Batman and Robin - The Complete 1949 Movie Serial Collection
(Columbia Pictures)

This is not the caped crusader of the new millennium: there’s no super-charged Batmobile that can wrap itself in armor, or really no special effects to speak of at all. Batman’s (Robert Lowery) costume could use some serious tailoring, he’s a little on the porky side and Robin looks like a gang member from West Side Story when he’s in his street clothes. His arch-enemy The Wizard has a hard time keeping his ‘remote control machine alive’ and the only harm it really does is to stop traffic. Not particularly nefarious, but heck – it’s 1949 and Batman’s driving a beat-up Plymouth convertible! Since it’s a 15-part serial, every episode ends in a cliff-hanger that you know our boys or the winsome Vicki Vale will get out of by the following week, but in the end it’s all good fun and yet another entry in the Dark Knight’s film and TV legacy. - David Bassin