Billion Dollar Limited

Billion Dollar Limited (1942)

** (out of 4)

The third Superman cartoon from Paramount has robbers trying to cash in on the government sending a billion dollars in gold on a train. Lois of course finds herself on the train as Superman must come to her rescue. This is without question the weakest of the first three shorts and I'm really amazed at how poorly written some of it is. The criminals in this short are without question some of the dumbest I've seen since DUMB AND DUMBER because nothing they do here makes any sense. The thieves want the gold yet they are constantly doing things that could destroy the gold like sending the train into explosives. There's another sequence where they blow up a bridge to send the train off a cliff and again I have to wonder what type of idiots these guys are. Both Lois and Superman are pretty bland here without too much to do. Seeing Superman carry the train was pretty neat but that's about it.

Millions in gold is traveling by train to the US treasury. Traveling along is Lois Lane to report on it. Along the way the train is attacked by masked thieves. They detach the car with the armed guards in it and attack the remaining ones. This leads to a vicious fight between the remaining guards and the thieves. The thieves overpower them but then Lois Lane jumps in. She beats the thieves off the train (at one point using a gun) but the train starts to careen out of control. Lois can't stop it and the thieves will stop at nothing to get the gold. Good thing Superman is on the way!

Fast, exciting, non-stop action. Probably one of the best of all the cartoons. Just great.

BILLION DOLLAR LIMITED is the third instalment in the Fleischer brothers' classic, animated SUPERMAN series. This time, Big Blue is up against a gang of train robbers, out to abscond with a shipment of gold.

Of course, Lois is aboard, holding her own for a while. Even brandishing a machine gun gangster style. When Superman arrives, he finds that these crooks are very insistent upon getting their loot!

Action-packed and full of thrills, this is an excellent addition to the serial, also showcasing Superman's impossible strength when the train hurtles toward a failed bridge!

Highly recommended...

I love the Fleischer Superman cartoons. The animation is smooth and fluid with vivid colors. The distinct art-deco style, vintage science fiction imagery, and use of noirish shadows gave them a look unlike any other cartoons. The music and voice work is superb. They're fun, accessible, enduring animation classics.

The third in the series is about a train carrying a gold shipment to the mint that's hijacked by well-armed masked robbers. Also on board the train is Lois Lane, who at one point picks up a machine gun and attempts to fight the robbers off herself! Superman flies to save Lois and deliver the gold shipment, but the robbers don't make it easy for him. Gotta admire their tenacity. They see Superman show up and they not only don't run away, they start throwing cans of tear gas at him. Talk about doubling down on stupid.

This is another exciting Superman cartoon with non-stop action and fun. I love train stories so that was an added bonus for me. Like many of the Fleischer cartoons, this features very little dialogue. It's driven by the action and the exciting music.

Crooks are stealing a shipment of a billion dollars worth of gold from a government train.

Lois Lane is on the train and she takes on the baddies with a machine gun.

Pretty soon Superman flies in and does battle. He faces machine gun fire and has bombs thrown at him as he needs to pull the train to safety.

A brisk cartoon. It is surprising that Clarke Kent did not suspect anything as the baddies rushed by as Clark was waving goodbye to Lois.