Batman 1943 The Electrical Brain

[kattphive]

wow. I only found out about this batman series from when I was looking around on the playstation network. but I didn't want to spend like $3 per episode. hooray for youtube

[jaycr2006]

This is better than Schumacher's Batman and Robin.

[metaltera86]

The good ol days when we used tubes rather than transistors..

[snuhr]

hilarious mask of Batman

one would think they would think of something better even then

[alucard624]

One thing I really like about the old serials is that the fight scenes were pretty intense and just all out brawlers. Too bad stuff today is so choreographed and edited to the point that you can't tell what's going on.

[dil007britt]

Why so Serious

[MrFrontrowkid]

It was this serial that the TV series took its inspiration. Granted the plot was melodramatic and the situations implausible, but look at the James Bond/Star Wars/Raiders of the Lost Ark. All of them copied from the old serials and look at the box office returns.

[MrFrontrowkid]

@Godzilla370: I didn't see the documentary you referred to with Bob Kane commenting on the movie Batman. I did read an interview Kane did which was published in a Batman cartoon anthology in the Sixties. He was at a party where Robert Lowery was a guest. When the host introduced Lowery to Kane, Lowery supposedly said "So you're the guy who ruined my career." Lowery played a lot of B movie characters in serials and features. When I posted this comment, I caught flack from his son and other folks.

[Shoknifeman]

A Tatra 97 would have made a much better Batmobile.... it would have only needed a LARGER rear fin to look like the machine in the comics of that time

[PudoozaTheConquer]

screw politically correct b.s! thats just how it was back then, different time, this was a propaganda piece of its time, i loved when batmans cigs fell out at one point lol best part of this series.

[Melicioel7]

I decided today was batman marathon day,so i'm going from here till The Dark Knight :D

[MrFrontrowkid]

If you want to see another example of the old serials, look at the early James Bond films, specifcally Goldfinger. He had a lot of gadgets he carried around and a nifty car that had an ejector button on the gearshift.

[MrFrontrowkid]

I would love to know the average age of all you guys on this post. Do you have a job or some touch with reality. I can't believe the young people of today who are still reading comic books and psychoanalyzing the characters. It's like the women and their soap operas. They will discuss the characters and their dilemmas as if it was all really happening.

[Skeletonwitharaygun]

@MrFrontrowkid

Im 22

I have a Job.

Currently going to veterinary school.

I have a girlfriend and have been with her for awhile now.

Batman and comics have always been close to my heart ever since I was a child.

Life is pretty pointless.You just have to do what makes you happy while your alive.

And that's what people that are fans of this stuff are doing.

Why tell them that there's something wrong with what they like? What they do in their spare time?

It's all just....fun

[gunner753]

this is gold :D

[evhify]

robin looks like Bud Bundy from "Married...with children".

[theYguy300]

I don't why that one guy had to write that book how supposedly comics had some subliminal homo erotic messages. Hated that. I mean I know many kids and teens revolted when parents tried to stop them from reading comics, but comics could have been a major seller like stupid mangas are

[MrFrontrowkid]

@theYguy300 "That one guy" was Dr. Frederic Wertham, a psychologist with the New York penal system. He was interviewing young men in prison, trying to find out what made them bad. He discovered that they all read comic books, particularly those which featured sadism and violence. From that came the National Comic Book code where the publishers censured themselves. Ifyou read some of the comics from that period, you will understand why they were censured.

[TwigDjango]

@MrFrontrowkid Wertham was a quack with a grudge against the comic book medium, and a lot of his findings were fabricated. When he published his novel 'Seduction of the Innocent', it destroyed the comic book industry, an institution that is only now gaining the recognition it rightfully deserves, over fifty years too late.

[jaycr2006]

@MrFrontrowkid the became bad because they were raised by really bad families with stupid parents or no parents at all and comics were the only escape from that crappy life. That Dr needed to get laid and leave people alone.

[Anonymous01959]

Cheap costume but what do you expect they were to cheap to even try and make that car look like a batmobile

[sirfrunky]

suddenly i feel like i need to favorite this. . . batman. . .

