Showdown

The Boss has a great plan. Get someone dressed up as Superman to carry out various robberies.

The crook even carries out his thefts under the noses of the patrons at the opera.

Luckily Lois and Clark are there covering the opera for the newspaper.

Lois grapples with the robber and Clark goes after him as Superman.

For some reason once Superman goes after the Boss. He ceases being faster than a speeding bullet. Superman even forgets how to fly when he gets the drop.

Showdown (1942)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A fake Superman is going around robbing various shops and people but the real one gets a chance to grab him, which leads to another criminal. This isn't the greatest cartoon ever made but it's mildly entertaining simply because it breaks free from the plot lines of previous shorts. The movie mixes it up a little bit and for that I'm extremely grateful considering the previous shorts were starting to go down the same path. What really goes against the film is that the fake Superman is about a quarter the size of the real one so when they finally reach their showdown, it's pretty disappointing because the fake guy is so small and not much of a match.

Someone disguised as Superman is committing robberies all over Metropolis. He's doing it under orders from The Boss (that's all he's ever called--and he sounds like Orson Welles!). Immediately the police start searching for Superman. One night Lois Lane and Clark Kent are covering the opera. The fake Superman decides to rob the patrons there that night. Lois scares him off---but Clark decides to meet him face to face and get to the bottom of this.

This has to be one of the quickest-moving Superman cartoons I've ever seen. It moves like lightning and (for once) Lois is NOT captured or put in danger. I do love how she casually jumps into the police car (in her beautiful new dress) to join them as they go after the villain. It's never explained how they KNOW where The Boss is though. Who cares? This is fun, fast and beautifully animated. A definite 9.

This is the second Superman cartoon made by the Famous Studios which was an outgrowth of the original Max Fleischer Studios after the ouster by Paramount of him and brother Dave. Being the eleventh overall, this animated short is interesting in that the villain is...Supes himself? Actually, it's someone dressed as him that's doing all the stealing of jewels for his boss. When Lois and Clark are assigned to review an opera, that not-too-convincing-Superman-doppelganger shows up to get more bling. Wanna guess who also shows up? Well, I won't tell but I'm sure you already know. Anyway, this short is unique as for once, Lois doesn't get captured and the robbers aren't anyone wanting to destroy or conquer the world. But that also makes this a little less exciting. Still, Showdown is worth a look for that slight difference in Superman plots.

A SUPERMAN Cartoon.

Someone, disguised as Superman, is pulling off a series of daring robberies throughout Metropolis and it's time for the real Man of Steel to force a SHOWDOWN with the Big Boss behind it all...

This was another in the series of excellent cartoons initially created by Max Fleischer for Paramount Studio. They feature great animation and taut, fast-moving plots. Meant to be shown in movie theaters, they are miles ahead of their Saturday Morning counterparts. Bud Collyer is the voice of Superman; Joan Alexander does the honors for Lois Lane.