I'd listen to this man. Take him away.
Come on, let's get out of here.
Move your ass! Come on!
Okay, let's go. Let's go.
Drop your weapons. Drop your weapons.
Bullshit! Come on, let's get out of here.
Okay, hold it. Hold it right there.
Okay, freeze, you turkeys.
- Don't shoot! - Keep your cool. You got us.
Bad vibrations?
Sergeant, you don't believe me. I swear it, flying.
With a big red cape and bright red boots as well.
Quick as a wink he was gone. He flew up in the air again, he did, like a big blue bird.
- A big blue bird? - You don't believe me!
With bright red boots?
Take the night off.
Go back to Murphy's bar and continue what you started.
I'll be off in a few minutes and I'll meet you there.
The first bottle's on me. Let me get my hat.
Frisky, will you come down from there.
Hi. I'll get him.
Come on, it's all right.
- Here you go, miss. - Gee, thanks, mister.
Goodbye, Frisky. So long now.
'Bye.
Mommy, Mommy, Frisky was stuck in the tree.
Then this man swooped out of the sky and gave him to me.
Haven't I told you to stop telling lies.
Metropolis Airport, this is Air Force One. Could we have the latest weather report?
Metropolis currently ceiling 500, overcast 700 broken...
... visibility one half in showers. Wind 2-4-0-2-5. Altimeter 9-0-9-8.
Roger.
Doesn't look good. What do you think?
- What the hell was that? - You've lost power in number one.
Lost power? We've lost the whole engine.
- Pressure's going. - Shut down number one.
Bring up two and three.
We haven't got enough pressure to keep going.
Mayday, mayday. Metropolis tower. Air Force One.
We have lost port outboard engine and part of wing.
Request emergency landing. What's the position?
Ten miles southwest of Metropolis Airport.
Notify them the President's on board.
Present position 10 miles, that's 10 miles southwest of Metropolis Airport.
Heading: 3-0-5, height: 6,000 feet.
What the hell happened? We got our engine back?
What the hell's going on out there?
Fly, don't look, just fly.
We got something.
I'm not saying what it is, just trust me.
You enjoyed it.
I don't know what to say, Father.
I am afraid just got carried away.
- I anticipated this, my son. - You couldn't have.
You couldn't have imagined...
How good it felt?
You are revealed to the world.
Very well.
So be it.
But you still must keep your secret identity.
Why?
The reasons are two.
First: You cannot serve humanity 28 hours a day.
24.
As it is, it won't happen.
Your help will be called for endlessly.
Even for those tasks that human beings can solve themselves.
They're happy to abuse the resources of the world.
And secondly?
Secondly:
Your enemies will discover...
... their only way to hurt you...
... by hurting the people you care for.
Thank you, Father.
Lastly:
Do not punish yourself with your feelings of vanity.
Simply learn to control them.
It is an affliction common to all, even on Krypton.
Our destruction could have been avoided but for the vanity of some...
... who considered us indestructible.
Were it not for vanity...
... at this very moment...
... I could embrace you in my arms...
... my son.
Reports are coming in of a miraculous saving of Air Force One...
... from almost certain destruction.
Rescuing Miss Lois Lane, reporter from the Daily Planet, with one hand...
... and a crashed helicopter with the other.
That'll be the day.
That'll be the day when a guy could fly.
I don't know. You would be surprised.
Some sort of fantastic hoax.
Your guess is as good as anybody's. True or false?
Miracle or fraud? The answer...
- Miss Teschmacher! - Man or myth?
Turn it off.
What's the story on this guy? Do you think it's the genuine article?
If he is, he's not from this world.
Why?
If any human being was gonna perpetrate such a hoax, it would have been me!
My robe.
Right away, Mr. Luthor.
It all fits somehow, this coming here to Metropolis...
...and at this particular time.
There's a kind of cruel justice about it.
To commit the crime of the century, a man wants to face the challenge of the century.
Listen, maybe this guy that flies is just sort of passing through.
