
Production
Max Fleischer
Born — Died
1883-07-19 — 1972-09-11
Place of birth
Krakau, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland]
Known for
Production
Credits
100 titles
Max Fleischer (July 19, 1883 – September 11, 1972) was a Polish Jewish American animator, inventor, film director and producer. 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. (Wikipedia)
Known for
6.2Gulliver washes ashore on Lilliput and attempts to prevent war between that tiny kingdom and its equally-miniscule rival, Blefiscu, as well as smooth the way for the romance between the Princess and Prince of the opposing lands. In this he is alternately aided and hampered by the Lilliputian town crier and general fussbudget, Gabby. A life-threatening situation develops when the bumbling trio of Blefiscu spies, Sneak, Snoop, and Snitch, manage to steal Gulliver's pistol.
Gulliver's Travels
1939
6.3The happy tranquility of Bugville is shattered when the populace learns that a colossal skyscraper is to be built over their tiny town.
Mr. Bug Goes to Town
1941
6.5Popeye wants to get Olive a fur coat, but after a run-in with dishonest furrier Geezil decides the best way is to go hunting for a bear himself.
Olive's Boithday Presink
1941
6.6After wrecking Popeye's ship and stealing away Olive Oyl, hero of Arabic legend Sindbad decides to test him and his ever-resilient new rival's strength in order to prove their supremacy as the "most remarkable, extraordinary fella" of Sindbad's menagerie island.
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor
1936
7.3Olive has a map that shows the location of her secret gold mine, but while she's showing it to Popeye, claim jumper Bluto photographs it and gets there first.
Stealin Aint Honest
1940
7.1At an orphanage, the children are sad because they received used defective toys as gifts. Professor Grampy sees the children while passing by in his sled and has an idea on how to give them a merry Christmas.
Christmas Comes But Once a Year
1936
Film credits
2000s · 1 titles
1990s · 2 titles
10.0Leonard Maltin tells about the Fleischer Studio between featuring assorted cartoons from the Fleischers.
Cartoon Madness: The Fantastic Max Fleischer Cartoons
1992
8.0From the A&E "Biography" series, a review of the birth, development and cinematic history of Betty Boop, the flapper cartoon character who has been a popular icon since the 1930s.
Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons
1995
1930s · 4 titles
6.1A reporter interviews Max Fleischer about his creation, and Betty illustrates with excerpts from three prior cartoons.
Betty Boop's Rise to Fame
1934
NRThis fascinating and informative 1938 film, part of Paramount's Popular Science series, offers a tour through Fleischer Studios’ newly-built Miami studio during the making of the classic Popeye film Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp.
Fleischer Studios Behind The Scenes
1938
6.1In a return to the Out of the Inkwell format, Betty Boop invents a pep formula to speed up lazy Pudgy, but it escapes into the real world with rapid results.
More Pep
1936
5.8Irene Bordoni sings the title song in French and English with a Bouncing Ball. Cartoon sequences: Betty Boop as a cabaret emcee and cigarette girl; a romantic tom-cat gigolo.
Just a Gigolo
1932
1920s · 49 titles
8.0Max Fleischer and brother David are playing pool when Koko and Fitz force their way out of the ink bottle. They want to play pool too, so Max obligingly draws a table for their use.
Koko Plays Pool
1927
7.2Ko-Ko the Inkwell Clown and a baby get caught in a hurricane.
The Storm
1924
Koko and Fitz are sitting around bored while Max writes the day's scenario. When one of the cannibals he is writing about steals Max' head, it's up to our intrepid hero to rescue the boss, who doesn't know how to do things without his top.
KoKo Explores
1927
An Out of the Inkwell short.
Koko Eats
1925
An "Out of the Inkwell" short featuring Ko-Ko the Clown, this time as a fireman.
False Alarm
1923
6.9Koko The Clown continually interrupts an animator, who turns his attention to trapping the clown.
