Max Fleischer

A series of rare Max Fleischer sound cartoon shorts released by animation historian Jerry Beck. Fleischer was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios. He brought such animated characters as Betty Boop, Koko the Clown, Popeye and Superman to the movie screen and was responsible for a number of technological innovations including the Rotoscope.

A feture-length compilation of ten cartoons starring Betty Boop and other Max Fleischer characters from the 1920s and 1930s.

A comedic take on the Sleeping Beauty tale featuring KoKo the Clown.

Classic holiday tale about a flying reindeer who helps Santa Claus. An interpretation of Robert L. May's 1939 Christmas poem, this animated short was created to run in theaters to advertise Montgomery Ward department stores, publisher of the original story.

Humorous "sketches" of human interest stories by Max Fleischer, who headed Jam Handy's animation department in the mid 1940s and 1950s.

More than just a landmark in superhero animation, Max Fleischer's Superman shorts were no less than the foundation for so many shows that succeeded it. Playing in theaters in 1941-42, only a few years after the Man of Steel made his debut in Action Comics, these 17 exciting films were produced by Fleischer and made famous the phrase "This looks like a job for Superman!" At 10 minutes, each film had just enough time to run the opening credits, establish the threat, let Lois Lane make a headstrong rush into peril, and allow Clark Kent to change to his alter ego and save the day. The films show a remarkably dynamic and atmospheric storytelling style that enables them to hold up for modern viewers. At first the films followed a science fiction-fantasy theme, but not unexpectedly for that time soon focused on wartime concerns.

Slobbish magician Ali Kazam tries to win the princess' hand in marriage by producing a large quantity of jewels, but is challenged by a youth (our Hero) who only has a yo-yo, a sling shot, a few marbles, and a small pocket knife. Our hero is helped by Nicky Nome.

Already running late to see his girl, Bimbo the dog finds that his car is seriously ill. Bimbo calls the doctor, who rushes over in his jalopy and revives the sick car with a dose of Texaco Motor Oil.

Animated figure Talkie gets a visit from his friend Mutie in search for a job. Talkie takes him to the Western Electric sound lab...

An animated hair cartoon short.

Koko the Clown leads his Koko Kwartet through a rendition of "Has Anyone Here Seen Kelly?", a British music hall song about an Irish girl who gets lost in New York and tries to find her boyfriend, Kelly.

Neighborhood cats come to the tiny Ko-Ko Theatre to watch Ko-Ko and Fitz stage a variety of entertaining acts, from acrobatics to high-diving to statuelike tableaux vivants.

As usual, pieces of hair fly around and take the form of well known characters. This time the different subjects include, William Shakespeare, John Barrymore, Bebe Daniels, John Drew, Dorothy Dalton and Tom Meighan.

The resultant faces this time are: Lady Astor, David Belasco, Clara Kimball Young, Billie Burke and Larry Semon.

Marcus draws a bird, finally turning it upside down to show a perfect likeness to Galli Curci. Likenesses in the short also include W. H. Taft, General Joffre, Napoleon, J.P. Morgan, Sessue Hayakawa, Nickolai Lenin, La Follette.

Marcus of the New York Times continues his clever changing of character by moving about or adding bits of hair. These changes result in likenesses of Sessue Hayakawa, Pauline Frederick, Theodore Roberts, Anita Stewart and Pola Negri.

This time he transforms some hard looking characters into the well known countenances. Snub Pollard's picture is changed into Jack Holt. Charles Chaplin into Rudolph Valentino. Other faces are manipulated until they appear as Charles Murray, Mabel Normand, Irvin Cobb, and Harold Lloyd. Hair, mustaches, ears, etc. fly around at an amazing rate.

An extremely brief rundown of the history and construction of the lunch wagon, commonly found on studio lots-- that still manages to fit in a little comedy.

A Pathe Film Exchange short.

Koko the Clown discovers a machine that can make cartoons.

A combination of live action footage and stop-action animation is utilized to illustrate the theory of evolution.

An educational short

Part of Max Fleischer's "Out of the Inkwell" series.

A Popular Science Monthly film demonstrating how life on the moon would be different than life on Earth.

Max Fleischer draws Koko and a haunted house, while his colleague and the janitor mess around with a Ouija board. When Max goes over to take a look, Koko is haunted by ghosts and inanimate objects, and escapes into the real-world studio.

An animated interpretation of a rocket voyage to the moon demonstrates the scientific principles at play in theoretical space travel (such as gravity).

An animated film exploring what it might take to communicate with Mars, using mirrors, huge flashing electric lights or gigantic strips of black cloth set out in the desert.

Animated drawings illustrate the Nebular Theory for the creation of our solar system and the Earth, showing how molten masses spun off from the Sun cooled to form planets.

An educational short.

A film in the “Out of the Inkwell” series, an early animated short from Max Fleischer.

Lost film that introduces Max Fleischer's rotoscope animation to the public with the fluid movement of the Clown character. The Clown is animated over live-action reference footage of his brother Dave Fleischer who worked as a clown.

The Eclipse of the Sun was a science film released in July 1918, one month after a solar eclipse visible across the United States. This film was created while Max Fleischer was working at Bray Productions.

Animated drawings demonstrate how specialized German submarines laid mines in the English Channel during World War I.