Batman - The 1940s Serials

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Agent Richard07, Jul 10, 2012.

  1. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    I like this idea of a period Batman. If I were doing a retro Batmobile I don't think you need to adapt an existing car. Maybe I'd start with something like a '48 or '49. Cadillac as a template and work from there. I could envision something of a bat like symbol incorporated into the front end and bat fins integrated into the rear fenders without getting too outlandish.

    I don't think you could do Lucius Fox in the '40s except as technical guy. Certainly not as someone running Wayne Enterprises.

    I'd continue to ignore Robin.
     
  2. doubleohfive

    doubleohfive Fleet Admiral

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    Two Batmans are still two Batmans. No matter how different they are, the possibility remains for market saturation.
     
  3. Agent Richard07

    Agent Richard07 Admiral Admiral

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    I wouldn't mind seeing a version of Batman Beyond that's a continuation of the Adam West series. I'm sure West would jump at the opportunity.

    I'd probably give him a regular-looking car that has a lot of hidden features and weaponry, similar to the Green Hornet's car or KITT.
     
  4. Vendikarr

    Vendikarr Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    One of the key points of Batman Beyond is that we have the legacy right there in our face, with Bruce Wayne as McGinnis' support staff. We accept McGinnis because Wayne has given him is blessing and costume.

    Showing Bruce Wayne alive in the future can be seen to negate any sense of danger the character may face in a film series set 'now.' Part of the thrill is for youngsters to believe the villain can kill Batman during the battle. That thrill is gone if he is shown alive in the Beyond movie the kids saw six months ago.

    Yea, each film series having its own Bruce Wayne may negate that, but that would only confuse people about why there are two Waynes.

    At least the way studio execs would justify it.
     
  5. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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  6. Gojira

    Gojira Commodore Commodore

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    Those flying scenes are really good!!
     
  7. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    The comics Batmobiles of the '40s were usually just ordinary cars with a bat-head symbol on the front and a vertical batwing fin on the roof/rear. This is a typical example.


    Lucius Fox didn't exist in the comics until 1979, and his role as Batman's tech guy is unique to the Nolan films (although the comics in recent years have given Lucius a similar role).


    Actually I think Robin probably makes more sense in a period context than he does today, because laws and attitudes about child labor were a lot more lax. Although he'd probably make more sense as a lookout, helper, equipment manager (a "batboy," so to speak), and the like than someone who's in there participating directly in the fistfights and shootouts.



    They did that on Kim Possible, in the episode "The Fearless Ferret." (Riffing on the fact that Will Friedle, the voice of Ron Stoppable, was also the voice of Terry McGinnis.)
     
  8. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    A period film would allow you to do some things that mightn't have occurred to the comic's creative team while toning down some of the things they did do.

    A possible conceptual starting point for a '40s era Batmobile.

    [​IMG]
     
  9. marillion

    marillion Vice Admiral Admiral

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    ^^ Slick auto... Part of me is tickled, however, at the thought of Bats using a souped up Tucker Torpedo...
     
  10. Admiral James Kirk

    Admiral James Kirk Writer Admiral

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    I think that torpedo would need fins on the back and a bat head on the hood before I'd buy it as a batmobile.
     
  11. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    I'm thinking of playing around with sketches and Photoshop to see what I can come up with.
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2012
  12. Admiral James Kirk

    Admiral James Kirk Writer Admiral

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  13. Kirkman1987

    Kirkman1987 Commodore Commodore

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    I don't want to touch on modern cgi too much, I'll just say I prefer physical effects. I have no real problem with the animation, I just prefer the Captain Marvel stuff. Does anyone have any idea who did the superman animation for this? The serial was made by Columbia, but I don't think Columbia had an animation department.

    I don't know how cheap or expensive the animation was. I don't buy the compositing argument. compositing an animated superman onto the frame shouldn't be harder than having to draw layouts and backgrounds for the entire sequence. It's just a matter of photographing a cell over the live action frame. It may have been costly, but let's not pretend this one character being animated is like a Fleischer short or something.

    They actually wanted to do a live action flying superman, but had problems pulling it off. It was only then that they fired the flying effects guys and resorted to animation.

    I prefer the Marvel effects, but I give them kudos for at least having Superman fly. Serials were made so cheaply, they could have just had the flying offscreen or take out that element completely, but they didn't.

    I love that classic car. It would be an awesome batmobile.
     
  14. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    I did a search, and apparently Columbia did have an in-house animation department that released a series of cartoon shorts in the 1940s, but it closed in 1948, just before the first Superman serial. The director of those cartoons, Howard Swift, had gone on to open his own studio, and he did the special animation effects for the serials.


    I was comparing the cost to that of live-action film by itself. It's more expensive to animate something on top of a live-action plate than it is just to show the live-action footage by itself.

    Still, all the sources do claim that the animated flying sequences were done because of the low budget, which seems odd to me. Maybe animators just weren't paid very well back then?


    Personally I'd rather see Superman turn into a cartoon that can move fluidly and swoop all over the place than see Captain Marvel turn into a rigid dummy gliding in a straight line. Apparently audiences at the time felt more like you do, though, and didn't respond well to the animation.
     
  15. DWF

    DWF Admiral Admiral

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    If I remember correectly the flying dummy effect was used at the most three times, the rest of the time they used effects simular to what we'd see on The Adventures Of Superman series.
     
  16. The Borgified Corpse

    The Borgified Corpse Admiral Admiral

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    Batman was also a government agent in the 1966 Adam West movie.

    I love the 1943 serial as a strange example of WWII propaganda.

    One thing about the 1943 serial that stuck out to me what Batman's undercover gangster alter ego, Chuck White. This especially tickled me when I found out that Chuck White was also the name of the new regional manager at the call center where I used to work.
     
  17. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Not in the sense I mean. In the '43 serial he was a secret agent working for the federal government, with his true identity known to his superiors, and his mandate was to battle spies, saboteurs, and enemies of the United States rather than fighting domestic crime. In the '66 series and film, Batman was a duly deputized officer of the Gotham City Police Department, which was unaware of his true identity.
     
  18. marillion

    marillion Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Yes please!

    I'm wondering how the comic version of the car (which had the big bat face on the front) would work with the center swiveling headlight... I can imagine the bat face turning back and forth with the light coming out of its eyes!! :cool:
     
  19. Warped9

    Warped9 Admiral Admiral

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    It shouldn't be too hard to incorporate a bat "face" into the front of the car. And while I wouldn't go with the overdone wing on the roof it shouldn't be too hard to integrate wings into the design. It would be distinctive without being ridiculous.

    Although I'm primarily thinking of appearance now I could see incorporating hidden things that could be useful, similar to previous gadgets we've seen on the Batmobile as well as Bond's Aston Martion. A bullet-proof shield that rises at the back. Did they have bullet-proof glass in the '40s? Well, it's Batman so I suppose he could have it even if it didn't actually exist yet.
     
  20. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    http://www.angelfire.com/rock3/civil/history1.html
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletproof_glass#Construction
    So it would've been available, but would've been unwieldy and added a lot of weight to a '40s Batmobile.