Batman 1943 Serial

[Billy A. Anderson]

Last night, or early this morning, I watched the first chapter of the 1943 Batman serial, and the print quality was good, considering, and this time there were no playback glitches, so I think I'll watch some more chapters.

That first chapter  did seem a bit long at 26 minutes.  

I thought serial chapters were normally shorter than that. 

I did watch an entire serial, all chapters, and which watching it all was a number of hours, if I remember correctly (that was way back in the 1980s, ancient history today), the chapters didn't seem all that long.  I think it was King of the Rocket Men that I watched.

[Killer Goldfish]

And??? How do you like it?

[Deeky]

Jun 15, 2018 20:27:23 GMT -5 Killer Goldfish said:

And??? How do you like it?

Come on now. You know better than to ask a question like that.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Jun 15, 2018 20:27:23 GMT -5 Killer Goldfish said:

And??? How do you like it?

Goldie, I do like it so far, enough so that I do plan to watch chapter 2.

[Killer Goldfish]

Nothing can stop me from asking, Deekster!

[Billy A. Anderson]

Well, ZAQBers, I just finished watching the 2nd chapter of the 1943 Batman serial, "The Bats Cave." As the legend and lore I had read about unfolded before me, Alfred the Butler was introduced(not fat like he was in the comic books) along with the Bat Cave, and Bruce and Dick emerging from the entrance to it  and exit from it of the Grandfather clock.  I noticed that Bruce smoked a cigarette in one scene, someting I can't recall his doing in the comic books.  By the time I came along, he didn't smoke at all, and so far, inn the old 1930s - early 40s comics I have read so far he smoked a pipe.

At 17:12, this one was shorter than the first, introductory chapter, as I expected, starting before Chapter One's cliffhanger ending, and ending on another cliffhanger.

[Billy A. Anderson]

I've Just watched Chapter 3 - Mark of the Zombies.

[Killer Goldfish]

Batman and ZOMBIES? And in those days we'd be talking old-school Voodoo zoms, am I right?

[Billy A. Anderson]

Jun 17, 2018 21:17:53 GMT -5 Killer Goldfish said:

Batman and ZOMBIES? And in those days we'd be talking old-school Voodoo zoms, am I right?

No, Goldie, these are white, honky cat zombies, all good loyal American citizens who have been captured by an evil Japanese agent who uses his Electrical brain machine to turn them into zombies who are compelled to aid him in his evil plans against the USA.

J Carol Nash plays this Japanese agent, and he doesn't look the least bit Japanese to me, and in fact I have not seen anyone in the film who looks Japanese.

Typing this made me think  of that made in Japan favorite film of mine, Shower Time, which I haven't watched in awhile.  

Since it is short and has that great music score, I'm going to watch it very soon.

The film seems to me to be very much science ficton.

The villian has a place on his desk that when people put their hands over it, an x-ray photo is taken of their hands, revealing the mark of the zombies.  (I think that's what the x-rays show).

There has also been a theft of some radium that Batman and Robin are trying to solve.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Just watched Chapter 4, Slaves of the Rising Sun, running time 17:22.  Chapter 5 is The Living Corpse.

[Billy A. Anderson]

I just watched Chapter 5, "the living corpse,"  running time 16:14.  Next chapter , no. 6, is "Poison Peril."

Some people posting to Internet message boards say this serial is the worst ever cinema portrayal of Batman, while others say it is the best.

Par for the course.

I have been meaning to check Castle of Frankenstein to see if they had a review of the 1965 run of this serial, as "an evening with Batman and Robin."

I know it played at Hugh Heffner's Playboy movie house, but did it tour the entire USA?  So far I have not gotten any real answers to this question.

[Billy A. Anderson]

After doing that last post, I began to think that a Castle of Frankenstein movie review of An Evening With Batman and Robin might have been a false memory, and was about to give up on my search, but finally opening issue No. 10, February 1966 to their Frankenstein Movieguide on Page 6 of that issue, the very first listing was as follows.

*BATMAN (248 min.--Col--1943). Preposterously funny reissue; all 15 uncut chapters of the original comic-book-hero serial spliced together end-to-end, resulting in richest comedy find in years!

Hopelessly outdated, ridiculous--filled with incredible 1943 propaganda, speeded-up fight scenes and pricelessly fruity dialog.

Four and one-half hours of sheer uninterrupted corn; more fun than Plan 9 from Outer Space and Bride of the Monster rolled into one.

A classic must-see for lovers of laughter, serials and nostalgic fun.

Also worthwhile from several sociological points of view. Some sort of award should go to J. Carrol Naish for his brilliantly comical
performance as the evil Dr. Daka. Great entertainment!

Hilarious overacting by Lewis Wilson, Douglas Craft, Shirley Patterson, Charles Middleton.

* Special recommendation.

[Billy A. Anderson]

I've just finished watching Chapter 6, Poison Peril, running time 15:58.  Next chapter, #7 is The phoney Doctor

[Billy A. Anderson]

just finished watching Chapter 7, The Phony Doctor, Chapter 7, running time, 15:11.

Next Chapter, # 8, is Lured By Radium.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Just watched Chapter 8, Lured by Radium running time 15:49.  Next chapter, #9 is The Sign of the Sphinx.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Earlier today, I watched  Chapter 9, the Sign of the Sphnx, which ran 15:43.

[Billy A. Anderson]

I just finished watching Chapter 10, Flying Spies, running time 16:52, and the next chapte, # 11, is A Nipponese Trap.

In case anyone is wondering why I am posting the links to each chapter here on ZAQB, the first reason is that I can't watch the serial chapters and read the comments on them at the same time, so I'll have the links here and can scroll down and read othere viewers' comments.  This will also aid any ZAQB members who might want to watch any chapter of, or even the entire serial, without having to look up the links to them.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Just finished watching chapter 11 of the serial "A Nipponese Trap" running time 14:57. This one involved one of the most ridiculously far fetched gimmics of both the
Batman comic books, and this serial, Bruce Waye being a master makeup artist who can Disguise himself so people cannot recognize him, and he can fool people into believing he is all kinds of different people.

In this one, he puts on heavy eyebrows and then puts his Batman mask over it, and when he is knocked unconscious by the bad guys, they unmask him and don't know he is Bruce Wayne well known millionaire playboy because of Bruce's excellent makeup job.  Anyone with a lick of sense would know that puting a mask on over the makeup would smear the makeup and rub it off.

Bruce applies the makeup as Dick Grayson watches  him, while Dick eats a bananna, at 3:45 into the chapter's runnig time.  Next chapter, 12,  is Embers of Evil.

In the click on thumbnail box below, in the left panel, Batman is unmasked and Bruce's great makeup job is not in the least bit smeared and the crooks don't seem to realize it.

[Billy A. Anderson]

I just finished watching Chapter 12, Embers of Evil, running time 13:37. Next chapter, #13, is Eight Steps Down.

[Billy A. Anderson]

I've just watched chapter 13, Eight Steps Down, running time, 13:32.  Next chapter, #14 is The Executioner Strikes.