1941 - 1943


SUPERMAN
1941 - 43 Cartoons (Color)
Paramount Pictures / Fleischer Studios /
Famous Studios


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"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 had brought forth a race of supermen, whose mental and physical powers were developed to the absolute peak of human perfection. But there came a day when giant quakes threatened to destroy Krypton forever! One of the planets leading scientists, sensing the approach of doom, placed his infant son in a small rocketship and sent it hurtling in the direction of the Earth...just as Krypton exploded! The rocketship sped through star-studded space, landing safely on Earth with its precious burden... Krypton's sole survivor. A passing motorist found the uninjured child and took it to an orphanage. As the years went by and the child grew to maturity he found himself possessed of amazing physical powers. Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound! The infant of Krypton is now the Man of Steel... Superman! To best be in a position to use his amazing powers in a never-ending battle for truth and justice, Superman has assumed disguise as Clark Kent...mild mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper."

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From 1941 to 1943 Max Fleischer created a series of animated Superman cartoons which featured the voice of Clayton 'Bud' Collyer, radio's Superman. The cartoons cost $100,000 per episode to produce.

Born Clayton J. Heermance, Jr., in 1908, in Manhattan, Clayton was the younger brother of Hollywood actress June Collyer. Rather than choosing a show business carrier as his mother, grandfather, brother and sister had, Clayton chose the legal life while working his way through law school by performing on radio as a singer and actor. After earning a law degree from Fordham in 1933, Collyer worked for two years as a law clerk but suddenly realized that he could earn as much in a month on radio as he could in a year in law. Collyer made the decision to take his mother's maiden name and by age 32 was earning more than $50,000 a year!