O Falso Super-Homem

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.