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| music = [[Mischa Bakaleinikoff]]
| music = [[Mischa Bakaleinikoff]]
| cinematography = Ira H. Morgan
| cinematography = Ira H. Morgan
| editing = Dwight Caldwell<br />[[Earl Turner (film editor)|Earl Turner]]
| editing = Dwight Caldwell <br /> [[Earl Turner (film editor)|Earl Turner]]
| color_process = [[Black and white]]
| color_process = [[Black and white]]
| studio =
| studio =
| distributor = [[Columbia Pictures]]
| distributor = [[Columbia Pictures]]
| released = {{Film date|1949|05|26|United States}}
| released = {{Film date|1949|05|26|United States}}
| runtime = 15 chapters (264 minutes)
| runtime = 15 chapters (17-26 mins) <br> (total: 264 minutes)
| country = United States
| country = United States
| language = English
| language = English
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| gross =
| gross =
}}
}}
'''''New Adventures of Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder''''',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/490378/Batman-and-Robin/home-video-reviews.html |title=Batman and Robin (1949) - Home Video Reviews - TCM.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029113211/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/490378/Batman-and-Robin/home-video-reviews.html |archive-date=29 October 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Posters/B/Poster%20-%20Batman%20and%20Robin%20(1949)_01.jpg {{Bare URL image|date=March 2022}}</ref> also known as simply '''''Batman and Robin''''', is a 15-chapter [[Serial film|serial]] released in 1949 by [[Columbia Pictures]]. It is a sequel to the [[Batman (serial)|1943 serial ''Batman'']], although with different actors. [[Robert Lowery (actor)|Robert Lowery]] played [[Batman]], while [[Johnny Duncan (actor)|Johnny Duncan]] played [[Robin (comics)|Robin]]. Supporting players included [[Poni Adams|Jane Adams]] as [[Vicki Vale]] and veteran character actor [[Lyle Talbot]] as [[James Gordon (comics)|Commissioner Gordon]].
'''''New Adventures of Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder''''',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/490378/Batman-and-Robin/home-video-reviews.html |title=Batman and Robin (1949) - Home Video Reviews - TCM.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029113211/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/490378/Batman-and-Robin/home-video-reviews.html |archive-date=29 October 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Posters/B/Poster%20-%20Batman%20and%20Robin%20(1949)_01.jpg Poster] doctormacro.com</ref> also known as simply '''''Batman and Robin''''', is a 15-chapter [[Serial film|serial]] released in 1949 by [[Columbia Pictures]]. It is a sequel to the 1943 serial ''[[Batman (serial)|Batman]]'', although with different actors. [[Robert Lowery (actor)|Robert Lowery]] plays [[Batman]], while [[Johnny Duncan (actor)|Johnny Duncan]] plays [[Robin (comics)|Robin]]. Supporting actors include [[Poni Adams|Jane Adams]] as [[Vicki Vale]] and veteran character actor [[Lyle Talbot]] as [[James Gordon (comics)|Commissioner Gordon]].


The serials were re-released as Video On Demand titles by [[Rifftrax]], the alumni project of former ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' members Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett. As of September 2014, they have released the entire serial.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rifftrax.com/search/apachesolr_search/batman|title=Search|access-date=2014-02-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327054831/http://www.rifftrax.com/search/apachesolr_search/batman|archive-date=2017-03-27|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Turner Classic Movies]] has broadcast the film serial from June to November 2015 and from October 2021 to January 2022 in a weekly half-hour slot on Saturday mornings.
The serials were re-released as Video On Demand titles by [[RiffTrax]], the alumni project of former ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' members Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett. As of September 2014, the entire serial has been released.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rifftrax.com/search/apachesolr_search/batman|title=Search|access-date=2014-02-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327054831/http://www.rifftrax.com/search/apachesolr_search/batman|archive-date=2017-03-27|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Turner Classic Movies]] has broadcast the film serial from June to November 2015 and from October 2021 to January 2022 in a weekly half-hour slot on Saturday mornings.


