A good but not great serial
1949's Batman and Robin was basically the inspiration for the 60's Batman show that we all know and love, well at least I do. It was a sequel to the original Batman Serial in 1943 starring Lewis Wilson and Douglas Croft as Batman and Robin. Because it was made during World War II it featured a plot involving government agents and spies, because this one was made in 1949and Sci-Fi was becoming popular again it took on more of a sci-fi kind of plot.
It has a basic plot about a criminal named the Wizard who has this new invention that can stop all vehicles in and out of the city, how it works we don't know. Of course Batman and Robin are on the case and The Wizard tries to kill them several times but fails. It has some good cliffhangers but they're definitely not some of the best especially when compared to other serials such as The Phantom and Captain America. Sure the effects are lousy when compared to modern standards but they were good back then.
Robert Lowery makes a better Batman than Lewis Wilson but the costume didn't look right on him since it was made for Kirk Alyn who was bigger than him. Robert Lowery though is physically fit compared to Lewis Wilson and at least he doesn't have a thick Boston accent either. Johnny Duncan is good as Robin though he's no Burt ward and he's a little old but at least he fares better in the fight scenes than Batman. Leonard Penn plays the wizard and he's actually quite good at least he's a better villain Dr. Daka from the previous serial. Famed character actor Lyle Talbot plays Commissioner Gordon for the first time on screen and he's good but not great. The batcave is pretty nice and it's larger than Batman's. Alfred is played Eric Wilton whose most important line is "Mr. Wayne's Residence".
Overall it's a good serial but not one of the best serials though it is enjoyable if you have the time to watch all fifteen chapters of it. Recommended.
