THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY - "Unaired Pilot" (1961)

Tonight's Weird Wednesday feature is yet another unaired pilot, "The Adventures Of Superboy" that was made, but never sold in 1961. 

They tried to make it as similar to "The Adventures Of Superman" as they possibly could, but I guess there was just something missing!

If I hadn't told you this was Superboy, how would you ever know that it wasn't Superman?

Aw, it's a cute little baby Superboy come here all the way from Krypton!

John/Johnny Rockwell had the role of Superboy. Maybe if this series had got bought, he'd be as famous as George Reeves, but alas, that's not what happened!

This is a feel good story about a kid who goes to the same high school as Clark Kent, and is ashamed because his Father's occupation is a lowly doorman in the Aero Theatre, but after the theatre gets robbed by some thugs, his Dad becomes a hero!

These are the thugs in question! In the front seat are Charles (Peter Gunn, Adventures Of Superman, Star Trek) Maxwell as Gunner Ferde, and Stacy (Phillip Marlowe, Man With A Camera) Harris as Jake. In the backseat is Richard Reeves again, this time as an all-day sucker named Shifty.

Charles Maxwell was also the radio announcer in "The Twilight Zone" episode "I Am The Night - Color Me Black."

They're having the premier of  "Rajah's Ransom" in the theatre in Smallville, and as a promo, they're bringing in $200,000 worth of diamonds to show off to the public!

At least these hoods have a nice ride!

Here's the plan, although he doesn't like it, because he knows he's going to jail, Shifty is supposed to take some pot shots at a cop, so that Superboy will show up, and be distracted long enough for the other two to steal the jewels. Shifty will have to only do five or six months in the pen, and when he gets out, they will have fifty grand for him!

The cop shows up and Shifty starts firing! Personally, I think a six month sentence for shooting a dozen times at a police officer is deserving of a bit of a longer sentence, like twenty years for attempted murder!

Clark Kent and Lana Lang are doing their homework when this lamp starts flashing a signal to Superboy that the police need help. He tells Lana it's probably just the light bulb that needs to be replaced!

Next thing Lana knows is that Clark is gone!

"Last chance up there, are you coming out, or am I coming after you?"

The doorman can't identify these clowns as the robbers, even though they are known associates of Shifty.

But he's been learning to draw at home, so his son suggests he sketches them.

The super bright Captain then proclaims that the mugs must have gotten plastic surgery, and he would be right!

The premier still needs to go on, so Superboy does his nifty trick of turning coal into diamonds that they can put on display during the interim process!

Shifty ain't talking but Superboy can give him a makeshift lie detector test by listening to his pulse with his super hearing when he gets asked a couple of questions!

Later, Superboy needs to use his super vision!

The punk hoodlums kidnap the doorman to silence him once and for all, and they take him out into the boondocks and put him in the road, and are going to run over him, to make it look like a simple unsolved hit and run, but Superboy is on to them!

Superboy blocks the oncoming car and keeps it from creaming the guy!
Thanx go out this time to Rich (You Were Always Trouble) Arithmetic for turning me onto this little unpolished jewel!

And if you don't believe me, then check it out for yourself!