Announcer
Clark Kent
Lois Lane
Switchboard Operator
Perry White
Narrator
Beany
"The Meteor from Krypton, chapter 1" by Ben Peter Freeman
Announcer:
Kellogg's Pep, the super-delicious cereal presents... "The Adventures of Superman!"
Announcer:
Faster than a speeding bullet,
SFX:
OF SPEEDING BULLET
Anncr:
more powerful than a locomotive,
SFX:
SOUND OF LOCOMOTIVE
Anncr:
able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
SFX:
WHOOSH OF AIR (LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS)
Announcer:
Look! Up in the sky!
First Voice:
It's a bird!
Second Voice:
It's a plane!
Third Voice:
It's Superman!
Announcer:
Yes, It's Superman and today we begin a brand new adventure for the man of steel—an adventure that is to test all his great and unusual powers to the utmost. A strange and dramatic scene is taking place in the private office of Editor Perry White of the Daily Planet. Clark Kent, his face ashen gray and his hands clutching the arms of his chair, is staring at the late-afternoon edition of the paper on White's desk. The editor, alarmed, has risen and is about to go to Kent's assistance when the door opens and Lois Lane enters
SFX:
LOUD BABBLE FROM PRESSROOM AS LOIS LANE OPENS DOOR TO ENTER
SFX:
(DOOR CLOSES AND PRESSROOM NOISE STOPS)
Lois:
Clark, I want to ask you if you'd...Good heavens! What's the matter?
White:
Get some water, Lois!
Clark:
(dazedly) No, no, no I'm all right
Lois:
What happened?
White:
Don't stand there asking questions. Get some water!!
Lois:
I hear you...you don't have to scream at me!
Clark:
Please, Chief, I'm OK
SFX:
LOIS OPENS OFFICE DOOR AND PRESSROOM NOISE ERUPTS. OVERTHIS NOISE YOU HEAR LOIS CALLING TO BEANIE TO GET SOME WATER)
Lois:
Beanie, bring some water!
White:
Now, Kent, you be quiet...don't try to talk yet!
SFX:
(DOOR CLOSES AND PRESSROOM NOISE STOPS)
Lois:
What happened, Chief?
White:
I don't know...we were sitting here talking when...
Clark:
I'm all right now, there's nothing the matter with me!
Lois:
There certainly is something the matter with you. You're pale as a ghost!
SFX:
KNOCKING AT THE DOOR
White:
I don't want anyone in here!
Lois:
It's Beanie with the water!
SFX:
DOOR OPENS; NOISE FROM PRESSROOM BLARES IN AND...
Beanie:
Here you are, Miss Lane.
SFX:
DOOR CLOSES AND NOISE STOPS
Lois:
Here, Clark, drink this.
Clark:
I'm really all right now!
White:
Well, drink it anyway! Water never hurt anyone.
Lois:
Here, go ahead
Clark (drinks) There...
Lois:
Don't get up, I'll take the glass.
Clark:
I'm all right.
White:
Leave it on the desk.
Clark:
Ok
White:
Now,...now, Kent, you just sit back and relax Now, DO AS I SAY!
Clark:
All right, all right...Sorry I caused all this trouble...I..I
Lois:
Will someone please tell me what happened?
Clark:
It was nothing, Lois, really!
Lois:
It must have been something because when I walked in here your face was the color of the of the chief's hair...
White:
What's the matter with the color of my hair!
Lois:
There's nothing the matter with it, but it's gray!
White:
When you're as old as I am yours'll be gray too!
Lois:
I don't doubt that for a moment! Now what happened? You started to tell me chief...
Clark:
It was nothing, Lois, believe me!
Lois:
You keep quiet. Now, go ahead, Chief!
White:
Oh, thanks (sarcastically!)
Lois:
Good grief! Isn't it possible to carry on a normal conversation around here without sarcasm or screaming or jumping down people's throats!!! I'm asking a simple question -- what happened in here that made Clark look like a ghost!
White:
If you'd only stop talking long enough for another person to get a word in edgewise, maybe you'd find out!
Clark:
There's nothing to find out!
White:
You keep out of this!
Lois:
(sweetly) I'm waiting, Mr. White...
White:
(exploding) YOU TOO!
Lois:
Me too, what?
White:
You too (splutters and fumes) Oh.. never mind, never mind. I better tell you what happened before you drive me crazy.
Lois:
(indistinct murmur signaling "yes")
White:
Now...we were sitting here talking. I don't remember what about. That's not important. When someone came up from the pressroom with a copy of the early-afternoon edition of the paper.
Lois:
Who?
White:
(exploding) What's the difference WHO! A guy from the pressroom! A guy named Joe!
Lois:
All right, all right! Golly!
White:
He put the paper on my desk
SFX:
NEWSPAPER CRACKLING
White:
Here. Here it is. We went right on talking. I got a phone call and while I was on the wire Kent leaned over and glanced at the front page of the paper. Next thing I knew he looked like he was going to die right in that chair.
Clark:
(protesting) Now, wait a minute...that's a slight exaggeration, Chief.
