Jump to content

Batman (serial)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 98.234.112.116 (talk) at 01:31, 26 April 2011 (→Plot: Correcting minor typo.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Batman
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLambert Hillyer
Written byVictor McLeod
Leslie Swabacker
Harry L. Fraser
Produced byRudolph C. Flothow
StarringLewis Wilson
Douglas Croft
J. Carrol Naish
Shirley Patterson
CinematographyJames S. Brown Jr.
Edited byDwight Caldwell
Earl Turner
Music byLee Zahler
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • April 15, 1943 (1943-04-15) (United States)
Running time
15 chapters (260 minutes)
LanguageEnglish

Batman is a 15-chapter serial released in 1943 by Columbia Pictures. The serial starred Lewis Wilson as Batman and Douglas Croft as Robin. J. Carrol Naish played the villain, an original character named Dr. Daka. Rounding out the cast were Shirley Patterson as Linda Page (Bruce Wayne's love interest), and William Austin as Alfred the butler. The plot is based on Batman, a US government agent, attempting to defeat the Japanese agent Dr. Daka, at the height of World War II.

The film is notable for being the first filmed appearance of Batman and for providing two core elements of the Batman mythos. It introduced "The Bat's Cave" and its entrance through a grandfather clock, which subsequently appeared in the comics. The serial also had an effect on the depiction of the Alfred character in later Batman works. Alfred was overweight and clean-shaven in contemporary comics, but the later comics portrayed him as trim and sporting a thin mustache following William Austin's appearance. The serial was successful in its day, and was followed by a sequel, Batman and Robin, in 1949. However, its low production value and over-the-top action and dialogue caused later audiences and reviewers to find it ridiculous. It was re-released in 1965 to capitalize on its camp value. The re-released version, called An Evening with Batman and Robin, proved very popular, and its success inspired the intentionally campy Batman television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward.

Plot

The serial's plot deals with Batman and Robin's struggle against Dr. Daka, a Japanese scientist who has invented a device that turns people into pseudo-zombies. He makes several attempts to defeat the Dynamic Duo before finally falling to his death when Robin hits the wrong switch opening a trapdoor to a pit of crocodiles.

Cast

Production

The film was made at the height of World War II, and like numerous works of popular American fiction of the time, contains anti-German and, in this case, anti-Japanese ethnic slurs and comments (in one scene, one of Daka's henchmen turns on him, saying, "That's the kind of answer that fits the color of your skin."). The film also suffered from a low budget, just like other contemporary serials. No attempt was made to create a bona fide Batmobile, so a black Cadillac was used by Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, as well as Batman and Robin. Alfred chauffeured the Dynamic Duo in both identities.

While many serials made changes during adaptation, to the extent that they were "often 'improved' almost out of recognition", Batman "fared better than most" and the changes were minor.[1] A normal limousine replaced the Batmobile, the utility belts are present but unused and Batman is a secret government agent in this serial instead of an independent vigilante. This last change was due to the film censors, who would not allow the hero to be seen taking the law into his own hands.[1]

Several continuity errors occur in the serial, such as Batman losing his cape in a fight but wearing it again after the film only briefly cut away.[1]

Press releases announced it as a "Super Serial" and it was Columbia's largest-scale serial production to date. The studio gave it publicity campaign equivalent to a feature film.[2]

Cliffhangers

The quality of the cliffhangers varies according to episode. Chapter ten ends with Batman in a plane crash. In the resolution, Batman simply staggers out of the wreckage, slightly dazed but otherwise unhurt. In the words of Jim Harmon and Donald Glut, this "might as well have been a silent comedy."[1]

Release

Theatrical

Batman was first released in theaters on July 16, 1943.[3]

In 1965, the serial was re-released in theaters as An Evening with Batman and Robin, in one complete marathon showing, to capitalize on its camp value.[1][1][2] This re-release was successful enough that it inspired the creation of the 1960s television series Batman, starring Adam West and Burt Ward, which was intentionally campy.

Home media

File:Batman1943SerialDVDCover.jpg
Cover of DVD released serial in October 2005.

