Adventures of Superman (TV Series) The Phony Alibi (1957) User Reviews

Professor Pepperwinkle Does It Again!

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 16 December 2006]

"Schultzy Garfield" - now there's a name. So is the eccentric, absent-minded "Professor Pepperwinkle," who is back with another invention: the "de-atmosphering chamber." We also have "The Brain" as one of the lame- brained crooks.

And, as usual, the goofy professor (Phil Tead) has invented a machine which crooks quickly take advantage of and use it for a crime. In this case, the chamber allows to disappear instantly to another city! Inspector Henderson is going nuts trying to figure how the robbers get hundreds of miles away within a few minutes.

Henderson tells Clark Kent all about what's going on so Clark, er, Superman must figure this out and come to the rescue before more crimes are committed and Jimmy and Lois are exiled to Alaska!

"What a sweet little racket we got here!"

[at-05037 · 8/10 · 12 September 2021]

If you concede that Professor Pepperwinkle's latest invention - a mechanism that uses telephone lines to transport humans across the country - is believable, the plot is great fun. And to the delight of the crooked friends of a happy-go-lucky bad guy by the name of Clippy Jones (played by William Challee), there's a 'phony alibi' advantage to this discovery. While the police are baffled by the crimes that follow, wouldn't you know that the curiosity of Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson lead them into criminal space. Admittedly, the writers took a few liberties in the production. But once everyone understands what the professor has created, justice eventually reigns. And the professor wraps up the story with a light-hearted punchline.

Season 5 was loaded with hits and misses. This one's a hit.

The First Transporter Beam

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 13 February 2015]

Professor Pepperwinkle is at it again. He has developed a device for transporting people through telephone lines. No one at the Daily Planet believes him. However, a board at his house is a connected crook. He is given a demonstration of the device and sent to Kansas City. This allows the criminals to openly do robberies, transport themselves to far off places, be recognized there, and hence there is an alibi for them. This begs so many questions. First of all, the machine is really hard to swallow. Secondly, what is wrong with security at banks and other places? These guys walk in, are recognized, and off they go. Of course, Lois and Jimmy get involved and taken by the gang, ultimately heading for Alaska. The show, at this point, seemed to just go for cheap humor. I'm surprised that Professer Pepperwinkle could tie his own shoes, let alone make such an invention (scientist in this series spent their time boiling multi-colored liquids in the lab).