The Bulleteers

Plot synopsis:
The story begins as the clock strikes midnight. A strange, bullet-shaped rocket-car blows right through the police department, leaving an explosion in its wake. The paper the next day reports the destruction of the building and bafflement of the police. Perry White calls Lois Lane and Clark Kent into his office. Just as he is explaining the report, the sound of a loudspeaker comes in through the window. The leader of the "Bulleteers", as Lois later calls them, is shown announcing from his hideout atop a mountain outside of town, the demands of his gang. Over the speaker, Clark, Lois, and the rest of the town hear it: Turn over the city treasury or other municipal buildings will be next!
Later, Lois asks the mayor what he is doing about the problem. The mayor announces that he will not be swayed by criminals. That day, policemen all over town setup sandbag fortifications for their machine guns and searchlights in preparation for the Bulleteers. At midnight, the gang strikes again, first destroying the town's power plant, bullets from defending policeman bouncing harmlessly off the bullet-car's sleek surface. Lights in the Daily Planet flicker on and off, and Lois takes off in a car to get closer to the scene, leaving Clark behind. Clark takes the opportunity to enter a nearby phone booth and don his Superman costume.
The Bulleteers take aim now at the city's treasury building, but Superman steps in front of them and knocks the rocket-car off course. As they struggle to regain control, he leaps in the air and grabs its front trying again to force it off-course, but the Bulleteers, through wild maneuvering, manage to shake him off the car to the ground below. Superman lunges to keep them from the treasury, only to arrive too late. Piles of rubble from the explosion bury him.
Lois Lane arrives at the scene in time to see the gang throwing bags of money into their car. She sneaks into its cockpit and tries to smash the controls with a wrench, but the gang returns, taking off with her. Superman, meanwhile, emerges from the rubble and chases after the car, grasping it by one of its retractable wings, and then by its tail-fins to throw it off course. As it spirals downward, he claws his way to the cockpit, rips it open, and pulls Lois and the three gangsters out. The car crashes to the ground far below.
The newspaper next day reports Superman's heroic feat and the gangsters' arrest for their rampage. Reading it, Clark remarks, "Nice going, Lois. Another great scoop for you." Lois replies, "It was easy, thanks to Superman."

Tags: psychedelic, violence

Review:
Superman Versus Perverted Science.
A SUPERMAN CartoonThree evil inventors have developed a fantastic `bullet car' - shaped like a rocket, it can fly and destroy any building by simply crashing through it.
After smashing the Metropolis Police Headquarters, the extortionists demand a huge payment, which the mayor refuses to pay.
In fury, the bullet car begins the destruction of the city.
With intrepid reporter Lois Lane now a prisoner of the villains, can the Man of Steel possibly stop the incredible technology in the hands of THE BULLETEERS?This was another in the 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..
Superman...Defeated???.
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 fifth in the series is about a group of costumed criminals known as the Bulleteers.
They have a bullet-shaped rocket car and are terrorizing the city, destroying buildings and thumbing their noses at the law.
They also have the coolest secret lair on top of a mountain outside of town.
The mayor tries to organize the police to stop them but it's no use!
As the Bulleteers' rampage continues, Superman shows up.
But, as he fails to stop them, we have to ask: are the Bulleteers too much for the Man of Steel?
Another great Fleischer Superman cartoon, although a step below the previous entries in the series.
The Bulleteers' rocket car and awesome mountaintop hideout are cool visuals like you expect from this series.
I also loved the scenes of the police scrambling to fortify and fight back against the seemingly indestructible rocket car.
Those little touches are prime examples of the beauty of the Fleischer cartoons.
There's so much going on that's just fun and exciting to watch..
Quit Picking on Lois.
This is quite fun.
Three more mad scientists (why are they mad; perhaps they are just talented with a different agenda) create a threat.
They are extortionists and have developed a car/rocket, shaped like a bullet.
They threaten Metropolis, and when the Mayor refuses to give in, they start by destroying city hall.
