Superman and the Mole Men *** (1951, George Reeves, Phyllis Coates, Jeff Corey) – Classic Movie Review 2243

After a couple of serials, director Lee Sholem’s engaging 1951 comic book fantasy Superman and the Mole Men is the first Superman cinema feature.

George Reeves takes over from Kirk Alyn as Superman/Clark Kent and Phyllis Coates takes over from Noel Neill as Lois Lane, with Tony Boris and Jerry Maren as the Mole Men who arrive from the deep earth at the surface by night and start a tremor among scared, intolerant, rampaging Earthlings.

Luckily, the Daily Planet star reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane have arrived in the small town of Silsby to witness the drilling of the world’s deepest oil well, drilling that has penetrated the underground home of a race of the Mole Men. And so, as usual, it’s Superman to the rescue – but not of the humans, of the Mole Men!  He’s got his reasons: ‘You’re not going to shoot those little creatures. In the first place, they haven’t done you any harm. In the second place, they may be radioactive.’

Despite antiquated shoddy effects and a sagging budget, it’s still very good fun. The ideally cast Reeves and Coates give bright and lively performances and are an iconic pair, since they went on to do the TV series Adventures of Superman (1952- 57), and Jeff Corey makes a jolly villain, as Luke Benson. Coates left the series in 1953 to be replaced by her predecessor Neill.

Also in the cast are J Farrell MacDonald, Stanley Andrews, John Baer, John T Bambury, Harry Harvey, Stephen Carr, Billy Curtis, Hal K Dawson, Margia Dean, Byron Foulger, Adrienne Marden, Irene Martin, John Phillips, Frank Reicher, Ray Walker, Beverly Washburn, Phil Warren and Paul E Burns.

A year or so after the film’s release, it was split into two parts to close the 1952 first season of Adventures of Superman as The Unknown People: Part I and Part II.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2243

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