Lois:
You certainly looked that way when I came in.
Clark:
Well...maybe I'm tired...maybe I need a vacation...(standing) Right now I've got some work to do in my office. (Begins to leave)
White:
You come back here and sit down!
Lois:
Let him go, Chief. (In the background Clark calls out...
Clark:
See you all later!
SFX:
DOOR TO PRESSROOM OPENS AND NOISE BURSTS IN
SFX:
DOOR TO PRESSROOM CLOSES AND NOISE STOPS.
White:
Darned fool! Lois, I..I'm worried about him. Maybe he does need a vacation...
Lois:
Wait a minute. Let's see what's on the front page of the paper that might have shocked him...
SFX:
CRACKLING OF NEWSPAPER
White:
I can't imagine any news story having that effect on him...
Lois:
(reading) McArthur warns Japs against sabotage... President asks for tax reduction...coal strike pending...noted meteorologist dies...five rescued from fire. That's all, except for the weather report..
White:
Maybe it wasn't anything in the paper!
Lois:
Clark has been acting strange lately, Chief...as though he were hiding something...
White:
Hmmm...What's he got to hide?
Lois:
It might be anything. You know as well as I do, Chief, that Clark isn't really a normal person...There's something peculiar about him...
White:
What do you mean, peculiar?
Lois:
Well, it's hard to put into words. But ever since I've known Clark I've had the feeling that...that he's leading a double life...that he's keeping something under cover..
White:
Bah...you and your double life!!
Lois:
Well, I have...
White:
Ever since that trial you've had double life on the brain! He's as honest as the day is long..
Lois:
Oh, he's honest enough, but...
SFX:
NEWSPAPER CRACKLES
Lois:
Good heavens...
White:
Now what?
Lois:
I think I know what shocked him!
White:
Something on the front page of the paper?
Lois:
Yes, this item right here... Noted meteorologist dies: Dr. John Whistler, head of the Department of Meteorology of the Metropolis Museum died at the City Hospital this morning following a brief illness...
White:
I know, but why should that upset him so?
Lois:
Now listen. You remember about a year ago a strange meteor fell on a field outside the city?
White:
(musing) Hmmmmm., faintly...yes...
Lois:
Well, Clark covered that story. The meteor was turned over to this Dr. Whistler, and, .. and Clark interviewed him at the Museum. I remember now that there was something peculiar about the meteor. The details are a little hazy now, but...
White:
(impatiently) Well, let's call Kent in and ask him ab..
Lois:
No, no, wait a minute, let me think... Let's see... It...(suddenly she remembers) Kryptonite! That's what it was!
White:
What are you talking about?
Lois:
The meteor! Dr. Whistler called it kryptonite! It was a piece of the planet, Krypton!
White:
Stop giving me double talk!
Lois:
I...!
White:
What's all this got to do with Kent keeling over?
Lois:
I don't know, but there must be something that...
White:
(buzzing the outer office) I'll get him in here
SFX:
(Nasal voice from the intercom: "Yes, Mr. White")
White:
Oh, Miss Backrack, tell Clark Kent I want to see him.
Miss Backrack:
He's gone for the day, Mr. White...
White:
Where'd he go?
Miss B:
I think he said he was going home...
White:
Oh, all right. Well, now what do you make of that? First he says he's got work to do and then he goes home!
Lois:
If you want the truth, I'm worried! I think I'll stop off at his apartment and have a talk with him!
White:
Well, I'll go along with you.
Lois:
Good! Shall we leave now?
White:
Well, we might as well.
Lois:
(as she's moving toward the door) I'll get my hat and coat and I'll meet you at the elevator, Chief!
SFX:
NOISE OF THE PRESSROOM AS SHE LEAVES THE OFFICE
Announcer:
Concerned and puzzled about Clark Kent's condition, Lois and Perry White decide to visit him at his apartment. What will they learn? We'll return in a moment to find out, but first...!
Announcer:
Say, here's more of that exciting news. It's about the swell offer Kellogg's Pep has for you! Kellogg's Pep has a smart-looking, streamlined, real sundial wristwatch for you! One that you can wear on your wrist wherever you are to tell you the hour of the day by the sun! And in a minute I'm going to tell you how you can get it. It's the modern, 1945 version of an instrument that's been part of man's life since the days of ancient Egypt. It's about the size of the usual wristwatch, and it's made from gleaming aluminum with a strap that holds it flat on your wrist. To use it, you lift the pointer and aim it due north. The sun's rays will make the shadow of the pointer fall on the dial showing the hour of the day. Boy, what fun you can have playing Cops and Robbers and meeting... "when the shadow falls at three!"
Announcer:
Now, here's how you get this grand Kellogg's Pep offer! Ask Mom to get a good supply of Kellogg's Pep at the store. Then send two box tops marked "top" from the Pep packages along with ten cents in cash and your name and address clearly printed to Superman, Box One Five Seven, Battle Creek, Michigan
Announcer:
And now...Back to the "Adventures of Superman!"
