The Unknown People
Reviewed by Bruce Dettman

I've been involved in a couple of mob-related situations in my life, but the one which most reminds me of the unruly scenes from the first season's The Unknown People-due primarily to the less than stellar makeup of the charming citizenry of the town of Silsby-happened when I was in my early teens.

A close buddy and I were walking home one night from the local library when we passed the meeting hall of a certain notorious right wing extremist group where a rather large gathering was making quite a ruckus. My friend came from a family of very vocal liberals and progressives, and he had been brought up to despise this certain organization. He could also be a bit of a lose canon at times and had a tendency to stick his nose out regardless of the possible repercussions. In any case, before I knew what was going on, he had stepped into the smoke-marinated hall and given them quite a colorful earful. In those bygone days, kids were not only expected to respect adults but to fear them as well and the idea of physically confronting anyone over the age of 21 was pretty unheard of. I was incredibly shocked by what had come out of his mouth and was anxious to get as far away from that place as I could, especially when I turned to see that at least twenty grown-ups had emptied out into the street and with angry faces and loud threatening voices-much like the villagers in those old Universal Frankenstein movies with their blazing torches going after the monster-were running after us. Needless to say, we did not stick around to discuss politics. My buddy shot off in one direction and I another. I specifically recall easily scaling a particularly high cyclone fence that had challenged me on numerous occasions in the past and finally ending up next to a large storage shed behind the local mortuary. There, for at least half hour, trying to breathe as silently as I could, I remained in the comforting shadows trying my best not to think about those empty (I hoped) coffins just a few feet away while at the same time listening for any sounds of these terrifying men and women who continued to prowl around the neighborhood intent upon discovering our lairs. To this day, I'm not really certain what they would have done if they'd have caught us, but it was one of the most unsettling experiences of my youth and I was never so relieved as when I finally crept towards the city creek-which I fortunately knew every inch of-and carefully made my way home.

Believe me, mobs are no fun, particularly when it's your scent that they're after.

As most everyone knows, the first season's The Unknown People was actually a re-edited version of the 1951 feature film Superman and the Mole Men, a big screen pilot sendoff for the TV series The Adventures of Superman which would introduce audiences to George Reeves as The Man of Steel and Phyllis Coates as intrepid newswoman Lois Lane. When the series was sold, the decision was made to break it down into two parts and air it as a two-parter at mid-season. In addition to some necessary editing and trimming due to television time restraints ( i.e. commercial breaks), it was also decided to replace the weak theatrical score by Darrel Calker with the more evocative and effective library music that had been used all along that first year. Produced by the team of Robert Maxwell and Bernard Luber, the director in charge was Lee Sholem with a screenplay credited to Richard Fielding (Maxwell) from a story idea by the show's future producer Witney Ellsworth.

In keeping in fashion with the post World war II interest in science-fiction, Ellsworth decided to introduce a fantasy element into his scenario, in some ways ironic given that for the most part in the future series Superman's challenges-unlike those in his comic book alternative life-would be totally terrestrial and of the homegrown variety, at least in the early seasons. In any case, Superman's adversaries here, if they can even be called that, are creatures from the center of the Earth who climb to the surface when Silsby's deepest mining excavation disturbs their world.

The creatures are not initially hostile, however (unlike nearly every other sci-fi invader of that era portrayed on the screen), just curious about this other world, but their strange appearance (they are portrayed by bald-plated midgets decked out in furry bodies which resemble carpet scraps pasted over them) frightens the locals who, led by one particularly nasty hothead Luke Benson (played by one-time black listed actor and future drama coach Jeff Corey) decide, after several misconstrued incidents involving the Mole Men, to track them down and kill them. This lynch mob portrait of small town America, particularly reflecting as it does the witch hunt mentality of the McCarthy era, is hardly a flattering one. This certainly isn't Mayberry. From the town hospital administrator (Frank Reicher who earlier in his career confronted both King Kong and the Mummy, succumbing to the later) to the town barber the entire citizenry wants nothing better than to get their hands on these benevolent beings and "string them up." There is only one problem, Superman.

There is little material of an introductory nature to prepare audiences for the screen's newest versions of Kent/Superman and Lois. They simply drive up the dusty road to the drilling site (owned by the National Oil Company, in case anyone is interested) and the story unfolds. It only takes about one second to realize that Lois is not your average tagalong gal. She has a mind of her own and quite a tongue as well. She has no interest in being stuck out in the boonies ("At least I can say I've seen Silsby. Big deal") covering what seems to her a nothing story and pretty much lets everyone know it ("This is just ducky!"). It is also pretty obvious that Clark and she are old sparring partners and that more often than not she comes away the victor in these verbal frays.

Things further heat up, however, when that evening the night watchman (J. Farrell MacDonald) is found dead from what is first thought to be a heart attack but which is actually the result of being frightened to death by the sight of two of the furry creatures from the center of the Earth. Lois' cool also evaporates when she too gets a gander at this twosome which also marks the first time audiences get to hear her unique and unforgettable scream. Lois is taken home but Clark, whose suspicions are initially raised when he notes all the discarded expensive drilling equipment and hangs around with the mine's general manager Bill Corrigan (Walter Reed) who finally divulges that he initially closed the operation down because the drill bit had brought up microorganisms that seem to be contaminated by radium. Now, however, it is obvious that other life forms have also come from the center of the earth.