==Plot==
==Plot==
The dynamic duo face off against the Wizard, a hooded villain with an electrical device which controls cars to augment his compulsion to set challenges for Batman and Robin. The Wizard's identity remains a mystery to the caped crusaders throughout until the end.<ref>{{cite book |last =Rovin |first =Jeff |title =The Encyclopedia of Supervillains |publisher =Facts on File |date =1987 |location =New York |isbn = 0-8160-1356-X |page=373}}</ref>
The dynamic duo face off against the Wizard, a hooded villain with an electronic device that remotely controls vehicles and a compulsion to set challenges for Batman and Robin. The Wizard's identity remains a mystery to the caped crusaders until the end.<ref>{{cite book |last =Rovin |first =Jeff |title =The Encyclopedia of Supervillains |publisher =Facts on File |date =1987 |location =New York |isbn = 0-8160-1356-X |page=373}}</ref>


==Cast==
==Cast==
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* [[Rick Vallin]] as Barry Brown, a tabloid radio gossip
* [[Rick Vallin]] as Barry Brown, a tabloid radio gossip
* [[Michael Whalen (actor)|Michael Whalen]] as Dunne, a private investigator
* [[Michael Whalen (actor)|Michael Whalen]] as Dunne, a private investigator
* [[Lee Roberts]] as Neal, a henchman {{Small|(uncredited)}}
* [[Lee Roberts (actor)|Lee Roberts]] as Neal, a henchman {{Small|(uncredited)}}
* [[Greg McClure]] as Evans, a henchman
* [[Greg McClure]] as Evans, a henchman
* [[House Peters, Jr.]] as Earl, a henchman
* [[House Peters Jr.]] as Earl, a henchman
* Jim Diehl as Jason, a henchman
* Jim Diehl as Jason, a henchman
* [[Rusty Wescoatt]] as Ives, a henchman
* [[Rusty Wescoatt]] as Ives, a henchman
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==Production==
==Production==
[[File:Robert Lowery in Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise.jpg|left|thumb|{{center|[[Robert Lowery (actor)|Robert Lowery]]}}]]
[[File:Robert Lowery in Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise.jpg|left|thumb|{{center|[[Robert Lowery (actor)|Robert Lowery]]}}]]
"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 the stuntman. The [[Batmobile]] is again excluded, but instead of a limousine as in [[Batman (serial)|the first serial]], the duo drive around in a [[Mercury Eight|1949 Mercury]].<ref name="GMS">{{cite book
''Batman and Robin'' is, according to historians Jim Harmon and Donald Glut, one of several Katzman productions which involved money-saving measures. 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 the stuntman. The [[Batmobile]] is again excluded, but instead of a limousine as in [[Batman (serial)|the first serial]], the duo drive around in a [[Mercury Eight|1949 Mercury]].<ref name="GMS">{{cite book | last = Harmon | first = Jim | author2 = Donald F. Glut | author2-link = Donald F. Glut | author-link = Jim Harmon | title = The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/greatmovieserial0000harm/page/231/mode/1up | year = 1973 | publisher = Routledge | isbn = 978-0-7130-0097-9 | pages = 240–242 | chapter = 10. The Long-Underwear Boys "You've Met Me, Now Meet My Fist!"}}</ref>
| last = Harmon
| first = Jim
|author2=Donald F. Glut
|author2-link=Donald F. Glut
| author-link = Jim Harmon
| title = The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury
| year = 1973
| publisher = Routledge
| isbn = 978-0-7130-0097-9
| pages = 240–242
| chapter = 10. The Long-Underwear Boys "You've Met Me, Now Meet My Fist!"
}}</ref>


Several mistakes and failures of logic occur in the serial. One example is that the film shows the [[Bat-Signal]] working in broad daylight. Another occurs when, despite the fact that the heroes' [[utility belt]]s 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-fuel welding and cutting|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 filmmakers improvised in following the directions for a "blowtorch."<ref name="GMS" />
Several mistakes and failures of logic occur in the serial. One example is that the film shows the [[Bat-Signal]] working in broad daylight. Another occurs when, despite the fact that the heroes' [[utility belt]]s 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-fuel welding and cutting|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 filmmakers improvised in following the directions for a "blowtorch".<ref name="GMS" />