Passing through?
Not on your life, Otis...
...which I would gladly sacrifice by the way...
...for the opportunity of destroying everything that he represents.
And, Otis, by the way, next time put my robe on after I'm out of the pool.
Now look.
The Post, "It Flies."
The News, "Look, Ma, No Wires."
The Times, "Blue Bomb Buzzes Metropolis."
The Planet. We're sitting on top of the story of the century here.
I want the name of this flying whatchamacallit...
...to go with the Daily Planet like bacon and eggs...
...franks and beans, death and taxes, politics and corruption.
I don't think that he'd...
...lend himself to any cheap promotion schemes.
Exactly how would you know that?
Just first impression.
Who's talking cheap? I'll make him a partner if I have to.
- Right? - Right, Chief.
I want the real story.
I want the inside dope on this guy.
Has he got a family? Where does he live? What does the "S" stand for?
Tonight at 8:00. Your place. Hopefully - A friend.
Tony, who is he? Mike, what's his name?
What's he got hidden under that cape? Batteries?
Why did he show up last night?
Where does he come from?
Does he have a girlfriend?
What's his favorite ball team, Kent?
Now listen to me, I tell you, boys and girls...
...whichever one of you gets it out of him...
...is going to wind up with the single, most important interview since...
...God talked to Moses!
What are you standing around about for? Move!
Get on that story.
"8:00," he said. Some friend!
That's the story of my life, "Cinderella Bites The Dust!"
Good evening, Miss Lane.
Did you have plans this evening?
This old thing? No.
- I could come back later. - No!
Don't move.
Sure you can move.
Just don't fly away, all right?
Sorry to drop in on you like this, but I've been thinking.
There must be some questions people'd like to know the answers to.
Yes.
You really shouldn't smoke.
Don't tell me. Lung cancer, right?
Well, not yet, thank goodness.
Would you like a glass of wine?
No, thanks. I never drink when I fly.
Nice place.
Thank you.
Shall we get started with the interview?
Let's start with your vital statistics. Are you married?
No, I'm not.
Do you have a girlfriend?
No, I don't. But...
If I did, you'd be the first to know about it.
- How old are you? - Over 21.
I get it. You don't want anyone to know.
And how big are you? How tall are you?
About 6' 4".
6' 4". And how much do you weigh?
Around 225.
225?
I assume then that...
...the rest of your bodily functions are normal?
I beg your pardon?
Well, putting it delicately...
...do you...
...eat?
Yes, I do, when I'm hungry.
You do. Of course, you do.
Well, then is it true...
...that you can see through anything?
Yes, I can, pretty much.
And that you're totally impervious to pain?
Well, so far.
What color underwear am I wearing?
Did I embarrass you?
- No. - I did.
No, it's just that this planter must be made of lead.
Yes, it is. So?
I sort of have a problem seeing through lead.
That's interesting.
Problems with lead.
- Do you have a first name? - Like Ralph, or something?
- No, I mean like... - Pink.
Pink!
Sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you.
You didn't embarrass me.
What's your background? Where are you from?
It's kind of hard to explain, actually.
You see, I'm from... Well, from pretty far away.
Another galaxy, as a matter of fact. I come from a planet called Krypton.
Krypton.
Cripton! With a C-r-i...
No, actually it's Krypton, with a K-R-Y-P-T-O-N.
Do you like pink?
I like pink very much.
Why are you?
Sorry?
I mean, why are you here? There must be a reason for you to be here.
Yes, I'm here to fight for truth and justice and the American way.
You'll end up fighting every official in this country.
You don't really mean that.
- I don't believe this. - Lois?
I never lie.
How fast do you fly, by the way?
I don't know. I've never actually bothered to time myself.
Say?
Why don't we find out?
And how do you propose we do that?
- Take a ride with me. - You mean I could fly?
I'd be handling the flying, if that's okay.
- This is utterly fantastic. - Wait a minute. Where are you going?
