055 The 1955 TV Adventures of Superman Episode #55: The Lucky Cat

By Charles A. Wagner May 7, 1955 Cranky old Mr. Botts barged into the camera. “Stop! You’re walking on the lines instead of the squares. That’s bad luck!” Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen had been sent to 720 Weeping Willow Lane to do a feature on an anti-superstition club that met there. Botts was the owner of the property and now regretted he had rented to the club members. He insisted

the men were crazy. “You’ll be sorry! This is my house!” Bill Green welcomed the two and required them to walk under a ladder before they could sign a guest register in red ink. Jimmy was fast becoming superstitious, but Clark informed him that both he and Perry White felt strongly about the story and they wished to do away with all superstition in the world. Green said that not a single club member had ever suffered from anything they had done. The club had been formed because the members had grown tired of

other luncheon clubs. Charlie King had lit three hundred cigarettes that week on one hundred matches, defying the three on one bad luck story. Bill Fredericks opened the meeting by leading in the black cat. Then, Green opened the meeting by breaking a mirror. Jimmy was about ready to pass out now.

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However, Clark’s x-ray vision spotted a floor joist under Green that was about to snap. He quickly backed away and switched to Superman to brace up the joist in the basement. Green thought it was just a coincidence and the flooring was old. Termites probably. Clark, however, had gotten a story, and had sawdust to prove it. Someone had wanted the floor to collapse under Green. The joist had been sawn. Jimmy was getting the creeps, but Clark only believed in what men do. Lois decided later to visit Weeping Willow Lane with Jimmy and get her own scoop. Inspector Henderson was getting interested. He thought he might pick up that nutty landlord of theirs for questioning. And, Olsen was carrying a horseshoe for luck.

Inspector Henderson called up club member Charlie King at his chemical factory. Clark, who was in Henderson’s office, overheard an explosion over the phone and sneaked away to make the switch before the entire chemical plant went sky high.

After putting out the blaze with a steam pipe, which seemed to be quite a risky procedure in a chemical fire, Superman told King the firemen might have been able

to save the building, but, with all the explosives in his structure,

King would certainly have been blown up. “Great Caesar’s ghost!”

exclaimed Perry White. He wanted to know where the lunatic would strike next. Lois and Jimmy were still sneaking about the clubhouse when Clark arrived just in time for all three to get locked behind a heavy basement door. He said he was surprised who he had seen behind the door. He meant… “Now, don’t worry,” said Clark. “We’ll get out alright.” “Does Superman know we’re here?” asked Lois. “Yes, he does, Lois, but I’m afraid he can’t come out in the open and help us now.” Jimmy dropped his good luck horse shoe. Clark informed the two that Jimmy had a four-leaf clover and a rabbit’s foot in his pocket. Neither asked Clark where he got his information.

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Then, while the two were not being observant, Clark magnetized the horseshoe by rubbing his hands over it. Then, the magnetized horseshoe easily threw the bolt. Beats me how… Anyhow, Clark’s keen vision had seen the person lock them in and now saw him putting poison on the claws of the club’s black cat mascot. The cat was a nervous type and already scratched Lois. Bill Green always held the cat in his lap when the club meeting opened. On a wild goose chase again, Inspector Henderson dropped by to say that his men had cornered Botts. Henderson thought Botts was attempting to break the lease by killing off his tenants. Botts was at a window telling the police they could not come in and that he was

never going to rent another house as long as he lived. Nothing but trouble… Clark slipped away and Superman arrived at the scene in time to inhale a canister of tear gas one of the men in blue had launched through Botts’ window and blow it back out. Back at the clubhouse, Clark returned to trip up the evildoer. The gloved Clark told the members that one of them was the would-be murder. He picked up the cat and placed it on the table. Clark had, he said, put catnip in the pocket of the guilty person

and the cat would pick him out. Kent brought the cat to King who confessed he was broke, his whole life was ruined, and needed to burn down his factory for the insurance money while pinning the blame on Botts. Clark explained he had previously removed the poison from the cat’s claws, but they now had another charge for King—attempted murder. “How’d you know I was the one?” “Maybe I’m lucky, or maybe I’m

Superman.” King said Kent better knock on wood when he said things like that. When no one was looking, Clark rapped on the wooden mantle. C Minus Comics & Stories™ All rights reserved 01/14/2018 Directed by Harry Gersted Written by Jackson Gillis WITH: Mr. Botts…… Harry Tyler Charlie King…. Carl Harbord Mr. Fredericks… Ted Stanhope

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Bill Green………. Charlie Watts

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