Batman and Robin (1949) ch14 – Batman vs. Wizard!

Okay, I’m not wrong–wheelchair-bound, ornery scientist William Fawcett really does just walk around in front of everyone and no one reacts. He’s been zapping himself with electricity to regain use of his legs, making him a suspect for being masked, supercriminal the Wizard. Except only to the audience because no one knows he can walk.

Except in Batman vs. Wizard!, everyone knows he can walk.

There are probably cut scenes from Batman and Robin, which is a terrifying proposition.

After Batman, Robin, and the cops chase an invisible Wizard in the opening, the chapter just concerns itself with winnowing down the Wizard suspect pool. There’s even costumed Wizard in action–after the invisibility ray wears off. The Wizard costume plays much better on screen than Batman or Robin’s costumes, which is kind of funny. Maybe if he’d been a more physically active villain, the serial would have more memorable action scenes.

The Wizard eventually threatens Lyle Talbot, leading to the good guys setting a trap but forgetting to put a man on the roof. Because they’re all idiots. The Wizard, face-covered and voice-disguised, is probably the most likable character in Batman and Robin. Sorry. Talbot’s usually fine but he starts grating here. Ditto newscaster Rick Vallin. Some of it might be the dialogue, but they’re still annoying.

The cliffhanger’s kind of fun just because it showcases the good guys’ aforementioned stupidity. Batman and Robin glamourizes crime; the only actors whose performances don’t end up unbearable are the crooks.

Batman and Robin (1949) ch13 – The Wizard’s Challenge!

If the Wizard has any challenge in The Wizard’s Challenge!, it’s outsmarting Batman and Robin. It doesn’t take much as it turns out. Especially not with Robin (Johnny Duncan) playing with a toy truck when he’s supposed to be on guard duty.

See, the Wizard has stolen all the scientific equipment he needs to unleash his master plan–he’s going to turn himself invisible and steal things, which would’ve been a far more interesting turn of events in chapter two of Batman and Robin, not chapter thirteen. Sweet, sweet chapter thirteen… only two more after this one.

The chapter has, no surprise, a tepid cliffhanger resolution at the beginning and a weak cliffhanger at the end. Jane Adams gets her scene–with some dialogue–as she again tries to get photographs of reclusive scientist William Fawcett. Then she disappears. Still unclear if she knows her brother has died.

Duncan and Robert Lowery, in costume, get into a fistfight with three bad guys–including exceptionally bad actor Lee Roberts–getting things to a draw, which is better than usual for Batman and Robin. Usually they just get beat up.

Well, Duncan does get beat up. But anyway.

The best scene is the Wizard blathering on about his awesome invisibility invention. It’s at least a fun silly as opposed to a dumb silly. Even if Roberts is in the scene to drag it down.

Batman and Robin (1949) ch12 – Robin Rides the Wind

The chapter title, Robin Rides the Wind, got me hoping Robin would jump out of a plane or something. Without a chute. Sad spoiler: he doesn’t.

The chapter does clear one of the Wizard suspects, which would probably be more effective if the character–played by Michael Whalen–appeared more often. He doesn’t appear often. He appears three times. Including this chapter.

So it’s not him. But radio broadcaster Rick Vallin is still a suspect (sort of). He’s revealing secret police information over his radio show again. Out of his living room broadcast studio.

The chapter does have Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan running around a big house’s grounds in costume. They run rather amusingly. And there’s not a lot of action so Ira H. Morgan’s night-for-day photography is fine.

The finale of this chapter is enough like the finale of last chapter it’s getting hard to keep track. Very little happens in between the cliffhanger resolve and the new cliffhanger–after Whalen and Vallin are done with their appearances; it’s just Lowery and Duncan showing how inept they are at successfully entrapping suspects.

It’s so close to being over and it’s still so far away.

Batman and Robin (1949) ch11 – Robin’s Ruse

So when Robin (Johnny Duncan) is alone in the Batcave, he doesn’t use the changing room. He puts on his tights in the public area. Off-screen, sure, but Robin’s Ruse confirms it.

The titular Ruse isn’t particularly exciting. It’s fairly predictable, especially after the cliffhanger reveal at the beginning, with one adequate surprise. But for Batman and Robin, adequacy might as well be excellence.

