MovieChat Forums > Adventures of Superman (1952) Discussion > Help me identify this episode from my yo...

Help me identify this episode from my youthful viewing

posted 7 years ago by jobla
10 replies | jump to latest

I recall seeing an episode during my childhood, but I have no idea what the title is. Here's what I remember of the climax:

Jimmy, Lois, and maybe Superman are trapped in a kind of outdoor pit. There may be a machine spraying kryptonite into the air, which keeps Superman at bay. Jimmy stretches out his limbs and climbs up the wall of the pit in spread-eagle fashion. He finally reaches the top of the pit and is able to disable the kryptonite machine. As a youngster, I found Jimmy's climbing up the walls of the cave to be truly scary. I haven't seen this episode in decades, so I have no idea what the title was.

Does this ring a bell for anyone here?

[–] pt100 7 years ago

That was "The Magic Secret," which first aired on 10 February 1958 (Season 6, Episode 2):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0506622/reference

The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.–J.B. Haldane

[–] jobla 7 years ago

Thanks so much, that really kills a memory from decades ago. I'll have to watch for that episode to be rerun on one of the "oldies" cable channels. I hoped that somebody would recognize that episode from my fuzzy recollection.

[–] pt100 7 years ago

MeTV channel reran the entire series about three times last year. Maybe they'll bring it back someday. Otherwise the chances seem rather slim, at least for a while.

Or, if you don't mind paying $1.99 you can get it on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOhvn9XnL1E

The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.–J.B. Haldane

[–] grizzledgeezer 7 years ago

Or you can buy the whole series on DVD. You need to own at least the B&W seasons.

[–] Moon_Doggie 7 years ago

If they want only that one episode, there are several places that will sell it for about $2.00. Otherwise it'll cost about $80-100 for the entire six seasons. Amazon sells a used set for less, but I wouldn't recommend it, as some disks may be damaged.

A person's a person, no matter how small. -- Dr. Seuss

[–] joannabaroncelli 7 years ago

I couldn't understand when the rays are turned off and Superman has recovered he flys out of the pit but tells Lois she will have to get out the same way Jimmy did. Jimmy had had to do it to save them but Superman could easily have picked Lois up and taken her out. Lois could have seriously injured or killed herself if she slipped trying to climb out. I didn't get it.

[–] Moon_Doggie 7 years ago

Yes, that was really weird, unless we assume that Superman is so fast that he can fly back and catch her if she falls. There was a thread here a while ago discussing that, but I guess it's gone by now. But even as a kid I recall thinking that was mean and dangerous.

A person's a person, no matter how small. -- Dr. Seuss

[–] eastcoastguyz 7 years ago

Yeah, I wondered if it was done to shorten production running time for that episode.

Or perhaps Superman was trying to teach Lois to be more self-reliant? :-)

[–] grizzledgeezer 7 years ago

I suspect Superman was humiliating Lois for all the times she did something stupid or foolish, putting her in a situation where he had to pull her irons out of the fire.

[–] 7 years ago

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