Batman (1966 film)
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| Batman | |
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| Directed by | Leslie H. Martinson |
| Produced by | William Dozier |
| Written by | Lorenzo Semple Jr. (screen writer) Bob Kane (comic book) |
| Starring | Adam West Burt Ward Lee Meriwether Cesar Romero Burgess Meredith Frank Gorshin |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | July 30, 1966 |
| Running time | 105 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,377,800 |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
For the 1989 version starring Michael Keaton, see: Batman (1989 film).
Batman is a 1966 film spin-off of the popular Batman television series, and was the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the DC Comics character. It later acquired the video-box title Batman: The Movie. The 20th Century Fox release starred Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin.
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[edit] History
Filmed at the end of season one of the ABC primetime Batman TV series of the 1960s (between April 25 and May 31, 1966 at an estimated $1,377,800), it featured four main criminals from the show, including the "clown prince of crime" The Joker (Cesar Romero), that "count of criminal conundrums" The Riddler (Frank Gorshin), that "pompous, waddling master of fowl play" The Penguin (Burgess Meredith), and the "fiendish feline" The Catwoman (Lee Meriwether). It was written by Lorenzo Semple Jr., and directed by Leslie H. Martinson, who won a Golden Gryphon for his efforts.
The 105-minute Batman opened at The Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas on Saturday, July 30, 1966 (between the first and second seasons of the TV series). Like the television series, the movie featured saturated colors, campy dialogue and special effects, and over-exaggeration in acting performances, effectively being a tongue-in-cheek parody. The movie was moderately successful at the box office.
[edit] Plot summary
When Batman (West) and Robin (Ward) get a tip that Commodore Schmidlapp is in danger aboard his yacht, they launch a rescue mission. After a tangle with an exploding shark, Batman and Robin head back to Commissioner Gordon's office where, by case of deduction and wisdom, they figure out that the tip was a set-up by four of the most powerful villains ever (Joker, Penguin, Riddler and Catwoman), who seek to defeat the Dynamic Duo once and for all.
Armed with a dehydrator that can turn humans into dust, and a Navy surplus submarine, the "fearsome foursome" intends to take over the world, and Batman and Robin must stop them. Catwoman romantically lures Bruce Wayne into a trap, and Penguin even schemes his way into the Batcave, leaving the Duo unable to prevent the kidnapping of the dehydrated United World Security Council.
[edit] Cast
- Adam West - Batman/Bruce Wayne
- Burt Ward - Robin/Dick Grayson
- Cesar Romero - Joker
- Frank Gorshin - The Riddler
- Burgess Meredith - The Penguin
- Lee Meriwether - Catwoman/Miss Kitka
- Alan Napier - Alfred
- Neil Hamilton - Commissioner Gordon
- Stafford Repp - Chief O'Hara
- Madge Blake - Aunt Harriet
- Reginald Denny - Commodore Schmidlapp
- Milton Frome - Vice Admiral Fangschleister
- Gil Perkins - Bluebeard
- Dick Crockett - Morgan
- George Sawaya - Quetch
- William Dozier - Desmond Doomsday the Narrator
[edit] Credits
- A William Dozier Production
- Music by Nelson Riddle
- Associate Producer Charles B. FitzSimons
- Director of Photography: Howard Schwartz, A.S.C.
- Art Directors: Jack Martin Smith, Serge Krizman
- Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott, Chester L. Bayhi
- Unit Production Manager: Sam Strangis
- Assistant Directors: William Derwin, David Whorf
- Film Editor: Harry Gerstad, A.C.E.
- Special Photographic Effects: L.B. Abbott
- Sound: Roy Meadows, Harry M. Leonard
- Makeup by Ben Nye, Bryce Hutchinson
- Hair Styles Supervised by Margaret Donovan
- Batman Theme by Neal Hefti
- Orchestration by Gil Grau
- Second Unit Director: Ray Kellogg
- Second Unit Photography: Jack Marta
- Aerial Photography: Nelson Tyler
- Batboat: Glastron
- Main Title by Richard Kuhn and National Screen Service
- Color by DeLuxe
- Written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. - Based upoon the characters created by Bob Kane appearing in Batman and Detective Comics Magazine published by National Periodical Publications, Inc.
- Produced by William Dozier
- Directed by Leslie H. Martinson
[edit] Trivia
- Besides the Batmobile, other vechicles used by The Dynamic Duo:
- Of the three new Batvehicles which first appeared in the Batman movie, only the Batcycle crossed over into the Batman TV series, as the others were beyond the financial limits of the show. Instead, snippets of the Batcopter and Batboat from the movie were stitched into episodes the TV series.
- It's clear that actor Cesar Romero, who played The Joker, refused to shave off his moustache, as you can see it under his white make-up in certain scenes.
- Director Leslie H. Martinson also directed a pair of Batman episodes; "The Penguin Goes Straight" and "Not Yet, He Ain't," both from season one.
- Commodore Schmidlapp would end up being the final role for actor Reginald Denny, who died of cancer the year after the movie was released.
- Of the four main villain actors in this film, only Lee Meriwether survives as of 2006. Cesar Romero passed away in 1994, Burgess Meredith in 1997, and Frank Gorshin in 2005.
[edit] External links
- Batman (1966) at the Internet Movie Database
- Batman The Movie @ BYTB: Batman Yesterday, Today and Beyond
| Batman in popular media | |
|---|---|
| Actors: | Lewis Wilson • Robert Lowery • Adam West • Olan Soule • Michael Keaton • Kevin Conroy • Val Kilmer • George Clooney • Rino Romano • Christian Bale • Casts |
| Live-action television: | Batman • Legends of the Superheroes • Birds of Prey • Return to the Batcave |
| Film: | 1940s serials • Batman (1966) • Batman (1989) • Batman Returns • Batman Forever • Batman & Robin • Batman Begins • The Dark Knight |
| Animation: | Batman/Superman Hour • New Adventures of Batman • Batman: The Animated Series/New Batman Adventures • Mask of the Phantasm • SubZero • Batman Beyond • Return of the Joker • Mystery of the Batwoman • The Batman • The Batman vs. Dracula |