- Are you serious? - Sure.
Don't you want to go?
You won't need these.
- I need a sweater. It must be kind of... - No, you'll be warm enough.
Ready?
Clark said that you were just a figment of somebody's imagination.
Like Peter Pan.
Clark, who's that? Your boyfriend?
- Clark? No, he's nothing. - Peter Pan?
Peter Pan flew with children, Lois. In a fairy tale.
Can you read my mind?
Do you know what it is that you do to me?
I don't know who you are.
Just a friend from another star.
Here I am, like a kid out of school.
Holding hands with a god.
I'm a fool.
Will you look at me?
Quivering.
Like a little girl shivering.
You can see right through me.
Can you read my mind?
Can you picture the things I'm thinking of?
Wondering why you are...
... all the wonderful things you are.
You can fly.
You belong in the sky.
You and I...
... could belong to each other.
If you need a friend...
... I'm the one to fly to.
If you need to be loved...
... here I am.
Read my mind.
We forgot to time ourselves.
Maybe next time.
You okay?
Good night.
What a super man!
Superman!
Anybody home?
- Hi. Can I come in? - Oh, yeah.
For goodness' sake, didn't you hear me knocking?
We did have a date tonight, remember?
You haven't been?
I should certainly hope not. Well, let's push off, shall we?
I'd better get a coat. It might be cold out.
I mean, I need a purse, and I have to fix my hair...
...put some blusher on.
There's something I have to tell you. I'm really...
I was at first really nervous about tonight.
But then I decided, darn it, I was going to show you the time of your life.
That's Clark nice.
We could go for a hamburger or whatever you want to do.
Now then...
...given the exact location of the galaxy that he mentions...
...and the proximity to our own solar system...
It's amazing. Amazing!
Too good to be true.
It's too good to be true. 6' 4", black hair, blue eyes...
...doesn't drink or smoke and tells the truth.
Some people can read War and Peace...
...and think it was an adventure story.
Others can read the ingredients on a gum wrapper...
...and unlock the secrets of the universe.
Lex, what has chewing gum got to do with the secrets of the universe?
Right, Miss Teschmacher.
"N."
"M"? You want "M," Mr. Luthor? Coming right up.
So there you go, "M."
"M" as in "moron," Otis? No.
It's "N" as in "Neanderthal"...
..."nincompoop," "nitwit," and "L" as in "ladder."
Here's a ladder, coming right up.
I didn't see...
I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor.
In the interview he says that the Planet Krypton...
...exploded in 1948.
That ridiculous little freak...
...took three years in a rocket to get to earth.
- Ergo... - Ergo.
Ergo 1948, that's three years on.
He's 6' 4", you know that?
Do you know why the number 200 is so vitally descriptive to both you and me?
It's your weight and my I.Q.
Think, people, think.
Deductive reasoning. That's the name of the game.
Fragments from the Planet Krypton...
...exploded and went into outer space.
It is reasonable to assume...
...that some of those particles of debris drifted to Earth.
Meteorites!
Jawohl.
Voilą!
A meteorite found in Addis Ababa?
I know I'll get rapped in the mouth for this, but...
...so what?
So what? You mean to us they're just meteorites.
Fair enough.
But the level of specific radioactivity...
...is so high to anyone from the Planet Krypton...
...this substance is lethal.
Wait a minute, Mr. Luthor.
Fire and bullets can't hurt this guy...
...but this stuff here...
...will kill him.
Doesn't it give you a kind of...
...a shudder of electricity through you to be in the same room with me?
Not like the shudder you'll get when you lay that rock on him.
He can see you coming for miles with those super peepers of his.
O Lord, you gave them eyes, but they cannot see...
...nor can Superman, through lead.
He can't see through lead?
And Kryptonite will destroy him.
Any questions, class?
I wonder what they're wearing in Addis Ababa?
Looks like a burnoose.
It's just a wraparound.
Are we going to Addis Ababa, Mr. Luthor?
