Adventures of Superman (TV Series) The Big Forget (1958) User Reviews

Take A Whiff Of This!

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 6 March 2007]

Perry White tells Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane that they couldn't do anything if Superman wasn't around to bail them out all the time. (Amen!)

Lois, of course, takes offense at that and asks, "Would be worth a raise if we gave you a front-page story without Superman's help? Perry says, "I suppose so....but I want to be in on this from the formative stage." In other words, Perry is going to work with the two goofs, but, as Jimmy insists, "this time you're going to have to promise to let us run the show." Clark Kent laughs and says, "you've made yourself a deal, Chief, and now you're stuck with it."

Jimmy and Lois now have to figure out what kind of story they can get. They decide to go after the "biggest crook in the history of Metropolis: Musgy Maples"--Lois Lane. Clark overhears their plans and decides to keep an eye on them.

Series regulars Herb Vigran ("Mugsy') and Billy Nelson ("Knuckles") play their normal characters. We also see another Superman regular: Phil Tead as good 'ole "Professor Pepperwinkle." As usual, one of the professor's inventions gets everyone in trouble. Now he has "anti-memory vapor. One whiff and you forget everything that's happened in the last 15 minutes."

You can guess who fouls things up (Jimmy) and who gets a hold of the can of memory vapor (the crooks). It gets tense when Superman, in order to rescue his friends, has to reveal he's Clark Kent....and then hope that anti-memory spray works!

This is another very entertaining episode with a lot of the usual goofy happenings.

Superman's friends are complete morons, but it was goofy enough to be fun

[sssuperman-dot-com · 7/10 · 13 February 2015]

I was all set to hate-hate-hate this episode due to the denigration of Lois and Jimmy, but:

A) in this series, especially in the later episodes, the criticism is unfortunately usually spot-on, and

B) more importantly, the sheer goofiness and fun pretty much won me over.

Sure, Jimmy may act like a COMPLETE moron, and the other DP reporters sans Clark act 99% like morons, which I could do without. But this episode didn't take itself too seriously, so it's easy to take it in stride. There's just something about this episode that's just so fun, silly, and um...stupid...that it just draws you in. Good ol' Professor Pepperwinkle.

And I have to say, I really love it at the end where...um...Clark does that, erm, interesting...thing...in front of the others. (I try to keep my reviews spoiler-free.) And it's just so SO cute to hear Jimmy call Superman "Mr. Kent". (OK, I gave up.)

A good episode to watch if you like the silly side of life.

They Get Pepperwinkled Again

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 14 February 2015]

The episode begins with the team of Lane and Olsen getting Perry White to agree to give them a raise if they can get a front page story without the help of Superman. Who should show up but an old friend. Once again our dear Professor Pepperwinkle comes up with an invention that can only lead to disaster. He has developed a spray that will make people forget everything that has happened in the last fifteen minutes. Two crooks, one smart and one dumb (heard this before?) figure that this could aid them in their robberies. If people can't remember what they saw, it gives the crooks quite an advantage. Perry has gone with Lois and Jimmy and is a pain in the butt. He is cautious and plays entirely by the rules. Of course, they are brought out to the country and put in a cellar. By now, Clark has joined them. The last five minutes are very clever, considering the substance that the good professor has concocted.

The Final Episode? Could've Been.

[at-05037 · 9/10 · 28 February 2022]

Had this episode been scheduled to air as the season's finale, the plotline promo may have read... "In an exciting conclusion for this television season, Lois Lane, Perry White and Jimmy Olsen watch completely astonished as Clark Kent changes into Superman. Don't miss this one!"

And indeed, it turned out to be one of the season's best.

I almost forgot this Episode

[thejcowboy22 · 5/10 · 8 June 2017]

People who know me claim I have a steel trap memory. Unfortunately I never applied it to school work or trade. I use this recourse in my reviews. Typical episode of those later seasons of the Adventures Of Superman. In color, full cast of regulars and a visit from the old professor Perriwinkle? Oh Pepperwinkle! Our episode starts out with a proposal from our two goofy reporters Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane in hopes for a raise in salary. The two reporters claim to go out and capture the biggest crook in town. Their dubious Boss and Editor Perry White of the great metropolitan newspaper the Daily Planet is tight with their paychecks. A determined Lois Lane (Noel Neill) proclaims that, "What would it be worth if Jimmy and I got a front page story without the help of Superman?" Perry White adds that he will honor the raise as Clark Kent (George Reeves) laughs at the idea but a deal is a deal. Enter our colorful, craggy Professor Pepperwinkle (Phil Tead) who has yet another unique creation from his makeshift laboratory. What was it? Ah; I remember; it's Anti-memory vapor. One spray of this mist and you forget everything from the past 15 minutes. Why not sprinkle in some more comedy with the bushy eyebrow-ed Herb Vigran as the most powerful crook in Metropolis (Mugsy Maples) . You know they had standings of crooks in those days? Moreover all the rogues in The Adventures Of Superman were always well dressed, wearing hats that would make an haberdasher proud. Bring all these characters into a big plot of water add some anti memory vapor and you have another memorable episode? Oh I almost forgot our dear Inspector Henderson (Robert Shayne) who is mostly on the telephone playing hide and seek by counting numbers. The main attraction about this episode is the reactions of all the regulars as Clark Kent undresses in front of everybody to reveal his secret identity as the man of steel. The reactions were as expected by Jimmy and Perry White but Lois I would have at least gotten a "Clark Darling" or something substantial. Very poor reaction I would have done the scene over and over for the proper response. Poor direction by George Blair as he overlooked the magnitude of this pivotal scene in Superman History. Lois finally knowing about Clark and Superman as one even if it lasted a few minutes. The narrative was clever and it all came to a shocking climax. Oh I almost forgot again! I graded this one on story alone, Five nuggets of kryptonite out of ten!