This device is really quite the destructive machine.
They want the city to turn over its treasury or they will continue to reek havoc on the fair city.
Fortunately, Superman is around.
Of course, Lois Lane again paints herself into a deadly corner and need to be rescued.
Some have criticized her for her inherent stupidity.
Of course, it is part of the formula.
She is an overzealous reporter, a contrast to Clark, and sometimes Superman needs a little push because we know he likes her.
Solid episode..
Superman #5.
Bulleteers, The (1942)** (out of 4) A maniac scientist creates a "bullet car", which is pretty much just what it sounds like.
Criminals can drive this car, which flies like a bullet, into any building and knock it down.
Naturally Lois finds herself trapped by the bad guys and only Superman can save her.
I'm new to this series and watching them in the order that they were released and there's no question, even only five shorts in, that they all follow the same plot outline with just a new villain added.
The build up is always the same as is the way Lois gets herself involved.
With that said, this short was pretty boring from start to reason.
One reason is that I was disappointed with the animation, which wasn't anything to write home about.
Another reason was the actual story because it just wasn't that good or entertaining.
The villain was the biggest problem because it too didn't add any excitement..
Once again, Lois is an idiot..
In the Fleischer Brothers Superman cartoons, Lois Lane is unusually stupid.
Even compared to the 1950s Lois from TV, this one seems bent on getting herself killed.
And, like in almost all the cartoons, she is saved and doesn't learn a darn thing!
The cartoon begins with a weird bullet-like car/airplane destroying things and then the leader of some weird criminal gang announcing to Metropolis that they must pay him or he'll destroy the town (you'd THINK he'd pick on some town OTHER than the one in which Superman lives!!).
Soon, the Bulleteers appear and begin unleashing terror.
Not surprisingly, Superman comes to the rescue AND Lois gets herself nearly killed in the process.Like the other Superman cartoons of the era, this one is beautifully animated but the story is very, very simple.
One reviewers loved how the action never let up--I just thought it lacked depth.
Mildly interesting..
Starts off quick and never stops.
Right at the very beginning we see a bullet-shaped aircraft smash right through the Police Headquarters, demolishing it.
The evil masked men on it demand all the money from the town hall or they'll attack.
The mayor refuses to pay and the police brace themselves for an all out attack.
It begins and they're no match.
Good thing Superman is around.
And Lois Lane is held captive (again).It's sort of amusing to see Lois always being captured and tied up in these cartoons.
Still, this is quick, tight, full of action and has the incredible animation that we expect.
Fun with incredible sound effects (in the restored DVD version)..
LOOK, UP ON THE SCREEN!
It's a Bird , it's a Plane , it's a Max Fleischer SUPERMAN Cartoon!.
ONCE again we must take the old 'Way-back Machine' into our not so distant past.
Our destination would be Chicago, Illinois in January of 1979.
The Windy City location is the Film Center of the Art Institute; for this is where we had our first viewing of one of those Paramount Pictures' SUPERMAN Cartoons.
In this case it just happened to be 'The Bulleteers'.PRODUCED by Max Fleischer and directed by his brother Dave Fleischer, it just happened to be a part of a Fleischer Retrospective that was put together by the intelligentsia who made up the School of the Art Institute's Film Program.
Other items on the agenda included samplings of OUT OF THE INKWELL with Koko the Clown, BETTY BOOP's on screen evolution and of course some great old B & W Popeye Cartoons.
It was a mid-winter's evening well spent!
BUT please let us have a brief interlude here in order to claim the privilege of doing a little EDITORIALIZING.
Thank You.IT really strikes us as being both ironic and laughable that the contents of these Animated Short Subjects had only a short time earlier been regarded by these same forces in Academia as being strictly trash.
Now ('79) a few short years later, these same "Cartoons" are proclaimed to be "Art".
And I am JTRyan.
