Superman (1940s cartoons)
Between 1941 and 1943, the Fleischer Studios produced a series of animated cartoons based upon the comic book character Superman. These cartoons are seen as some of the finest animated cartoons produced during the .The Fleischer brothers had recently finished their second animated feature film, Mister Bug Goes to Town, which had performed poorly at the box office. They were reluctant to commit themselves to another major project at the time, when they were approached by Paramount Pictures. Paramount was interested in cashing in on the phenomenal popularity of the new Superman comic books, by producing a series of theatrical cartoons based upon the character. The Fleischers hoped to discourage Paramount from committing to the series, so they informed the studio that the cost of producing such a series of cartoons would be about $100,000 per episode -- an amazingly high figure, about four times the typical budget of a six-minute theatrical cartoon during the 1940s. To their surprise, Paramount agreed to the high cost, and the Fleischers were committed to producing a Superman series.
The Fleischers produced nine episodes of the cartoon series, before Paramount took over the Fleischer Studios facility and ousted Max and Dave Fleischer. The sleek look of the series continued, but there was a noticeable change in the storylines of the later episodes of the series. The first nine cartoons in the series had more of a science fiction aspect to them, as they involved the Man of Steel fighting robots, giant dinosaurs, meteors from outer space, and other perils. The later eight episodes of the series dealt more with World War II propaganda stories, such as the episode "Eleventh Hour," in which Superman goes to China (which had been occupied by Japan) to commit acts of espionage in order to reduce the morale of the enemy.
The first nine episodes of the cartoon series used the classic opening line of the Superman radio series: "Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!" With the changeover to Famous Studios and the loss of the Fleischers, the opening line of the cartoon series was changed to "Faster than a bolt of lightning! More powerful than the pounding surf! Mightier than a roaring hurricane!" Nonetheless, the latter half of the Superman cartoon series still delivered exciting entertainment for viewers.
Famous Studios cancelled the series after a total of seventeen episodes had been produced. The high cost of the series kept it from continuing in the face of budgetary restrictions.
The voice of Superman for the entire series was provided by Bud Collyer, who also spoke the lead character's voice during the Superman radio series.