The Man of Steel exposes self............

[redryan64 · 5/10 · 12 December 2015]

........BUT NOT THAT way, Schultz!

IN PROVIDING STORIES that would continue to challenge Superman, the writing staff had to find some ways to at least temporarily defeat the Super Powers of X-Ray & Telescopic Vision, Super Breath, Super Hearing. Super Speed, Invulnerability, etc. It was not easy, but not impossible either.

IN THE COMICS, being both the Comic Book and syndicated newspaper strips, the plots that equalized the struggle included application of Kryptonite, other super alien beings, Super Villains (Luthor, Brainiac, Titano the Super Ape, Mr. Mxyzptlk).* Although only Kryptonite was applied on the ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN TV series, the slack was taken up in the area of human emotional makeup; of which Superman/Kent was quite ordinary and 'normal'.

AMONG THESE MOST human frailties is Superman's need for the privacy of his dual existence as both Clark Kent and as his roll as Superman. If this were to be exposed, it would mean, the end of the line for his career as Champion of Metropolis.**

AS LUCK WOULD have it (and not to mention the plot), in today's reviewed episode, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: The Big Forget, recurring character of Professor Pepperwinkle (Phil Teads), invents a memory suppressing aerosol; which looks much like a can of Burma Shave.***It falls into the hands of a pair of gangsters (Herb Vigran & Billy Nelson-veteran SUPERMAN TV mobsters both).****

NOT ONLY DOES this duo of baddies use this discovery to cover up a crime wave of Bank Robberies, but also have it present when they imprison the staff of the Daily Planet, including: Perry White, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and Clark Kent (as Kent, not as Superman). When the two bad guys attempt to snuff out their journalist captives by use of a chemical weapon (poison gas) there is no other method of escape for them except for Superman to reveal himself in their presence.

BUT NOT TO worry, as a quick application of Pepperwinkle's Handy Aerosol memory suppressant to all.To both the gangsters, as well as the Daily Planet captives, the spray is applied and Superman's secret is preserved.

WITH THE PRESENTATION of this episode, we have perhaps a quintessential story of the series at that point. The half hour provides us with all the elements that we had come to expect from the show. Action, a gang involvement, some comic relief and super-heroics are all in evidence.

IT ALSO GAVE some participation and screen time to all of the regulars, not just name recognition in the cast listing. Inspector Bill Henderson (Robert Shayne) assists Superman in pinpointing the thugs' lair via use of a private phone line and Superman's super hearing. Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson) does a fine comic relief job of posing as an inept window washer to gain info from the bad guys.

ANOTHER ATTRIBUTE THAT we wanted to mention was its title. While it does make reference to the storyline, it does it so in a very clever and even "high class" method. It sounds like a sort of Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) title.

IT WAS SOMEWHAT reminiscent of what one might see in one of those BOSTON BLACKIE Series "B" pictures with Chester Morris, George E. Stone and Richard Lane. (Schultz and me both think that's a definite compliment!)

NOTE: * Although later animated SUPERMAN Series would feature super enemies such as these from the comics, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN never did.

NOTE ** Some examples of the very ordinary humanity possessed by Superman are shown in episodes: Superman in Exile, The Stolen Costume and The Dog Who Loved Superman.

NOTE *** Burma Shave was an old, now defunct brand of shaving cream; which left a heavy mark on our culture. With the use of a series of roadside signs, the Burma Shave company entertained America as we traveled along the various US Highway Routes in those carefree days before the advent of the Interstate Highway System. (Ask your Grandparents or look it up in Wikipedia.com).

NOTE: **** During the same period when actor Phil Teads' characterization of Prof. Pepperwinkle was so successful, there was a "Professor Potter" introduced in the comic books. As we recall, It was in the title of SUPERMAN'S PAL JIMMY OLSEN that this otherwise nearly identical character plied his trade. Why the name wasn't the same in both print and film media is a mystery.