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
Wordiezett So much average
Holstra Boring, long, and too preachy.
ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.
Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows
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.
Hitchcoc Someone used the term "misguided" to describe the scientists in this series. It's easy when they have true science in mind but don't know what they are dealing with. The others are the ones with criminal intent. Where the science is used to rob or plunder. This is the former, where this guy doesn't know when to stop, causing chaos for the world. Even after his machine is destroyed the results of his actions continue to affect the earth. A comet, a very large celestial body, heads toward the earth and Superman is pretty small compared to it. He must use every tool in his arsenal to dissuade the space junk. Of course, Lois is right there, getting in the way. This is a landmark episode where a kiss is exchanged. I'm sure the kids watching this on Saturday mornings would have yelled, "Mush." There was some innocence at that time. Remember, outside the theater, a war was in progress.
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.
Ron Oliver A mad scientist has developed a contraption capable of pulling celestial bodies out of the heavens. When he succeeds in bringing a highly destructive comet upon Metropolis, and with intrepid reporter Lois Lane in harm's way, only Superman can stop the chaos caused by THE MAGNETIC TELESCOPE.This was another in the series of excellent cartoons Max Fleischer produced for Paramount Studio. They feature great animation and taut, fast-moving plots. Meant to be shown in movie theaters, they are miles ahead of their Saturday Morning counterparts. Bud Collyer is the voice of Superman; Joan Alexander does the honors for Lois Lane.