going out on the ledge and confronting Butler with the truth of the ruse. But after the infuriated criminal takes the handcuffs off Lois and she is free to get back into the Daily Planet, Jim, with golf club in hand ups the ante too much and gets into a physical confrontation with Butler who with homicidal intent steps on Jim's ledge-gripping hands which causes the young reporter to plummet into space only to be caught by Superman on his return to the office. Hill and another Officer Reilly (played by Dennis Moore, once an active serial hero in cliffhangers likes The Purple Monster Strikes) bring in Butler and Lois gets a chance to give him a dandy of a slap. Lois thanks Jimmy and White tells him there might be a raise in it for him.

Let's hope so.

(Thanks to Mike Goldman for the vidcaps.)

August 2006
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