BATMAN AND ROBIN (1949 serial)

Cranky old professor Hamill has invented a device that can, through remote control, take over the running of any vehicle, even able to force it off a cliff. But the prototype of the machine is stolen from a research plant by the cowled and masked villain The Wizard. The machine is powered by diamonds so he and his henchmen have to pull of some diamond robberies as they stay one step ahead of Commissioner Gordon and the police, who are getting help from the costumed crimefighters Batman (actually idle playboy Bruce Wayne) and Robin (actually his young ward Dick Grayson). Hamill is confined to a wheelchair, helped by his valet Carter, but we see that he can, in secret, seat himself in an electrified chair and regain the power to walk again. For most of the serial’s running time, we are led to believe that Hamill is the Wizard, though why he would want to steal his own invention is not made clear. Another suspicious character is radio host Barry Brown who is constantly reporting on the Wizard's next activities. Gordon thinks Brown has an inside source (duh!) but Batman and Robin begin to wonder if Brown himself could be the Wizard. The good guys chase the bad guys for fifteen chapters before the Wizard is finally unmasked.

There is so much wrong with this that I feel I should make note of the good things first. Overall, in terms of narrative, it's not quite as repetitious as your average serial of the era, and the cliffhangers are mostly adequate: an exploding plane, electrocution by iron rod, poison gas, a warehouse on fire, a fall from a tall building. A machine that can neutralize the remote control device appears on the scene, and the Wizard uses it and the other device in tandem to become invisible—though because they can quickly overheat, threatening to catch fire, he can only remain invisible for a short time. Robert Lowery, a B-favorite of mine, is fine as Batman, though his costume is a bit ill-fitting and you can tell it's difficult for him to see out of his equally ill-fitting bat-mask. Johnny Duncan is OK as Robin, though as Dick Grayson he looks a bit like a curly-haired, pug-nosed ruffian who says his lines like he's always pissed off. I didn’t like him at first but he grew on me. Lyle Talbot, who has almost 350 credits on IMDb, is his laconic self as Gordon. The handsome Rick Vallin (pictured at left) is quite good as the cocky and suspicious Barry Brown—he has a big scene in the climax but unless I missed something, we never quite learn if he's an active bad guy or not. Photographer Vicki Vale is played well by Jane Adams but she's a predictable pain in the ass, especially her complaining about the laziness of Bruce Wayne. Her brother Jimmy is a moderately interesting character; we assume he's a good guy but he's involved in the Wizard's gang, though he does try to un-ensnare himself in a memorable scene.

Now for the problems. The bad guys in their suits and hats are largely indistinguishable from each other and have no personality. William Fawcett as Hamill is pretty awful, stuck in a one-note performance as a mean old man. His ability to walk seems like it's a secret, but near the end, he walks about plainly and no one questions it. There is no Batmobile, just a big car which is parked at least once right in front of Bruce Wayne's house. For a couple of chapters, the bad guys inexplicably shift their focus to a new explosive, the X-90, which is then quickly forgotten. Fisticuff scenes are pulled off OK but are surprisingly short. Some viewers are put off by the Bat Signal being used and fully visible in broad daylight, but I didn't mind. Alfred the butler is present but is a total non-entity. Speaking of non-entities, the Wizard is ultimately revealed to be a very minor character and we get no explanation as to why he's been so (moderately) evil. Fifteen chapters is certainly four or five too many, but despite my criticisms, I enjoyed watching this over a period of weeks—it ran on Saturday mornings on TCM, and I recorded them and watched two or three chapters at a time. Is it worse than the 1943 Batman serial (with different actors in the lead roles)? Both are low-budget somewhat scruffy productions, and they seem pretty equal to me. [TCM]