Invisible Ink
1921
7.0Koko the clown and his dog attempt a round-the-world flight.
Ko-Ko Hops Off
1927
6.0Part of Max Fleischer's "Out of the Inkwell" series.
Perpetual Motion
1920
7.1Koko the Clown discovers a machine that can make cartoons.
Cartoon Factory
1924
6.0Max is too rushed to do a thorough job of drawing Koko this morning. Max is going fishing. However, to amuse the clown, he draws a fishing pole and a pond before he goes.
Fishing
1921
9.0Max and Dave Fliescher are eating hot dogs in their animation studio and begin drawing. The hot dog becomes a "real" dog, and it and Ko-Ko the Clown alarmingly end up inside a Gas Chamber.
Ko-Ko's Hot Dog
1928
An Out of the Inkwell short.
Koko Kidnapped
1926
6.7Max helps the Inkwell Clown prepare for a family reunion.
The Reunion
1922
Max tricks Koko with a jumping bean. Koko finds a way to duplicate himself to get his revenge.
Jumping Beans
1922
7.8Max Fleischer considers hiring a new cartoonist. While the new guy draws Max's portrait, Koko gets into a fight with a cartoon Chinese man.
The Chinaman
1920
6.7The Clown causes trouble for the Cartoonist, and a sculptor using the studio, when he escapes from his backdrop and hides in the wet clay of a bust.
Modeling
1921
6.0A birthday celebration with Max Fleischer's Inkwell Clown.
Birthday
1922
6.8Koko the Clown's little brother comes to visit and wreaks havoc in Max Fleischer's studio.
The Clown's Little Brother
1920
7.0Max and Koko The Clown bet who can blow the biggest soap bubble.
Bubbles
1922
10.0Koko the clown is sent to the nut house by Max.
Koko Nuts
1925
Max is taking a railroad trip and pulls out his pen to draw Koko, Fitz and a railroad. Maybe the trip is too bumpy, because nothing works as it is supposed to.
Koko's Toot Toot
1926
After being told by Max to stay put in the studio, KoKo springs the coop (or inkwell, if you will) to follow his cartoonist to a restaurant for lunch, with chaos ensuing.
The Restaurant
1920
Max has a toothache, and it's up to The Clown and a bespectacled rabbit to pull out the aching tooth.
The Cure
1924
8.0In this 1925 Out of the Inkwell short, Ko-Ko the Clown becomes a barber. As usual, he eventually escapes the animated world for the "real." He hides in a shaving mug and when Max tries to lather up.
Ko-Ko the Barber
1925
Ko-Ko the Inkwell Clown spends a vacation at a rubbery amusement park.
Vacation
1924
Ko-Ko fights Father Time.
Ko-Ko Beats Time
1929
9.0Max asks Ko-Ko to act as his alarm clock before going to sleep. While Max sleeps, Ko-Ko goes to work dressing Max for the next day and replacing his surroundings so he'll be ready to go when the alarm clock rings in the morning.
KoKo's Klock
1927
8.0In this Christmas season release, Max assembles a toy train track while Ko-Ko the Clown visits a cartoon toyland, playing cops and robbers and rescuing a doll in distress.
Koko in Toyland
1925
Ko-Ko is chased by a cartoony spider while Max deals with a mouse in his office.
Trapped
1923
6.0Koko is trying to rescue his sweetheart, who is trapped atop a rugged mountain. However, when Max Fleischer runs out of ink, how will he draw the ladder for Koko to climb?
Surprise
1923
8.0Ko-Ko competes against a rival clown in a race.
Ko-Ko on the Run
1925
7.5“Out of the Inkwell” cartoon by Fleischer Studios.
Koko Hot After It
1926
8.0Ko-Ko gathers eggs on a farm while Max works on an incubator.
Koko Gets Egg-Cited
1926
8.5A friend of KoKo's animator draws a haunted house, and KoKo and his dog Fitz go inside. There, they encounter frightening hallways where every door leads to a new spook.
