Batman and Robin (serial)
Encyclopedia
Batman and Robin is a 15-chapter serial released in 1949 by Columbia Pictures
. Robert Lowery
played Batman
, while Johnny Duncan
played Robin
. Supporting players included Jane Adams
as Vicki Vale
and veteran character actor Lyle Talbot
as Commissioner Gordon
.
is again excluded, but instead of a limousine, as in the first serial, the duo drive around in a 1949 Mercury
.
Several mistakes and failures of logic occur in the serial. One example of this is that the film shows the Bat-Signal
working in broad daylight. Another occurs when, despite the fact that the heroes' utility belts had been replaced by normal belts with no pockets or pouches for this serial, in order to escape from a vault, Batman pulls the nozzle and hose of an oxy-acetylene torch
from his belt to cut through a steel door (the tanks for the torch are not shown); to compound this mistake, it is a full-sized oxy-acetylene torch that would have been impossible to carry unseen on his person. Harmon and Glut suggest that this was probably scripted to be a miniaturised 3-inch torch, as used in the comics, but the film-makers improvised in following the directions for a "blowtorch".
in 2005, timed to coincide with the theatrical release of Batman Begins
.
Source:
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. Robert Lowery
Robert Lowery (actor)
Robert Lowery was an American motion picture, television, and stage actor who appeared in over seventy films.-Early life:...
played Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, while Johnny Duncan
Johnny Duncan (actor)
-Career:Johnny Duncan has appeared in numerous movies including The East Side Kids, The Bowery Boys and the 1949 serial Batman and Robin.-Personal life:...
played Robin
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
. Supporting players included Jane Adams
Poni Adams
Jane "Poni" Adams was an American actress in radio, films, and television in the 1940s and 1950s.- Acting career :She was born in San Antonio, Texas, and received a full scholarship to Juilliard, which she turned down to spend years studying at the Pasadena Playhouse...
as Vicki Vale
Vicki Vale
Victoria Vale is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Batman #49 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.-1940s-1960s:...
and veteran character actor Lyle Talbot
Lyle Talbot
Lyle Talbot , born Lisle Henderson, was an American actor on stage and screen, best known for his long career in movies from 1931 to 1960 and for his frequent appearances on TV in the 1950s and '60s, including his decade-long role as Joe Randolph on television's The Adventures of Ozzie and...
as Commissioner Gordon
James Gordon (comics)
James Worthington Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character, an ally of Batman that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
.
Plot
The Dynamic Duo face off against the Wizard, a hooded villain with an electrical device which controls cars and a desire to set challenges for the Dynamic Duo, whose identity remains a mystery throughout until the end.Cast
- Robert LoweryRobert Lowery (actor)Robert Lowery was an American motion picture, television, and stage actor who appeared in over seventy films.-Early life:...
as BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
/Bruce Wayne - Johnny DuncanJohnny Duncan (actor)-Career:Johnny Duncan has appeared in numerous movies including The East Side Kids, The Bowery Boys and the 1949 serial Batman and Robin.-Personal life:...
as RobinRobin (comics)Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
/Dick GraysonDick GraysonDick Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940.... - Jane AdamsPoni AdamsJane "Poni" Adams was an American actress in radio, films, and television in the 1940s and 1950s.- Acting career :She was born in San Antonio, Texas, and received a full scholarship to Juilliard, which she turned down to spend years studying at the Pasadena Playhouse...
as Vicki ValeVicki ValeVictoria Vale is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Batman #49 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.-1940s-1960s:... - Lyle TalbotLyle TalbotLyle Talbot , born Lisle Henderson, was an American actor on stage and screen, best known for his long career in movies from 1931 to 1960 and for his frequent appearances on TV in the 1950s and '60s, including his decade-long role as Joe Randolph on television's The Adventures of Ozzie and...
as Commissioner Jim GordonJames Gordon (comics)James Worthington Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character, an ally of Batman that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane... - Ralph GravesRalph GravesRalph Graves was an American screenwriter, film director, and actor who appeared in 93 films between 1918 and 1949....
as Winslow Harrison - Don C. HarveyDon C. HarveyDon C. Harvey was an American television and film actor. Harvey was born in Kansas, United States.-Career:Harvey appeared in 180 films and television programs between 1945 and 1963....
as Nolan, a henchmanHenchmanHenchman referred originally to one who attended on a horse for his employer, that is, a horse groom. Hence, like constable and marshal, also originally stable staff, henchman became the title of a subordinate official in a royal court or noble household... - William FawcettWilliam Fawcett (actor)William "Bill" Fawcett was a character actor in Hollywood B-films and in television. His career extended from 1946 until the early 1970s. He is probably best remembered for his role as the cantankerous, rusty-voiced Pete Wilkey of the Broken Wheel Ranch on the NBC series Fury, co-starring Peter...
