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Recap / The Adventures Of Superman S 2 E 21 The Golden Vulture

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The Golden Vulture is a salvage ship captained by bullying nutjob Capt. McBain, who fancies himself a bona fide pirate. His long-suffering steward Scurvy, forbidden from ever leaving the ship, throws out a message in a bottle while the Vulture is docked near Metropolis. Jimmy Olsen finds the bottle but so much water has gotten into the bottle that even Superman's super vision can only make out the name of the ship. Lois and Jimmy take a mail boat out to the Golden Vulture, where McBain shows off his collection of jewels which he claims is pirate treasure salvaged from the Caribbean. Scurvy tries to slip another note to Jimmy but is discovered, and all three are taken prisoner.

Clark investigates the matter on land, and discovers the odd fact that crates of jewels are being delivered to the ship. He flies to the Vulture and frees Scurvy, who explains that stolen gems and precious metals are reworked into faux salvaged treasure and sold to museums for a profit. McBain's men discover and attack them, and unfortunately, Clark is still in his Clark guise, leading to his capture along with the others...

This episode contains examples of:

  • Bad Boss: McBain, and how. Scurvy is basically his slave, and is shown from the first scene to be terrified of his mercurial moods.
  • Enforced Method Acting: Noel Neill wasn't warned before filming began that Clark Kent would pull Lois into the water when she took his hand. (Jack Larson confessed in an interview for the dvd extras that this was his fault — Clark was supposed to do that to Jimmy Olsen, but he refused, so Noel got stuck with the job.)
  • Faint in Shock: McBain keels over when his sword bends against Superman's chest.
  • Faux Affably Evil: McBain acts friendly and jokey most of the time, but he's perfectly willing to murder.
  • Idiot Ball: When Lois notices that McBain's rum bottle looks familiar, Jimmy not only blurts out the fact that they got a message in one like it, but that Scurvy just passed him another one, which Scurvy obviously meant to be secret.
  • Message in a Bottle: Poor Scurvy doesn't have many other options at that point.
  • A Pirate 400 Years Too Late: That's how McBain sees himself, even though his profession isn't actually piracy (more like counterfeiting).
  • Talk Like a Pirate: McBain does this, even singing the "Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum" song.
  • Walk the Plank: McBain makes Clark do this, naturally not realizing that he can't drown.

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