And now, another exciting episode in the
Adventures of Superman...

Monday August 13, 1951 was the seventh day of filming the second set of episodes which included “The Mind Machine,” “No Holds Barred,” “The Birthday Letter,” “The Stolen Costume,” and “Mystery In Wax.”

Rise and shine everyone... it's Monday. And with this new week, work began on "The Birthday Letter."

Reporting for work were:
Robert Shayne - Insp. Henderson
Isa Ashdown - Kathy Williams
Virginia Carroll - Mrs. Williams (Monday only)
Paul Marion - Cusak (Monday only)
Maurice Marsak - Marcel Duval
Nan Boardman - Marie Duval
Louis Mercier - La Rue (Monday only)

Because some of these actors completed their work in a single day, its fairly easy to know what was filmed on this date, but of course, we can't know in what order it all happened. This we do know, however...

That punk Cusak was shot in the cigar store phone booth (but Mr. Perkins didn't react to the shooting until the following Saturday!).

Mrs. Williams accused Superman of taking Kathy.

Because John Doucette didn't come on the set until Wednesday, those scenes involving Kathy and the Duvals (but not Doucette) were done on Monday and Tuesday. That would include:

1) The Duvals rummaging through the Williams' apartment,
2) Kathy answering the phone,
3) Superman picking Kathy up to take her to the fair (but their flight wasn't filmed until the following Saturday)
4) The Duvals at the Lambert Engraving Company.

But... the fact that Louis Mercier worked only this day tells us that the shootout between the Duvals and La Rue at the Lambert Engraving Company played out this Monday.

This episode is a favorite of mine. The Duvals are a deadly serious pair, and obviously, they are dangerous people. But there is also the care and concern shown for Kathy Williams, and Superman's frustration with Mrs. Williams' accusations. I've always cringed though when the Duvals removed Kathy's leg braces. In my opinion, that was a heartless cruelty not matched in other episodes. But the beautiful flying sequence at the end makes up for all the cruelty. The smile on Kathy’s face is beautiful… and Isa Ashdown becomes the only person in the entire series to give Superman a kiss. More on that later.

Next: Tuesday, August 14, 1951

Posted: August 13, 2021
Jim