[egogo816]

Thank you so much I love Batman....He is the greatest superhero....It is amazing to watch a man who has been shellshocked by the events in his life could be so noble and good....I can relate.....Batman Forever!!

[S0ryiu]

@egogo816 but he's not noble and good, he's unstable and almost as bad as those he brings in... that has always been the point of batman, is he really helping or harming the city?

[egogo816]

@S0ryiu Well I could understand ur argument...A vigilante type character that takes the law into his own hands rather than let the police handle...And i could understand that he only saves people's lives because someone took the people most important to him rather than just wanting to do it because he cares...But think about it this way....Gotham City is like a corrupt and violent nation where the police cannot do anything...Who looks out for innocent people wacked off there or murdered, Batman!

[egogo816]

@S0ryiu But what is the beauty of his character is that he never vanquishes the villian in a murderous and sadistic way....He simply roughs them up a bit and then above all...and this is important....Lets the Law Handle It...He will never take a life but he catches the criminal and lets the justice system that is trying to reform in Gotham handle it.....And that is why I relate to Batman so much because eventhough he never wanted to he is paying it forward for the tragedy of losing his parents

[egogo816]

@S0ryiu I went through a serious depression and never thought that I would be paying it forward through my songs to help other people out who went through the exact same situation..Nobody plans on being that chivalric figure or heroic superhero like Batman....It just happens from what we go through....haha....Sorry if my comment is so long....:)

[S0ryiu]

@egogo816but he's not heroic, he's selfish. (it just happens that his self gratifying behavior does help the people sometimes) When Dick became Nightwing, that was a "heroic" version of a Batman like character. (I'm not saying I dislike Batman, I love reading the stories about that lunatic. But to truly underst and and enjoy the depth of the psychology the writers weave into the comics, you have to understand that he is not a hero.)

[63thekey]

i think the dark forces of nature have killed the wonderman and in the process has exposed them all..... black ops, imagination, belief..... all has been revealed...read all about it.......

[63thekey]

i think the dark forces of nature have killed the wonderman and in the process has exposed them all..... black ops, imagination, belief..... all has been revealed

[63thekey]

i think the dark forces of nature have killed the wonderman and in the process has exposed them all.....

[ANDY82ize]

I like how NO ONE seems to notice batman unmasking himself in broad daylight.

[63thekey]

@ANDY82ize lol.....andy..... i would not say no one... i would say... everyone

[63thekey]

@ANDY82ize lol.....andy..... i would not say no one... i would say... everyone,,,,, notices

[FiswaT]

Wow, this is awesome

[57stewie]

That is the coolest Batmobile I have ever seen!!!!!!!

[KdogPrime]

@57stewie Actually it made me cringe, this is clearly before Wayne made his millions.

[57stewie]

@KdogPrime I know, me too, I was being sarcastic, I guess that doesn't really come through in text.

[northshorechas]

Look here, I don't like that Batmobile much!

[Kriskazam]

Robin looks like Eraserhead

[Chicra100]

I for one love the fact the cowl is actualy made from CLOTH not rubber (tim burton 89 to present) even the adam west cowl was fiberglass and satin. Don't get me wrong; i love the look of the rubber suits(with the exception of the nipples)

but it's just cool to see a cloth one. Not a fan of the cape though; too sort.

[superhamzah85]

It's a black...........tank?

lol@masks off in the car but costume on.

[Shoknifeman]

@superhamzah85 its a Cadillac, actually

[Littlesuperhero101]

wow i wish i had this

[themanwithnonose]

nice batmobile, hahaha

[Batman27DC]

where did you get this serial from, its such good quality the one i have is terrible :( please answer! :)

[starkiller20293]

Ah the introduction of the Batcave. This was shortly incorporated into the comics

[AcePilot101]

People in 1943 weren't brainwashed by gay activists.

It was a far more innocent era.