Ko-Ko's Haunted House
1928
6.0Koko the Clown is antagonized by flying insects.
Flies
1922
The boss has got a microscope, but it might as well be another canvas for Koko, as he delves deep into the world of germs.
Ko-Ko's Germ Jam
1928
Ko-Ko is up to his usual mischief as Max prepares to run a track race.
Koko's Field Daze
1928
7.0"Out of the Inkwell” cartoon by Fleischer Studios.
Mother Gooseland
1924
7.0Max draws a tattoo of a cat on his coworker, and Fitz chases the cat around when the tattoo comes to life.
Ko-Ko's Tattoo
1928
7.0Max creates a penny arcade with a shooting gallery, much to the detriment of Ko-Ko and Fitz the Dog.
Koko the Hot Shot
1925
9.0The Inkwell Clown goes for a balloon ride. Later, Max's studio is filled with so many balloons that it floats away.
Balloons
1923
NRA Stuart reissue of the title 'Trapped' from 1923.
Koko's Big Catch
1924
This fascinating series features Max himself, filmed in live action, sitting at a drawing board and concocting adventures for his star performer Ko-Ko the Clown. Max is supposedly the guy in charge, and he takes sadistic glee in putting Ko-Ko through various forms of hell, but the clown usually fights back and sometimes gets the best of his Uncle Max. FADEAWAY elevates this charged relationship to new heights (or depths?) of nightmarish surrealism; it's also one of the most enjoyable Inkwell cartoons I've seen to date, packing lots of imaginative, unpredictable twists and turns into an eight minute running time.
Fadeaway
1926
7.0Ko-Ko the Clown is brought to life with a needle and thread.
Koko Needles the Boss
1927
10.0Koko likes to join Max and his friends for Thanksgiving dinner. He can, under the condition of screening his films.
Thanksgiving
1925
10.0Ko-Ko and Fitz try to make a humorless Indian laugh.
Ko-Ko Makes 'Em Laugh
1927
7.5Max draws a circus poster featuring Ko-Ko the Clown and Fitz the dog, but the circus owner wants them replaced with a giant. On the poster, Ko-Ko and Fitz find ways to take on their oversized rival.
Ko-Ko at the Circus
1926
6.7Koko the Clown and his creator, Max Fleischer, go on a strange journey to Puzzle Town.
The Puzzle
1923
6.4First, Max, in his pyjamas, gets back up and draws an isolated mountain area and puts Koko on top of a steep mountain. "That will keep you busy for the night," says the real-life somewhat nasty cartoonist to his subject. The cartoon really gets wild from that point with guest appearances from Mutt and Jeff, and other "stars" of the day as Koko experiences one adventure after another from the "Cave Of The Winds" to Goliath chasing him all over.
Bed Time
1923
1910s · 3 titles
7.5Max Fleischer draws the upper and lower halves of the Clown's body, which dance around separately before coming together. Max interacts with his creation before ultimately washing the Clown off the page with water.
Out of the Inkwell
1919
Max Fleischer draws a clown, who comes alive on the page. The clown doesn't like the way he is drawn and demonstrates his own artistic abilities.
The Clown's Pup
1919
6.8A film in the “Out of the Inkwell” series, an early animated short from Max Fleischer.
The Tantalizing Fly
1919
Behind the camera
6.2Gulliver washes ashore on Lilliput and attempts to prevent war between that tiny kingdom and its equally-miniscule rival, Blefiscu, as well as smooth the way for the romance between the Princess and Prince of the opposing lands. In this he is alternately aided and hampered by the Lilliputian town crier and general fussbudget, Gabby. A life-threatening situation develops when the bumbling trio of Blefiscu spies, Sneak, Snoop, and Snitch, manage to steal Gulliver's pistol.
Gulliver's Travels
1939
6.3The happy tranquility of Bugville is shattered when the populace learns that a colossal skyscraper is to be built over their tiny town.
