MAINTAINING an incredibly popular series into yet another series, the Production team would be open to just about any sort of story that would be adaptable to the character and highly unique and peculiar situations encountered by Superman and company in the great city of Metropolis.
SO to this our analytical victim for today, 'Dagger Island', we see another one of those 'Drawing Room' or 'Haunted House" type of mysteries; being a classic 'Who dunnit? Coming from the same mold as many a CHARLIE CHAN, SHERLOCK HOLMES or THIN MAN movies, the mystery will invariably bring all suspects together in the close proximity of a particular mansion or other closed access location.
THE crime and all clues will be presented in the open for all to see; leading to the hero's eventual expose of the guilty party after enumerating the facts and circumstances with all present. It's a formula that has done well for Raymond Burr on PERRY MASON for years. The format also had worked successfully, with a little variation, in the second season's 'Jungle Devil' and season three's 'The Lucky Cat'.
'DAGGER ISLAND' gives us a brief break from the daily rat race of the asphalt jungles of Metropolis to the lone tranquility of a desert island. The plot gives us three relatives of the now deceased rich man. To the mix we add Clark Kent (George Reeves) along with Miss Lane (Noel Neill) and young James Olsen (Mr. Jack Larson). The island also has a reclusive and rather elderly caretaker, played by veteran screen actor of the Silent Screen and the "B" Westerns, Mr. Raymond Hatton.
WE have a contest staged in order to allow each of the heirs to the $$$ that the elder family member had left, when (Surprise, surprise!), there is some evil deeds pulled by someone, but who? There are only seven persons on the island and we know three of them and can vouch for all. That leaves the other three 'Cousins' and the caretaker.
EVENTUALLY Kent exposes the perpetrator as well as another fraudulent charade that is being played out on 'Dagger Island'.
THIS story proves to be a good change of pace as, although it is Superman with all of his super powers of Flight, Invulnerability, Super Hearing, Super Breath and X Ray Vision; the mystery was essentially cleared and rendered closed by the 'Old' Mild Mannered Reporter, Clark Kent.
WE give it SS ½ ! That's 2 and one half Superman Chest Emblems! (Instead of Stars!)
POODLE SCHNITZ!!