MYSTERY OF THE BATMAN! (1930's) Chapter 1 - "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate"
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2016
- The FINAL CHAPTER is coming soon: • MYSTERY OF THE BAT-MAN...
Chapter 1 of 6.
Facebook.com/MysteryoftheBatman, BigJohnCreations.com
Here it is... Chapter 1, completely uncut, with a special introduction by Michael Monroe, Dean of Film Studies at the Dini College of Arts. Monroe is the author of "WHAT'S IN YOUR SERIAL? THE BUSTER CRABBE STORY."
Discovered in December, 2015, MYSTERY OF THE BATMAN is a little-known serial which would have featured the first appearance of DC Comics' Batman, in any medium, outside of comic books.
Young "Batman" author, Bob Kane, had gone to Hollywood, early in his career, in the hopes of pitching The Caped Crusader as the star of a film series. This was just as the character was being introduced in the pages of DETECTIVE COMICS magazine.
Originally intended for twelve chapters, MYSTERY OF THE BATMAN was produced by BJC Pictures, an obscure poverty row studio, which went bankrupt with only six episodes filmed and completed.
All of the studio's assets were thought to have been destroyed, until a massive collection of 16mm prints, video transfers and original posters turned up in a barn outside of Beeville, Texas.
Thanks to the passionate effort of historians and fans, the existing chapters of MYSTERY are currently undergoing an extensive digital restoration.
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Before anyone feels too clever, I'm sure by now it's obvious this project was produced in 2016, and in NO WAY is intended to be anything other than a loving parody.
This short film was done in good fun, as a love letter to the history of Batman and his family. Please stay tuned till the very end for the proper credits.
Thank you!
- Ryan Bijan, Director
Chapter 6 NOW PLAYING: czcams.com/video/Bi-qoKcTdtg/video.html
I'm not gonna lie your introduction literally fooled me. It wasn't until the film started that I thought this was genuinely a lost film serial. 😂 Well done.
Thank you! It's all part of the fun.
@@BigJohnCreations Ingenious! Reminiscent of Peter Jackson's Forgotten Silver
I have a collection of 2000-year-old papyrus scrolls with the original Batman story. Found them in my grandpappy's barn next to an alien space ship he had hidden from the 1950's. Anyone interested?!?
Ridiculous. Everyone knows the earliest Batman stories were chiseled on the temple walls in ancient Sumeria.
Which was nice...
I have an archive all under a stone
@@BigJohnCreations 4 years later but no the original Batman stories were written on the stars before the Earth even existed
@@plantainsame2049close but the original script was cosmetically engraved into the planck epoch.
You would have completely fooled me if Bill Finger wasn't credited, but as Batman fans we all know it would be blasphemy to not credit him! This is so great
Thank you! I’m glad you get it.
The first clue was giving Bill Finger his much deserved credit. Loved it.
EXACTLY!
I saw that and alarms went off, since I know Bob Kane RIPPED OFF HIS FRIEND, Bill.... only giving him credit after Bill croaked!
@@umpygoodness2369 Roses are red. Poems are a pain. Long live Bill Finger. And to hell with Bob Kane.
The was also the reference to the shadow Novels. I don't think they would have been that brazen when the where some issues clearly lifting Concepts
Right?!
I was suspicious the moment it credited people named Neal and Adams- as in Neal Adams, the great 1970sBatman artist the inclusion of Sgt. Bullock clinched it. Most Batman fans know Harvey Bullock wasn’t a character in the 1940s.
Nor was Barbara Gordon, for that matter.
The cinematographer and director did a great job recreating the look and feel of early movie serials, however.
Even before the restoration, the 16mm print was remarkably free of dirt, scratches, gate weave, or interframe density loss. All that was needed was a little contrast.
Loved it. The costume and mask is way better than the one they used in either of the real movie serials. Well done.