==Release==
==Release==
[[File:Batman&RobinSerialDVDCover.jpg|thumb|DVD cover]]
[[File:Batman&RobinSerialDVDCover.jpg|thumb|DVD cover]]
In 1989, [[GoodTimes Entertainment]] released the serial on VHS, splitting the entire serial into two separate, budget-priced tapes recorded in LP mode. The GoodTimes edition was slightly edited, as well, with several minutes of the opening chapter mysteriously cut. In 1997, [[Columbia TriStar Home Video]] re-released the uncut serial (in SP mode) as a complete 2-tape VHS set. [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]] released the serial on [[DVD]] in 2005, timed to coincide with the theatrical release of ''[[Batman Begins]]''. Unlike [[Batman (serial)|its predecessor]], ''Batman and Robin: The Complete 1949 Movie Serial Collection'' has been given a restoration. On February 4, 2014, Mill Creek Entertainment released Gotham City Serials, a two-disc DVD set that includes both the 1943 Batman serial and the 1949 Batman and Robin serial. [[Rifftrax]] released a Video On Demand of the first installment of the short on July 16, 2013, featuring a running mocking commentary from [[Michael J. Nelson]], [[Kevin Murphy (actor)|Kevin Murphy]] and [[Bill Corbett]] of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' fame.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mst3kinfo.com/?p=16136#comments|title=New Short from RiffTrax… « Satellite News}}</ref> The final episode, "Batman Victorious," was released with commentary on September 19, 2014.
In the wake of the success of [[Tim Burton]]'s ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' in 1989, [[GoodTimes Entertainment]] released the serial on VHS, splitting the entire serial into two separate, budget-priced tapes recorded in LP mode. The GoodTimes edition was slightly edited, as well, with several minutes of the opening chapter mysteriously cut. In 1997, [[Columbia TriStar Home Video]] re-released the uncut serial (in SP mode) as a complete 2-tape VHS set. [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]] released the serial on [[DVD]] in 2005, timed to coincide with the theatrical release of ''[[Batman Begins]]''. Unlike [[Batman (serial)|its predecessor]], ''Batman and Robin: The Complete 1949 Movie Serial Collection'' has been given a restoration. In February 2014, Mill Creek Entertainment released ''Gotham City Serials'', a two-disc DVD set that includes both the 1943 Batman serial and the 1949 Batman and Robin serial. RiffTrax released a Video On Demand of the first installment of the short on July 16, 2013, featuring a running mocking commentary from [[Michael J. Nelson]], [[Kevin Murphy (actor)|Kevin Murphy]] and [[Bill Corbett]] of ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' fame.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mst3kinfo.com/?p=16136|title=New Short from RiffTrax… « Satellite News|website=www.mst3kinfo.com|accessdate=26 February 2024}}</ref> The final episode, "Batman Victorious", was released with commentary on September 19, 2014.


==Chapter titles==
==Chapter titles==
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# ''Batman vs. Wizard'' (broadcast November 14, 2015 on TCM)
# ''Batman vs. Wizard'' (broadcast November 14, 2015 on TCM)
# ''Batman Victorious'' (broadcast November 21, 2015 on TCM)
# ''Batman Victorious'' (broadcast November 21, 2015 on TCM)
<sub>Source:</sub><ref>{{cite book
<sub>Source:</sub><ref>{{cite book | last = Cline | first = William C.
| title = In the Nick of Time | url = https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin | url-access = registration | year = 1984 | publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc. | isbn = 0-7864-0471-X | pages = [https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin/page/249 249] | chapter = Filmography}}</ref>
| last = Cline
| first = William C.
| title = In the Nick of Time
| url = https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin
| url-access = registration
| year = 1984
| publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc.
| isbn = 0-7864-0471-X
| pages = [https://archive.org/details/innickoftimemot00clin/page/249 249]
| chapter = Filmography
}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 124: Line 102:
==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0041162|Batman and Robin}}
* {{IMDb title|0041162|Batman and Robin}}
* {{Allmovie title|143325|Batman and Robin}}
* {{Internet Archive film|id=batman-and-robin-1949-}}


{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
{{succession box
{{succession box
| title=[[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]] [[Serial (film)|Serial]]
| title=[[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]] [[Serial (film)|Serial]]
| before=''[[Bruce Gentry]]'' (1949)
| before=''[[Bruce Gentry – Daredevil of the Skies|Bruce Gentry]]'' (1949)
| years='''''Batman and Robin'' (1949)'''
| years='''''Batman and Robin'' (1949)'''
| after=''[[Adventures of Sir Galahad]]'' (1949)}}
| after=''[[Adventures of Sir Galahad]]'' (1949)}}
Line 160: Line 136:
[[Category:1940s American films]]
[[Category:1940s American films]]
[[Category:Films based on DC Comics]]
[[Category:Films based on DC Comics]]
[[Category:Superhero film serials]]
[[Category:English-language action films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Sam Katzman]]

Latest revision as of 17:36, 21 December 2024

Batman and Robin
Directed bySpencer Gordon Bennet
Written by
Based on
Robin
by
Produced bySam Katzman
Starring
CinematographyIra H. Morgan
Edited byDwight Caldwell
Earl Turner
Music byMischa Bakaleinikoff
Color processBlack and white
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • May 26, 1949 (1949-05-26) (United States)
Running time
15 chapters (17-26 mins)
(total: 264 minutes)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

New Adventures of Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder,[1][2] also known as simply Batman and Robin, is a 15-chapter serial released in 1949 by Columbia Pictures. It is a sequel to the 1943 serial Batman, although with different actors. Robert Lowery plays Batman, while Johnny Duncan plays Robin. Supporting actors include Jane Adams as Vicki Vale and veteran character actor Lyle Talbot as Commissioner Gordon.

