Batman and Robin battle The Wizard.
This feels more like the 1966 Batman TV series than the previous 1943 serial did. The ten elements that make this just so good: Batman, Bruce, Robin, Dick, The Wizard, the fights, the high energy stock music that just keeps going for the whole serial, the remote control machine that gets a "fix" on things (a pre-Time Tunnel?), the 1940s cars that race around country roads and the very straight tone of the show.
Don't confuse this with the lesser 1943 "Batman" serial, this 1949 serial is totally different and 100 times better! Some of my reasons for liking 49 Bat are too private to put on-line, but to me, they don't come better than 49 Bat. I have seen all the modern dark takes on Batman (often without Robin!) and they don't compare to this harmless cliff-hanger serial.
I like 1940s movies and/or serials but I don't spend a lot of time on them, this B&R serial is the only 1940s production I often return to with repeat DVD viewings. Part of the appeal is that the picture quality is just so good and sharp...this really does feel like a window, my only regular window, into the 1940s. This serial features a parade of really wonderful looking vintage cars that jump when the driver hits the brakes.
This was a time when people listened to the radio instead of watched TV. A time when people dressed so well even when they were alone at home. I wonder what the makers of B&R would have thought if they knew this low budget little serial would be my 1940s time capsule all these years later.
49 Bat is outstanding in so many ways!
This feels more like the 1966 Batman TV series than the previous 1943 serial did. The ten elements that make this just so good: Batman, Bruce, Robin, Dick, The Wizard, the fights, the high energy stock music that just keeps going for the whole serial, the remote control machine that gets a "fix" on things (a pre-Time Tunnel?), the 1940s cars that race around country roads and the very straight tone of the show.
Don't confuse this with the lesser 1943 "Batman" serial, this 1949 serial is totally different and 100 times better! Some of my reasons for liking 49 Bat are too private to put on-line, but to me, they don't come better than 49 Bat. I have seen all the modern dark takes on Batman (often without Robin!) and they don't compare to this harmless cliff-hanger serial.
I like 1940s movies and/or serials but I don't spend a lot of time on them, this B&R serial is the only 1940s production I often return to with repeat DVD viewings. Part of the appeal is that the picture quality is just so good and sharp...this really does feel like a window, my only regular window, into the 1940s. This serial features a parade of really wonderful looking vintage cars that jump when the driver hits the brakes.
This was a time when people listened to the radio instead of watched TV. A time when people dressed so well even when they were alone at home. I wonder what the makers of B&R would have thought if they knew this low budget little serial would be my 1940s time capsule all these years later.
49 Bat is outstanding in so many ways!