Agreed
They looked floppy and unreliably loose
This one looks like it was an actual hat with some additional features
A magnificently-done homage to the old serials, played with a straight face. Loved it! YES, I'd like to see more!
It’s as if the story of The Grey Ghost has finally happened in real life. This is truly amazing & can’t wait for the rest👍
Thank you! All six episodes are currently available.
Batman super 🦇🗡️⚔️
Atmosphere, music, filming, casting is perfect. Some of the slang and expressions aren't in keeping the period, but other than that, pretty outstanding. Really like the Clark Kent cameo. Great project!
yes, only watching the first few minutes so far, but "performance artist" wasn't really a term used in the 30s, it didn't really even take off as a concept until the late 50s and the term "performance artist" didn't pop up until the 60s.
With the Clark Kent cameo we Need a Superman serial and DC 1930s-1940s universe, Who crossover in a Justice Society serial
Yeah, I agree, the antiquated form of speech was missing from the dialogue. But it was actually pretty cool, especially that superman reference. Although batman looked like he was wearing shorts and cowboy boots🤔 😅 maybe they could have given him something more adequate. Also, one thing that gave it away for me was some of the haircuts. Some looked very contemporary.
Love the Bat-Man costume! So much more believable than the over-designed, over-produced outfits in the current super-hero movies. I've watched a couple episodes of your serial and am really enjoying it so far!
Thank you for your kind words and taking the time!
at first i believed this fan show was really from 1939 until i watched a bit further, thats how great this fan show is.
We appreciate your kind words!
This is amazing news since Batman had only just started in Detective Comics that year and the quality is impressive for it's time.
This was very well-done with true knowledge of the history of Batman. Thank you for this loving homage of the character created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson,Gardner Fox,Sheldon Moldoff,Al Schwartz, Dick Sprang, etcetera.
Thank you, Richard!
Also, the police car is a dead giveaway. But I guess a Police car from the 1930’s I’d rather harder to find. But this project was beautifully done. Two thumbs up to all involved in the making of this prefect.👍🏾👍🏾
Very good. Knew it wasn't legitimately 1939 due to several things among them Barbara Gordon wasn't introduced until the 1960's. BUT I do hope they make the whole serial. I love the classic serials and wish they were brought back into the theaters.
Charles Rothenhousen FRANK ADAMS, NEAL MILLER as "Directors",,,, plus REDHOOD & STEVEN "Scarecrow" CRANE (1941) ALL in the Opening Credits was far to coincidental..
To be fair, Crane is a character from THE CASE OF THE CHEMICAL SYNDICATE story from 1939. Just not Jonathan Crane.
THAT'S how you knew?
FORGET theaters. I can't wait till most of them are parking lots.
I love how they are laughing and planning dinner in the grieving widow's face.
That time when batman looked like wolverine !
The original Bat-Man costume looked like that.
He was made first so wolverine looks like him
@@2ndretrospider602 the original Wolverine costume looked like Rey Mysterio
some of these fan made films are better than some of the professional studios,
A homage to, and thankfully no parody of, the Caped Crusander. Thank you for posting it, and thanks to all who were behind making it.
They almost captured the "Film Noir" look of the 30s and early 40s. You might already be aware of the 1940s Batman serial...It's not fan made . They we made by Columbia Motion Pictures Studio.
I do love this little film. Although some of the historical inaccuracies made it a bit less believable (Bill Finger's credit, Harvey Bullock being too early, Barbara Gordon is too early, etc.) But I always loved the old serials, that aesthetic makes it so you have to put a bit of imagination into the character. Would be great to see an accurate portrayal of batman in the 40's using the same technology of that era. Regardless of the mistakes, this was still very well done.
Thank you! However, we don't see the character inclusions as a mistake as we purposely wanted to see them in that context.
@@BigJohnCreations Definitely weren't a mistake. Rather I see it as how the studios might have done it, had they a more modern sensibility back then.
These 6 episodes are breathtaking! It feels like as if it was really made at the corner of the 1930's!