Mr. Bug Goes to Town
1941
6.5Popeye wants to get Olive a fur coat, but after a run-in with dishonest furrier Geezil decides the best way is to go hunting for a bear himself.
Olive's Boithday Presink
1941
6.6After wrecking Popeye's ship and stealing away Olive Oyl, hero of Arabic legend Sindbad decides to test him and his ever-resilient new rival's strength in order to prove their supremacy as the "most remarkable, extraordinary fella" of Sindbad's menagerie island.
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor
1936
7.3Olive has a map that shows the location of her secret gold mine, but while she's showing it to Popeye, claim jumper Bluto photographs it and gets there first.
Stealin Aint Honest
1940
7.1At an orphanage, the children are sad because they received used defective toys as gifts. Professor Grampy sees the children while passing by in his sled and has an idea on how to give them a merry Christmas.
Christmas Comes But Once a Year
1936
6.5When things go wrong at the circus, it's up to Superman to stop the escaped animals.
Terror on the Midway
1942
7.3Shore leave in South America; Bluto muscles in on Popeye's girl, Olivia Oyla. Popeye muscles him out, but when they get to the conga club, he doesn't care to dance, so Bluto wins again.
Kickin' the Conga Round
1942
6.9After The Daily Planet receives a letter from a mad scientist threatening to wreak destruction with his Electrothanasia Ray, Lois Lane heads out in the hopes of getting more information for a news story.
Superman
1941
6.8Bluto dirties all of an office building's windows himself, to drum up business for his window cleaning service. When he gets to Olive's stenographer office, about ten floors up, she says no: Popeye's going to wash her windows. And the battle with Popeye is on.
The Paneless Window Washer
1937
6.9Popeye takes Olive mountain climbing. Bluto sets various traps for them along the way.
I-Ski Love-Ski You-Ski
1936
7.1Olive Oyl's screenplay for an Aladdin movie comes to life and Popeye battles for control of a genie in this, the last of the three Popeye color films.
Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp
1939
7.2More 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.
Max Fleischer's Superman 1941-1942
1941
6.9A Mardi Gras celebration, looking pretty much like any carnival. Bluto is a strongman, claiming to be King of the Mardi Gras, and drawing a large crowd. Popeye, nearby, claims only, "I yam what I yam," and has no crowd, but still draws Bluto's wrath.
King of the Mardi Gras
1935
7.5Olive gets a phone call that she has won first prize in a sweepstake. After a frantic search, she locates her ticket, only to have it blow out the window. Help, Popeye!
Olive's $weep$take Ticket
1941
7.1Swee'pea is crying, so Olive calls on Popeye to cheer the baby up. Popeye and Bluto compete by doing various silly antics.
I Likes Babies and Infinks
1937
7.2Popeye gives Olive a parrot that he's trained. Bluto sets the bird free and then tries to kill it.
Fowl Play
1937
6.9Superman battles a criminal mastermind and his robot army.
The Mechanical Monsters
1941
6.9When police interfere with a reckless scientist's experiment, it creates a deadly meteor shower only Superman can stop.
The Magnetic Telescope
1942
6.1Olive tells Popeye and Bluto that she loves a man in a uniform, so they try to sign up at the recruiting station - that can only take one of them.
I'm in the Army Now
1936
7.2Rip Van Winkle is being thrown out for nonpayment of rent (for twenty years). Popeye happens by and carts the sleeper home, but soon discovers that Rip has a sleepwalking problem that gets both of them into some trouble with some dwarves.
Popeye Meets Rip Van Winkle
1941
7.3'Popito' and 'Olivita' are a dance team, performing at Wimpy's Cafe. Bluto is jealous, and heckles and otherwise disrupts the act.
Morning, Noon and Night Club
1937
5.5Olive sends a farewell letter to Popeye: She's over sailors; it's cowboys for her; she's gone out west, to Bar None Ranch. Popeye immediately travels there to find her - and discovers Bluto runs the place.
