Batman (1943) on Netflix
NR19434h 20mActionAdventureCrime
Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, Batman and Robin, work as secret government agents after Pearl Harbor. A ring led by Dr. Tito Daka has abducted the uncle of Bruce's girlfriend, Linda Page.
- Netflix3.0/5
- IMDb6.0/102,812 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
In wartime Gotham City, Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson hold credentials as secret agents of the U.S. government, and their city has become a target for enemy sabotage. The man behind it is Dr. Tito Daka, an agent of the Japanese Imperial government, who works from a hideout in the deserted Little Tokyo section. Daka's American henchmen carry out his orders, and one man he controls through an electronic brain implant obeys him by microphone. Linda Page, Bruce's girlfriend, enlists his help in the search for her uncle, Martin Warren, missing since his release from prison. Daka needs Warren to tell him where the city keeps its radium, the element his hand-held raygun runs on.
Cast
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Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Batman (1943)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The 1943 serial was the first film appearance of Batman and introduced lasting mythos elements, including the Batcave and its secret entrance through a grandfather clock in Wayne Manor.
- The serial changed Alfred's look in future Batman comics: before its release Alfred was drawn as a portly gentleman, but subsequent issues showed him slim with a thin mustache, following actor William Austin's portrayal.
- J. Carrol Naish was originally cast as the Joker, but the character was changed to a Japanese supervillain suitable to the patriotic wartime plotline.
- Because of a low budget, no Batmobile was built; a black 1939 Cadillac Series 61 convertible chauffeured by Alfred stood in, driven top-up as the Batmobile and top-down as Bruce Wayne's car.
- Film censors forced Batman to be a secret government agent instead of an independent vigilante, because they would not allow the hero to be seen taking the law into his own hands.
- In 1964, Hugh Hefner screened all 15 chapters at the Playboy Mansion; press coverage led Columbia to reissue the serial in 1965 as An Evening with Batman and Robin, which inspired the 1960s Batman TV series developed by Lorenzo Semple Jr. under producers William Dozier and Howie Horwitz.
- GoodTimes' 1990 VHS of the serial dubbed over most of its racist dialogue; under Sony ownership, alterations were limited to the soundtrack, with Gary Owens narrating and voice actors replacing racist lines.
