Batman from 1949 (1 Viewer)

[Mredwards]

Did anybody else watch the Batman show from 1949 on the Roku channel? It was really cool to see the pure story telling aspect of it without all the special effects. It kept me interested the whole time. At the end of each episode they told the audience to come back to this theater next week to see what happens next. The 1966 version was a bit to cheesy for me. The 49 version felt more serious.

 

[Matt Hough]

These were movie serials, not TV show episodes. It was Batman and Robin, a multi-episode serial from 1949 (there had been an earlier one in the 1940s titled Batman). I have both serials on DVD and have watched them a fair number of times.

 

[BobO'Link]

Both are good representations of "superhero" serials featuring Batman (and Robin) as the hero. Honestly, you could just about put any character in place of Batman in these and they'd still mostly work as they're fairly standard serial "good guy vs. bad guy" material. There's a bit of "high tech" occasionally, in spite of very low budgets, and there's no Batmobile (another cost cutting measure) but both are still good 40s serial fun. Just put yourself in the mindset of a 13yo going to the movies for a Saturday matinee and seeing the next chapter in the story. The movie version of a weekly TV show designed to keep people coming in every week. Both are available on a single DVD release that looks and sounds very good.

I'd rather watch either of these than any of the Christopher Nolan Batman films.

 

[KPmusmag]

I have both serials on DVD and I find them quite entertaining, and my Dad enjoyed seeing them again (he first saw them when they were new).

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I rented the DVDs years ago and had a lot of fun watching them. I should get them one day, I could watch these again.

 

[rcmeserve]

The entire 1949 Batman serial can be viewed on the RiffTrax site with some hilarious commentary.

 

[BobO'Link]

That would be a first - funny RiffTrax commentary....

 

[rcmeserve]

They didn’t have to work too hard on this one. The jokes write themselves. Just dig that batmobile.