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Showdown (animated short)
Encyclopedia
Showdown is the eleventh of seventeen animated Technicolor
short films based upon the DC Comics
character Superman
.Produced by Famous Studios
, the plot focuses on a criminal who impersonates Superman to commit crimes for a gangster
. The short was released to theaters by Paramount Pictures
on October 16, 1942.
The short starts off as a figure dressed as Superman breaks into a bank and later a diamond deposit to steal money and gems. The imposter, apparently named "Stupin", then reports back and delivers his findings to his boss, a mafia don. Every paper in the city runs the story that Superman has gone bad, but Lois Lane
does not believe it to be true. As she and Clark Kent
read the story at the Daily Planet
, an office boy
informs them that the editor, Perry White
, wants them to cover the opera and gives them two tickets.
At the opera, the Superman imposter sneaks from booth to booth, swiping people's jewelry without them noticing. When one woman cries out in alarm, Lois leaves her seat and walks out into the hallway, confronting the imposter. After a brief struggle, Lois rips the "S" patch off the imposter's chest, and he runs away. Not having seen his face in the darkness, Lois is convinced that Superman has really been responsible for all the crimes, concluding, "It is Superman." Lois sits down in front of a nearby phone to call the police, and Clark exits the booth to follow after the imposter.
Cracking the door open slightly on the roof and noticing the imposter, Clark says, "My double is in for some trouble." Seeing the police cars gather on the street below, the imposter heads back toward the door to the stairwell, where he is confronted by the real Superman. The imposter fires several rounds at Superman, to no avail. Out of bullets, the imposter becomes frightened, and walks backward as Superman approaches. In one final attempt, the imposter hurls his gun at Superman, which bounces away without causing damage. Without noticing, the imposter reaches the edge of the rooftop and falls over the edge. Superman swoops down to save him just in time. In the glow of the search lights, Lois and the police realize that the real Superman is not the criminal.
Hoping for a lighter punishment, the imposter agrees to take Superman to his boss. Superman, without saying a thing, stands in front of the boss' desk. After several moments, the boss shines raises a lamp to see Superman's face. The boss presses a hidden button that opens a trap door and sends Superman falling into a pit. After the trap door closes, the boss and imposter push the desk over the door and hide in a vault. Superman breaks out and opens the vault, only to find that the two have used a welding torch to cut a hole in the wall and escape. A police car is headed around a bend, unknowing that the mob boss and imposter are coming at them from the other side. Just in time, Superman steps in and stops the cars from crashing, and he leaves the two criminals for the police to handle.
Back at the Daily Planet, Clark is dozing off when Lois returns from the crime scene to start work on the story. Clark tells her that he was dreaming he was Superman. Lois responds by saying, "A fine Superman you'd make." Clark replies "Well, I can dream, can't I?"
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 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...
.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 plot focuses on a criminal who impersonates Superman to commit crimes for a gangster
Gangster
A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Some gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from mob and the suffix -ster....
. The short was 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 October 16, 1942.
Plot
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 ....
does not believe it to be true. As she and 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....
read the story at the Daily Planet
Daily 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...
, an office boy
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
informs them that the editor, Perry White
Perry White
Perry 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...
, wants them to cover the opera and gives them two tickets.
At the opera, the Superman imposter sneaks from booth to booth, swiping people's jewelry without them noticing. When one woman cries out in alarm, Lois leaves her seat and walks out into the hallway, confronting the imposter. After a brief struggle, Lois rips the "S" patch off the imposter's chest, and he runs away. Not having seen his face in the darkness, Lois is convinced that Superman has really been responsible for all the crimes, concluding, "It is Superman." Lois sits down in front of a nearby phone to call the police, and Clark exits the booth to follow after the imposter.
Cracking the door open slightly on the roof and noticing the imposter, Clark says, "My double is in for some trouble." Seeing the police cars gather on the street below, the imposter heads back toward the door to the stairwell, where he is confronted by the real Superman. The imposter fires several rounds at Superman, to no avail. Out of bullets, the imposter becomes frightened, and walks backward as Superman approaches. In one final attempt, the imposter hurls his gun at Superman, which bounces away without causing damage. Without noticing, the imposter reaches the edge of the rooftop and falls over the edge. Superman swoops down to save him just in time. In the glow of the search lights, Lois and the police realize that the real Superman is not the criminal.
Hoping for a lighter punishment, the imposter agrees to take Superman to his boss. Superman, without saying a thing, stands in front of the boss' desk. After several moments, the boss shines raises a lamp to see Superman's face. The boss presses a hidden button that opens a trap door and sends Superman falling into a pit. After the trap door closes, the boss and imposter push the desk over the door and hide in a vault. Superman breaks out and opens the vault, only to find that the two have used a welding torch to cut a hole in the wall and escape. A police car is headed around a bend, unknowing that the mob boss and imposter are coming at them from the other side. Just in time, Superman steps in and stops the cars from crashing, and he leaves the two criminals for the police to handle.
Back at the Daily Planet, Clark is dozing off when Lois returns from the crime scene to start work on the story. Clark tells her that he was dreaming he was Superman. Lois responds by saying, "A fine Superman you'd make." Clark replies "Well, I can dream, can't I?"
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 Clark KentClark KentClark 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....
/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...
(uncredited) - 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 ....
(uncredited) - 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 Jimmy OlsenJimmy OlsenJimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
, Superman impostor (uncredited) - Jackson BeckJackson BeckJackson Beck was an American actor best known as the announcer on radio's The Adventures of Superman and the voice of Bluto in the Famous era Popeye theatrical shorts.-Career:...
as The Boss (uncredited) - Julian Noa as Narrator (uncredited)
External links
- Watch "Showdown"
- Showdown at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- Showdown at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...