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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.

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 colours, 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, and gained more popularity with its release on video cassette.

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.

Cast

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

Trivia

  • Besides the Batmobile, other vechicles used by the Dyamic Duo:
    • Batcopter
    • Batcycle with side car
    • Batboat
    • Batman's parachute pickup service {For retriving the batmobile's emergency parachute}

  • Cesar Romero, in some scenes, clearly refused to shave off his moustache, as you can see it under his white make-up.

  • Director Leslie H. Martinson also directed one pair of season one Batman episodes; specifically, "The Penguin Goes Straight" and "Not Yet, He Ain't".

  • Commodore Schmidlapp would end up being the final role for actor Reginald Denny, who died of cancer the following year after this movie was released.

External links

1966 films | Cult films | Films based on television series | 20th Century Fox films

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Batman (1966 film)".

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