And before the ruse, there’s even a scene with almost okay delivery from “lead” Robert Lowery–opposite William Fawcett. Once the scene’s over, Lowery’s back to his usual unbearable self.

Some good day-for-night photography from Ira H. Morgan.

Unfortunately, much of the episode is bad guy Lee Roberts barking orders at the other bad guys. Roberts is terrible. His character’s poorly written–bad ideas as expository fodder–but every one of Roberts’s deliveries is bad. The bad guy scenes, which are the serial’s main type of scene, suffer greatly.

It’s a strange sensation–Duncan and Lowery not giving the serial’s worst performances.

Batman and Robin (1949) ch10 – Batman’s Last Chance!

The chapter title, Batman’s Last Chance!, must refer to Batman’s last chance to run around in this particular drab office building. I don’t think it’s supposed to be the same one they used earlier, but it definitely appears to be the same set. The last third–maybe less but it feels like a third–of the chapter is Robert Lowery running around this office building’s corridors trying to avoid the bad guys.

Until Lowery suits up for the finale, Last Chance is one of the better chapters. It passes time with less annoyance than a usual Batman and Robin chapter. Probably because most of it is Jane Adams and her crook brother, George Offerman Jr. Everyone acts real dumb–Offerman not noticing Adams following him, the crooks locking Adams up with a live telephone, Adams calling Bruce Wayne for help instead of the cops; the list of dumb, as always, is way too long.

There’s one pleasant surprise when the possible cliffhanger device–an electrified door–doesn’t turn out to be that device. It’s a misdirection device, but not a drawn out one. Works better in the chapter. Provides something like drama.

If only Lowery were able to convey such a thing with his acting. He and Robin Johnny Duncan could care less about their failed superhero outings endangering the general public.

Batman and Robin (1949) ch09 – The Wizard Strikes Back!

There’s some family drama for Jane Adams this chapter of Batman and Robin, as George Offerman Jr. returns to provide the main story for The Wizard Strikes Back! Otherwise, it’s just Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan goofing off and being lousy superheroes.

Besides watching Lowery’s Batman cape flail as he tries to flag down a car (the mysterious Wizard has remotely disabled his car), the most amusing moment is when Lowery gets he and Duncan’s costumes from the file cabinet drawer. Duncan waits for Lowery to get his own out. Because they have to be together when they change, because Duncan–especially in this chapter–is just Lowery’s sidekick. There are a couple moments where Duncan gets to trouble first then just hangs back for Lowery to catch up. It really drags things down.

Still, the Wizard stuff is fine. Offerman’s better than the regular cast members.

Another dumb logic moment comes when police commissioner Lyle Talbot visits Lowery for crime-fighting advice. Not Lowery as Batman, but Lowery as Bruce Wayne. He and Adams are sitting around the suburban homestead, waiting for their lunch. Why Adams never wonders why layabout Lowery is always so involved… it gives her an impossible part.

Other cast members don’t get impossible roles, they just flub the ones they get. But the writing on Adams’s part is dreadful.

Batman and Robin itself isn’t dreadful. It’s just bad. And endlessly repetitive (but without a lot of repeat footage, it’s just the same serial set pieces, over and over, in different locations).

Batman and Robin (1949) ch08 – Robin Meets the Wizard!

Robin Meets the Wizard! does indeed feature Johnny Duncan’s Robin meeting the Wizard. The masked, unknown (undoubtedly until the last chapter) Wizard knocks Duncan out while Duncan’s on lookout. More like the boy blunder. Wokka wokka.

Other than the chapter title actually referring to an event in the chapter, there’s nothing distinctive about this one. Oh, except Robert Lowery’s Batman teasing and humiliating Jane Adams. Misogyny is cool in Gotham City.

The music, chosen by from existing material by Mischa Bakaleinikoff, is once again rather effective. Bakaleinikoff is about the only one on Batman and Robin doing good work.

For whatever reason, maybe because it’s the “more than halfway” point, Wizard repeats a long sequence with a remote controlled submarine going to the Wizard’s lair. It was all right the first time. It’s still sort of all right here, but it’s clearly a time waster. Batman and Robin is already enough of a waste of time. When it wastes time wasting time it’s excruciating.