Mother Bird to Missile Convoy, over.
Missile Convoy to Mother Bird, go ahead.
Everything looks good, see you at the base. Over and out.
Roger, Mother Bird. Over and out.
Look at this!
Looks pretty bad.
Take her pulse.
Get an ambulance down here.
I don't want to hold this convoy up more than I have to.
She's having trouble breathing. What do you think?
I suggest a vigorous chest massage.
If that doesn't work, mouth-to-mouth.
Yes, sir!
I won't have my men do anything I wouldn't be prepared to do myself.
Get an ambulance.
Gather around.
Turn around!
Hi.
Somebody hurt?
I did it, Mr. Luthor.
Miss Teschmacher, I did it.
- Just like you told me. - All right, Otis.
It isn't that I don't trust you, but...
I don't trust you, Otis. What did you do?
I set the first directional vector...
...to 38.
The second one to 67. And the third one to 117.
What about the fourth one?
What fourth one?
Wait a minute. The third one to 117?
- Yes. See, I wrote it down, Mr. Luthor. - Otis!
The third one was supposed to be 11, and the fourth one, 7.
Oh, gee, Mr. Luthor.
I guess my arm wasn't long enough, see.
Would you like to see a long arm?
Otis, would you like to see a very, very, long arm?
No, Mr. Luthor.
- All right. Get it right. - Yes, Mr. Luthor.
MacDonald, I thought you told me this road would be blocked off?
- Jablowsky, didn't I tell you... - I didn't asked him, I asked you.
All right. Follow me, men.
Back that thing off the road. Back it off the road.
You'll have to circle back. I don't have time to argue.
It's a heck of a day, isn't it?
- Route 12? That's back there. - No, sir, it's up there.
- Sergeant, we took the wrong road. - I'm a Lieutenant. A Naval Officer.
Shut up! Now Route 12 is back that way.
This man is a diabetic, you see.
As you know, the Daily Planet is very interested in that dam...
...but what I don't understand...
...is why you'd sell out to a faceless person you've never met?
You don't know his name.
At the stupid high price he offered...
...for this worthless piece of desert...
...I hope it's Custer!
Perfect, just what I need. Thank you.
Reporting live from the launch site, ground zero.
Today marks a historic occasion since...
... two XK-101 rockets will be launched simultaneously.
One by the Army, and one by the Navy.
Hi, everybody. Has anybody seen Lois today?
No, but the Chief wants to see you.
You're blocking the set, Clark.
Sorry, Gil. How's Judy today? Okay?
Good.
Excuse me, Mr. White.
You wanted to see me, sir? Have you seen Lois today?
She's out West, looking into a land-fraud deal.
I sent young Olsen with her on his first assignment.
Some unidentified clown is buying thousands of acres...
...of worthless desert at incredible prices.
That doesn't seem to make sense.
The world doesn't make sense. You ought to know that.
Look at this dispatch from Addis Ababa.
People break into a museum at night, kill two people, and what do they take?
A worthless piece of meteorite. How do you figure that?
I've never been able to understand violence.
I know that about you.
That's why I wanted to talk to you.
I've been in this news game 40 years man and boy...
...and I got where I am with guts, compassion...
...elbow grease and something you're sadly lacking in, son.
Humility?
Not humility, you've got bags of humility.
Aggression, confidence, that's the ticket.
Take charge. Let people know who you are.
This is Lex Luthor.
Only one thing alive with less than four legs can hear this frequency.
That's you.
In five minutes, a poisoned gas pellet containing propane lithium compound...
... will be released through thousands of air ducts in this city...
... effectively annihilating half the population of Metropolis.
I was a reporter before most of my friends were copy boys.
I want you to get Lois to introduce you to Superman.
Find out who he is. Where did he get that blue suit?
Did he have it made? Is it silk? Is it plastic?
I know it all seems a bit much...
... but how else was I going to meet you, Superman?
I knew you'd never accept an invitation to tea.