End of Editorial * ANYHOW, back to the subject at hand.TODAY'S subject, THE BULLETEERS (Fleischer Brothers Studios/Paramount Pictures Corporation, 1941), which struck us instantly as being stunning, visually exciting and having a good deal of content beyond that of the expected and requisite Action Scenes.COLOR work, character design, backgrounds all meticulously rendered to be brought to life by the Fleischer Magic touch.
Application of their Rotoscope animation system and the Table Top 3 Dimensional process are in evidence.ALL of these visual elements are blended in a most harmonious manner and in the proper style as to be living, moving counterparts of Superman on the printed page.
The care exercised in layout and design has essentially created animated pages right out of Action Comics.
Superman Comics or the Superman Sunday Color Comic Strip!
The level of accuracy in style is just that meticulous.OUTSTANDING musical scores were a hallmark of these Superman Cartoons and this BULLETEERS is certainly no exception.
We can thank Fleischer's Musical Director, Sammy Timberg, for a most befitting Superman Opening Theme as well as the moody and exciting incidental music throughout.AND while we're on the subject of Sound, we must make note of the clear, clean and properly full-volumed dialog recording.
The crisp elocution is rendered in truly beautifully rich tones as clear today as they were when released in 1941.FURTHERMORE the selection of Mr. Bud Collyer and Miss Jane Alexander to give voices to the Superman saga was perhaps the closest choice to perfection.
The pair had done the characters on the Mutual Radio Network's SUPERMAN Radio Show and their choice provided a sort of marriage of all three media; Comic Books/Comic Strip (Printed Page), Radio Show (Electronic & Airwaves) and the Cartoon Shorts (Motion Pictures).
The sound of Bud Collyer's signing off, for example, sounds fresh and vital today.ONE caveat is in order.
It would be helpful to anyone's viewing of any of the Paramount/Fleischer-Famous Studios Cartoons that you do so be screening not more than one at a time.
They just were not designed for multiple running.** If you can, try to see them with other viewers.
IT's probably too much to ask to have a big screen in a real theatre/auditorium setting; as we did it; but don't give up!
After all, there must be some of the intellectually elite near you who are about tom see the light and can include some of these in the local Collegiate Film Festivals.AS for our rating, I say it's a SSSS picture!
(That's Four S's for top Superman Episode!) Me buddy, Schultz strongly disagrees.
(He says that the Rating should be higher!) NOTE * We are put in mind to recall a good friend of ours, the Late Mr. Noel Roy, Chicago Out of Print Book Dealer and proprietor of Acme Book Store on Clark Street.
Mr. Roy had dubbed certain segments of our elitist Academians as being members of the Stupidgencia rather than Intelligencia.AND by the way, since we're openly venting pet peeves, in a related field we have a riddle!
QUESTION: What is the difference between Obscenity and Art?
(DO you Give UP?..................Okay..Read Below!...........) ANSWER: A Federal Grant!
NOTE ** The only thing that we can think would be a good example would be watching too many 3 Stooges Shorts in a row; when they are ones featuring Joe Besser!
That's even worse than any other; but you do catch the meaning, no?POODLE SCHNITZ!!.
Despite what some people say, this is one of my favorites of this series.
This one seems to either be really loved, or really not liked.
Either way, i love it.
One of my favorites.
Let's see why.The story is about this weird bullet car, that blows right through the police department, leaving an explosion in its wake.
The many newspapers, including the Daily Planet, of course reports about it.
Perry White calls Lois Lane and Clark Kent into his office.
Just as he is explaining the report, the sound of a loudspeaker comes in through the window.
The leader of the "Bulleteers", as Lois later calls them, is shown announcing from his hideout atop a mountain outside of town, that if the city doesn't turn over the entire city treasury, other municipal buildings will be next as their last warning!
Everyone of course, hears it, but the mayor announces that he will not be swayed by criminals.
That day, policemen all over town setup sandbag fortifications for their machine guns and searchlights in preparation for the Bulleteers.
At midnight, the gang strikes again, first destroying the town's power plant, bullets from defending policeman bouncing harmlessly off the bullet-car's sleek surface.