The serial was released on home video in the late 1980s in a heavily edited format that removed the offensive racial content. A reviewer for the magazine Cinefantastique commented, "The changes aren't surprising when you see that Columbia is now owned by Japan's Sony Corporation. It appears that some of Daka's operatives escaped Batman's justice and were rewarded with positions at the new George Orwell department at Columbia."[citation needed]

However, in 1989, the cable network The Comedy Channel aired the serial uncut and uncensored. The cable network American Movie Classics did the same in the early 1990s on Saturday mornings.

Sony released the serial on DVD in October 2005. The DVD release is an unedited version, with the exception of Chapter 2, which is missing its "Next Chapter" sequence.

The serial was also released on home movie formats in the 1960s and 1970s:

The 1960s: A Silent abridged version. The complete serial edited into six chapters (available in 8mm and Super-8) running 10 minutes each. Also a seventh three-minute reel titled "Batman's Last Chance" with action scenes was also issued.

The 1970s: The complete 15 chapter serial (in its original unaltered format) was released in a Super-8 Sound edition.

Critical reception

Stedman notes that the serial "gained good press notices" but "scarcely deserves them," going on to describe it as an "unintentional farce."[4] Harmon and Glut describe Batman as "one of the most ludicrous serials ever made" despite its "forthright simplicity."[1] It was, nevertheless, popular enough for a sequel, Batman and Robin, to be approved.[1] Lewis Wilson's face resembled that of Bruce Wayne and he played his part with sincerity.[1] However, his physique was unathletic and "thick about the middle" while his voice was both too high and had a Boston accent.[1][4] Both the actors and their stunt doubles lacked the "style and grace" of either the comic characters they were portraying or their equivalents at Republic Pictures.[1] Although the Batman costume was based on his first appearance[5] both costumes were unconvincing.[1] The Batman costume was baggy and "topped by pair of devils horns."[4]

Influence

An Evening with Batman and Robin was especially popular in college towns, where theaters were booked solid. The success of this led to the creation of the Batman series.[1][2] The breathless opening and closing narration of each chapter in this and other Columbia serials was to some extent the model that was parodied in the series.

The success of both the re-release and the subsequent TV series prompted the production of another serial-based series, The Green Hornet. It was played as a straight action mystery series, "in the tradition of its former presentations," and was also very popular with audiences but lasted only one season due to significantly higher production costs. As a result, serial revivals were not believed to be possible at that time.[2]

Although the serial was set in Gotham City and several references were made to various Gotham establishments, Bruce Wayne's address was given as "1918 Hill Road, Los Angeles, Calif." Although that address does not exist in Los Angeles, there is a similar address in the community of Eagle Rock, Los Angeles. Eagle Rock has served as a backdrop for several films since the beginning of the U.S. Film Industry.

Chapter titles

  1. The Electrical Brain
  2. The Bat's Cave
  3. The Mark of the Zombies
  4. Slaves of the Rising Sun
  5. The Living Corpse
  6. Poison Peril
  7. The Phoney Doctor
  8. Lured by Radium
  9. The Sign of the Sphinx
  10. Flying Spies
  11. A Nipponese Trap
  12. Embers of Evil
  13. Eight Steps Down
  14. The Executioner Strikes
  15. The Doom of the Rising Sun

Source:[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harmon, Jim. "15. Last Chapter "The Final Chapter"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. p. 368. ISBN 9780713000979. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "GMS" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d Cline, William C. "2. In Search of Ammunition". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 14–15, 25. ISBN 078640471X.
  3. ^ a b Cline, William C. "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 235–236. ISBN 078640471X.
  4. ^ a b c Stedman, Raymond William. "5. Shazam and Good-by". Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 129. ISBN 9780806109275.
  5. ^ Harmon, Jim. "9. The Superheroes "Could Superman Knock Out Captain Marvel"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. p. 222. ISBN 9780713000979. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
Preceded by Columbia Serial
Batman (1943) 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Batman_(serial)&oldid=425933513"