In 1941, Fleischer Studios – the animation studio who brought Betty Boop and Popeye the Sailor to movie screens – released the first animated episodes of the Adventures of Superman. The series, which ran for two year and seventeen episodes, were visually brilliant, with major flourishes of art deco and noir stylings, plenty of two-fisted action, and the first appearances of the Man of Steel in a big screen format. Even watching these films eight decades later, one only can stare in awe at what the Fleischer Studios could create as a viable alternative to the cartoons Walt Disney and the Warner Bros. crafted.
Here’s an example of one of the early Superman shorts. The Mechanical Monsters was the second Superman episode produced, and it features the voice of Bud Collyer as both Clark Kent and Superman – the same Bud Collyer who played the Man of Steel on the Superman radio show.
Now … eighty years of age and wear and low-grade public domain prints kinda mutes what the Fleischers put on the screen in 1941. But recently, some YouTubers have actually tried their hand at restoring these classic Superman movies. Scratches were removed, colors were heightened, and you can see in this side-by-side comparison the “before” and “after” attempts to bring these movies into the 21st century.
That’s a lot of brightness and action. Oh, for the days when policemen carried standard-issue submachine guns, and flying mechanical robots could nearly destroy the Last Son of Krypton in a straight-up fist fight.
I should also note that these Superman shorts were produced as World War II took the country’s attention, and the later series (in which Paramount Pictures took over the Fleischer Studios and renamed the company Famous Studios) leaned heavily into stereotypical bad-guy villains. Let me put it this way. There’s a Superman movie episode called “Japoteurs,” and it’s straight-up cringe from start to end.
But I will say that the efforts by hobbyists and film historians to clean up these classic films is both admirable and remarkable, and definitely worth checking out.
Chuck The Writer 
I also covered these on my blog (before the recent restoration), including uploading all the, episodes to my YouTube channel. Aeolus 13 Umbra: Superman: The Fleischer/Famous Studios Cartoons (1941-1943)
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Chuck: A few years ago, WB released a remastered version of all 17 shorts on DVD, which I happen to own a copy of. The Superman shorts were the template for Batman: The Animated Series in 1992. FWIW, Joan Alexander reprised her radio role as Lois Lane. There was no Jimmy Olsen in the shorts, but some geek named Louis—–voiced by none other than Jack Mercer (Popeye).. Collyer & Alexander would later reunite for Filmation’s Superman series, but only for the 1st season. Alexander left after season 1, and Collyer, of course, was also doing To Tell The Truth at the time.
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