Superman and the Mole Men

Superman and the Mole Men

Directed by Lee Sholem
Produced by Barney A. Sarecky
Written by Richard Fielding
Based on Characters 
by Jerry Siegel
Joe Shuster
Starring George Reeves
Phyllis Coates
Music by Darrell Calker
Walter Greene
Cinematography Clark Ramsey
Edited by Albrecht Joseph
Distributed by Lippert Pictures Inc.
Release dates
  • November 23, 1951 (1951-11-23)
Running time
 58 minutes
Language English

Superman and the Mole Men is an independently made 1951 American black-and-white superhero movie, produced by Barney A. Sarecky, directed by Lee Sholem, and starring George Reeves as Superman and Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane. The movie was released by Lippert Pictures Inc.

The story concerns reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane arriving in the small town of Silsby to witness the drilling of the world's deepest oil well. The drill, however, has penetrated the underground home of a race of small, bald humanoids who, out of curiosity, climb to the surface at night. They glow in the dark, which scares the local townfolk, who form a mob intent on killing the strange visiters. Only Superman can intervene to prevent a tragedy.

This is the first feature film based on any DC Comics character. Previously, two live-action, multiple chapter serials from Columbia Pictures, based on the Superman comics feature and radio program, starring Kirk Alyn as Superman and Noel Neill as Lois Lane, had been shown in weekly installments in movie theaters. Two additional serials based on DC's Batman, the first featuring Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin/Dick Grayson, and the second starring Robert Lowery as Batman and Johnny Duncan as Robin/Dick Grayson, has also appeared from Columbia (1943 - 1950).

Plot

Mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent and Lois Lane are sent to the small town of Silsby for the inauguration of the world's deepest oil well. The drill shaft has penetrated the deep underground home of the "Mole Men", a race of small, furry, though bald-headed humanoids. The Mole Men come up through the shaft at night, and when the creatures first emerge on the surface, their sudden appearance scares to death the elderly night watchman. Lois Lane and Clark Kent arrive at the oil well and find the dead watchman. Subsequently, help arrives. Clark Kent and the foreman are exploring the surrounding area for signs of intruders when Lois sees one of the creatures and screams. But no one believes her when she tells them what she saw.

The medical examiner is summoned, and he later leaves with Lois. Clark stays behind to confront the foreman, who confesses that the well was closed down for fear that they had struck radium and not oil. The foreman proceeds to show Clark ore samples that were collected during different stages of drilling; all of them glow brightly.

The townspeople become afraid of the Mole Men due of their peculiar appearance and because everything that they touch glows in the dark (due to simple phosphorescence). They form an angry mob in order to kill the "monsters", directed by the violent Luke Benso. Superman is the only one able to resolve the conflict, stopping Benson and the mob. He saves one of the creatures after it has been shot by taking it to the hospital. The second creature returns to the well head and disappears down its shaft.

Later, a doctor reveals that the creature will die unless he undergoes surgery to remove the bullet. Clark Kent is forced to assist when the nurse refuses to do so out of fear. Soon afterward, Benson's mob arrives at the hospital demanding that the creature be given to them, leading Superman to stand guard outside the hospital. Lois Lane stands at Superman's side, until a shot is fired from the mob, narrowly missing her. Superman sends Lois inside and begins to relieve the mob of their rifles and pistols, sending them away.

Later, three more Mole Men emerge from the drill shaft, this time bearing a strange weapon. They make their way to the hospital. Benson and his mob see the creatures, and Benson goes after them alone. When the creatures see him, they fire their laser-like weapon at him. Superman sees this and quickly jumps in front of the pulsating ray, saving Benson's life, which Superman says "is more than you deserve!". He fetches the wounded creature from the hospital and returns him and his companions to the well head. Soon after, from deep underground, the Mole Men destroy the drill shaft, making certain that no one can come up or go down it ever again. Lois observes, "It's almost as if they were saying, 'You live your lives ... and we'll live ours'".

Cast

Themes

As with many of the early episodes of the Adventures of Superman, the movie is adult-themed, with a good deal of conflict and violence, or the threat thereof, and is played with total seriousness by all the actors; Reeves' Superman, in particular, is all business, displaying none of the humor that the character would develop over time in the TV series.

The sympathetic view of the strangers in the movie, and the unreasoning fear on the part of the citizenry, has been compared by author Gary Grossman to the panicked public reaction to the peaceful alien Klaatu in the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still, which was released the same year. Both movies have been seen retrospectively as a product of (and a reaction to) the "Red Scare" of post-World War II era. Grossman also cites a later movie, perhaps inspired by this one, named The Mole People (1956).

Production

The image of actors Reeves and Coates on the theatrical release poster is a painting derived by reversing ("flopping") a publicity photo image of the two actors, with Superman's "S shield" emblem then reversed in order for it to be read correctly. The still (above) depicts the movie's final scene.

The movie's original screenplay was by "Richard Fielding", a pseudonym for Robert Maxwell and Whitney Ellsworth.

Superman and the Mole Men was shot in a little more than 12 days on a studio back lot and runs just 58 minutes. It originally served as a trial balloon release for the syndicated Adventures of Superman TV series, for which it became the only two-part episode, "The Unknown People". Some elements of the original movie were trimmed when converted for television, including some portions of a lengthy chase scene and all references to the term "Mole Men".

The theme music used for the movie had a generic "science fiction sound", with nothing suggesting a specific Superman theme. The title cards used were similarly generic, with low-grade animation of comets sailing by Saturn-like ringed planets.

The movie's original film score by Darrell Calker (Woody Woodpecker) was removed when Superman and the Mole Men was re-cut into the two-part Superman TV episode. It was replaced with "canned" production library music used in the first season of the Superman TV series.

The laser-like weapon of the Mole Men, which they retrieve from their subterranean home in order to defend themselves and rescue their injured comrade, was a prop made by adding metal shoulder braces to one end of an Electrolux vacuum cleaner body; for the ray's "gun barrel" a standard metal funnel was attached to the other.

Home video releases

The movie was first released as a VHS version by Warner Home Video on July 22, 1988, coinciding with the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Superman character that year; the movie was also released at the same time as a LaserDisc. Both the two-part TV episode and the full feature movie are on the 2005 first season DVD release for Adventures of Superman. During 2006 the movie was released as a bonus feature on the 4-Disc Special Edition of Superman: The Movie. Subsequently, Superman and the Mole Men was repackaged for its 2011 Blu-Ray box set release.

In popular culture

During the DC vs. Marvel comics crossover event, Marvel super villain the Mole Man and his minions attempt to take over the Batcave, only to be opposed by the Incredible Hulk. Superman then joins the fight, prompting Hulk to comment "Superman versus the Mole Men. This should be interesting".

See also

The Mole People (film) (1956)

References

External links

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