''The Underground World'' (1943) is the sixteenth of seventeen animated Technicolor short films based upon the DC Comics character

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

. Directed by

Seymour Kneitel Seymour Kneitel (March 16, 1908 – July 30, 1964) was an American animator, best known for his work with Fleischer Studios and its successor, Famous Studios. Early years Kneitel was born in New York City where he graduated from P.S. 10 in Manh ...

and produced by

Famous Studios Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized contro ...

, the cartoon was originally released to theaters by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

on June 18, 1943. It marks the final appearance of Lois Lane in a Superman cartoon.

Plot

A local scientist, Dr. Henderson, comes to the Daily Planet with a proposition for Perry White. Several decades earlier, Dr. Henderson's father discovered a series of caverns that he named the "Henderson caves". The elder Dr. Henderson explored the caves for several years before he mysteriously disappeared in them. Now, the younger Dr. Henderson would like to go back into the caverns. He would like the Daily Planet to fund the expedition, and he would like Clark Kent and Lois Lane to come along and report on everything they find. Mr. White agrees. Several days later, Clark, Lois & Dr. Henderson are at the entrance to the Henderson caves, ready to go spelunking. The caverns are part of a river system, so the only way into the caverns is by boat. Lois & Dr. Henderson take the first boat and Clark follows later. Inside the cave, Lois & Dr. Henderson row into a large

grotto A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...

. They dock on the side of the river, but once they step out, the boat drifts off down the river. A sack of dynamite in the boat is accidentally ignited and causes an explosion that Clark, who is just entering the caverns, can hear outside. Sensing danger, Clark paddles faster. The underground world still

Dr. Henderson & Lois have been captured by a race of "Hawk Men", living in the caverns. The explosion blasted open a hole in their cave, giving them a passage to the surface. Dr. Henderson & Lois are brought before their king. They see a statue of Dr. Henderson's father above the king's throne. Neither of them understands why the Hawk Men have a statue like that or where they got it. The king signals to the others and Lois & Dr. Henderson are tied to a stone slab. As Clark enters the cave, he sees Lois and Dr. Henderson being lowered into a giant pot of a bubbling, gold-colored liquid. Seeing the liquid, Lois looks back at the statue of the elder Dr. Henderson, and, suddenly, realizes where it came from. The Hawk Men had fatally coated him in gold metal. Now they were about to do the same thing to Lois and the younger Dr. Henderson. Clark quickly changes into Superman, but before he can save Lois & Dr. Henderson, he must first fight his way through an army of Hawk Men. Once he's finished with the Hawk Men, he saves Lois & Dr. Henderson and wastes no time getting them out of the cave. The Hawk Men chase after them, but Superman uses more

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...

to cover the entrance to their cave with rubble. Back at the Daily Planet, Mr. White is impressed by Clark & Lois's findings, but he feels no one would believe the story. He burns the report and the photographs taken in the caverns.

Voice cast

* Bud Collyer as

Clark Kent / Superman Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

* Joan Alexander as Lois Lane *Julian Noa as Perry White *

Jackson Beck Jackson Beck (July 23, 1912 – July 28, 2004) was an American actor best known as the announcer on radio's '' The Adventures of Superman''Dunning, John. (1998). ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. Oxford University Press. . Pp. 1 ...

as the Narrator, Dr. Henderson

References

External links

''The Underground World''
at the Internet Archive * {{DEFAULTSORT:Underground World, The 1943 short films 1943 animated films 1940s American animated films 1940s animated short films 1940s animated superhero films Superman animated shorts 1940s English-language films Paramount Pictures short films American animated short films Animated films about birds Films scored by Winston Sharples Films scored by Sammy Timberg