[jokergioele]

non pensavo che ne esistessero cosi vecchi

[Godzilla370]

apparently when i was watching a documentry on batman the creator of batman which is bob kane didnt like the actors who played batman and robin he thought batman was a bit over weight and robin was a guy in his 20's trying to be a 15 year old

[SuperWolsey]

@Godzilla370 Only John Duncan (in the 1949 serial) was 26 though. Douglas Croft (the Robin here) was in his mid teens.

Here's a suprising Batman/007 trivia for those who don't know: Michael G Wilson is the son of the dude who play Bats in this serial.

[onlyone23km]

classic! I'm rockin' the '49" serials in other words I own it!

[twitfaceeee]

WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!!



[couchfort]

man, they really overlit this whole thing.

[Ancavge]

why does batman have devil horns?

[SuperWolsey]

@Ancavge They sort of looked that way (albeit short in his first appearance) in the early Batman stories prior to Robin's debut in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940)

[snakes3425]

Irony is Bob Kane, Batman's creator hated this serial

[speedsurfer123]

@snakes3425

Yet he loved the Tv Series=P

[snakes3425]

@speedsurfer123

When the TV Series came out, Batman was in danger of being canceled

[speedsurfer123]

@snakes3425

I know

[tallpaul88]

"...a crushing blow against the forces of evil"? It's the Batman!

[bluemensch]

Looks like Batman in his early years when he was still honing his fighting skills :p

Least Robin puts up a good struggle, far cry from the stupid 60s show.

[crazynick66]

lewis was the orginal batman and will always be but everyone knows we like chirstian bale as batman insted of some diff guy

[Truth4Power]

Robin looks like Bud Bundy.

[miserylein]

Somehow they're really cute :D But the Batmobile sucks. *g*

And there's no Batman without a Robin...I always prefered him!

[PreacherTHC]

the bat-mobile is....Well Pretty lame!

[Carthsting]

Intro music is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­o

[kejaris]

lol batman uses a pay phone

[Bertisevil666]

I like how Batman was basically a brutal brawler in these old serials. The new movies definitely took a cue from these, unlike the 1990's-1960's stuff.

[AleysterCrowleyPE]

SHOW DE BOLA... UMA GRANDE RARIDADE

[ironbuttermilk]

These costumes suck so bad, like baggy pajamas. The cowl is the worst!

I never thought Robin made Batman seem Gay, I related to Robin as a kid, he gave me the opportunity to imagine a kid like me could have such adventures.

[friday0505]

wow

[alfayhaa3]

This is Great Movie About Japs

[flapdoodle64]

Still better than Batman Begins or Dark Knight.

[jackmansgirl777]

Agreed.

[Mybucketgone]

I like how Robin isn't a total tool in this.

[EyEnOtgAy]

@Mybucketgone holy toolbelt batman

[WwfHerosAndVillains]

awesome

[fflybz]

Batman's kinda hot.

[therudeboy77]

This serial is awesome and portrays Batman as dark and mysterious as Batman was meant to be!

[pornzebracom]

batman rules

[jksonny]

Batman doesn't seem very busy. His desk is completely clear; no papers, pens, files, etc. He doesn't even have a phone.

[thomasjaffray]

@jksonny

he doesn't need any as it is all in his head, he's plotting (touches finger tips menacingly)

[KdogPrime]

@jksonny This Batman is clearly a minimalist.

[NodDisciple1]

@jksonny That's how epic he is. XD

[buddyeagle]

@jksonny Lazy Bruce Wayne, that's what playboys do.

[frankvonfrauner]

@jksonny He was pondering.

[geoscience]

I like this. A more realistic approach to batman. He is serious and he takes his job that way, too.

[imperialpod]

Maybe but 1.47 is just TERRIBLE....

Batman and Robin...

'Represent American youth and are proud of their country and are glad to fight for it'

You can can almost see uncle Sam sitting next to George Bush senior rubbing their greasy paws together counting the cash.

[cenax3]

didnt lewis wilson die in 2000?

[fidan2fast]

why did they add sidekicks like robin with superheroes, they made them look gayish

but I love batman

[FanOfBats]

Because at the time comic books were read by 8 yr old boys and when they included Robin in Batman sales supposedly went through the roof. I love Robin with Batman, and he makes Batman stories better.

