Robert Shayne (October 4, 1900 - November 29, 1992)

Metropolis Police Inspector William J. Henderson...

Even though he appeared in 113 films between 1929 and 1976 Robert Shayne will live on forever as Inspector Henderson, the Metropolis police officer who spent more time in Perry White's office than his own. His lengthy film credits include "The Blue Gardenia", "North by Northwest" and "Tora! Tora! Tora!" He also appeared on Broadway along side such legends as Ethel Barrymore. He also was able to reunite on stage years later with his former "Superman" co-star Phyllis Coates. Aside from the "Adventures of Superman" his other television appearances include "Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok", "Racket Squad", "Sky King", "The Unexpected", "Ramar of the Jungle", "Stories of the Century", "The Long Ranger", "The Millionaire", "Sheena: Queen of the Jungle", "Navy Log", "The Gray Ghost", "Screen Director's Playhouse", "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon", "Richard Diamond, Private Detective", "77 Sunset Strip", "Death Valley Days", "26 Men", "Hazel", "The Waltons", "Petticoat Junction", and "Emergency!" Shayne first appeared as Inspector Henderson in episode number three "The Case of the Talkative Dummy." As the episode comes to its climax, Clark Kent rushes off leaving Lois Lane (Phyllis Coates) and Inspector Henderson baffled. Lois turns to the Inspector and says: Lois: Inspector where do you suppose he runs off to all the time? Henderson: I don't know. Maybe he runs into an alley takes off his glasses and turns into Superman! Lois laughs at the idea...ah if only they knew. Other episodes that show Henderson in the spotlight include "Mystery of the Broken Statues", "Czar of the Underworld", "Peril by Sea", "Topsy Turvy", and "The Town that Wasn't." In the episode "The Talking Clue" which originally aired on April 30, 1955 the audience is giving a little peak at Henderson's home life. He is revealed to be a widower with a 14-year-old son Ray, played by Richard Shackleton. We can only assume Henderson was a widower because you know back in those days (at least on television) people never ran out on their spouses and children. In the episode "Peril in Paris" Shayne plays Inspector Henderson's doppleganger Paris Police Inspector Lanier. In the episode "The Big Forget" Superman enlists Inspector Henderson's assistant in tracking down Lois Lane (Noel Neill), Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson), Perry White (John Hamilton) and Professor Pepperwinkle (Phillips Tead) all of whom have been taken prisoner by Mugsy Maples (Herb Vigran) and Knuckles Nelson (Billy Nelson). Following the sound of Henderson's voice over a private telephone line Superman flies to the secret hideout and enters in the form of Clark Kent. Everyone is taken to the cellar where a deadly poisonous gas is released. Before being tied Clark tampers with the door so the crooks can't leave. Once they realized they're trapped as well Clark decides there is no point in keeping his secret any longer. He changes to Superman and Perry White, Jimmy Olsen and Professor Pepperwinkle all comment on the discovery, oddly enough Lois Lane doesn't say a word. His secret is saved however thanks the professor's anti-memory vapor. One blast in the face and you can't remember anything that happened in the previous fifteen minutes. Even though Inspector Henderson isn't let in on the secret even for those few seconds he still played a key role in helping to rescue the gang. Henderson makes his final appearance in the second to last episode "The Perils of Superman" which originally aired on April 21, 1958. During the first season of the show he received character billing with the other members of the cast only when he appeared however. The only exception is in the episode "Mystery in Wax" where he received guest star billing. Starting with season two and continuing on through the entire series he received regular cast member billing regardless of whether he appeared in the episode or not. Robert Shayne continued on in films and television long after "Superman" ended in 1958. In 1990, at the age of 90, he returned to the superhero world when he guest starred as Reggie, the blind news vendor in an episode of "The Flash." A second appearance followed in 1991. At the time, Shayne was in fact legally blind in real life. The Inspector Henderson character was created for the radio series and found its way into the comic books and even a few episodes of "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" played by a variety of actors including Richard Belzer. In recent years Henderson has been promoted to police commissioner. Robert Shayne first helped to mold a character that wasn't originally his and then became the role model for everyone who played him in the future.