Product Details

• Actors: Robert Lowery, Johnny Duncan, Jane Adams, Lyle Talbot, Ralph Graves
• Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet
• Writers: Bob Kane, George H. Plympton, Joseph F. Poland, Royal K. Cole
• Producers: Sam Katzman
• Format: Black & White, HiFi Sound, NTSC, Closed-captioned, Subtitled
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 2
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: May 27, 1997
• Run Time: 252 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304459661
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,985 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

There's no Batmobile, and Robert Lowery looks a bit, ahem, well-fed as the Caped Crusader, but Columbia Pictures' 1949 black-and-white serial Batman and Robin is up to its cape and cowl in cliffhangers, crime capers, and good old-fashioned rock-em-sock-em action. Directed at a breakneck pace by serial vet Spencer Gordon Bennett, the Complete 1949 Movie Serial Collection's 15 episodes pits Lowery's Batman and Johnny Duncan as the Boy Wonder against arch-villain The Wizard, who has designs on a remote-control device that doubles as a death ray. Jane Adams's Vicki Vale is on hand to fall into peril at least once per episode, while Ed Wood regular Lyle Talbot looks on sternly as Commissioner Gordon. Viewers weaned on Tim Burton's dark, sleek interpretation of the Batman mythos will undoubtedly groan over the creaky dialogue and performances (creator Bob Kane was no fan, either), but fans with designs on absorbing every bit of Bat-trivia possible will probably get a kick out of this well-intentioned attempt at bringing the Dark Knight's adventures to screen. The episodes are divided onto two DVDs, which offer no extras. --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fedora Bashin' Fun, June 23, 2002

By 

Drake (Douglasville, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Batman and Robin: Serial Collection [VHS] (VHS Tape)

How does Bruce Wayne convert his car into the Batmobile? Why, he simply puts up the rag-top, of course! Yeah, okay, so the 1949 Batman Serial was not exactly "cutting edge" or "mind-blowing" or "good", but it has its charm. The dialogue is ridiculous, the fight scenes are clumbsy, and the costumes are ill-fitting at best, but for some reason, I absolutely love it. This floppy-eared incarnation of the Dark Knight is more a film noir private investigator than the shadowy, rooftop avenger that we know today. He and the Boy Wonder spend less time lurking in the Bat Cave and more time beating up the Wizard's greasy haired, fedora wearing thugs. Oh...and the Wizard! This guy is actually a pretty good villain. He is cloaked head-to-toe, has blank, glowing eyes, appears from time to time as a phantom, and remains a mystery through most of the serial. Pretty creepy dude, if you ask me, and a fitting opponent for Batman and Robin. If you're thinking about buying this one, take off your critic's hat and enjoy this gem for what it is: an old-school Bat-brawl. It's fedora bashin' fun!

50 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Batman on a Low Budget, December 17, 2000

By 

Scott T. Rivers (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman and Robin: Serial Collection [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Upon viewing the first chapter, it's obvious that "Batman and Robin" (1949) will not emerge as one of the all-time great serials. With producer Sam Katzman at the helm, it's bargain-basement all the way - right down to the cheap costumes and an incredibly poor excuse for a Batmobile. Despite low-budget shortcomings, there's plenty of hokey fun as Batman and Robin face one contrived cliffhanger after another. The mysterious Wizard makes for an interesting villain, since he never appeared in the comic books. Robert Lowery does a good job as Batman, but John Duncan's Boy Wonder looks like a juvenile delinquent. It's nice to see character actor Lyle Talbot as Commissioner Gordon, even though he has a tendency to activate the Bat Signal in broad daylight. Flaws and all, "Batman and Robin" is an undeniable guilty pleasure.

42 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For completist collectors, August 14, 2002

By 

Neal C. Reynolds (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Batman and Robin: Serial Collection [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This 1949 serial will be of interest mainly to Batman and/or serial fanatics. It is fun to watch, though much of the fun comes from the improbabilities and inconsistencies. For instance, there's no Batmobile, just a car which can be identified as Bruce Wayne's car. Nobody except Bruce Wayne's girl friend, Vickie Vale, seems to notice this.

There are very few good chapter endings here. Most of them are either lame or boring or borderline cheating.

The characters are interesting, though. The villianous Wizard's
identity is of course kept secret until the last chapter, and you're given several red herrings to puzzle over, one of which is a bit overly done.

A serial based on as popular a comic book hero as Batman should've been much better, but those who really enjoy the genre will probably want this, chiefly because it's one of the two serials featuring the Dynamic Duo.