Batman and Robin (1949)

Batman and Robin: Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet. With Robert Lowery, Johnny Duncan, Jane Adams, Lyle Talbot. The caped crusaders versus The Wizard, black-hooded mastermind.

“I was fumbling through the DVD section in Wal-Mart, and what do I find? The 1949 Batman and Robin complete serial!!! Newly released by Columbia! Being a true fan of the caped crusader, how could I NOT want to watch it??!! OK, folks, letu0026#39;s get real, donu0026#39;t watch this if you are looking for high-tech special effects, brilliant dialogue, women (thereu0026#39;s only one and sheu0026#39;s a main character, Vicki Vale…who is always u0026quot;getting in troubleu0026quot;, with Batman having to save her!), a Batmobile or any Bat-gadget! This serial was made at a time when studios spared all expense in making u0026quot;fluffu0026quot; to appeal to kids when they went to the movies on Saturday mornings. (Donu0026#39;t scoff, all you baby boomers….cartoon makers of the 1970s did the same thing…with the same bad dialogue and bad acting…witness u0026quot;Superfriendsu0026quot;, (which I also liked!), they just did it for Television!) I started watching this serial having never seen it…only saw a little of it in the special features of the 1966 Batman movie DVD. The costume is silly…looks like Bruce Wayneu0026#39;s grandmother sewed it together…Robinu0026#39;s costume isnu0026#39;t much better….there is no Batmobile, (although Batman and Robin do ride around in a Mercury convertible, and even change costumes in it..hmmmm..homo erotica? NAH!!), and no Bat-gadgets, although there is a neat scene where Bruce Wayne uses a device in the Batcave to u0026quot;retoreu0026quot; a burned photo-negative. (I also giggle at all the shadows of flying bats in the cave….but you NEVER see a bat!) What there is is a good story! A super-villain..namely u0026quot;The Wizardu0026quot;, whom the episodes lead you to think is an old, wheelchair bound scientist, who, when he sits in a chair that looks like it was stolen from the state penitentiaryu0026#39;s execution room, regains the use ofhis legs…and puts on a black costume, shrouding his entire body, and, using a stolen bit of technology he created, can remotely control all motor vehicles…but not only that, he can make them explode as well, and the pies de resistance….he can make himself INVISIBLE!! He also has the ability to project his image and hypnotize victims with flashing eyes. Truly creepy!!! However, there is a GREAT plot twist at the end to prove who the Wizard REALLY is! As far as the acting is concerned…….there isnu0026#39;t any. I am reminded of Ed Wood flicks like Plan 9 from Outer Space when I watch it…but why not? George S. Plympton was one of the writers…wasnu0026#39;t he a friend of Edu0026#39;s??? There is little emotion portrayed by the actors…everyone says their lines in a manner-of-fact way, however, the story is so good and action so fast-paced, you really donu0026#39;t notice it. What I DID notice and what made me giggle, was that EVERY male performer, except the Wizard so far, wears a Fedora!!! They all look like they were in some old gangster movie!! I originally wrote this review after seeing only 6 of the 15 episodes…it was difficult to turn the DVD player off after the 6th episode…but, I wanted something fun to watch tomorrow!! I came back and corrected some incorrect information I gave AFTER finishing the series. If youu0026#39;re a die-hard Batman fan, you should like this, unless you get upset by movies not following the comicu0026#39;s story lines! Those of you who like to get a glimpse of a time gone by, youu0026#39;ll LOVE this! Itu0026#39;s not possible for me to give this serial 10 out 10 stars, mainly because of the bad acting….however, it certainly earns at least 7! By the way, it is very easy to tell that this is what the 1966 Batman TV series was based on!”