Too bad no more episodes will be produced as of now. Great job!
The way the BAT-MAN should have been done in the first place-- in period! Brilliant take!!! How come DC doesn't get this? They have no idea what's cool!
SKOOKUM! Actually GO WATCH *Bruce Timm's (2016) 75th Batmn Anniversary Animatd short (on YT)* it's Beautiful; Detective Comics #30-32 come to life!! An if your A DC Silver-Age Nut (Like me) *Batman: Brave & the Bold* is an animated serial that captures the 1950/60's Silver-Age period scope (Including Comic Covers) beautifully! AND Frank Miller's DARK KNIGHT RETURNS (Classic) is Another (not really period/1989) but The New Animatd Movie captures Miller's 4 OGN's impeccably! *DKR Is actually the Best Animatd movie, as well as BEST BATMN MOVIE that I have ever scene!*
I hope more stuff like this comes out when the original 1939 Batman becomes public domain in 2035.
I'd *_KILL_* to see someone make a '39 Batman cartoon in the style of the old Fleischer Superman shorts.
One of the best Batman Fan Films ever definite love letter to Bill Finger this is awesome
Very kind of you, Zak. Thank you!
Ha! No wonder the studio went bankrupt: this director's been using movie and special effect techniques that were way ahead of its time! 😅
I love the actor chosen to play Bruce
The Bill Finger credit is the big giveaway
I just wanted to review all the episodes once again and make sure HOW AWESOME this series is, and have a look at how ordinary fans, coming together, gave people like me exactly what they wanted.
There are 200 thousand views on the first part, and only 6 on the last. But you brought this story to the end without spoiling its quality - only improving and loving it even more. Because you, gentlemen, wanted to see it finished, and because there were people among the comic book fans (like me) who wanted it, too. And I'm really happy that everything worked out for you.
People, for the most part, don't even really like the Batman version of 1939 - what can I say, for all this time I haven't even found any one unfortunate FANFIC; now they return to his image only in comics or arts. And you, guys, made a whole SERIES with a good story, a really high-quality one, I dare say. But, what is more important than all this... Something that made me not even think about some of the shortcomings of the work while watching... Is the simple fact that I was able to feel that the creators really love their creation - that the production process of the series brought you some pleasure. That you really wanted fans to have something special. Something like THAT.
At such moments, you think about interesting things. We are from different countries. We have gathered here from different parts of the world. Even from different continents - like me, for example. Серьёзно, we literally speak different languages. But I understand everything. When was the last time you heard anyone talk about "Bat-man" 1939's version? Reminds me of the situation with Matt Wagner's Grendel - like, he kind of exists but no one talks about him. I mean, do people think that it is impossible to make some interesting stories with him? "Superman/Batman: Generations" did. You, guys, did. He's still Batman. A little different, but still so similar. Just know that I'm glad that this series exists and that I can enjoy it. It's really important to me.
I don't know how else to express it. "The End is The Beginning is The End." And somewhere in between, there will always be the Bat-man.
Спасибо.
Огромное спасибо! I am truly grateful for your kind message.
The original 1939 Batman was so cool and raw, not unlike James Bond in Casino Royale. I thought it would be fun to strip away a lot of the tech and trappings we associate with the later iterations, and focus on what makes Bruce Wayne a clever, compelling character.
Even with a broken body and no sidekicks, he’s still one step ahead, and still Batman.
Your words mean a lot and made my week. -Ryan
@@BigJohnCreations, I've always found stories like this... to be the most exciting. "The Legends of The Dark Knight" #34, "No Man's Land", the afterwards of the "War Games", new Tynion's arc - all these comics touch the subject of how much Batman really depends on his technologies, and what will he do if someone would just take them away from him.
Don't get me wrong, watching him hitting Darkseid's face in a gigantic RoboBat suit is a REALLY fascinating experience, but I always thought of him more like of a "gadgets are just convenient tools, and we shouldn't allow them to turn into something more" kind of guy.
