Batman and Robin - The Complete 1949 Movie Serial Collection

Starring:Robert Lowery, Johnny Duncan, Jane Adams, Lyle Talbot, Ralph Graves, Don C. Harvey, William Fawcett, Leonard Penn, Rick Vallin, Michael Whalen, Greg McClure, House Peters Jr., Jim Diehl, Rusty Wescoatt, George Cisar, Harold Landon, Knox Manning, Emmett Vogan, Phil Arnold, Frank Hagney
Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

There's no Batmobile, and Robert Lowery looks a bit, ahem, well-fed as the Caped Crusader, but Columbia Pictures' 1949 black-and-white serial Batman and Robin is up to its cape and cowl in cliffhangers, crime capers, and good old-fashioned rock-em-sock-em action. Directed at a breakneck pace by serial vet Spencer Gordon Bennett, the Complete 1949 Movie Serial Collection's 15 episodes pits Lowery's Batman and Johnny Duncan as the Boy Wonder against arch-villain The Wizard, who has designs on a remote-control device that doubles as a death ray. Jane Adams's Vicki Vale is on hand to fall into peril at least once per episode, while Ed Wood regular Lyle Talbot looks on sternly as Commissioner Gordon. Viewers weaned on Tim Burton's dark, sleek interpretation of the Batman mythos will undoubtedly groan over the creaky dialogue and performances (creator Bob Kane was no fan, either), but fans with designs on absorbing every bit of Bat-trivia possible will probably get a kick out of this well-intentioned attempt at bringing the Dark Knight's adventures to screen. The episodes are divided onto two DVDs, which offer no extras. --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews:

Is That The Batmobile?.......2007-02-18

I liked this serial but it's not as good as Captain Marvel or The Phantom which are both five star. This is a bit dated. The action/fight scenes are sometimes ridiculous and the costumes could definitely do with some work. Enjoyable fun though if you're a nostalgia freak like me, but you will probably be disappointed if you expect too much.

A great Batman actor. even better than Adam West?.......2006-07-01

This is the second Batman serial and it is a tad better than The Batman. This one had me guessing all the way through. A great serial. AMC aired this and all I did was watch this serial. Great fighting sequences. I wish this was in yahoo.com's database. I can't find it there. Its here and you should buy it.

You could'nt make it up........2006-06-07

Just finished playing this DVD and it lived up to its expectations. Typical classic moments include Batman's cowl (Face Mask) being to large for Batman's (Robert Lowery) face, with the result that it slips down past his eyes and he regularly compensates by having to raise his face to the sky to see underneath the eyeholes. An absolute classic moment!!!
As well as this when the Dynamic Duo go one to one with the bad guys in a fight they more often than not get duffed up.
The Batcave consists of a filing cabinet to store their costumes (where else) and a microscope to play the part of a laboratory.
I could go on and on but buy or rent this DVD as it merits a wider audience to appreciate it "hamminess" and appeal to a more innocent time. Loved it.

a great action packed serial .......2006-05-25

this 1949 serial is a sequel to the 1943 batman serial and i must say i was suprised at how good it really was. sure somethings look and sound silly now but at the time thesr movies were the best thig about going to the movies on saturday in the 30's and 40's. my boy get a real kick watching these old serials and we will watch them together when we can. this is a very good transfer and the sound is also very good. check it out

Great History.......2006-05-20

In the days before the batmobile, when Wayne Manor was a large suburban neighborhood home...Can it get better than that?

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