In the past, I've posted links to a couple of the Superman cartoons produced by the Max Fleischer Studio, and later (after Max got kicked out of his own studio) by its successor in interest, Famous Studios. Today, we go back to the first in the series, which was just called Superman when it was produced by Max's operation and released September 26, 1941. The 8,000 different companies that have since put it out on home video have occasionally referred to it as The Mad Scientist but as you'll see, that title appears nowhere on the film.
Bud Collyer did Superman's voice in this one, Joan Alexander voiced Lois, Jack Mercer was the villain and I'm not sure who did the other voices. Perry White sounds a little like Jackson Beck.
This is a stunning work of animation and it runs a little over ten minutes. I'm told that at the time it came out, it was the most expensive non-Disney cartoon short ever made. It looks it. The Fleischer artists did a good job of capturing Joe Shuster's earthy drawing style and giving weight and form and shadow to his characters. The film was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of "Best Short Subject (Cartoon)" but that's not as impressive as it sounds. Back then, each of the major studios had the clout to get at least one of its shorts nominated so it was probably just a matter of Paramount picking it as the short they wanted to have receive a nomination. Still, they seem to have recognized its excellence…or maybe it was just its price. Either way, you get to watch it for nothing…
