The Mummy Strikes

The Mummy Strikes
Title card from The Mummy Strikes.
Directed by	Isadore Sparber
Story by	Jay Morton
Based on	Superman by Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster
Produced by	Sam Buchwald
Starring	Joan Alexander Jackson Beck Bud Collyer Sam Parker
Music by	Winston Sharples Sammy Timberg
Animation by	Myron Waldman Graham Place
Color process	Technicolor
Production company	Famous Studios
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	February 19, 1943 (1943-02-19)
Running time	8 minutes (one reel)
Language	English

The Mummy Strikes (1943) is the fourteenth of seventeen animated Technicolor short films based upon the DC Comics character of Superman. Produced by Famous Studios, the cartoon was originally released to theaters by Paramount Pictures on February 19, 1943.^[1]

At the Metropolis Museum, a local Egyptologist, Dr. Jordan, is found murdered. His assistant, Ms. Jane Hogan finds his dead body in front of the sarcophagus of King Tush. She finds a syringe near the doctor's body. With no other evidence to go on, the police assume that Ms. Hogan is the killer. She admits that her fingerprints are on the syringe and she is convicted of the murder.

A few days later, Clark Kent gets a call from a professor at the museum, asking him to come to the museum and listen to another theory on the death of Dr. Jordan. Clark sneaks out, claiming it is his Doctor, but out of curiosity, Lois follows. At the museum, the professor explains to Clark how he believes that Dr. Jordan was actually killed by a mummy's curse. He takes Clark through the Egypt exhibit at the museum and tells him the story of King Tush (King Tush's story is similar to the story of King Tut). Lois follows them, making sure not to be seen.

Before his death, the 12-year-old Tush's father, the old pharaoh who ruled the North and warred against the South, commanded his giant, superhuman guards to swear an oath to protect his son throughout eternity. After his death, Tush became the pharaoh. Shortly after that, King Tush became ill, already young and sickly, and eventually died. Keeping their promise to the old pharaoh, the guards committed suicide by drinking poison in order to protect King Tush in the afterlife.

The professor then shows Clark the catacombs which Dr. Jordan recreated in the image of how it looked inside the pyramids. He then reveals that Dr. Jordan had recreated an ancient formula called the Fluid of Life, which he injected into the giant guard's mummified bodies, hoping they would return to life, but seemingly failed. As they approach King Tush's sarcophagus, the professor explains that Dr. Jordan invoked the curse by trying to open the king's sarcophagus. Clark pushes a button on the side of the sarcophagus and just misses being pricked by a poisoned syringe that shoots out at him. This new evidence seems enough to clear Ms. Hogan of the murder charges.

Sensing that the needle missed, the sarcophagus opens and a light from the dead king's jeweled amulet awakens his giant guards. The guards attack Clark, Lois, and the professor. Clark is thrown into a sarcophagus, where he quickly changes into Superman. As Superman, he defeats the giant guards and saves Lois and the professor from a grim demise by fire.

Back at the Daily Planet, Clark smiles as he finishes his report on Ms. Hogan being released from jail. Lois is sitting at the desk. She was injured in the mummy attack and her hands had to be bandaged up (therefore, she wasn't able to write the story herself). She grumbles as Clark finishes his story. When Clark asks how she knew to be there, she replies, "My mummy done told me".

• Bud Collyer as Clark Kent/Superman
  (most lines - uncredited)

• Sam Parker as Clark Kent
  (last lines - uncredited)

• Joan Alexander as Lois Lane, Jane Hogan (uncredited)
• Jackson Beck as Dr. Wilson, Narrator (uncredited)

• The Mummy Strikes at the Internet Archive
• The Mummy Strikes at IMDb