Superman (1941)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Dave Fleischer
(more)

Writers:

Jerry Siegel (characters) and
Joe Shuster (characters) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 September 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Short | Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The Man of Steel fights a mad scientist who is destroying Metropolis with an energy cannon.

Plot Keywords:

Mad Scientist | Ray | Superman | Bridge | Laboratory

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Joan Alexander	...	Lois Lane (voice) (uncredited)
Jackson Beck	...	Perry White / Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Bud Collyer	...	Clark Kent / Superman (voice) (uncredited)
Jack Mercer	...	The Mad Scientist (voice) (uncredited)
Julian Noa	...	Perry White (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Dave Fleischer
Steve Muffati		(animation director) (uncredited)

Writing credits
Jerry Siegel		(characters) (as Jerome Siegel) and
Joe Shuster		(characters)
Seymour Kneitel		(story) &
Izzy Sparber		(story) (as I. Sparber)
Jay Morton		writer (uncredited)

Produced by
Max Fleischer	....	producer

Original Music by
Winston Sharples		(uncredited)
Sammy Timberg		(uncredited)

Sound Department
Milton Lustig	....	sound effects (uncredited)
Maurice Manne	....	sound effects (uncredited)

Animation Department
Frank Endres	....	animator
Steve Muffati	....	animator

Music Department
Sammy Timberg	....	music arranger
Lou Fleischer	....	music supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Fleischer Studios

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures
• Passport International Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (video)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Suevia Films (2001) (Spain) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Screen Time Images  audio restoration
• Screen Time Images  film restoration

Also Known As:

Superman: The Introduction (UK) (video box title)
The Death Ray (UK) (video box title)
The Mad Scientist

Runtime:

10 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Spain:T | USA:Approved (PCA #2966) | USA:Passed

Company:

Fleischer Studios

Trivia:

Marks the first appearance on film of the famous introduction, "Faster than a speeding bullet, etc...", and of the "Look, up in the sky, etc..." line. (See Memorable Quotes section)

Quotes:

[first lines]
Voices: Up in the sky, look: It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman!
Narrator: [opening narration] 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...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sablay ka na... pasaway ka pa (2005)

Superman's First Cartoon Adventure

A SUPERMAN Cartoon.

A mad scientist turns his death ray on Metropolis to begin destroying bridges & buildings. Intrepid reporter Lois Lane crashes her plane directly in the madman’s front yard. With Lois a prisoner & the death ray once again in operation, it looks like a job for SUPERMAN!

This was the first in a series of excellent cartoons Max Fleischer produced 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.