Batman

The 1943 Batman Movie Serial, starring Lewis Wilson as the Batman and Lewis Croft as Robin, is definitely one of my favorites. The evil Dr. Daka, played with devilish delight by J. Carol Naish, has enlisted a number of 5th columnists to subvert American interests, on U.S. soil. Innocent Americans are transformed into mindless zombies in order to assist the sinister Daka and his evil minions. Despite every advantage, the Batman manages to stop Daka and save America from the "Doom of the Rising Sun!" Watch for Shirley Patterson as Bruce Wayne's love interest, Linda Page, who definitely makes a wonderful damsel in distress. William Austin plays Wayne's faithful butler, Alfred and provides comic relief. Batman creator, Bob Kane, even makes an appearance in the first chapter as a newsboy. Batman fights fo

This is one of the best of Columbia's serials produced in the 40s. There's no Batmobile or Batplane but hey, this was 1943.

There's the usual assortment of narrow escapes, last minute rescues, zombies, an alligator pit and an endless supply of the villain's henchmen.

Also included are some great stuntwork and excellent fight scenes.

Lewis Wilson and Douglas Croft make an credible Batman and Robin and their alter-egos Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson. Two distinct advantages this serial has is it's wartime setting and the casting of the excellent J. Carroll Naish as the chief villain, Daka who is trying to install "The New Order" in America. Many serial and "B" movie veterans are cast in other roles. Look for George J. Lewis, Tom London and Dick Curtis as various henchmen and Charles Middleton, on the right side of the law for a change.

In Gothan City, in the Word War II, the Japanese spy Dr. Tito Daka (J. Carrol Naish) has a gang working for the Japanese government. He plans to steal a radium load to use in a lethal weapon and hijack an American prototype airplane. The evil Dr. Daka uses a machine to turn people into zombies to work for him. Batman is indeed the lazy millionaire Bruce Wayne (Lewis Wilson), and Robin is his protegee Dick Grayson (Douglas Croft) that are supported by the butler and chauffeur Alfred Pennyworth (William Austin). Bruce Wayne's love interest is Linda Page (Shirley Patterson) and Dr. Daka kidnaps her uncle Martin Warren to help him in his research but turns him into a zombie when he refuses to cooperate with the mastermind of the spy ring. Along fifteen Chapters, Dr. Daka stumbles upon Batman and the boy wonder Robin and they will fight each other.

"Batman" (1943) is the landmark of the first appearance of Batman on the screen and in serial at the climax of World War II. This low budget serial does not have the Batmobile; instead, Batman and Robin use Bruce Wayne's Cadillac convertible driven by Alfred. The plot has anti-Japanese messages and is silly, naive and funny in many moments, but is also highly entertaining and divided in 15 Chapters that were presented in the theaters once a week; now they are available on DVD. (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. Maybe the funniest scenes are when Dr. Daka communicates with his submarine by radio and they release a coffin with a near-death Japanese soldier only to tell that he should hijack an airplane; and when a spy breaks the window of the airplane to throw off a cargo of radium using parachutes for Dr. Daka's men. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Batman"

I know that it's a Columbia, but it is one of Columbia's best. Lewis Wilson and Douglas Croft are the definitive Batman and Robin. The story is great, the acting is great, the casting was great, and the photography was great. There are also some great fighting sequences and awesome cliffhangers.

Dr. Tito Daka is a classic villain. Daka was Japanese (He prefers to be called Nipponese) and was probably hated very much because remember, this serial was made during WW2.

The Batcave was pretty cool. I like it how Batman and Robin were taken directly to the scene of the crime by Alfred. There was no Batmobile.

I recommend this serial to anyone.

10/10 Stars

This serial is nothing short of a total blast, a fun romp from start to finish. You gotta love that the first thing you see at the start of chapter one, is Batman at his desk in his Batcave with bats flying all around, and you only see their shadows, but you also see the shadows of all the thick control wires making the fake bats fly around. That sets the tone perfectly!

No crappy computer effects to muck things up here. Of course this is a serial and it's all great fun, and you have to laugh that the film takes various dramatic license, such as why are Batman and Robin never just shot at, and why they don't fear guns (while always being unarmed themselves).

Truth is, this serial is non-stop, it's virtually always exciting and there's a lot of cool fights. One thing I noticed is that Batman is either always getting his head bashed in, or he's getting into some trouble where Robin has to save him (at the start of the next chapter of course). You'd figure since Robin saves Batman so many times, Batman would treat Robin a little more equally!

And about the 'racist' stuff...it was made in 1943 folks. Consider the climate in America at the time and who our enemies were, and just let it go. No matter how much the revisionists try, you can't change the past, and it should not be hidden, either. And in no way does the tone of the storyline detract from the fact that this serial is such a blast. This should be released on DVD in its original uncut form, the way it was meant to be seen.