Should I Buy the '40's Batman Serials on DVD?

[Timothy]

These days, I have a very tight "disposable income" budget for my Batman/Superman hobby, and I was looking at purchasing the 1940's serials of "Batman and Robin" on DVD. Has anyone here seen them and if so, would you recommend purchasing them?

[Jack Napier]

I own both The Batman serial and the Batman and Robin serial for the sake of completing my collection. I don't watch them often. In fact, I haven't watched them more than once.

Of the two, The Batman is better than Batman and Robin, so I would recommend you get the first one instead.

The Batman, besides being the first Batman film:
- "The Bat's Cave" was the very first appearance of The Batcave in any medium.
- William Austin's Alfred is the original bumbling Alfred from the 1940s. They changed Alfred's appearance just to look like him. He is probably the only Alfred actor to look like the Alfred in the comics, for obvious reasons.
- The one time Robin is played by an actual teenager, I believe.
- Lewis Wilson's Bruce Wayne is underrated. I think he may be my favorite "light" Batman. He was an unknown actor at the time- playing Batman was his first role. He looks like Bruce Wayne the way Bob Kane drew him in the 1938 comics and he captured the smiling, yet sometimes threatening Batman from the 1940s quite well, from what I can remember.

Unfortunately, Commissioner Gordon is completely absent.
The villain could've been Hugo Strange, but since it was partially war propaganda, it was J. Carroll Naish trying to be Japanese and playing Dr. Daka.

Batman and Robin:
No racial slurs, but the story is frankly boring, as are the performances. Robert Lowery's Batman seems much more sedated than Wilson's.
Johnny Duncan's Robin, however, plays Dick Grayson as someone who is just as serious and skilled as Batman.
This also featured the first film appearances of Vicki Vale and Commissioner Gordon (and the Bat-Signal).

[Timothy]

Dec 4, 2008 14:44:06 GMT -5 Jack Napier said:

I own both The Batman serial and the Batman and Robin serial for the sake of completing my collection. I don't watch them often. In fact, I haven't watched them more than once.

Gah; I hate it movies are like that... "We call this my 'awkward shelf'"

- William Austin's Alfred is the original bumbling Alfred from the 1940s. They changed Alfred's appearance just to look like him. He is probably the only Alfred actor to look like the Alfred in the comics, for obvious reasons.

Cool! I love Alfred, and it would be nice to see him as he was later to be depicted

- The one time Robin is played by an actual teenager, I believe.

What a great idea, Hollywood!

- Lewis Wilson's Bruce Wayne is underrated. I think he may be my favorite "light" Batman. He was an unknown actor at the time- playing Batman was his first role. He looks like Bruce Wayne the way Bob Kane drew him in the 1938 comics and he captured the smiling, yet sometimes threatening Batman from the 1940s quite well, from what I can remember.

So, Wilson isn't the "dumpy 40's Batman?"

The villain could've been Hugo Strange, but since it was partially war propaganda, it was J. Carroll Naish trying to be Japanese and playing Dr. Daka.

Oh, boy... Yeah, I remember reading about that when I was growing up and thinking, "Japanese people don't look like monsters." It's just as awful as the atrocious "Japoteurs" from Superman...

This also featured the first film appearances of Vicki Vale and Commissioner Gordon (and the Bat-Signal).

That's a first-appearance trifecta

[Jack Napier]

So, Wilson isn't the "dumpy 40's Batman?"

If anything, Wilson may have been a bit thin for the role.
I believe it was Lowery who had to wear a girdle so his beer belly would be less visible in the Batsuit.

Then again, neither of the serial Batman costumes were that flattering...

[Timothy]

Tee hee "Bat-beer belly, away!"

Is the unmarked Batmobile interesting to watch? I loved the idea of a "powerful black car" without all the superfluous bells and whistles that modern Batmobiles seem to need.

[Jack Napier]

The only problem with it is that it is the same car that Bruce drives, except with the top up. The top goes down when he is Bruce Wayne.

Most memorable part of Batman and Robin?:
Vicki Vale (looking at Batmobile): Does Bruce Wayne know you're driving his car?
Batman: Of course!

[Timothy]

For a "hard-boiled journalist," that sounds astronomically stupid on her part to be outwitted by a car roof

[Timothy]

Update; Last Christmas, I received a copy of the Columbia serials. I'm going to hunt down the other set for my complete Batman series of films.