Superman (1940s)

**Superman** is an animated series that contains 17 shorts about the famous D.C. super-hero: Superman. It was shown in theatres during the 1940s, and later in newer technologies. The series tells stories of the manner Superman used his powers to fight various villains and save Lois Lane among others. Fleischer Studios produced the first eight cartoons. In 1942, Fleischer Studios was dissolved and reorganized as Famous Studios, which produced the final nine shorts.

The first short, titled Superman, was released on September 26, 1941. More shorts were added and released until 1943 (MCMXLIII). In contrast to comics where Superman was first introduced as jumping/"leaping", this series shows Superman flying.

## Episode List

* Superman
* The Mechanical Monsters
* Billion Dollar Limited
* The Arctic Giant
* The Bulleteers
* The Magnetic Telescope
* Electric Earthquake
* Volcano
* Terror on the Midway
* Japoteurs
* Showdown
* Eleventh Hour
* Destruction, Inc.
* The Mummy Strikes (see link for plot summary)
* Jungle Drums
* The Underground World
* Secret Agent

## Reminders

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5 a car that can also fly like a bullet smashed buildings and ruined electricity. When it attackd the treasury lois tried to ruin the controls but the thieves capture her. Superman flew up and pealed open the bullet to save lois and bring the villains to justice... as the bullet crashed.

6 a scientist pulld an iron meteor that crashed and harmd the city. when cops came to stop him from harming, he lokd them out and pulled more toward earth. the cops jamd the electric generator to stop the pulling but the meteors FALL and smash the lab. the scientist escaped. lois phoned the office, as more fell and the roof collapsed... so superman came and unburied lois. then he tried to crash into the meteor but even superman could not shatter it... as it was nearing earth. so he tried again but faild to shatter it. finally he used he super-strength to restart the generator and used the magnet to reverse the pull... but it is too near... suspense as the huge meteor is nearing the city... but soon the magnet pushed the meteor away.

7 a villain in an under-water lab caused earthquakes that broke bridges and toppled buildiings. lois followed him and sat in a chair where he tied her. superman tries to limit the explosions and faces several dangers. he saved lois as the villain sent dynamite down to the lab. the lab explodes but supermn brought lois to the surface in time. he follows the villain's speed boat and with superstrength lifts it up from the water to bring him to justice.

8 superman went with lois to investigate an awakening volcano. Lois went up. then the eruption started. mollten rock bursts up and throws hot rocks everywhere as lois tries to survive the dangers of the eruption. superman saved the city from a huge boulder rolling toward it by throwing it over and beyond the city. then he saved lois and as "man of steel" connected the torn wire as pland to detonate the explosion that buried the volcano.

9 lois went to a circus where elephants danced on two legs and high-wire walking and more. a mischevous monkey puld a rope not knowing it freed a huge ape. the ape escaped and went wild. the trained wildcats get wild too. lois saved a young girl from the ape and climbed a ladder to escape upward. a black panther attacked superman but the man of steel survived and with super strength wrestled it and put it in a cage. he carried an elephant to its cage to end the stampede. he fought the huge ape that used its giant muscles to throw him far. an electric wire started a fire so he wrestled with the ape in the burning tent until the plank for the high wire... where lois escaped starts falling he saved lois from the dangers of fire and the huge ape.

10 a man loyal to the japan flag saw that the u.s. made a huge bomber warplane. it is so large that it carries regular fighter planes and huge bombs. a hatch slid open so the fighter warplanes flew out. then the man who wore "stereotype" jap hat and jap style glasses, for identifying his loyalty to japan, climbed out from hiding with sabotuers, jap-otuers to take control of the plane. superman FLEW after the plane [more than leap... perhaps the first time he flew? after many large leaps] he opened the hatch and two japs ran toward him one wth a gun but before he can shoot s grabd his arm and threw the gunman far the other swung a knife but s overpowerd the human. [he also saved n untied lois] finally s went to to the cockpit where "joe-jap" was flying the plane. the crew was tied. as he broke the door jj smashed the controls so the plane would crash [rather than be used in war... and perhaps to kill himself honorably crashing into a city like the kamikaze legend which is not only a legend] superman jumped out and slowed the plane and caught it so it would not explode and lay it on the ground saving the city from the crash and the bombs that it carried.

11 superman robs a vault and held a gun to rob a bank and broke into jewelery and stole... but only the suit is superman a different person. people saw the suit and accused superman. when clark went to the opera the copy stole jewelery there so clark as superman chased him. the copy shot bullets which could kill a human but not superman. the copy led him to boss. the boss pressd a button to drop the floor. s fell so he escaped but superman climbed up and chased the car catching his suit and the crime boss.

12 war! japan bombed u.s. warships when u.s. was nutral. superman as clark was with lois in yokohama. he starts pulling jap warships underwater and putting their bombs to bomb warships and trucks [during war in contrast to modern superman-writers who say "never cross the line of killing a human]. the japs took lois hostage and hang signs they will kill her if he harms them. superman puld another incomplete ship to sink at sea and saw the sign. he flew to the execution and blokd the bullets. then he flew her to safety. clark n lois return to u.s. [note: imagine the clark of smallville drafted to the vietnam war "nope i wont shoot at the vietcong that action is crossing the moral line.... i will block the bullets... while the u.s. soldiers and doctors in other battlefields around him drop in bloody piles.]

13 lois worked at a torpedo factory. at lunch she listend to the office kuz suspecting disloyal... and was correct. they see her shadow and chase her. they put her in a torpedo to die when they test it. a supervisor went to check on lois but the disloyal drop metal on him... luckily he is superman undercover. he swim-chased the torpedo and saved lois fom within. a truck of explosives rolled toward the factory superman leapd and steard the truck away preventing the damage.
14

mummy **The Mummy Strikes** is a short in the Superman (1940s) series.
Superman as Clark Kent goes with Lois Lane to investigate a tomb where apparently a lady murdered a man. Mystical ancient powers awaken several mummies that attack them. As mummies smash heavy rocks on him, other huge mummies carry other investigators including Lois toward a dangerous fire... "this looks like" another "job for Superman."