There's just something... Primal about this kind of Batman. Perhaps, even SAVAGE. Like Julie said in chapter 5: "Your eyes... You turned into some kind of... Wild animal". It's really interesting to see this side of him - and this side, in my opinion, is most well revealed in situations such as the one in which you put him.
Even if his whole body is broken, something inside Bruce Wayne just won't allow him to give up. As Chris Sims once wrote, "Batman is a character whose greatest victories often come from rebuilding his life after them", and I think you made quit an intriguing decision - to show him so helpless, so young, so inexperienced. He makes mistakes and he has to deal with them. He's literally LUCKY to be alive - like, he would be dead if Harvey hadn't come there in time. He's just so... Human. Just an ordinary Man, who believes that there's no such thing as an "ordinary" man. Who believes that there's always hope.
For me, personally, Batman is a man out of time - that's why I don't like when he goes overboard with techno-stuff. Actually, I think that without something like this, it turns out even more interesting... And much more impressive. Imagine: along the dark streets of the city of the future, the city of advanced technologies in which the authorities know everything about a person in general, some semi-mythical creature appears, and no one can even prove that it really exists.
Not too much techno, not too much retro - something ephemeral and dark, a prowler in the night's sky, like in "Gotham: Noir".
And, by the way... One more thing: I think that my favorite moment in the whole show is when Desmond goes full-on Kevin Conroy with the "- You think you are brave? - No. I am BOLD." in the season's finale.
Just beautiful.
I almost fell for it. 😂 LOL !
Paul W. Heyduck as "Sgt. Sprang"; a tribute to Dick Sprang who was the greatest Batman artist of them all.
Fan made is pretty good, the clues to the inequity of the times is the ethnicity of the young policeman when Gordon asks "you found Crane?" and the reply was, "most of him." The film is fun. hope that if there was a script and any digital remakes will do the original script good. Thanks for sharing!
We’re glad you enjoyed it!
It didn't take long to see this wasnt real, the 1949 Ford cop car ended all doubts, but it was well done and I enjoyed it. I will probably watch the others also :)
Thank you! What can I say about the car? Gotham technology was ahead of its time. ;)
Okay, I watched the whole thing. I was entertained. It did feel like the old school serials. I hope there will be more to come. Great job, guys!
Thanks, Arnold! We’re glad you enjoyed it. We currently have three chapters up so far.
Right away I knew that the general ambience of the film was that of a modern era but made to look older than its years. Nothing I can put a name to but just had that feeling.
I knew it was a lie from the very start. The cinematography, the sound, dialogue, the on location shots all betrayed it. I'm glad that the comments by fans picked up rather quickly on this.
However I am very glad it was made, and encourage more of this. Good job and really adds to The Bat-Man légende.
Bravo!
Thank you, Joe!
@@BigJohnCreations You're welcome. I hope you do more!
What a great project! Had me fooled until too modern dialogue gave it away. Full marks!
I really enjoyed this and appreciate all the work that went into it.
It feels like a 1930s film..but I know it wasn't made in the 1930s...
....between the fact that Bill Finger was named as a co-creator and the introduction of Barbara Gordon..
...but it's still a great homage to the genre
Thank you! I’m glad you get it.
Excited for this series! looking forward to the eps :D
What an original TRULY old school treat I love it!
Thank you! I always knew Apocalypse had the best taste of any X-Men villain.
@@BigJohnCreations Damn right!
Can't believe I only found this now. This is exceptional.
Love this, it's great and I can't wait for the next chapter!!
So Good old Film Batman Beginning! I never could think about it!
Brilliantly done. You had me fooled at first, I so wanted it to be a real old film. But the voices sounded too light-hearted for people who would have lived through world war one and the depression.
Thank you! That’s the first I’ve heard of that giveaway, but you’re definitely on to something.
