Showdown

Besides the comic-book superheroics, an interesting thing about some of these old Superman cartoons is the role of the narrator. They all begin with a voiceover from an unseen narrator who introduces the general concept of Superman, of course, but I'm talking about a character as narrator. In the original "Superman" (1941), Lois Lane was the storyteller; the film we saw was or became the story she wrote as a reporter for The Daily Planet. In this one, "Showdown," Lois takes a back seat to Supes and his alter ego--or double--Clark Kent. Added here is another doppelgänger for the man of steel in the form of a crook impersonating him (as, meanwhile, his crime boss impersonates Edward G. Robinson).

The short doesn't conclude with a story by Lane, either, but with Kent waking up from a snooze. One may read this as him continuing his impersonation of not being Superman, but another way to look at it is that the entire story of doubles (Clark/Superman and two Supermans) was Clark's dream after a boring night at the opera. In this final scene, Lois says she has a story to tell him, but we never hear it. This is Clark's story.

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.

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.

I know this is cruel, but the biggest thing that jumped out at me while I watched this cartoon was Jimmy Olsen's face. I kept thinking 'Oh, my....what horrible accident happened to make Jimmy THAT hideous?!'. At least I assume that was Jimmy--he was the office assistant and seemed to act a bit like Jimmy!! Let me explain further. In the Fleischer Brothers Superman cartoons, unlike other Fleischer shorts like Popeye and Betty Boop, the characters look more like real people. So, when in the middle of the cartoon a freakish and hideous character who looks like a cartoon imp appears, it just seems weirdly out of place! Okay, I've finished my rant about ugly Jimmy. I promise.

As for the rest of the cartoon, it's pretty good stuff. A local baddie is having his dopey assistant run about town committing crimes while dressed up as Superman. Apparently, the town is full of idiots, as they soon believe Superman has turned bad--even though this incarnation of the 'hero' cannot fly, stop bullets or do anything very super. So, it's up to the real guy to capture the two baddies and restore America's faith in its heroes. What a guy! Overall, this was enjoyable (apart from Jimmy) and well done. Worth your time and a decent installment in the series.

In this one, the population believe that Superman has turned into a jewel thief. I suppose it's believable in that the poor guy probably has to live on Clark Kent's salary. But it is not true. Clark needs to get to the bottom of this and it turns out a look-alike guy has been doing the pillaging. Clark/Superman sees him at the opera and confronts him. It turns out there is a guy called the "Boss" (that Bruce Springsteen is everywhere) who is really behind all of this and apparently Superman and everyone else knows exactly where he is. This is more of a police episode and that's refreshing. I recently saw the dreadful movie, "Batman v Superman" so we know the poor guy can really be given a bad rap. Oh! Lois doesn't get captured by the bad guys. That should be on the cover of the Dailly Planet.