as Professor Hammil - Leonard PennLeonard PennLeonard Penn was an American film, television and theatre actor.-Early life and education:He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts.-Career:...
as Carter, Hammil's valet and The WizardWizard (DC Comics)The Wizard is a fictional DC Comics Golden Age supervillain.-Fictional character biography:Born approximately 1913, William I. Zard grew up living a life of crime. As a gun man for various crime bosses, he ultimately ended up in jail. With the passage of time, he formulated a strategy to become a... - Rick VallinRick VallinRick Vallin was an actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1938 and 1966.Born Eric Efron in Russia, Vallin came to America while still young. He started his Hollywood career with an uncredited part in the film Freshman Year...
as Barry Brown, a radio announcer - Michael Whalen as Dunne, a private investigator
- Greg McClure as Evans, a henchman
- House Peters, Jr.House Peters, Jr.Robert House Peters, Jr. was an American character actor most noted for his roles in 1950s B movies and westerns. He is perhaps best remembered as the face and body of Mr. Clean in the Procter and Gamble cleaning product commercials of the era.- Biography :Peters was born in New Rochelle, New York...
as Earl, a henchman - Jim Diehl as Jason, a henchman
- Rusty WescoattRusty WescoattRusty Wescoatt was an American supporting actor who appeared in over 80 films between 1947 and 1965, according to the Internet Movie Database. He was born in Hawaii....
as Ives, a henchman - Eric Wilton as Alfred PennyworthAlfred PennyworthAlfred Pennyworth is a fictional character that appears throughout the DC Comics franchise. The character first appears in Batman #16 , and was created by writer Bob Kane and artist Jerry Robinson. Alfred serves as Batman’s tireless butler, assistant, confidant, and surrogate father figure...
- uncredited as Jimmie Vale, Vicki's brother and henchman
Production
"As usual on a Katzman production," note Harmon and Glut, "the low budget showed everywhere in money-saving shortcuts, and inadequacies." The Batman costume had a poorly fitting cowl and the Robin costume added pink tights to cover the "hairy-legs" of both the actor and stuntman. The BatmobileBatmobile
The Batmobile is the automobile of DC Comics superhero Batman. The car has evolved along with the character from comic books to television and films. Kept in the Batcave, which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is a gadget-laden vehicle used by Batman in his crime-fighting...
is again excluded, but instead of a limousine, as in the first serial, the duo drive around in a 1949 Mercury
Mercury Eight
The Mercury Eight was the first Post War Mercury design, and the first named Mercury model . It has an 8 tube radio as an option. The engine was a Flathead V8 that produced slightly more power than the then also newly-designed 1949 Ford. A new overdrive system was optional, and was activated by a...
.
Several mistakes and failures of logic occur in the serial. One example of this is that the film shows the Bat-Signal
Bat-Signal
The Bat-Signal is a distress signal device appearing in the various interpretations of the Batman mythos. It is a specially modified Klieg searchlight with a stylized symbol of a bat attached to the light so that it projects a large Bat emblem on the sky or buildings of Gotham City...
working in broad daylight. Another occurs when, despite the fact that the heroes' utility belts had been replaced by normal belts with no pockets or pouches for this serial, in order to escape from a vault, Batman pulls the nozzle and hose of an oxy-acetylene torch
Oxy-fuel welding and cutting
Oxy-fuel welding and oxy-fuel cutting are processes that use fuel gases and oxygen to weld and cut metals, respectively. French engineers Edmond Fouché and Charles Picard became the first to develop oxygen-acetylene welding in 1903...
from his belt to cut through a steel door (the tanks for the torch are not shown); to compound this mistake, it is a full-sized oxy-acetylene torch that would have been impossible to carry unseen on his person. Harmon and Glut suggest that this was probably scripted to be a miniaturised 3-inch torch, as used in the comics, but the film-makers improvised in following the directions for a "blowtorch".
Home media
The serial was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in 2005, timed to coincide with the theatrical release of Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
.
Chapter titles
- Batman Takes Over
- Tunnel of Terror
- Robin's Wild Ride
- Batman Trapped
- Robin Rescues Batman
- Target - Robin!
- The Fatal Blast
- Robin Meets the Wizard
- The Wizard Strikes Back
- Batman's Last Chance
- Robin's Ruse
- Robin Rides the Wind
- The Wizard's Challenge
- Batman vs. Wizard
- Batman Victorious
Source:
See also
- List of film serials
- List of film serials by studio
- List of films based on English-language comics