[starkiller20293]

@FanOfBats How? Batman was alot better without that little 8 year old shit.

[TheRobintheboywonder]

@fidan2fast The original was gay,But the new side kicks like nightwing,azreal etc are really not

[Treemeadow]

@TheRobintheboywonder

LOL, you mean the original RObin was gay?

but Nightwing isn't?

ROFLCOPTER TIMES 10000! they're the same person.

[TheRobintheboywonder]

@Treemeadow NO,The 60's tv show version.Seriously,In all the comics,NO ONE was that gay.He also never said "holy"

[Treemeadow]

@TheRobintheboywonder lol, yeah, that was on purpose. They tried to camp that show up so much. The guy who produced it hated comics and thought it would only work if it was campy.

[nestersg]

@fidan2fast

Or I could ask why does it matter if Batman is gay?

[nestersg]

@fidan2fast

And also in that time period no one would have thought of that. I would have been far to shocking for that culture.

[Godzilla370]

@fidan2fast when i watched a documentry on batman once it said that he was quite lonely and needed someone to talk to him on the comics so they invented robin the idea of robin camed from robin hood

[mfbinc]

@fidan2fast so that little kids could connect to the comic book....

[S0ryiu]

@fidan2fast You obviously haven't seen the Robins that are in the cannon comics circa 1987-present... especially the current version of Tim Drake, they are brilliant.

[marcoy145]

@fidan2fast RIGHT ON, I ABSOLUTLEY HATE ROBIN, HE DESTROYED THE AMBIANCE OF BATMAN

[Skeletonwitharaygun]

@marcoy145

Have you ever read the comics?

Robin is a cool character and adds alot.

Batman wanting some kind of family.

Seeing part of himself in robin...Understanding his pain over losing his parents and wanting revenge.

[Skeletonwitharaygun]

@fidan2fast

You're fucking retarded.

[partikc]

@fidan2fast sidekicks are for explaining plot details... because batman explaining his plans to the screen would seem strange.

[ysbaddaden2003]

I can see Linda and Bruce banging boots now and she says, "Look, keep your hands out of there."

[StarWarsFanUltimate]

5:37

hahhaa it sounds wrong

[lbochardv]

por que no puedo acceder al cap. 15 de batman 1943 y los cap. 11, 12, 13, 14 y 15 de batman y robin 1949?

[FanOfBats]

Hola,, mi espanol is muy terrible. mi 1949 Batman cap, 11-15 es alterado o ...denado?  No bueno y impossible para youtube. Yo no tengo 11-15. :(

[Jeff98177]

1943: First Batman movie serial.

1966 (23 years later): Batman TV show.

1989 (23 years later): Batman movie.

Wonder what's coming in 2012?

[iscreamer1]

the sequel to dark knight i guess

[emoviebuff87]

the kid douglas croft died not long after this serial.

[thiscantbesustained]

@emoviebuff87 He died 20 years later.

[WatchVenusSpa]

Awesome!

These would have been a HUGE web series hit had they been done today. Imagine Christian Bale as Batman in a big budget web series!!

[geoscience]

He'd curse you out for suggesting that.

[kellylizzz]

hahahhahahhahahahahahahahhahah­aha

[TankMurdock]

this shit is better than the dark knight

if you dont think so, then fuck you asshole!

[StarWarsFanUltimate]

like the terminator quote TankMurdock

[rathraven1313]

The second serial actually is better then this one.

[taboohunter101]

what is it with the batman loggo tattooed on the foreheads of the capture criminals. is that like" z" for Zorro.

[geoscience]

BATMAN was inspired by zorro ( in his world)

[jointron33]

@geoscience But in our world he's a rip-off of the Shadow.

[powerpc127]

HAHA they call that a batmobile?

[mp01juve]

yeah, lacking any battish qualities. regardless it being 1943, they could have stuck a couple of batwings on it

[BizarroAntiSuperman9]

@mp01juve In 1943, the Batmobile didn't exist yet. Bats just drove an old fashion car.

