Superman and the Mole Men is an independently made 1951 American superhero film released by Lippert Pictures Inc. Produced by Barney A. Sarecky and directed by Lee Sholem, it stars George Reeves as Superman and Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane. It is the first feature film based on any DC Comics character.
Plot[]
Mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent and Lois Lane are sent to the small town of Silsby for the inauguration of the world's deepest oil well. The drill shaft has penetrated the deep underground home of the "Mole Men", a race of small, furry, though bald-headed humanoids. The Mole Men come up through the shaft at night, and when the creatures first emerge on the surface, their sudden appearance scares to death the elderly night watchman. Lois Lane and Clark Kent arrive at the oil well and find the dead watchman. Subsequently, help arrives. Clark Kent and the foreman are exploring the surrounding area for signs of intruders when Lois sees one of the creatures and screams. But no one believes her when she tells them what she saw.
The medical examiner is summoned, and he later leaves with Lois. Clark stays behind to confront the foreman, who confesses that the well was closed for fear that they had struck radium and not oil. The foreman proceeds to show Clark ore samples that were collected during different stages of drilling; all of them glow brightly.
The townspeople become afraid of the Mole Men because of their peculiar appearance and because everything that they touch glows in the dark (due to simple phosphorescence). They form an angry mob in order to kill the "monsters", directed by the violent Luke Benson. Superman is the only one able to resolve the conflict, stopping Benson and the mob. He saves one of the creatures after it has been shot by taking it to the hospital. The second creature returns to the well head and disappears down its shaft.
Later, a doctor reveals that the injured creature will die unless he has surgery to remove the bullet. Clark Kent is forced to assist when the nurse refuses to do so out of fear. Soon afterward, Benson's mob arrives at the hospital demanding that the creature be given to them, causing Superman to stand guard outside the hospital. Lois Lane stands at Superman's side, until a shot is fired from the mob, narrowly missing her. Superman sends Lois inside and begins to relieve the mob of their rifles and pistols, sending them away.
Later, three more Mole Men emerge from the drill shaft, this time bearing a strange weapon. They make their way to the hospital. Benson and his mob see the creatures, and Benson goes after them alone. When the creatures see him, they fire their laser-like weapon at him. Superman sees this and jumps quickly in front of the pulsating ray, saving Benson's life, which Superman says "is more than you deserve!". He fetches the wounded creature from the hospital and returns him and his companions to the well head. Soon after, from deep underground, the Mole Men destroy the drill shaft, making certain that no one can come up or go down it ever again. Lois observes, "It's almost as if they were saying, 'You live your lives ... and we'll live ours'".
Cast[]
- George Reeves as Clark Kent / Superman
- Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane
- Jeff Corey as Luke Benson
- Walter Reed as Bill Corrigan
- J. Farrell MacDonald as Pop Shannon
- Stanley Andrews as The Sheriff
- Ray Walker as John Craig
- Hal K. Dawson as Chuck Weber
- Phil Warren as Deputy Jim
- Frank Reicher as Hospital Superintendent
- Beverly Washburn as Child
- Billy Curtis as a Mole-Man (uncredited)
- Jerry Maren as a Mole-Man (uncredited)
- Byron Foulger as Jeff Reagan (uncredited)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
| Superman |
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| Superman (1948), Atom Man vs. Superman (1950), Superman and the Mole Men (1951), Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), Superman Returns (2006), Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Justice League (2017), Man of Steel 2, Justice League: Part Two |