Announcer:
Alone in his apartment, Clark Kent, obviously troubled, is pacing back and forth across the living room floor. At intervals he stops short and stands with shoulders hunched, lost for a moment in deep thought. And through it all another voice, the voice of his conscience, perhaps, keeps talking to him:
Conscience:
(urgently) You've got to do something about it. You've got to!
Clark:
What can I do?
Conscience:
That piece of kryptonite...you remember what effect it had on you!
Clark:
Yes, yes, of course I remember...Robbed me of all my strength...It, it made me weak!
Conscience:
That's right! And what good is Superman without strength!? That kryptonite must be destroyed!
Clark:
But...how can I get near enough to it to destroy it? I told you...it robs me of all my strength!
Conscience:
You've got to get someone to help you! Where is it?
Clark:
It's in Dr. Whistler's private vault at the Museum. He sealed it up at my request,but now he's dead! They'll open that vault, and they won't know the power of that piece of kryptonite. They won't know that it makes Superman... a weakling!
Conscience:
Why do you speak of Superman as though he were someone else? It's you we're talking about! You ARE Superman! It'll make you a weakling!
Clark:
Must you remind me of it? Why do you think I almost keeled over in Perry White's office? I knew the danger the moment I saw that item in the paper—that Dr. Whistler had died!
Conscience:
Maybe they won't open the vault! Has that ever occurred to you?
Clark:
Yes, but it's not likely. I'm in constant danger unless that piece of
kryptonite is destroyed. Why...I have enemies all over the world! Clever enemies! What if it fell into their hands?
Conscience:
There's only one answer. You have to tell someone. You'll have to get someone to help you!
Clark:
But...how can I reveal my identity? That's a secret I've guarded for years
SFX:
DOORBELL BUZZES
Clark:
What's that??
Conscience:
Someone's at the door
Clark:
Good Lord! Lois and Perry White.
Conscience:
This is your chance! Tell them the story. Get them to help you!
Clark:
Oh no...! No! I , I, I...can't!
SFX:
DOORBELL BUZZES AGAIN
Conscience:
You've got to !!!
SFX:
DOORBELL BUZZES INSISTENTLY
Conscience:
Go ahead!
Clark:
Uh, uh...just a moment! I'm coming!
SFX:
FOOTSTEPS TO DOOR – SOUND OF DOOR OPENING
Clark:
Oh, (in surprise and false heartiness) well, hello! What brings you two here?
Lois:
We thought we'd stop by to see how you were...! Uh...may we come in?
Clark:
Oh, sure, sure. Of course! Oh, I'm, fine now...feel like a million dollars.
White:
Now look, Kent, let's not beat about the bush! There's something wrong with you...you're not yourself!
Clark:
Wh...Wh...What do you mean, Chief?
White:
Lois has the idea you're hiding something!
Clark:
Hiding something?
Lois:
Clark...do you know anything about ...a piece of kryptonite?
Clark:
(stutters incoherently)
White:
Kent! What's the matter?
Clark:
Noth..noth...nothing!
Lois You see, I was right, Chief. There is a connection!
Clark:
What are you talking about, Lois?
White:
Now we want the truth, Kent, straight from the shoulder! You're in trouble and we know it. We're ready to help you if you'll tell us what's wrong!
Clark:
(protesting) Believe me, Chief...
Lois:
Clark, be sensible. When you read about Dr. Whistler's death in the chief's office you almost fainted.
Clark:
No... you're just...
Lois:
The same thing happened just a moment ago when I mentioned the piece of kryptonite.
Clark:
(protesting) Well...
Lois:
There must be some connection!
Clark:
All right...(ceding) There is some connection...
White:
Now sit down, Kent and tell us all about it. Remember that we're your friends. We'll move heaven and earth to help you if we can.
Clark:
Well,...(sigh) it's a long story and part of it is going to amaze you, but I suppose I'll have to tell it.
Lois:
Go ahead, Clark.
Announcer:
Anxiously, Lois Lane and Perry White lean forward in their chairs as Clark Kent draws a deep breath and begins his story. WHAT IS HE GOING TO TELL THEM? Is he finally, after years of guarding the secret, going to reveal his double identity? Reveal that Clark Kent and Superman are one and the same person? This is a tense moment—a moment for which many of us have been waiting! So be sure to tune in tomorrow...same time, same station for... "The Adventures of Superman!"
Announcer:
Faster than a speeding bullet,
SFX:
NOISES OF SPEEDING BULLET,
Announcer:
More powerful than a locomotive,
SFX:
SOUND OF LOCOMOTIVE,
Announcer:
able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
WHOOSH OF AIR (LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS)
Announcer:
Look! Up in the sky!
First Voice:
It's a bird!
Second Voice:
It's a plane!
Third Voice:
It's Superman!
Announcer:
Fellows and girls, be sure to follow the adventures of Superman, brought to you every day, Monday through Friday, same time, same station, by the makers of that super-delicious cereal, Kellogg's Pep. And for other thrilling adventures of Superman, see your local newspaper. Superman is also a copywrited feature appearing in the Superman BC publications.
This is the Mutual Broadcasting System.