[kdemonde]

Well it was 1943....... they tried.

[winguln]

Fantastic.

[williamwdavis]

Hey, its not "The Batman"...its just "Batman", dammit!

That always pissed Bruce off.

[Ironman29758]

well in his first appearance in the comics he was called The Bat-man which is basiaclly the batman and he didn't complain at all

[alprincex7]

Oh, a very old Batman

[THOUSANDAlRE]

it seems like the 60's series borrowed heavily from this.

[DNchap1417]

Yes of COURSE it does! The 60s show follows the same style and format, except that it's goofier and in colour!

[Nuclearman2]

The 1966 show is basically spoofing the idea of a superhero serial, with an over-the-top narrator and ridiculous trap-cliffhangers where the heroes use crushing deus-ex machina to escape death.

[m3shad]

LOL I used to own this on vhs when i was a kid ..brings me back

[JMaxwell85]

Very interesting to see. The first ever film version of Batman.

[MonsterZERO78]

This is hella cool my friend. thank you for the upload!

[ZiggyStardust35]

Wow! Fantastic post! I remember my father showing me this when I was a kid. We had the two-volume VHS set!

Awesome! Thanks for this! :)

[lalbruiz]

chastxpoet :"What makes this short clip even more interesting is that the newspaper boy is Bob Kane himself in a cameo. " That is such a interesting fact, thank you for mentioning it. Bob Kane looks so young then, amazing clip.

[lalbruiz]

<LOL, I thought Batman was going to kiss Robin at the beginning, while he was interrupted in his snoring...ha, haaa...these unfortunate characters will never have rest concerning jikes about their "orientation", so to speak...LOL, "Uhhh, Robin, do you have a quarter?" "Hey dude, nice Batmobile!!!"...sorry, had to get those bad jokes out of my system...

[tequilasunrise744]

lol, that's a mannequin in the beginning.

[fromthesidelines]

"THE GREEN HORNET" began in 1936 as a radio series, 'Chrome' (from the same producer who brought you "THE LONE RANGER"), eventually finding his way into comic books and a daily newspaper strip [and the short-lived 1966-'67 TV version]. The movie serial was more reflective of the radio show...

[zanzalot]

Batman: Robin quick! To the bedroom!

Robin: That's a swell idea!

[zanzalot]

Batman the secretary.

[fromthesidelines]

Columbia created dozens of serials featuring famous "comic book" (and "strip") characters during the '40s and '50s; who could forget the two "Superman" serials Sam Katzman produced for them starring Kirk Alyn? If the "superhero" was popular enough- and the rights to produce them reasonable enough- you would see them in 12 to 15 weekly chapters at your local theater. This was "Batman's" screen debut, topically fighting an "axis" foe during World War II...it gets better as the story unfolds.

[ChromeGhost0219]

not to mention the green hornet serial

[apvideogame]

Why is Robin the car?

[ick13]

I don't think its possible for Robin to be the car....

[chastxpoet]

What makes this short clip even more interesting is that the newspaper boy is Bob Kane himself in a cameo.

[deadman00]

really?

wow!

[PrinceCaranA]

I wonder what they were doing in that safe in the first place XD awesome movie though!

[Jac2Mac]

Doesn't the opening title look like the one in the 1966 campy Batman show?

[diddymuck]

remarkably well done for the limits of the budget. If only they could have put an insignia on the car to make it more "Bat-ish".

[tubomi0]

Golly, that Batmobile sure is swell.

[goodguysbadguys]

You'r right. On my episodes there is an other voiceover. So weird.

Could it be a joke by the Joker??

[Timmyfunk1]

The narration on the version you have is designed to hide the anti-Japanese sentiment that was prevalent at the time.

[pedalbin]

Many thanks for posting, this is great!

[DNchap1417]

I understand... Just look at the release date... It's 1943-- at the peak of World War II, and like all other contemporary movies and serials, it contains some anti-Japanese content.

[FanOfBats]

I am having trouble with the rest of the 1948 serial, I think the files got corrupted somehow. I am really sorry about that to anbody who was enjoying it.