Adventures of Superman (TV Series) Dagger Island (1956) User Reviews

Treasure Hunt

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 24 August 2006]

Perry White begins this program, reading a will in his office. It seems a millionaire has died and left a million bucks in diamonds on a remote island with clues on how to get it. Three Metropolis residents and an old hermit who lives on that island - Dagger Island, somewhere in the Caribbean - will be involved in the treasure hunt.

Clark, Lois and Jimmy go along with Clark and Lois the designated "umpires" of the hunt, to make sure all is fair and square. Before they even start the trip, however, someone tries to steal the clues and kill Lois, but unsuccessfully of course as you-know-who saves her at the last minute.

Once on the island the fun really begins with some interesting twists and turns, especially concerning the "hermit." Most of it is very hokey but it's all fun to watch.

They should make a Clark Kent fashion doll and include an Island Explorer outfit

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

Perry White becomes in charge of executing some family's will, even though he's a newspaper editor and not a lawyer...BECAUSE! The will is in the form of a...TREASURE HUNT! So he sends Clark Kent and Lois Lane to be...REFEREES! Oh and Jimmy is there too...FOR NO REASON! Yaaaayyyyy!

I love it when Superman stories do this - i.e. creating contrivances to involve the Daily Planet in non-supernatural, but still random and goofy stuff, thereby getting Superman involved, but only "indirectly" as Clark Kent. I like the Clark side of Superman the best, which is probably a major reason why I have such a penchant for this old show. And this episode certainly doesn't disappoint in that regard, actually making a point of having Superman keep his presence on the island hidden. (Not that I don't like "Superman proper", mind you - there are actually a few early episodes in this show where he doesn't appear enough for my tastes.)

It's certainly an entertaining episode and the plotting isn't half bad by series standards. Best of all, we get to see Clark in an adorable island explorer outfit. How cute.

Remember Schultz, "They" say "You can choose your Friends, but not your Relatives!"; (Whoever "They" are!)

[redryan64 · 7/10 · 3 February 2009]

MAINTAINING an incredibly popular series into yet another series, the Production team would be open to just about any sort of story that would be adaptable to the character and highly unique and peculiar situations encountered by Superman and company in the great city of Metropolis.

SO to this our analytical victim for today, 'Dagger Island', we see another one of those 'Drawing Room' or 'Haunted House" type of mysteries; being a classic 'Who dunnit? Coming from the same mold as many a CHARLIE CHAN, SHERLOCK HOLMES or THIN MAN movies, the mystery will invariably bring all suspects together in the close proximity of a particular mansion or other closed access location.

THE crime and all clues will be presented in the open for all to see; leading to the hero's eventual expose of the guilty party after enumerating the facts and circumstances with all present. It's a formula that has done well for Raymond Burr on PERRY MASON for years. The format also had worked successfully, with a little variation, in the second season's 'Jungle Devil' and season three's 'The Lucky Cat'.

'DAGGER ISLAND' gives us a brief break from the daily rat race of the asphalt jungles of Metropolis to the lone tranquility of a desert island. The plot gives us three relatives of the now deceased rich man. To the mix we add Clark Kent (George Reeves) along with Miss Lane (Noel Neill) and young James Olsen (Mr. Jack Larson). The island also has a reclusive and rather elderly caretaker, played by veteran screen actor of the Silent Screen and the "B" Westerns, Mr. Raymond Hatton.

WE have a contest staged in order to allow each of the heirs to the $$$ that the elder family member had left, when (Surprise, surprise!), there is some evil deeds pulled by someone, but who? There are only seven persons on the island and we know three of them and can vouch for all. That leaves the other three 'Cousins' and the caretaker.

EVENTUALLY Kent exposes the perpetrator as well as another fraudulent charade that is being played out on 'Dagger Island'.

THIS story proves to be a good change of pace as, although it is Superman with all of his super powers of Flight, Invulnerability, Super Hearing, Super Breath and X Ray Vision; the mystery was essentially cleared and rendered closed by the 'Old' Mild Mannered Reporter, Clark Kent.

WE give it SS ½ ! That's 2 and one half Superman Chest Emblems! (Instead of Stars!)

POODLE SCHNITZ!!

The Reading of the Will

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 10 February 2015]

This is a really fun episode. Three antagonistic relatives are at the reading of a will. It is revealed that the man who has died has buried a million dollars worth of diamonds on a Carribbean island. The first to find it gets the whole shebang. On the island is a hermit who makes the fourth member of the group. Lois and Clark are the umpires who will decide if everyone is playing fairly. Previously, Lois, who supposedly has the clues, is attacked and her purse gone through. They even use cyanide gas on her. Did anyone know anything about cyanide gas? Jimmy tags along as well to help with the process. Of course, the old guy on the island is a nasty gnarly old guy with a rifle. Once things are sorted out, the fun begins. The water supply is compromised. Lying occurs and attacks are made on people, including Jimmy. The whole thing leads to the interpreting of clues. The one pitfall is an interpretation by Jimmy which leads to what ultimately transpires. This is really a nicely plotted, engaging episode.

THE PRIZE: ONE MILLION BUCKS IN DIAMONDS

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 12 September 2022]

This was a super fun episode, all about putting together a riddle that would lead to a fortune in diamonds, and on a mysterious island. At the center of the hunt is crusty, ole Mr. Skagg (well played by Raymond Hatton, a featured player in hundreds of westerns and adventure films), a roving treasure hunter who may be a good guy or a bad guy. Clark, Lois and Jimmy have no choice but to follow Skagg and see where it all ends. Frequent villain Myron Healey is also aboard for the ride. There's a neat scene with Jimmy trapped in a deep concrete and brick well, among other obstacles. The eerie music is a big plus, and incidentally, was used in several movies (PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, for example) directed by low, low budget producer Ed Wood! You had to give Wood credit for being resourceful at times. Recommended. SEASON 4 EPISODE 9 dvd box set.

Did they film a dual episode with this and "The Jolly Roger"?

[djfone · 5/10 · 12 February 2024]

I find it odd that the "Dagger Island" and "The Jolly Roger" episodes, originally airing only a few weeks apart, feature not only the very same tropical island set; but the same island outfits for the Planet reporters; and even the three same heavies, in Ray Montgomery, Dean Cromer, and Myron Healey. The series was infamous for operating on very tight budgets, so this scenario makes economic sense, if not dramatic, for them to film both episodes likely back-to-back, probably in the same week. You can see the satire falling into self-amusement by the eye rolls and tongue-in-cheek dialogue that such preposterous plotlines elicit from the actors and writers.