History WesternAnimation / TheMadScientist

''The Mad Scientist'' [[note]]originally called "Superman", but we will refer to it by its alternate title to avoid confusion[[/note]] is a [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation 1941]] theatrical animated short (ten minutes) produced by [[Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer Fleischer Studios]], and the first of seventeen WesternAnimation/SupermanTheatricalCartoons.

The short was nominated for the 1942 UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for cartoon short subjects (losing out to the WesternAnimation/PlutoThePup short ''WesternAnimation/LendAPaw'').

* DeathRay: Complete with a great big Jacob's Ladder, and an elevator-floor gauge for showing its PowerLevel.

->''"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 it 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 planet's leading scientists, sensing the approach of doom, placed his infant son in a small rocket ship and sent it hurtling in the direction of Earth, just as Krypton exploded. The rocket 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 in a single bound, the infant of Krypton is now the Man of Steel: SUPERMAN! To best be in a position to use his powers in a never-ending battle for truth and justice, Superman has assumed the disguise of Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper."''
-->-- '''The Opening Sequence'''

An extended prologue establishes the origins of Superman, how his parents sent him to Earth after Krypton blew up, and how he assumed the public identity of Clark Kent, mild-mannered Daily Planet reporter. After the prologue we get to the main story: a mad scientist has sent the Daily Planet a letter announcing that he has a deadly death ray. Lois Lane goes off to pursue the story, but her IntrepidReporter fearlessness gets her kidnapped by the mad scientist, who promptly zaps out a section of a bridge with his death ray. Clark Kent, upon finding out that both Lois and the city of Metropolis are in peril, puts on his Superman costume and saves the day.

** The beam melts the support beams in a build, causing it to fall over. Inexplicably, Superman stops the beam and props the build back up, and it stands without doing anything to repair its foundation.

* MickeyMousing: The pulses of the beam don't seem to make a sound in-universe when they hit Superman, but are emphasized by the soundtrack. The same happens when Supes is punching the it back to its source.

This short has slipped into the PublicDomain, and can be viewed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UJphNPwDfk here.]]

* PublicDomainAnimation

** Played absolutely straight with his vulture minion, who is a case of RealisticHumansCartoonyAnimals.

* RealisticHumansCartoonyAnimals: The humans of the story have rotoscope-realistic proportions and movements, but the vulture looks like something out of a slapstick cartoon.

* {{Bowdlerise}}: Several home video copies of the first short (even Warner's "Authorized Edition" and ''Superman'' Ultimate Collector's Edition [=DVDs=]) cut short the scene where Clark asks Perry White, "Don't you think that's a dangerous mission [[StayInTheKitchen for a woman]]?"

* AnimationBump: Compared to the Fleischers' previous flop of a series, ''Stone Age'', the animation quality of this first short is a HUGE upgrade in contrast. (This is in part because its comparative budget at the time was so high, it may as well have been infinite; its $50,000 budget would be the equivalent of around $950,000 in 2021 dollars.)

* AdaptedOut: [[MuggleFosterParents Ma and Pa Kent]] are apparently absent from Superman's origin--the unidentified person who found him as a baby instead brought him to an orphanage. The person was identified as a "passing motorist", which was true in Superman's first story in ''[[ComicBook/ActionComicsNumberOne Action Comics #1]]''.

* NonStandardCharacterDesign: The vulture pet of the Scientist looks out of place; it would fit better in a typical slapstick cartoon.

* AnimationBump: Compared to the Fleischers' previous flop of a series, ''Stone Age'', the animation quality of this first short is a HUGE upgrade in contrast. (This is in part because its comparative budget at the time was so high, it may as well have been infinite.)

* BoundAndGagged: Lois upon reaching the Mad Scientist's lair, attempts to get an interview, but is instead immediately kidnapped by the madman and tied to a chair and gagged. He informs her she'll get her story as she watches helplessly at the destruction of Metropolis.

* BoundAndGagged: Lois upon reaching the Mad Scientist's lair, attempts to get an interview, but is instead immediately captured by the madman and tied to a chair and gagged. He informs her she'll get her story as she watches helplessly at the destruction of Metropolis.

* IWillShowYouX: "So you want a story! I'll give you the greatest story of destruction the world has ever known!"

This short has slipped into the PublicDomain, and can be viewed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_frD6bGp63U here.]]

* AdaptedOut: [[MuggleFosterParents Ma and Pa Kent]] are apparently absent from Superman's origin--the unidentified person who found him as a baby instead brought him to an orphanage.

* RoleReprisal: The voice cast is comprised of the same actors from the popular ''Radio/TheAdventuresOfSuperman'' radio serial.

** Okay, how would leaning the building back up to its original position not cause it to fall back again, since the reason it fell in the first place was heavy damage from the laser cannon!

* MickeyMousing: When Supes is punching the laser back to its source.