But a disaster, with people in danger, people who need help...
I just knew you couldn't resist that chance to sort of pitch in.
You know what I mean?
There's a strong streak of good in you, Superman.
But then nobody's perfect.
Almost nobody.
- Oh, Superman! - Gee!
Stand back, please. Nothing to get worried about.
Don't sit there like a numskull, get out!
Look at that overgrown boy scout, Miss Teschmacher.
Tell me what you see?
Cuteness, dimples.
You like cuteness?
Dimples.
I'll give you dimples.
The pressure is still on you.
You know they say: If you can't stand the heat...
...get out of the tunnel.
It's your last chance, Superman.
Why don't you do yourself a favor and freeze.
I think he's coming, Mr. Luthor.
He's definitely coming.
It's open, come in.
My attorney will be in touch with you about the damage to the door.
Otis, take the gentleman's cape.
I don't think he wants me to.
Where's the gas pellet?
Somewhere.
It's in the back of my mind, actually.
It's a little idea I was toying with.
Is that how a warped brain like yours gets its kicks?
By planning the death of innocent people?
No. By causing the death of innocent people.
Fire!
Navy Bird, we have a good launch.
As you may or may not know, I am, as they say...
...very heavy into real estate.
To make money, you have to buy for a little and sell for a lot, right?
Right.
So, the problem?
How to make the land more valuable between the time you buy it...
...and the time you sell it?
Now this is California.
The richest, most populous state in the Union.
I don't need a geography lesson from you.
Of course, you've been there. I do forget, you get around, don't you?
Where was I?
- California. - California, right.
The San Andreas Fault, maybe you've heard of it?
Yes. It's the joining together of two land masses.
The fault line is shifting, which is why you get earthquakes in California.
Wonderful! Couldn't have said it better myself.
Everything west of this line is the richest, most expensive real estate in the world.
San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco.
Everything on this side of the line...
...is just hundreds of miles of worthless desert land...
...which just happens to be owned by...
Lex Luthor Incorporated.
Now, call me foolish, call me irresponsible.
It occurs to me that a 500-megaton bomb...
...planted at just the proper point would...
Would destroy most of California.
Millions of people would be killed and the West Coast as we know it would...
Fall into the sea. Bye-bye, California.
Hello, new West Coast. My West Coast.
Costa Del Lex, Luthorville.
Marina Del Lex, Otisburg.
"Otisburg"?
Miss Teschmacher, she's got her own place.
"Otisburg"?
It's a little bitty place.
Otisburg?
I'll just wipe it off, that's all.
You're a dreamer, Lex Luthor.
A sick, twisted dreamer. Your plan couldn't possibly work.
I'll admit there were a few problems.
Adjusting the precise trajectory of the missile.
Finding the optimum stress point for the fault line itself...
...which, by the way, is target zero. Right...
...here.
That's impossible!
What's happening, Lieutenant?
Trajectory malfunction, sir.
Abort.
All counter control units...
... remove vacuum pressure to maximum.
Function negative, sir.
Can't you knock them down?
Absolutely impossible, sir. They have the new P-20 low-level avoidance systems.
Get me the Pentagon.
What do you think, super baby? Interesting?
Your theory's quite impressive, Luthor.
Would you go to the viewing room, please?
But as for the rest, it's nothing but a sick fantasy.
Fantasy?
No.
It's history. It's happening, Superman.
Miss Teschmacher!
Yes, Lex?
Where's the rocket now?
It's going like a bat over the Grand Canyon, so is the other one.
The other one?
There are two of them?
Yes, Superman, double jeopardy.
Even you, with your great speed, couldn't stop both of them.
While I, on the other hand, could stop them with my detonator.
All right, Luthor, where is it?
Where's the detonator?
Diseased maniac!
Do you think you could hide it from me by encasing it in lead?
I'll mold this box into your prison bars.
Don't touch that.
I told you.
It's Kryptonite.
A little souvenir from your hometown.
