Snafuperman
A Private Snafu parody of Superman for wartime soldiers.
Snafuperman is a 1944 animated superhero comedy short from Warner Bros., directed by Friz Freleng. It belongs to the black-and-white "Private Snafu" series, which was produced for the Army-Navy Screen Magazine and screened exclusively for American troops. The title spoofs "Superman" and mocks the Superman cartoons popular in the 1940s.
In the short, Snafu irritates his barracks mates by playing loud swing music and banging pots and pans. While the other soldiers study maps, field manuals, and aircraft recognition charts, Snafu scoffs at their efforts, saying he won't beat the enemy with books. The Technical Fairy, First Class—a tiny, shirtless, gruff-voiced G.I. with wings who appears in nine of the shorts—grants Snafu superpowers to fight the Nazis. But Snafu remains his usual self.
His first mission is to carry a bomb to Berlin and drop it. He refuses to read a map and ends up over Washington, D.C., where he releases the bomb above the U.S. Capitol. The Fairy stops the bomb and reminds Snafu that the Americans are allies. Embarrassed, Snafu melts into a puddle midair. Next, he tries to stop a "lumbering Japanese tank," but it is actually an American tank, and its commander—a general—is furious. Snafu nervously salutes. Later, he spots "a mess of Messerschmitts" about to bomb an American port. He catches their bombs and stacks them on a pier, proudly declaring them harmless as a burned-out match. But he fails to notice the delay-action bombs among them, which explode beneath him. Snafu ends up in the hospital. The Fairy visits and asks if he needs anything; Snafu angrily demands a field manual.
The short is one of several wartime satires of Superman, designed to entertain and educate enlisted men with limited literacy. Snafu fails because he refuses to read his manual. It includes a segment of Sammy Timberg's Superman theme from the Fleischer and Famous Studios shorts. Composer Carl Stalling used it without legal trouble, as the Private Snafu films were intended only for soldier education, not public release.
The Private Snafu cartoons are now in the public domain and widely available on free downloads and unofficial VHS and DVD releases. Many have also had official releases.
Quick Facts
- Director
- I. Freleng
- Starring
- Mel Blanc / Tedd Pierce
- Music
- Carl Stalling
- Producer
- Leon Schlesinger
- Distributor
- Warner Bros.
- Released
- 1944 · 03
- Color Process
- Black & white
- Runtime
- 5 minutes
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In the short, Private Snafu annoys his fellow soldiers by listening to loud swing music and banging pots and pans. While others study maps, field manuals, and air recognition charts, Snafu dismisses their efforts. The Technical Fairy, First Class—a miniature, shirtless, gravel-voiced G.I. with wings—grants Snafu the powers of Superman to fight the Nazis. However, Snafu's incompetence leads to repeated failures.
Snafu's first task is to bomb Berlin, but he refuses to read a map and ends up in Washington, D.C., dropping a bomb over the United States Capitol. The Fairy stops the bomb. Next, Snafu misidentifies an American tank as a Japanese tank and angers its commander. He then intercepts bombs from German Messerschmitts but fails to recognize delay-action bombs among them, which explode beneath him. He ends up hospitalized and angrily demands a field manual.
Reader's Guide
Snafuperman is significant as a satirical take on Superman produced during World War II, intended to both entertain and educate low-literacy enlisted men. The short uses a segment of Sammy Timberg's theme for Superman, previously heard in the Fleischer Studios and Famous Studios Superman shorts. Composer Carl Stalling used the song without legal issues because the Private Snafu shorts were meant exclusively for soldiers, not public viewing. The cartoon has fallen into the public domain and is widely available. It appears as a bonus feature on Warner Home Video's Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 and the Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition, the latter made possible by the 1969 merger of Warner Bros. and DC Comics.
Did You Know?
- The short was produced in 1944 and directed by Friz Freleng.
- It is one of nine Private Snafu shorts featuring the Technical Fairy, First Class.
- The cartoon was not released commercially until December 2010.
- Snafuperman is a bonus feature on the Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition.
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