BATMAN AND ROBIN
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Once upon a time, kids had a Saturday ritual as certain as the rising sun. They went to the local theater where a new double feature was playing, but that was likely not the attraction. They went consistently every week because they had to keep up with the latest episode of the serial that came on before the main attractions. And one of the more popular serials was the 15 episode BATMAN AND ROBIN.
After my son recently turned on to the Caped Crusader, we have been checking out the BATMAN movies on tape. On one trip to our local video store, I hit the jackpot. I found a double tape that contained a good copy of all 15 episodes of the black-and-white BATMAN AND ROBIN serial from 1949. Although I was worried my son would pooh-pooh it for being old fashioned, he fell in love with its hokeyness.
BATMAN AND ROBIN challenges the assumptions of today's viewers. Rather than a sixty pound rubber suit, our heroes in the serial dress in simple cloth clothing weighing not much more than normal outfits.
To say the show has special effects is almost a misnomer. There are boxes with knobs that twirl and lights that blink, and there are a few simple flash explosions, but little more. The whole series seems to have been put together cheaply and quickly, which is not to say that watching cannot be a lot of fun.
To best understand the sophistication of the movie's technology, consider two fundamental components of the Batman apparatus, the calling signal and the Batmobile. As we all know, Commissioner Gordon (played by Lyle Talbot who later would appear in Ed Wood's PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE) has to project Batman's logo high in the sky to summon the Caped Crusader. In BATMAN AND ROBIN a simple 12 inch television set with its cover removed is used as the projection device, and, miracle of miracles, it is even powerful enough to work in broad daylight!
The Batmobile? A standard convertible from that era with not a gadget in sight.
Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan play Bruce Wayne/Batman and Dick Grayson/Robin, and Jane Adams is Vicki Vale. None of the actors in the film ever had any big movie parts, but this little serial forms a nice legacy nevertheless, ready to be enjoyed by generations who have to have this whole serial concept explained to them. (Being born in 1946, I watched the demise of serials. In my hometown of Garland, Texas they petered out around the mid-50s if memory serves.)
BATMAN AND ROBIN's plot involves mystical scientific devices, a mysterious man known as The Wizard (who is under the mask?), an invisible man, and other features guaranteed to produce a cliff-hanger at the end of every episode. With the perilous endings you will be sure to come back next week to find out how the heroes somehow live after facing certain death. Viewers of the tape may feel the same way, but they do not have to wait a week as the original viewers did.
The fifteen episodes of BATMAN AND ROBIN run a total of 4:12. The serial is not rated, but would be a solid G and perfect for all ages. My son Jeffrey, age 8, thought the picture was "great," and the actor who played Batman was "funny and cool." His favorite part was the machine that made vehicles stop, but he thought the show was unrealistic because the Batmobile once ran out of gas. Clearly, he reasoned, this could not be possible. I recommend this piece of nostalgia to you and give it ***.
**** = A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = Totally and painfully unbearable picture.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: July 18, 1997
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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