@@BigJohnCreations Voices took me out too but everything else is perfect. Love the creativity put into this.
have enjoyed this and will continue. watching in this series
Fantastic!
I love it that your using the old shadow radio series and bringing Batman back to the golden age and bringing his first issue to life while also adding the red hood in it u guys are awsome keep it up
Batman looks like "The Phantom Of The Paradise"
We can see that. lol
Excellent! Can't wait for the next chapter
Amazing find! The camera work and fight scenes are so far advanced from any serial that I've ever seen!
“There’s this Batman”
iM SoRrY wHaT (looking guilty af)
NEW EPISODE dropping TONIGHT at 8PM Central Time: czcams.com/video/_3dgzasgQXU/video.html
I really like how this is presented. Feels like it should have been on AMC or TCM when they would show older movies in the 90's and 00's. Very well done! My hat is off to you sir.
That was great! Big fan of the Golden Age Batman. You captured the Golden Age pulpiness so well. I love that you went out of your way to make it look and sound like a budgeted black and white serial. I especially love all the nods such as Bela Lugosi, The Shadow, the Fluggenhein Museum from Tim Burton's Batman and name dropping Tony Zucco. Batman's mask caught me by surprise. It's probably not something I would go for, but in the end it's different and I always appreciate different.
So well put together. I like this.
Amazing!
Thank you, Lazaro!
CONGRATULATIONS ON A 100 THOUSAND VIEWS. LONG OVER DUE.CONTINUED SUCCESS. HOPEFULLY A CHAPTER 4 IS IN STORE FOR US.
Thank you, Don! You're the best.
Oh my goodness... this is AMAZING. I was just saying the other day I wish they’d do something different with Batman movies, like making them B&W period pieces and have older villains... it’s convincing too. The least convincing thing about it is that it’s so accurate and the ties to future continuity. Now we need this for Superman!
Sorry for the late response! Our original plan was to do a companion Superman serial set in the early days. But when that fell through, I decided to pepper him into the later Batman chapters.
Reminds me of the soap opera's from the 50s . Well done.
This was fun! I hope there will be more.
Thank you all for your kind words and support!
This would have been enhanced had you obeyed the restrictions of camera work from that era. Nice to see Finger get his due.
We didn’t want it to be a completely slavish re-creation of the serials of that era. We embraced the atmosphere and look with more contemporary camera work and editing. Later episodes open with a disclaimer which freed us up with what we could do.
“The Shadow Knows…” fantastic Easter egg
Really enjoyable! Good acting! Marisa Duran (Barbara Gordon) is really CUTE!
if I'm correct, I believe this is the same story from Detective Comics #27
If you liked Chapter 1, check out our new sneak peak at Chapter 2!
czcams.com/video/S37A7SfQBAA/video.html&spfreload=10
So awesome dude :D
I hope you do the Batman vs the MONK.
BIGJXXX That's definitely a possible direction...
GREAT..You in Texas right?
BIGJXXX This is true.
I actually found chapter 2 first. Watched it an d the 3rd. Now chapter 1. You guys did an excellent job on these! Hope you continue.
Thank you!
Gotta say, even the 1930's did a good job on Batman.
i wonder how the 1920 batman did
Very good. You really nailed the feel and tone of the old pulp serial. Bravo this was such a fun watch.
Thank you, Jimbo! We appreciate it.
Outstanding job and would like to see more shorts like this from everyone involved. great work, and thanks for letting us all see something way better than what D.C. has been coming up with lately..lol..parody or not good job.
Thank you for your kind words! We have two more chapters up if you're interested.
Oh look a 1960's telephone.
I noticed it too. It was likely as close as they could get to resembling a late 30's model.
