Japoteurs
Encyclopedia
Japoteurs is the tenth of seventeen animated Technicolor
short films based upon the DC Comics
character of Superman
, originally created by Jerry Siegel
and Joe Shuster
. The first Superman cartoon produced by Famous Studios
(the successor to Fleischer Studios
), Japoteurs covers Superman's adventures stopping Japanese
spies from hijacking a bomber plane and bringing it to Tokyo
. This cartoon does not bear the Famous Studios name because that company had not yet been fully organized after Max Fleischer
was removed by Paramount Pictures
from the studio which bore his name. The cartoon was originally released to theaters by Paramount Pictures
on September 18, 1942.
The word "Japoteurs" is a portmanteau of the words "Japanese" and "saboteurs".
. The headline reads "World's Largest Bombing Plane Finally Completed." The man reading the newspaper is Japanese, he stands up and looks at a picture of the Statue of Liberty in his office, then pushes a button on his desk, and the picture changes into one of the Japanese flag
. He bows to it and jams his glowing cigarette into the news headline. Later, Clark Kent
and Lois Lane
are taking a tour of the new bombing plane
before a test run. When everyone is told to get off, Lois stays behind and hides in a locker on board the plane.
As the plane takes off, we see that there are other stowaways aboard. Hidden inside what look like bombs are three Japanese spies. The spies tie and gag the pilots and hijack the plane. Meanwhile, Lois emerges from her hiding place and sneaks over to the cockpit. As she's about to open the door, she notices that the Japanese spies have hijacked the plane. She sneaks into the room and calls for help on the radio. In response to her calls for help, fighter planes are sent to stop the hijackers. In response, the hijackers deploy a bomb, which stops the fighters from taking off. Clark Kent goes into an elevator and changes into Superman as it goes up to the roof.
Superman enters the plane to stop the hijackers, but one of them has Lois tied up and is ready to drop her out of the plane through the bomb hatch. Superman jumps out of the plane and comes back in through the bomb hatch to save Lois. He unties her and then starts fighting the hijackers. One of them breaks the plane's controls, and the plane starts falling towards the city. Superman takes Lois out of the plane and places her on the ground, then flies back up and catches the plane, bringing it to a safe landing right in the middle of the street.
. Many cartoons of the time followed a similar vein, such as the Schlesinger/Warner Bros.
cartoons Scrap Happy Daffy
(1943), Daffy - The Commando
(1943), and Herr Meets Hare
(1945), to name a few. Such films typically show Japanese and German characters in a negative light as the American hero makes short work of them.
The pose Superman strikes as he catches the plane, pressing his weight into its nose, is strikingly similar to a scene in Superman Returns
(2006), in which Superman (Brandon Routh
) stops an airplane from crashing into a baseball stadium (that resembles former Yankee Stadium), holding it by the nose, and carefully lowers it onto the field.
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
short films based upon the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
character of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, originally created by Jerry Siegel
Jerry Siegel
Jerome "Jerry" Siegel , who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, and Herbert S...
and Joe Shuster
Joe Shuster
Joseph "Joe" Shuster was a Canadian-born American comic book artist. He was best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with writer Jerry Siegel, first published in Action Comics #1...
. The first Superman cartoon produced by Famous Studios
Famous Studios
Famous Studios was the animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount acquired the aforementioned studio and ousted its founders, Max and Dave Fleischer, in 1941...
(the successor to Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios, Inc., was an American corporation which originated as an Animation studio located at 1600 Broadway, New York City, New York...
), Japoteurs covers Superman's adventures stopping Japanese
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
spies from hijacking a bomber plane and bringing it to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. This cartoon does not bear the Famous Studios name because that company had not yet been fully organized after Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer was an American animator. He was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios...
was removed by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
from the studio which bore his name. The cartoon was originally released to theaters by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
on September 18, 1942.
The word "Japoteurs" is a portmanteau of the words "Japanese" and "saboteurs".
Plot
The story begins with a shot of the front page of the Daily PlanetDaily Planet
The Daily Planet is a fictional broadsheet newspaper in the , appearing mostly in the stories of Superman. The building's original features were based upon the AT&T Huron Road Building in Cleveland, Ohio...
