Batman

1943
Approved
4h 20m

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

2.6K

YOUR RATING

Douglas Croft, Shirley Patterson, and Lewis Wilson in Batman (1943)

Japanese spymaster Prince Daka operates a covert espionage organization located in Gotham City's now-deserted Little Tokyo which turns American scientists into pliable zombies.

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The very first serial to adapt the comic book character of the Batman. In it, the Batman is a secret U.S. government agent, attempting to defeat the schemes of Japanese agent Dr. Daka operat... Read allThe very first serial to adapt the comic book character of the Batman. In it, the Batman is a secret U.S. government agent, attempting to defeat the schemes of Japanese agent Dr. Daka operating in Los Angeles at the height of World War II.The very first serial to adapt the comic book character of the Batman. In it, the Batman is a secret U.S. government agent, attempting to defeat the schemes of Japanese agent Dr. Daka operating in Los Angeles at the height of World War II.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

2.6K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination total

Top cast53

Edit

Lewis Wilson

Batman…

Douglas Croft

Robin…

J. Carrol Naish

Dr. Daka

Shirley Patterson

Linda Page

Frank Austin

Hotel Clerk
(uncredited)

William Austin

Alfred Beagle
(uncredited)

William A. Boardway

Plane Passenger
(uncredited)

Lynton Brent

Intended Lockwood Pilot
(uncredited)

Roy Bucko

Barfly
(uncredited)

George Chesebro

Brennan [Ch. 1-3]
(uncredited)

Dick Curtis

Agent Croft of Section 50 [Ch. 10-12])
(uncredited)

Jimmy Dime

Henchman
(uncredited)

Lester Dorr

Agent on Plane [Ch. 10]
(uncredited)

Kenne Duncan

Fred - the Mechanic [Ch. 5-6]
(uncredited)

Harry Evans

Restaurant Patron
(uncredited)

Robert Fiske

Foster [Ch. 1-4]
(uncredited)

Sam Flint

Dr. G.H. Borden [Ch. 1]
(uncredited)

Jerry Frank

Cave of Horrors Thug
(uncredited)

User reviews55

Featured review

Great fun

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.

Trivia
This is the first filmed appearance of Batman.

Goofs
At the end of Chapter 2, as Batman is battling with the thugs, his cape is ripped off and thrown to the floor. After a brief cutaway to Alfred waiting in the car, it is back on his shoulders with no apparent break in the action.

Quotes
Alfred Pennyworth: How many did I kill?
Bruce Wayne: Seven.
Alfred Pennyworth: But there were only four of the ruffians.
Richard Grayson: You killed three of them twice.
Alfred Pennyworth: Where are the bodies?
Bruce Wayne: We threw them out the window.

Crazy credits
This serial was promoted under the titles "The Batman", "The Bat Man" and "Bat Man". The actual title on the beginning of each chapter was simply "Batman".

Alternate versions
Filmed at the height of the Second World War, this serial originally featured a large amount of racist dialogue. A later reissue (released on video by Goodtimes) maintains the fact the villain is Japanese, but otherwise features new narration and dialogue which substitutes less-racist terminology.