The creatures are more frightened than anything and take off for the town where they climb through the window of a house and attempt to play with a child (Beverly Washburn) but the mother enters the room-demonstrating a pretty fair set of vocal chords herself-and once again the Mole Men are on the run. This time, however they are being hunted by most of Silsby's charming community led by the rabid Benson who discovers what has gone on in the house and sets out to destroy what he thinks are dangerous invaders. It should be noted here that according to the original script, the child was actually supposed to have been Benson's daughter but this part of the storyline was for some reason nixed. I had always wondered watching the episode as a kid why Benson simply bolts into the house where the little girl lived without even knocking.

The rest of the show is mostly taken up by Benson and the mob's relentless search for the Molemen. No matter how many times they are halted or lectured by Superman, (like some other first season characters, no one seem to recognize him or to know about his powers and subsequently they attack him in various ways: fists, bullets etc.) they persist in their venomous desire to catch and destroy the creatures, even, as one gadfly suggests, by hanging them.

At one point, as the creatures move across the top of a dam, Benson and the boys use them for target practice and bring down one of them. This incidentally, is the only time in the film where we actually see Superman fly, a none too impressive piece of animation not unlike that employed in the Kirk Alyn Columbia serials. The other moments of flight are depicted from the perspective of Superman looking down at the distances he is soaring over. Must have been a bit disappointing to all the kids who paid their dimes and nickels to go to this in expectation of seeing the Man of Steel moving above the clouds, but I guess budget restraints and/or an ability to get anything in the can that looked believable were prohibitive factors. Nonetheless, there are a few good takeoffs, one particularly that comes to mind is when Lois and Superman are next to Benson's house and he realizes the creatures are in danger and shoots into space. It is believable and nearly flawless in execution. Not so the landing which takes place a few seconds later where he descends, nearly Peter Pan-like, amongst Benson and his flunkies.

If ever the character of Superman could be viewed as a no-nonsense avenger, it is in this film. He swoops down not only to physically halt the mob-like actions of the crowd but to disperse verbal warnings ("Stop acting like Nazi storm troopers"). Since their response is to mindlessly attack him-despite their having witnessed with their own eyes numerous examples of his invulnerability-he decides he has no other choice but to disarm them which he does, all but Benson who eventually is nearly done in by the Mole Men's advanced weapon (a crudely customized vacuum cleaner) until Superman deflects the lethal rays thereby saving the repentant agitator.

The show closes with Superman taking the tint invaders back to the drill site and watching them climb back to their world. Seconds later, an explosion occurs which will seals in the Mole Men for good causing Lois to abandon her cynicism for a moment to get philosophical.

"It's almost as if they're saying, you live your lives and we'll live ours."

As mentioned earlier, Lois is Lois from the first line, recognizable for what she is, tough, cynical and not endowed with a great deal of patience with other people who get in her way ("Oh he's just a fool"). By the same token, Clark Kent that is hardly the soft-spoken Casper-milquetoast of the comic strip, comic books, radio series, animated shorts or Columbia serials. Reeves' Kent is what one would expect from a big city reporter whose daily beat centers around gangsters, murderers, and every sort of crime. He too is tough and willing to take control if the need arises. Lois might scoff at him at times; challenge his manhood ("He's scared to death. It's pitiful") and try to put him in his place, but he stays right in there as a commanding presence save on those occasions when he has little choice but to duck out in order to get to those blue tights and save the day. This is a radical departure from the Clark Kent of earlier days. Some pundits have criticized this. Kirk Alyn himself was quoted as knocking the fact that there was no real difference between the way Kent and Superman were played but I have always disagree with this, feeling that a big city newsman would have to be aggressive and confident to do his job. In any case, aside from a few moments when his alter ego is called for, Reeves plays the reporter as a seasoned and resourceful character, likable too. The chemistry with Lois is terrific-one would think watching them that Coates and he had perfected their heated back and forth banter for years but this was their first outing-and their scenes together are just wonderful.

With science fiction film growing in popularity after the war combined with Superman's unearthly powers, it's no surprise that it was decided to introduce something more bizarre and other worldly for him to go up against rather than the racketeers and gangsters that he would face in the subsequent series. Nonetheless, time restriction and a minuscule budget made the Mole Men rather pathetic and hardly worthy adversaries for the Man of Steel. Of course, they don't turn out to be adversaries at all, but their minuscule size and rather silly-certainly not frightening-appearance could have been improved upon with just a bit of effort. Then in the opening scenes at least the suggestion of menace could have been created. Even as a child these guys didn't bother me much.

Of course, the real monsters of The Unknown People are the citizens of Silsby who reflect the monstrous and unreasonable lengths humankind will often to go to preserve and protect their own little worlds. No matter who or what is injured in the process.

Regrettably, in the real world, there is no Superman to do anything about this.

August 2008
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