|
Superman is the first of the seventeen animated Technicolor short films based upon the DC Comics character Superman. Also known as The Mad Scientist, Superman was produced by Fleischer Studios and released to theaters by Paramount Pictures on September 26, 1941. Superman ranked number 33 in a list of the fifty greatest cartoons of all time sourced from a 1994 poll of 1000 animation professionals, [1] and was nominated for the 1942 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).[
In the endless reaches of the universe, there once existed a planet known as Krypton, a planet that burned like a green star in the distant heavens. There, civilization was far advanced, and it brought forth a race of supermen, whose mental and physical powers were developed to the absolute peak of human perfection. But there came a day when giant quakes threatened to destroy Krypton forever. One of the planet's leading scientists, sensing the approach of doom, placed his infant son in a small rocket ship and sent it hurtling in the direction of Earth, just as Krypton exploded. The rocket sped through star-studded space, landing on Earth with its precious burden: Krypton's sole survivor. A passing motorist found the uninjured child and took it to an orphanage. As the years went by and the child grew to maturity, he found himself possessed of amazing physical powers. Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, the infant of Krypton is now the Man of Steel: SUPERMAN! To best be in a position to use his powers in a never-ending battle for truth and justice, Superman has assumed the guise of Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper."
Superman saves the Daily Planet building.The story cuts to the Daily Planet, where editor Perry White reveals to his two best field reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane that an anonymous figure has been mailing death threats to the Planet, should he not be paid in one million dollars to stop his rampage. About the only clue given is the alias The Mad Scientist. He may be an early precussor to Lex Luthor. White assigns Kent to handle the story, but Lois, portrayed here as a strong-willed woman, insists that she investigate as well, much to the supposed chagrin of Kent. She then takes off in a private plane to an undisclosed location, where the main villain is preparing to fire his death ray machine, spotting Lois' plane in the process. Upon her arrival, Lois finds herself kidnapped, bound, and gagged, while the villain boasts to her about the success of his plan. He turns on the machine and starts destroying bridges and buildings. While listening to the radio, Clark and the other journalists learn of the coming disaster by the military, who warns everyone to stay inside. Instinctively, Clark steps into a storage room and changes into Superman before flying away.
The Mad Scientist (voiced by Jack Mercer ,who also voiced Popeye) turns his attention to destroy a skyscraper, but upon turning the laser full blast, Superman swoops down and prevents the structure from crashing to the ground. Then, he flies after the laser beam, but only gets struck down by its full force. Determined to fight it, he launches himself upwards, pounding off the energy beams toward the lair. When he sees Superman has found a way to fight back, the horrified Mad Scientist increases power, which Superman uses against him by twisting the cannon into a knot. By now, the machine starts to collapse, and the building is starting to buckle under the pressure. Superman finally arrives to rescue Lois and captures the villain as he attempts to escape. As the lair explodes around them, he flies them to safety, and the scene dissolves back to the Daily Planet where Clark Kent and Lois report back to Perry White. She has gotten a scoop on the story of the Mad Scientist, who is now in prison, and Perry commends her on doing it. Seeing she hasn't suspected a thing, Clark looks at the camera, winks, and nods to the audience, and the story ends
|