Lights in the Daily Planet flicker on and off, and Lois, wanting the story of course, takes off in a car to get closer to the scene, leaving Clark behind.
And it's now up to Superman to save the day.So even though this one is one of my favorites.
It still has a few flaws.
First of all, there doesn't seem to be many people who have noticed this, but this cartoon use recycled animation from The Mechanical Monsters, and Billion Dollar Limited, a few times.
But this is just a nitpick.
I also think the Bullet car is very lamely designed.
And while all the previous installments brought something new to the screen.
This one has a very average plot.
And this is not really a flaw, but why have 3 men in one bullet car?
Couldn't they have had 3 of these bullet cars, one for each man.
that would be awesome!
However, most of this is just nitpicking, and like i said, this is one of my favorite Superman cartoons.
Although the bullet car is very lamely designed, the mountain hideout makes up for that, and it's really cool and original for it's time.
And the animation that's not recycled, is great as usual.
I also really like the scene where Lois sneaks into the bullet car's cockpit and tries to smash the controls with a wrench.
That's one of her more heroic and useful moments in the series.
But the best thing about this one, like all of these cartoons, is the action.
Infact i think this one has some of the best action scenes, in the entire series.
And just like Billion Dollar Limited, this one has some of the most fast-past action scenes of this entire series.
My favorite scene is when The Bulleteers take aim at the city's treasury building, but Superman punches the bullet-car off course, which make the bullet-car fly off and hit the top of a building.
That shit is great!Although this one has a few flaws.
It still has some of the best stuff, of this entire series.
And that makes this one, one of my favorites.
Extortionists?.
I must say I am a bit baffled by the antagonists in some of these Superman cartoons from the days of World War II.
In this one here, he goes up against a gang of extortionists.
let us keep in mind.
He is basically unkillable and has major superpowers and a random bunch of crooks keeps him busy like that.
I don't believe it.
Also I personally find it repetitive how Lois gets constantly kidnapped.
And we are still supposed to like her?
Despite how she constantly acts naive and dumb and gets caught and relies on Superman saving her?
This 8-minute film here has several problems (more than they usually do) and that is also why I do not recommend it.
Inferiot to other cartoons from 75 years ago.
Thumbs down..
beautifully animated, but with an average plot at best.
This is a cartoon in the Superman series produced by the Fleischer studio.
There will be spoilers ahead:Like all of the shorts in the series, the animation is beautifully done in this cartoon.
The principal problem with this and the other shorts in the series after the first one is that it's a formulaic series and the character of Superman is one-dimensional, which make the shorts resemble one another.This short opens with a mysterious object destroying city hall.
A blackmail message is sent demanding all the city's monies or further destruction will follow.
Lois Lane and Clark Kent are assigned to the story.The city rejects the ransom demand and the villains climb in a bullet-like aircraft (hence the title) to wreak havoc.
Superman makes a late appearance in the short and rescues Lois more than once, because she has a knack for making unfortunate or all too often foolish decisions (done to increase tension, which is silly, because Lois is a regular character, so her survival is never in doubt).Superman thwarts the bad guys again and saves the day again.
In other news, water is wet.This short is available on disc, with multiple options and is worth watching..
The Bulleteers is perhaps not as interesting as the previous four of the Fleischer Superman cartoons.
Just watched this, the fifth Superman cartoon from Max and Dave Fleischer, on YouTube.
In this one, there's a bullet car that crashes into federal buildings.
One of the men goes on the radio ordering a ransom or else.
Naturally, Lois goes in to investigate and gets herself kidnapped as a result.
So, as usual, Clark Kent turns himself into Superman in order to rescue her.
The only unusual thing that happened here is that Supes for once seems defeated when a building falls on him.
That only lasts a few minutes though so it's business as usual in these series of shorts.
So on that note, this wasn't as entertaining as the first four but there's still some interest in seeing how the animators keep things moving with more realistic illustrations as opposed to the more usual cartoony images they're used to.
So that's a partial recommendation of The Bulleteers.