OH MY GOD THIS IS BEAUTIFUL
the most beautiful lie ive ever seen, slowing figuring out that certain present cinematography techniques that weren't invented yet and noticing characters or themes that didn't exist yet(red hood,max flesher superman theme) was mindblowing.
and like any good fiction , it is't all true, this claims to be a historical piece of media, just like certain films claim to be based in real life events, like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , this sure knows which audience to bring in , the one that cares.
this is basically a more corny version of a Bat in the Sun fan film series with just as much heart and accurate source material , and its just as great!!
Horay for Mr. Ryan may you bring us the next interpretation of the 39 Batman soon!
This doesn't look as old as one would think, it looks and sounds to modern.
OMG This is great! The entire serial has got to be released! Movie serials may have been before my time, but I love them. I've seen Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, both of the 1940s Batman serials and the first Superman serial. After seeing this, I now know where DC got the story for the Secret Origins comic I have, which tells the origins of both Halo from The Outsiders and the Golden-Age Batman. Thanks for uploading this. I never knew about the 1939 Batman serial until today.
Way cool! Really captures the spirit of the old serials. And makes a much freer use of elements in the mythos. A lot of the older serials used very little from the original comics, not realizing what a treasure trove of story they really were.
Chapter 4 premieres at 7:30pm CST, tonight!
czcams.com/video/oqMPJWiNDjY/video.html
I didn't realize it was fake until I saw the telephone.
Sorry about my bad comment I actually think this is great
No worries! That's very kind of you.
Good to know you gave credit to Bill Finger.
JH Boob Of course! It’s good he’s finally being appreciated.
That was good fun to watch 👍👍👍
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.
this is so cool for a bat-fan like me!
First Bill Finger, then The Red Hood and The Shadow 😂😂
wow thanks for posting this
This is still better than the real 1940s Batman serials. Columbia Pictures made some of the worst serials ever. While Republic had carefully staged fight scenes, in the Columbia serials the characters would just stand there swinging and punching, falling down and getting up again. They were so cheap that rather than spend any money making a Batmobile (which would have looked great in advertisements), it was just an ordinary car. None of the villains came from the comics in spite of The Joker existing before the first Batman serial was ever made. Today those two serials play like comedies.
You know your history!
Loved it! Keep up the great work.
bimbamjam Thank you!
it is truly a lost treasure, the 1st film featuring the Batman
The FINAL CHAPTER is coming soon: czcams.com/video/Bi-qoKcTdtg/video.html
"Please don't sue"?! :D Yeah...okay. A good first-time effort. Nice old-time music and atmosphere.
A good tribute to pioneer media....
One way I can tell it is fan made, is that Batman was created in 1939. Not even a year is a little bit quick to make a full serial. But damn this looks cool.
Nice job! Watched before reading the full description and knew it had to be parody or fan made film. The first 2 names in the credits, Frank Adams and Neal Miller was a nice touch that jumped out at me!
wmdbassplayer
Good job... Frank Adams, and wait.... oh.... Neal Adams and Frank Miller!!
Crazy Kool and very retro..... I love it!
Fake or not, this is awesome!! I hope they "release" the rest of them.
Thank you! Let your friends know about us and we’ll see what we can do. ;)
If this is from 1939 then why is there a Red Bull energy drink on the table in one of the scenes? /s
Great job!
I swallowed it completely until the patrol car appeared. It's a 1949 Ford. When I was a kid there were lots of them still gonig around in Mexico City. Good job!😀😀😀
I like this. I wonder if they will do the other serials like this. This would be a great series for AMC or TCM. And the best time to see this show would be on Saturday Mornings. Have 3 to 4 of these on. The Saturday Morning Serials.
hah the way he looked at the camera after she walked away lol.
The guy playing "Paul Rogers" is a dead ringer for the actor that plays The Penguin on "GOTHAM" . LOL
incredible work. only can you make the mask stay stationary?
Thank you! We fixed that by chapter 2.
*NICE!* But B4 It even started *FRANK ADAMS & NEAL MILLER as "Directors"* , plus CRANE & REDHOOD in 1939 was just to coincidental.