Religion: indeterminate
Name: unnamed gentleman friend
Classification:
supporting character
Publisher(s): 
First Appearance: Action Comics (vol. 1) #32 (Jan. 1941): "The Gambling Racket in Metropolis"
Creators: Jerry Siegel, Jack Burnley
Number of Appearances: 1
Ally: Lois Lane
Gender: male
Note: helped a disguised Lois Lane get into a gambling club
An unnamed "gentleman friend" helps Lois Lane go undercover to get into the Preston Club. Lois wanted to investigate reports of illegal gambling in the Preston Club, but whens he went there openly as a reporter, there was no gambling to be found. The mayor had tipped off Mr. Preston before the reporters arrived.
So Lois decided to go undercover. In panel 6 on page 5, Lois "telephones several friends -- and finally--"
Lois is seen talking to her unnamed gentleman friend, saying, "Can you get me in the Preston Club? You can? Fine!"
In the next panel, a tall, handsome man with dark gray hair takes Lois Lane's coat as the enter the club. The narrative caption reads, "Shortly later, a disguised Lois enters the Preston Club with a gentleman friend."
Lois thinks to herself, "Good. So far I haven't been recognized!"In the next panel (panel 1 on page 6), the unnamed gentleman friend stands behind Lois while she approaches a roulette table. The gentleman's friend now appears black instead of dark gray, but it is clearly the same man.
Lois Lane's gentleman friend is seen only in those two panels. After this, she is shown only in closer shots, gambling intensely in order to draw attention to herself. Her friend is never shown again. Maybe he went home. Lois just wanted his help to get into the club unrecognized. She didn't want any more help from him after that. Before long, Lois is taken to the club owner's private office by the roulette table worker who is mad at her for gambling without having money to back up her chips. But even then, Lois's friend is nowhere to be seen. He was probably gone by then. This is too bad for Lois, because club owner Mr. Preston, after seeing her press I.D. card in her confiscated purse, tried to kill her to prevent her from revealing what she knew in her newspaper.
Fortunately Superman arrived and saved Lois Lane's life.
Who was the unnamed gentleman friend? Was this somebody Lois had dated? Somebody she knew from her professional life? We may never know.
Action Comics (vol. 1) #32 (Jan. 1941): "The Gambling Racket in Metropolis" (2-panel cameo)
Suggested links for further research about this character:
- https://www.comics.org/issue/1204/
- http://comicbookdb.com/issue.php?ID=60160