Adventures of Superman (TV Series) Night of Terror (1952) User Reviews

Motel Hell

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 28 January 2015]

This episode has a much harder bite to it. It begins as Lois Lane is about to check into a motel for the night. She is on vacation and when she rings the bell and no one answers, she sees a woman, unconscious on the other side of the counter. Apparently, her husband has been killed and taken away. Louis is quickly accosted by stereotypical gangster. Her efforts to escape him are fruitless and he knocks her out, then puts her and the other woman, who is badly hurt, in one of the cabins. They stand guard and await a guy named Babyface, who will come and kill them. Lois manages to escape briefly and make a phone call to the Daily Planet. Jimmy takes the call but since it's night there is no one in authority to help. Clark is off on a story and Inspector Henderson is not available (of course, there are other police available, but it doesn't occur to Jimmy to ask for one or more of them). One of the thugs catches her and returns her to the room, trying the two of them back to back. He leaves a message an heads for the motel where he is mistaken for Baby Face. What ensues is a huge effort to find the note which the janitor has taken to the incinerator. Superman must visit three motels before finding the correct one. This is a very harsh episode in that these guys are truly dangerous in a very realistic way. Quite good television.

Baby Face Stevens

[armansyal · 8/10 · 24 September 2022]

Night of Terror is the 6th episode of the first season and stars Richard Benedict, Ann Doran, Frank Richards and John Kellogg. The plot follows Lois who stumbles across a dead body behind the counter of an empty motel she had checked in. Shortly after the discovery, Lois is kidnapped by a criminal gangster and is locked in a room along with another kidnapped civilian 'Mrs. King'. Lois attempts to call the cops but due to the long wait, she changes her mind and calls the Daily Planet instead; informing Jimmy that she has been kidnapped and the whereabouts of her location. Jimmy leaves a note for Clark while he investigates himself, and said note gets lost. I won't go further on and spoil the ending, but I will say it has a great action scene. I thought this story was fantastic, possibly the best episode so far.

One of the best episodes of the entire series

[Scott351w2001 · 10/10 · 29 August 2006]

This is one of my favorite episodes of the "Adventures of Superman". The story centers around Lois Lane, who, while vacationing, stops at a motel near the Canadian border, where she finds the motel owner lying injured behind the desk. It turns out a gang of mobsters had murdered the woman's husband after the two had interfered with the gangsters' smuggling of goods across the border. the gangsters, who are still at the motel, now threaten Lois as well. Lois puts in a frantic call to the Daily Planet, where Jimmy takes a message for Clark Kent, who is away on assignment. The note gets lost, and Clark frantically tries to recover it. Superman comes to the rescue of Lois and Jimmy (who drove to the motel and is mistakenly taken to be a "baby faced" mobster.) in the nick of time.

The episode is flawless. Done in "film-noir style" (Typical of many first season episodes) its an exciting episode, where the bad guys are particularly menacing (especially the guy with the scar, who belts Lois) George Reeves looks great as Superman, and Phyllis Cotes shines as Lois Lane. This episode really typifies the excitement of the first season and shows that great acting, writing and directing can overcome the limitations of a shoe-string budget.

One of the best episodes.

[pdxtim2001 · 10/10 · 20 April 2008]

The newly restored DVD reveals some never before seen treasures in this episode. Slowing down the DVD in the scene where Superman lands in the motel room, you can clearly see a Superman double was used when he's beating the bad guys. The clarity is amazing! The double is actually taller then Reeves, and does most of the beating and tossing the bad guys in the scene. Then, George Reeves is brought back in to smack the last bad guy who bends the knife on the Superman insignia. Then right after that at 24:48 you can clearly hear someone say "oh goddammit." Perhaps it was one of the bad guys who really did get hurt being tossed into the breakaway furniture.

Brutal Depiction of Crime Committed

[biorngm · 9/10 · 16 October 2017]

Review S 1 Ep 6 Night of Terror This is the most brutally depicted episode in all 104 total and the darkest of all story lines. It is one of my favorites, despite the violence, although too realistic for school age children, but the acting is believable in the quaint setting a motel and the Daily Planet. Lois is taking a vacation in episode 6! We are just getting started with the series and now Jimmy and Lois take vacations, i.e. ep. 2 and ep. 6! Too early in the series for recurring members to venture away from the office setting. Lois stops at a small motel for the night, finding the proprietor face down behind the front desk, knocked unconscious by one of the hoodlums, using the place as a way station to surreptitiously move criminals into Canada for asylum. While helping the owner recover, they both are held captive by the thugs, and an effort to contact Clark for help, gives Lois Jimmy at the Planet. Jimmy arrives to assist the women, initially being mistaken as the hired assassin, only to hope Superman comes to the rescue. The abusive treatment given to the women by the criminals lends itself to a storyline too violent for children. The fight among the bad guys and Superman is a little too real, but certainly effective in ending the crimes being committed. The dialogue between Clark and the receptionist is unintended seriocomical as is the one-sided conversation with the other inn keepers as Superman tries to locate the correct motel. Watch for the adult themed story of how violent some episodes became before modifications were set in season two. Favorable casting and well-acted keeps the dark nature of the story true to an adult format.