Besides the comic-book superheroics, an interesting thing about some of these old Superman cartoons is the role of the narrator. They all begin with a voiceover from an unseen narrator who introduces the general concept of Superman, of course, but I'm talking about a character as narrator. In the original "Superman" (1941), Lois Lane was the storyteller; the film we saw was or became the story she wrote as a reporter for The Daily Planet. In this one, "Showdown," Lois takes a back seat to Supes and his alter ego--or double--Clark Kent. Added here is another doppelgänger for the man of steel in the form of a crook impersonating him (as, meanwhile, his crime boss impersonates Edward G. Robinson).

The short doesn't conclude with a story by Lane, either, but with Kent waking up from a snooze. One may read this as him continuing his impersonation of not being Superman, but another way to look at it is that the entire story of doubles (Clark/Superman and two Supermans) was Clark's dream after a boring night at the opera. In this final scene, Lois says she has a story to tell him, but we never hear it. This is Clark's story.

I know this is cruel, but the biggest thing that jumped out at me while I watched this cartoon was Jimmy Olsen's face. I kept thinking 'Oh, my....what horrible accident happened to make Jimmy THAT hideous?!'. At least I assume that was Jimmy--he was the office assistant and seemed to act a bit like Jimmy!! Let me explain further. In the Fleischer Brothers Superman cartoons, unlike other Fleischer shorts like Popeye and Betty Boop, the characters look more like real people. So, when in the middle of the cartoon a freakish and hideous character who looks like a cartoon imp appears, it just seems weirdly out of place! Okay, I've finished my rant about ugly Jimmy. I promise.

As for the rest of the cartoon, it's pretty good stuff. A local baddie is having his dopey assistant run about town committing crimes while dressed up as Superman. Apparently, the town is full of idiots, as they soon believe Superman has turned bad--even though this incarnation of the 'hero' cannot fly, stop bullets or do anything very super. So, it's up to the real guy to capture the two baddies and restore America's faith in its heroes. What a guy! Overall, this was enjoyable (apart from Jimmy) and well done. Worth your time and a decent installment in the series.

. . . and disloyal chameleon-like "Lois Lane:" toward the beginning of SHOWDOWN. This is the "Man of Steel" episode in which Lois displays her True Colors. She proves to be as fickle as her varied skin tone pallet, turning upon the Super Hero who has already saved her bacon a dozen times at the drop of a piece of costume jewelry. With wenches around like Lois, who needs enemas? She is perfectly content to suspend her disbelief, and libel Superman as being guilty in a string of grand larcenies. (It's nearly as bad as when that Dakota bushwhacker--Tom Broke-Claw--told a nationwide TV audience that the FBI had all the evidence needed to send RICHARD JEWELL to the gallows as the Atlanta Olympic Bomber!) Since Lois has spent more time in Superman's arms than any other skirt on Planet Earth, her inconstant, back-stabbing, accusatory attitude toward Krypton's lone survivor seems to verge upon sending him off on a quest for friendlier galaxies far, far away. After all, if his time here so far hasn't been enough to convince even one dithering dame of his intrinsic worth, why bother with Earth? Surely there must be some other world out there where such a straight shooter will be appreciated for his chiseled chin!