What if: The Batman Franchise was made in the 1940s

[JohnnyGobbs]

A thread was posted on the Hype a few years back suggesting various Hollywood Golden Age actors for a 1930/40s set Batman series, and a similar thread has appeared on the IMDb. I thought it was a great idea and so I've decided to add my two cents, and hopefully invite some new suggestions from other posters.

The first Burton Batman movie has a similar tone and story to a 1930s Warner Bros gangster movie, whilst Batman Returns owes a lot to the Universal monster movies of the same period. I've therefore chosen to 'cast' various actors according to the Burton/Schumacher franchise if they were made exactly 50 years earlier (i.e. around the same period Batman was first introduced). I admit that in some cases the films might pre-date the first appearance of their respective comic-book counterparts.

Anyway, I hope I've inspired some fun discussion/debate.

BATMAN (1939)
Starring
BUSTER CRABBE as Batman...JAMES CAGNEY as The Joker...
MAUREEN O'HARA as Vicki Vale...DANNY KAYE as Alexander Knox...
CLAUDE RAINS as Alfred Pennyworth...SPENCER TRACY as Commissioner Gordon...
CARY GRANT as Harvey Dent...GEORGE RAFT as Carl Grissom...
LANA TURNER as Alicia Hunt...BRODERICK CRAWFORD as Lieutenant Eckhart...
LIONEL BARRYMORE as The Mayor and PAT O'BRIEN as Bob
Produced by HOWARD HUGHES...Directed by ORSON WELLES​

BATMAN RETURNS (1942)
Starring
BUSTER CRABBE as Batman...EDWARD G ROBINSON as The Penguin....
AVA GARDNER as Catwoman...EDWARD ARNOLD as Max Shreck...
SPENCER TRACY as Commissioner Gordon...CLAUDE RAINS as Alfred Pennyworth...
RALPH BELLAMY as The Mayor...BETTY GRABLE as The Ice Princess...
and WILLIAM HOLDEN as Charles 'Chip' Shreck​

BATMAN FOREVER (1945)
Starring
BUSTER CRABBE as Batman...CARY GRANT as Two-Face...
ROBERT WALKER as The Riddler...KATHERINE HEPBURN as Dr Chase Meridian...
JOHNNY SHEFFIELD as Robin...CLAUDE RAINS as Alfred Pennyworth...
SPENCER TRACY as Commissioner Gordon...MARILYN MONROE as Sugar...
and JANE RUSSELL as Spice​

BATMAN & ROBIN (1947)
Starring
BUSTER CRABBE as Batman...BORIS KARLOFF as Mr Freeze...
RITA HAYWORTH as Poison Ivy...JOHNNY SHEFFIELD as Robin...
DEBBIE REYNOLDS as Batgirl...CLAUDE RAINS as Alfred Pennyworth...
SPENCER TRACY as Commissioner Gordon...GRACE KELLY as Julie Madison...
VINCENT PRICE as Jason Woodrue...NAT PENDLETON as Bane...
DOROTHY DANDRIDGE as Ms B Haven and SONJA HENIE as Nora Fries​

 

[tomstoyz2]

That would have been so cool if it happened! There's some really great talent there...they could have done it!

 

[SHADOWBAT69]

I doubt it will ever happen, but I would love to see a period film for Batman.

 

[Nepenthes]

design wise, it would probably look something like this

take a look at that Joker. Now believe me when i tell you that I first saw this manip in 2006. looks like Hemming and Nolan took some influence!

check out his Hellboy and particularly his Wonder Woman manips. stunning. they should get him onboard for the movie http://simonpimpernel.deviantart.com/gallery/

 

[Nepenthes]

but wait there's more

older versions and a few other villains like Clayface, Mad Hatter and Penguin can be found here http://www.bluetights.net/theplanet/showthread.php?t=195&page=5

 

[JohnnyGobbs]

Nepenthes, these designs are amazing.

 

[Bathead]

This has always been something I've thought about. Some great casting choices there, but I've always thought for the Joker, a good choice was the actor (can't remember his name) who had a famous scene as a rather evil thug who throws a wheelchair bound old lady down a flight of stairs, laughing maniacally as she falls to her death. He pretty much nailed the Joker in attitude and he even looks the part. I keep thinking Richard Wagner, but I'm not sure if that's right.

 

[JohnnyGobbs]

This has always been something I've thought about. Some great casting choices there, but I've always thought for the Joker, a good choice was the actor (can't remember his name) who had a famous scene as a rather evil thug who throws a wheelchair bound old lady down a flight of stairs, laughing maniacally as she falls to her death. He pretty much nailed the Joker in attitude and he even looks the part. I keep thinking Richard Wagner, but I'm not sure if that's right.

Close. Richard Widmark, and the film you recalled was 'Kiss of Death'.

He's a great choice Bathead, and I've heard other people cite his name in a discussion of a fantasy 1940s Batman series.

However, having seen him play a lot of authority figures in his latter half of his career I suppose the part I'd tend to connect him with is Max Shreck.

