Superman (1941)

Director:

Dave Fleischer

Writers:

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

Release Date:

26 September 1941 (USA)

Genre:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Mad Scientist | Ray | Planet | Bridge | Bound And Gagged

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

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

Directed by
Dave Fleischer

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

• Frekvensia GeTe (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Future Film (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• MediaOutlet.com (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Nickes Sound City (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• 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)
• Super Video Release (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Techno Film (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Videomestarit (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

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

Also Known As:

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 | Finland:K-7 (2006)

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 Dead by Dawn 2: The Mask of Conrad (2004) (V)

Fleischer Studios did a decent job on a series of Superman shorts

This is the first of a series of Superman shorts done by the Fleischer Studios and the only one of the series nominated for an Oscar. The animation style is different and recognizable as Fleischer work and the cartoons hold up reasonably well, but there's nothing terrifically remarkable or special about this particular cartoon. Worth watching.