- Title: The Adventures of Superman – The Birthday Letter
- wiki: link
Superman Sunday takes us back to the 1950s and a strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Originally airing on Halloween 1952, “The Birthday Letter” involves a coincidence of young Kathy (Isa Ashdown) who accidentally overhears a crucial piece of information involving a counterfeit plot and also writes to The Daily Planet that her most fervent wish is for Superman to take her to the fair (as apparently Kathy’s leg brace is too much of an impediment for her mother to do so).
The goofy plot involves Kathy being tricked by the thieves, the dimwitted one (John Doucette) dressed like a pretty unconvincing Superman who she quickly begins to question. The mother blames Superman for the missing daughter, while Clark (George Reeves) and Lois (Phyllis Coates) put the pieces together to track down the thieves, find Kathy, and recover the counterfeit plates. And, in the end, the real Superman arrives to make Kathy’s wish come true (once again in the complete absence of her mother).
Up until this point in the series, I don’t know if The Adventures of Superman has ever felt more like a kiddie show than this episode. You can certainly make the argument that the episode wouldn’t make it to air in its current format today (at least not on a children’s show), and the most interesting aspect of the story involving Superman being accused of a crime is largely ignored (except for Lois getting momentarily angry over it).