The serials were re-released as Video On Demand titles by RiffTrax, the alumni project of former Mystery Science Theater 3000 members Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett. As of September 2014, the entire serial has been released.[3] Turner Classic Movies has broadcast the film serial from June to November 2015 and from October 2021 to January 2022 in a weekly half-hour slot on Saturday mornings.

Plot

[edit]

The dynamic duo face off against the Wizard, a hooded villain with an electronic device that remotely controls vehicles and a compulsion to set challenges for Batman and Robin. The Wizard's identity remains a mystery to the caped crusaders until the end.[4]

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]
Robert Lowery

Batman and Robin is, according to historians Jim Harmon and Donald Glut, one of several Katzman productions which involved money-saving measures. 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 the stuntman. The Batmobile is again excluded, but instead of a limousine as in the first serial, the duo drive around in a 1949 Mercury.[5]

Several mistakes and failures of logic occur in the serial. One example 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 filmmakers improvised in following the directions for a "blowtorch".[5]

Release

[edit]
DVD cover

In the wake of the success of Tim Burton's Batman in 1989, GoodTimes Entertainment released the serial on VHS, splitting the entire serial into two separate, budget-priced tapes recorded in LP mode. The GoodTimes edition was slightly edited, as well, with several minutes of the opening chapter mysteriously cut. In 1997, Columbia TriStar Home Video re-released the uncut serial (in SP mode) as a complete 2-tape VHS set. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the serial on DVD in 2005, timed to coincide with the theatrical release of Batman Begins. Unlike its predecessor, Batman and Robin: The Complete 1949 Movie Serial Collection has been given a restoration. In February 2014, Mill Creek Entertainment released Gotham City Serials, a two-disc DVD set that includes both the 1943 Batman serial and the 1949 Batman and Robin serial. RiffTrax released a Video On Demand of the first installment of the short on July 16, 2013, featuring a running mocking commentary from Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fame.[6] The final episode, "Batman Victorious", was released with commentary on September 19, 2014.

Chapter titles

[edit]

Turner Classic Movies began airing episodes of Batman and Robin in June 2015, following one week after the conclusion of airing the previous 1943 serial. Broadcast paused in August in favor of alternate programming, but resumed in September.

  1. Batman Takes Over (broadcast June 27, 2015 on TCM)
  2. Tunnel of Terror (broadcast July 11, 2015 on TCM)
  3. Robin's Wild Ride (broadcast July 18, 2015 on TCM)
  4. Batman Trapped! (broadcast July 25, 2015 on TCM)
  5. Robin Rescues Batman! (broadcast September 5, 2015 on TCM)
  6. Target - Robin! (broadcast September 12, 2015 on TCM)
  7. The Fatal Blast (broadcast September 19, 2015 on TCM)
  8. Robin Meets the Wizard! (broadcast September 26, 2015 on TCM)
  9. The Wizard Strikes Back! (broadcast October 3, 2015 on TCM)
  10. Batman's Last Chance! (broadcast October 10, 2015 on TCM)
  11. Robin's Ruse (broadcast October 17, 2015 on TCM)
  12. Robin Rides the Wind (broadcast October 24, 2015 on TCM)
  13. The Wizard's Challenge (broadcast November 7, 2015 on TCM)
  14. Batman vs. Wizard (broadcast November 14, 2015 on TCM)
  15. Batman Victorious (broadcast November 21, 2015 on TCM)

Source:[7]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Batman and Robin (1949) - Home Video Reviews - TCM.com". Archived from the original on 29 October 2016.
  2. ^ Poster doctormacro.com
  3. ^ "Search". Archived from the original on 2017-03-27. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
  4. ^ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 373. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
  5. ^ a b Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut (1973). "10. The Long-Underwear Boys "You've Met Me, Now Meet My Fist!"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. pp. 240–242. ISBN 978-0-7130-0097-9.
  6. ^ "New Short from RiffTrax… « Satellite News". www.mst3kinfo.com. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  7. ^ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 249. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
[edit]
Preceded by Columbia Serial
Batman and Robin (1949) 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Batman_and_Robin_(serial)&oldid=1264348362"