The Magnetic Telescope
The Magnetic Telescope
| 24 April 1942 (USA)
The Magnetic Telescope Trailers

When police interfere with a reckless scientist's experiment, it creates a deadly meteor shower only Superman can stop.

Reviews
Greenes

Please don't spend money on this.

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TrueHello

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

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BeSummers

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

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Caryl

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

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betina-18954

Another really great Superman cartoon.The story is about this scientist, demonstrating his magnetic telescope. A giant, u-shaped magnet connected to the telescope is pointed at a comet and turned on, drawing the comet towards the town. And most of the people of the town, including Clark and Lois, are watching. Something goes wrong, however, and the comet crashes into the town, rolls through the streets, and then tumbles into the ocean nearby. Newspapers the next day, of course report the disaster, and the police are shown arguing with the scientist, who claims the importance of his work is worth the risk of human lives. The police say, as Lois looks on, that they will stop any attempt to try the experiment again, but the scientist refuses to quit, reminding them that any attempt to stop him could prove disastrous. He runs into his telescope room and shuts the door before the police can stop him, and begins his experiment again. Just as the magnet pulls the comet into earth's gravitational pull, the police jam a piece of metal into the electric generator running his machine and cut its main wires with axes. The comet, now out of the scientist's control, hurtles towards the town. As the police and scientist flee, Lois calls the Daily Planet from the scientist's building, reporting the impending disaster as the building crumbles around her and pins her. Clark happens to be standing nearby, and takes a cab to get to the telescope. As he nears the building, pieces of the comet destroy the road in front of them, and the cabby flees; It's now up to Superman to save the day.Another great cartoon with a great and exciting plot. Although the Magnetic Telescope looks silly, i for some weird reason think the design is kinda cool. And i like how we really see Superman has some real struggles and weaknesses in this one. I know Superman had challenges in the other cartoons too, but he always overcame them. But in this one it's quite different. Superman streaks towards the comet, striking it full-force. He does this two times, but bounces off both times. He then realises that the only way to stop the comet, is to fix the telescope. Hmmm, i wonder if the comet is made of Kryptonite? Who cares, it's just freaking awesome. And who can forget the funny scene in the end, when we see Superman's silhouette, and Lois kisses him; much to her chagrin, the silhouette is Clark.Another great cartoon in this series. 9/10.

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MartinHafer

"The Magnetic Telescope" is one of the better cartoons from the Superman series that the Fleischer Brothers made. The plot is very exciting and is has a neat scene at the end where Clark gets to smooch Lois! It begins with a stupid and very irresponsible scientist testing out his insane telescopic device. It uses magnetics to bring objects closer to the Earth! And, not surprisingly, when he brings a meteor near the planet, it causes some serious damage. However, he's determined to try this again--but on a much larger object!! When a comet is brought near, folks rush the observatory and smash the device--but the comet STILL comes hurtling towards the Earth. Now here is the kicker--Superman tries repeatedly to stop the comet but it's too big and powerful. So, he must do something fast to fix that darned device and hope that it can be used to reverse the path of the object.As I noticed in several of these cartoons, Superman is NOT all-powerful. He gets knocked down, hurt and overwhelmed from time to time. I actually like this as it added to the suspense. I also loved when the day was saved and Lois THOUGHT she was kissing Superman and it turned out to be Clark (well, at least it was Clark dressed as his alter ego, Clark Kent). Well done.

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utgard14

I love the Fleischer Superman cartoons. The animation is smooth and fluid with vivid colors. The distinct art-deco style, vintage science fiction imagery, and use of noirish shadows gave them a look unlike any other cartoons. The music and voice work is superb. They're fun, accessible, enduring animation classics.The sixth in the Superman series is about a scientist's creation, the magnetic telescope, which can draw comets to Earth. After an initial disaster, where the scientist causes a comet to crash into town before rolling into the sea, the police of Metropolis suggest this guy take a beat before proceeding. The scientist, however, is undeterred and proceeds to draw another comet to Earth. The police interfere and disrupt the telescope's generator, causing the power to go out. Now there's a comet hurtling towards Metropolis with no way to stop it. Superman does his super best but it's no use. He manages to restart the generator and then, in one of the greatest scenes from the entire Fleischer Superman series, he holds together two cut ends of wire and allows his own body to conduct the electric current needed to power the telescope.A fun, fast-paced entry in the series. The image of Superman with electricity coursing through his body arm-to-arm is pretty cool, as is the cute scene where Lois kisses Clark in the dark, thinking he is Superman.

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preppy-3

A misguided (not mad) scientist has developed a telescope which is basically a giant magnet (!!!). With it he proposes to draw comets to the Earth (for some reason) and then send them back into space. The police warn him not to do it. He ignores them and immediately starts bringing in a comet. The police destroy his equipment...but it's too late. The comet is hurtling towards Earth spitting out huge fireballs causing destruction. The scientist can't send it back because his equipment has been destroyed. Superman tries to smash the comet but it's too strong for him! What will happen?One of the lesser Superman cartoons but still fun. This is the first where Clark Kent does NOT say "This is a job for Superman" before changing. And there's a sweet little kiss between him and Lois at the end. Worth catching but just OK.

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