I've spared no expense to make you feel at home.
You were great in your day.
But it just stands to reason...
...when it came time to cash in your chips...
...this old diseased maniac would be your banker.
Mind over muscle.
You don't even care where the other missile's headed, do you?
Certainly I do.
I know exactly where it's headed.
Hackensack, New Jersey.
I have to leave you now. No hard feelings. We all have our little faults.
Mine's in California.
Lex, my mother lives in Hackensack.
Please, you can't...
...you can't just stand there.
You can't just stand and let millions of innocent people die.
Maybe.
Please. Please, help me to save them.
Would you promise to save my mother first?
But, Lois, and Jimmy...
But my mother comes first.
If you promise, I'll believe you because you always tell the truth.
I promise, I promise.
Why did you kiss me first?
I didn't think you'd let me later.
Thank you, Miss Teschmacher.
Why is it I can't get it on with the good guys?
Stand aside now. I wouldn't stay here, either.
Army Bird still heading due east.
Navy Bird still heading due west.
Losing radar contact.
Next radar contact after three seconds.
Army Bird still headed east, sir.
Army Bird gaining altitude.
Miss Teschmacher!
Radar contact strong.
Miss Teschmacher!
Radar report Navy Bird. San Andreas area.
Navy Bird heading down, 15 seconds to impact.
15 seconds and counting.
A military missile has exploded in the Southern California desert.
The force of the explosion has activated the San Andreas fault.
California is suffering a major earthquake.
What's going on?
It's a quake! Look!
Okay, kids, it's all right now.
Hey, it's Superman!
Holy mackerel!
We're going off the tracks.
All personnel evacuate dam.
Watch that cable!
Someone try and pull the main.
It's impossible. It's red hot!
Is that man all right?
Yeah.
Hang on, Jim.
The dam broke.
You're safe here, son.
That's okay. Miss Lane will be driving by any minute.
- Come on! - Make it to the hill.
There has been major quake damage to Southern California.
The San Andreas fault has miraculously sealed itself.
Yet Southern California is suffering an aftershock of a major earthquake.
The population is still warned to be aware...
Please, come on, turn over.
Come on!
Help me. Help me, please.
It is forbidden for you to interfere...
There's one thing I do know, Son, and that is you are here for a reason.
It is forbidden.
All those things I can do, all those powers...
... but I couldn't even save him.
It is forbidden.
Hi.
Don't bother, it's dead.
Sure it's dead.
The problem with men of steel is they're never around when you want one.
Do you know what happened while you were off flying around?
I was almost in an earthquake. A gas station blew up beside my car.
Telephone poles falling all over the road. I was almost killed.
To top the whole thing off, this stupid car runs out of gas.
I'm sorry about that, Lois.
But I've been kind of busy for a while.
I'm sorry, that's all right.
Thanks a lot, Superman.
Put me in the middle of nowhere during an earthquake.
No food, no water, snakes everywhere. I had no idea if you were coming back.
There's something I have to do. I'll see you later.
He can't stay still for a second.
Golly, Miss Lane, it's too bad Mr. Kent wasn't here to see all this.
Yeah, poor Clark. He's never around when...
Clark... Wait a minute.
What?
Lois Lane, that is the silliest idea.
I'll tell you something, Miss Lane. I think he really cares about you.
- Clark? Of course, he does. - No, not Clark.
Superman cares about everybody, Jimmy.
But who knows. Someday, if he's lucky...
You're messing up my suit!
Otis! Watch the ground, you...
Good evening, Warden.
These two men should be safe here 'til they can get a fair trial.
Who is it, Superman?
Lex Luthor.
- The greatest criminal mind of our time. - Of our time.
- I hereby serve notice... - He's serving notice to you.
...that these walls...
Will you shut up, you fat little fool!
You, you nitwit!
Nincompoop!
This country...
...is safe again, Superman, thanks to you.
No, sir.
Don't thank me, Warden.
We're all part of the same team.
Good night.