The cliffhanger resolution at the open is lifted from the previous Batman serial (without the production values) and the cliffhanger at the end of this chapter’s rather tepid.

Batman and Robin is an unrewarding chore.

Batman and Robin (1949) ch07 – The Fatal Blast

Shockingly, there is actually a blast in The Fatal Blast. Sadly it seems unlikely to be fatal enough, as there are eight more chapters to go. Not even halfway through Batman and Robin.

After the cliffhanger resolution, which is yet another boring one, everyone thinks–as always–Batman and Robin are dead. Even butler Alfred (Eric Wilton), which gives Robert Lowery the chance to tease him.

Then Lowery and Johnny Duncan, out of costume, go visit police commissioner Lyle Talbot–apparently as concerned citizens (again, why doesn’t Jane Adams ever wonder why Lowery cares so much about law enforcement when he’s just a layabout blue blood). That meeting with Talbot just leads to everyone again suspecting Rick Vallin of being the masked villain, the Wizard, but the serial makes sure to throw some suspicion William Fawcett’s way.

Adams does finally ask Lowery–in costume as Batman–why he’s driving Bruce Wayne’s car. Lowery doesn’t have a good answer, so he steals Adams’s keys. But she outsmarts him. She’s got a spare.

There’s more bumping into one another–but not bumbling–thugs, some Batman climbing around outdoors (his only apparent skill in the serial), and then the cliffhanger. With that (sadly non-fatal) blast.

It’s beyond tedious.

Batman and Robin (1949) ch06 – Target – Robin!

Sadly, Johnny Duncan’s Robin is not actually a target in Target – Robin!. The chapter wouldn’t be any more compelling if he were, but it get Batman and Robin moving in a new direction. Instead, it’s more of the same. Tepid cliffhanger resolution, bad acting from Robert Lowery and Duncan, some more costumed adventuring, a quick appearance from Jane Adams, Don C. Harvey giving the only thing approaching an adequate performance.

This chapter has the added stupidity of Lowery disguising himself as a thug (who is in police custody). None of the bad guys notice Lowery isn’t their pal. At first it seems like it’s because he’s got on a head bandage. Then the head bandage comes off and they still aren’t sure he’s not their pal. Maybe there was a missing page in the script where Lowery puts on some makeup?

The serial’s not exactly trying, it’s just mindnumbing. Lowery’s such a bad lead. Duncan’s such a bad sidekick. Adams is so pointless. At least when the bad guys are all bumping into each other running around Batman and Robin amuses.

It’s not even half over and there’s nothing to suggest it’s ever going to get any better. Or even more amusing.

Though, once again, Ira H. Morgan’s day-for-night photography is perfectly good… just so long as it’s not an action shot.

Batman and Robin (1949) ch05 – Robin Rescues Batman!

Once again, the chapter title doesn’t have much to do with the chapter. Robin Rescues Batman. Okay, sure. If you count Robin (Johnny Duncan) hiding until the bad guys leave with the stolen formula then going in and checking on an unconscious Batman (Robert Lowery). The bad guys have this extended escape sequence–Batman and Robin’s secret to serial mediocrity, even with the bad acting from the leads and the goofy costumes, is how well director Bennet paces the action.

It goes on and on. But it’s always active. There’s always something. Except when it’s Lowery and Duncan trying to figure things out. Then it just hangs; Lowery’s a fun kind of bad in costume and an intolerable kind of it as Bruce Wayne.

Anyway. Eventually Lowery and Duncan figure out what’s going on with the bad guys, thanks to Jane Adams. She shows up looking to take pictures and spots the bad guys. Including her brother (George Offerman Jr.).

There’s then this subplot about Adams trying to figure out what to do with Offerman while lead thug Don C. Harvey–who really does keep the serial afloat with his professionalism–fighting with the masked, mysterious Wizard to save Offerman’s life.

There’s a fight scene finishing the chapter. On the docks. Batman versus like five bad guys. He holds his own, which is weird since three of them kick his butt in the opening.

Ira H. Morgan’s day-for-night photography is almost good, but he can’t do the action with it. It’d be nice for something in the serial to actually succeed. Maybe someday.