 

[Bathead]

You're right, I just remebemred it was Widmark just before I came back here. he would have made an excellent Joker, he really made a great sadistic madman in that movie.

 

[MadVillainy]

Ralph Meeker for Batman/Bruce Wayne
and BIlly Wilder should have directed

 

[Jochimus]

EDWARD G ROBINSON as The Penguin....


BORIS KARLOFF as Mr Freeze...
​

These two casting choices I like.

However, personally - and having just last night watched "The Mark Of Zorro" - I'd probably have gone with Tyrone Power as Batman/Bruce Wayne.

 

[Homer J. Fong]

A little bit of overlap here, but these probably would have been my picks.

1939's BATMAN

Joel McCrea as Batman/Bruce Wayne
James Cagney as The Joker/Jack Napier
Mae Clarke as Vicki Vale
Bob Hope as Alexander Knox
Pat O'Brien as Commissioner Gordon
Cary Grant as Harvey Dent
Edward Van Sloan as Alfred
George Raft as Carl Grissom

1942's BATMAN RETURNS

Joel McCrea as Batman/Bruce Wayne
Edward G. Robinson as The Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot
Barbra Stanwyck as Catwoman/Selina Kyle
Lionel Barrymore as Max Shreck
Edward Van Sloan as Alfred
Pat O'Brien as Commissioner Gordon
Jimmy Stewart as the Mayor

1945's BATMAN FOREVER

Joel McCrea as Batman/Bruce Wayne
Cary Grant as Two-Face
Richard Widmark as The Riddler/Edward Nygma
Rosalind Russell as Dr. Chase Meridian
Tommy Bond as Robin/Dick Grayson
Edward Van Sloan as Alfred
Pat O'Brien as Commissioner Gordon

1947's BATMAN & ROBIN

Joel McCrea as Batman/Bruce Wayne
Tommy Bond as Robin/Dick Grayson
Boris Karloff as Mr. Freeze/Victor Fries
Rita Hayworth as Poison Ivy/Dr. Pamela Isley
Grace Kelly as Batgirl
Edward Van Sloan as Alfred
Pat O'Brien as Commissioner Gordon
Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Jason Woodrue
Elsa Lanchester as Nora Fries

Director: Howard Hawks or Billy Wilder. Probably Wilder, actually.

 

[JohnnyGobbs]

Big for Bob Hope as Alexander Knox. I must have overlooked him.

Joel McCrea is one of my favourite 40s actors, so I'm happy with your choice of him as Batman/Bruce Wayne as well, and Ernest Thesiger makes sense as Jason Woodrue bearing in mind his work as the mad scientist in Bride of Frankenstein.

 

[JohnnyGobbs]

However, personally - and having just last night watched "The Mark Of Zorro" - I'd probably have gone with Tyrone Power as Batman/Bruce Wayne.

Tyrone Power would make an equally great Batman around the era I had in mind.

 

[jolietjakemcfly]

it'd look like this

 

[JohnnyGobbs]

Thanks Joliet. I was well aware that there was a Batman series in the 40s though.

The point of this thread was for you to give your own choices for a 40s Batman series casting the most appropriate actors from the era.

 

[JohnnyGobbs]

Here are some of my choices if the Nolan Batman films had been made 50 years earlier (i.e. 1955, and 1958).

BATMAN BEGINS (1955)
Starring
CHARLTON HESTON as Batman...DAVID NIVEN as Alfred Pennyworth...
LAUREN BACALL as Rachel Dawes...JAMES STEWART as James Gordon...
LORENZO TUCKER as Lucius Fox...YUL BRYNNER as Henri Ducard...
TOSHIRŌ MIFUNE as Ra's al Ghul...ALEC GUINNESS as The Scarecrow...
RICHARD WIDMARK as Falcone...RAY MILLAND as Earle
and ERNEST BORGNINE as Flass

THE DARK KNIGHT (1958)
Starring
CHARLTON HESTON as Batman...ANTHONY PERKINS as The Joker...
MONTGOMERY CLIFT as Harvey Dent...DAVID NIVEN as Alfred Pennyworth...
LAUREN BACALL as Rachel Dawes...JAMES STEWART as Commissioner James Gordon...
LORENZO TUCKER as Lucius Fox...FRANK SINATRA as Maroni
and ALEC GUINNESS as The Scarecrow​

I realise that picking Montgomery Clift for the role of Harvey Dent seems a bit ghoulish in view of his accident but I can only imagine the various layers of depth this actor would be able to give to the role in view of the facial scarring he suffered and his various personal demons.

I've also accounted for the fact (with hindsight) that my first choices for Gordon and Fox, Humphrey Bogart and Paul Robeson respectively would have been unable to play these roles, since Bogart was dead by 1958, and Robeson was effectively limited as to what he could do as a performer thanks to the FBI.

 

[gap5ewl]

I've always loved the 40's film-noir feel that the original movies, and especially the animated series, had to it. It was just so brilliant.