. The headline reads "World's Largest Bombing Plane Finally Completed." The man reading the newspaper is Japanese, he stands up and looks at a picture of the Statue of Liberty in his office, then pushes a button on his desk, and the picture changes into one of the Japanese flag
Rising Sun Flag
The is the military flag of Japan. It was used as the war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army and the ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy until the end of World War II...
. He bows to it and jams his glowing cigarette into the news headline. Later, Clark Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
and Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
are taking a tour of the new bombing plane
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
before a test run. When everyone is told to get off, Lois stays behind and hides in a locker on board the plane.
As the plane takes off, we see that there are other stowaways aboard. Hidden inside what look like bombs are three Japanese spies. The spies tie and gag the pilots and hijack the plane. Meanwhile, Lois emerges from her hiding place and sneaks over to the cockpit. As she's about to open the door, she notices that the Japanese spies have hijacked the plane. She sneaks into the room and calls for help on the radio. In response to her calls for help, fighter planes are sent to stop the hijackers. In response, the hijackers deploy a bomb, which stops the fighters from taking off. Clark Kent goes into an elevator and changes into Superman as it goes up to the roof.
Superman enters the plane to stop the hijackers, but one of them has Lois tied up and is ready to drop her out of the plane through the bomb hatch. Superman jumps out of the plane and comes back in through the bomb hatch to save Lois. He unties her and then starts fighting the hijackers. One of them breaks the plane's controls, and the plane starts falling towards the city. Superman takes Lois out of the plane and places her on the ground, then flies back up and catches the plane, bringing it to a safe landing right in the middle of the street.
Influences
The cartoon, and the stereotypical Japanese characters in particular, are done in a style typical of American propaganda during World War IIAmerican propaganda during World War II
During World War II, American propaganda was used to increase support for the war and commitment to an Allied victory. Using a wide variety of media, propagandists fomented hatred for the enemy and support for America's allies, urged greater public effort for war production and victory gardens,...
. Many cartoons of the time followed a similar vein, such as the Schlesinger/Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Cartoons
Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was the in-house division of Warner Bros. Pictures during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, Warner Bros. Cartoons was primarily responsible for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical...
cartoons Scrap Happy Daffy
Scrap Happy Daffy
Scrap Happy Daffy is a Warner Bros. World War II short featuring Daffy Duck, directed by Frank Tashlin and released in 1943. Daffy is the guard of a scrap yard, doing his part to help America win the war against the Nazis, but the Nazis decide to destroy his scrap pile by sending a billy goat out...
(1943), Daffy - The Commando
Daffy - The Commando
Daffy - The Commando is a 1943 Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. Daffy Duck is a commando, dropped behind enemy lines, and causes havoc to the German commander, Von Vulture, who tries to capture him...
(1943), and Herr Meets Hare
Herr Meets Hare
Herr Meets Hare is a 1945 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. This short, coming a few months before the collapse of the Third Reich, was one of the last major wartime cartoons from Warner Brothers...
(1945), to name a few. Such films typically show Japanese and German characters in a negative light as the American hero makes short work of them.
The pose Superman strikes as he catches the plane, pressing his weight into its nose, is strikingly similar to a scene in Superman Returns
Superman Returns
Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
(2006), in which Superman (Brandon Routh
Brandon Routh
Brandon James Routh is an American actor and former fashion model. He grew up in Iowa before moving to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, and subsequently appeared on multiple television series throughout the early 2000s. In 2006, he gained greater recognition for his role as the titular hero...
) stops an airplane from crashing into a baseball stadium (that resembles former Yankee Stadium), holding it by the nose, and carefully lowers it onto the field.
Voice actors
- Bud CollyerBud CollyerBud Collyer was an American radio actor/announcer who became one of the nation's first major television game show stars...
as SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
/Clark Kent/Japanese Hijacker - Sam Parker as Clark Kent
- Joan AlexanderJoan AlexanderJoan Alexander was an American actress known for her role as Lois Lane on radio's The Adventures of Superman from the early 1940s to 1951.-Early life and career:...
as Lois LaneLois LaneLois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 .... - Julian Noa as Perry WhitePerry WhitePerry White is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comics. White is the Editor-in-Chief of the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet.White maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards...
)/Narrator/Police Officer - Jack MercerJack MercerJack Mercer was an American animator, storyman and voice actor. He is best known as the voice of cartoon character Popeye the Sailor...
as the Press Tour Guide