Me Feelins is Hurt
1940
6.0William Tell shoots an arrow, barely missing Popeye, then tells Popeye that he has just lost his son in an unfortunate arrow incident. Tell then defies the High Governor and is ordered to shoot an apple off his son's head; Popeye stands in for his son.
Popeye Meets William Tell
1940
6.4Koko is recruiting customers for a 50 cent sightseeing tour of the museum. Betty is Koko's only passenger. Betty gets locked inside by accident. The skeletons from the displays come to life and chase Betty, until she is finally rescued by Bimbo.
Betty Boop's Museum
1932
7.5Popeye the Sailor, accompanied by Olive Oyl and Wimpy, is dispatched to stop the dreaded bandit Abu Hassan and his force of forty thieves.
Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves
1937
7.2Olive has a small leak in a pipe; she makes the mistake of calling Wimpy to fix it, and the even bigger mistake of asking Popeye to help her do something until Wimpy can arrive. Meanwhile, Wimpy keeps realizing he's forgotten his tools, his gloves, etc. and going back. Popeye finally eats his spinach and manages some fixes to the system.
Plumbing Is a 'Pipe'
1938
6.6Olive reads a ghost story to Popeye and Bluto. Bluto leaves and rigs a haunted house and lures them to it. But they quickly discover him and, even better, a can of invisible paint.
Ghosks Is the Bunk
1939
7.2Betty Boop, annoyed by 'public pests' like backslappers, gum parkers, and mud splashers, imagines what she'd do to them if she were a judge.
Judge for a Day
1935
7.3Popeye has a new car; Olive wants a driving lesson. Things don't go well.
Wimmin Hadn't Oughta Drive
1940
6.4Betty Boop and Little Jimmy are prevented by a thunderstorm from going to the carnival. Inventive Grampy devises a substitute.
Grampy's Indoor Outing
1936
5.5The Fleischer's Talkartoon short that debuted Betty Boop.
Dizzy Dishes
1930
6.9A frozen Tyrannosaurus rex is found and put on display in a museum, but when he thaws out and revives, Superman has to stop his rampage!
The Arctic Giant
1942
7.4Popeye's 99-year-old father won't admit he's too old to help Popeye build a ship. Popeye tells him to build one side while he builds the other; Pappy's side is a mess. He falls asleep helping hoist the mast. While Pappy sleeps, Popeye rebuilds his side and finishes the above-decks, with a little help from spinach, of course.
My Pop, My Pop
1940
7.1Popeye and Olive are grooving to the sounds of Wimpy the organ grinder, but their neighbor Bluto wants him to move on. Popeye and Bluto settle their disagreement in their usual fashion.
Organ Grinder's Swing
1937
6.9The boys arrive at Olive's house at the same time, but at different doors. They both come in, and whenever Olive isn't looking, they start fighting. She catches them, and tells them one will have to leave. Bluto tells Popey that whoever does the best trick can stay. As a result, they find ever more creative ways to abuse each other, much to Olive's merriment. Eventually, though, they start destroying her house, and Olive throws them both out, for a little while, anyhow.
Pleased to Meet Cha!
1935
6.7Jack and Jill Rabbit get hitched in this classic Fleischer Studios cartoon (made a year before Bugs Bunny hit the scene).
Bunny Mooning
1937
7.2Popeye joins the US Navy and routs the enemy in a one-man battle, but not before he causes his commanding officer plenty of aggravation.
The Mighty Navy
1941
6.0On a special train, Betty's show troupe rehearses: Betty sings, Bimbo juggles, and Koko does a soft-shoe. The train itself also does tricks.
The Betty Boop Limited
1932
5.4Sun bonneted Betty Boop takes a train to "Rudy Valley" where she gains weight and Rudy Vallee performs the title song with Bouncing Ball.
Kitty from Kansas City
1931


