Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt (2003) (TV)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Paul A. Kaufman

Writer (WGA):

Duane Poole (written by)

Release Date:

9 March 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy

Tagline:

Holy reunion, Batman!

Plot:

When the Batmobile is stolen, Adam West and Burt Ward search for it while remembering their days as the stars of the Batman live action series.

Plot Keywords:

Batman | Superhero | Lifting Person In Air | Television Series | TV Series Reunion

Cast

Adam West	...	Himself
Burt Ward	...	Himself
Jack Brewer	...	Adam West / Batman
Jason Marsden	...	Burt Ward / Robin
Lyle Waggoner	...	Himself / Narrator
Lee Meriwether	...	Waitress in diner
Frank Gorshin	...	Himself
Julie Newmar	...	Herself / Arizona Bar Owner
Betty White	...	Woman in Window during Batclimb sequence
Amy Acker	...	Mrs. Burt Ward
Brett Rickaby	...	Frank Gorshin / Riddler
Curtis Armstrong	...	Jerry the Butler
Jim Jansen	...	William Dozier
Stacy Kamano	...	Nghara Frisbie-West
Ray Buktenica	...	Robert Butler
Steve Vinovich	...	Bartender
Andy Umberger	...	Sam Strangis (Assistant Director)
Joel Swetow	...	Casting Director
Nina West	...	Burt's one-night-stand
Darla Haun	...	Charity Event Host
Julia Rose	...	Julie Newmar / Catwoman
Erin Carufel	...	Yvonne Craig / Batgirl
Nikki Schieler Ziering	...	Lucy
Quinn K. Redeker	...	Vincent Price / Egghead (as Quinn Redeker)
Tony Tanner	...	Burgess Meredith / Penguin
Bud Watson	...	Cesar Romero / The Joker
Christopher Darga	...	Lou (Adam's agent)
Ivar Brogger	...	Doctor (as Ivar Broger)
Silas Cooper	...	Wardrobe man
Todd Merrill	...	Network executive
John E. Goetz	...	Valet parker
Elisa Marchand	...	Fem fatale
Heidi Androl	...	Sexy fan
Kelli King	...	Jonell
Rory Thost	...	Hunter
Tait Ruppert	...	Publicist
Ben Perkins	...	Fan boy
Traci L. Crouch	...	Secretary
Frank Addela	...	Robin stuntman
Steve Blalock	...	Batman stuntman
Bobby Porter	...	Henchman - Big Joe
Scott L. Schwartz	...	Henchman - Curly (as Scott Schwartz)
Carl Ciarfalio	...	Henchman - Slim
Anthony G. Schmidt	...	Henchman - Pretty Boy (as Anthony Schmidt)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chris Dawson	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Bryan Hanna	...	Director / Cameraman (uncredited)
Paul A. Kaufman	...	Network Executive #2 (uncredited)
Burgess Meredith	...	The Penguin (archive footage) (uncredited)
Zack Milan	...	Mysterious Stranger (uncredited)
Cesar Romero	...	The Joker (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Paul A. Kaufman

Writing credits (WGA)
Duane Poole		(written by)

Produced by
Larry Germain	....	co-executive producer
Paul A. Kaufman	....	executive producer
Jodi Ticknor	....	co-producer
Dawn Wells	....	co-executive producer

Original Music by
Douglas J. Cuomo

Cinematography by
James Glennon

Casting by
Lori Openden

Production Design by
Bill Boes

Art Direction by
Shepherd Frankel

Set Decoration by
Traci Kirshbaum
Charles Righetti

Costume Design by
Greg LaVoi

Makeup Department
Raqueli Dahan	....	makeup artist
Corrina Duran	....	makeup artist
Joel Harlow	....	special makeup effects artist
Teressa Hill	....	key hair stylist
Emjay Olson	....	key hair stylist
Carme Tenuta	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Michael O. Gallant	....	unit production manager
Mads Hansen	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jeani Harris	....	second second assistant director
Eric Jewett	....	first assistant director
Jason Roberts	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Todd Harris	....	motion graphics
Jay Jergensen	....	construction coordinator
Joel Ruiz	....	set dresser
Beth Sheldon	....	property master

Sound Department
Doug Andham	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Doug Andorka)
Peter Bentley	....	sound mixer
Tim Chilton	....	foley artist
Brion Condon	....	sound utility
Bob Costanza	....	sound effects editor
Kevin Fisher	....	sound effects editor
Tommy Goodwin	....	foley mixer
Bob Goold	....	dialog editor
Dean Okrand	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Perkins	....	boom operator
Randal S. Thomas	....	dialogue editor
Burton Weinstein	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Paul Staples	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Tirsa Hackshaw	....	main title design (uncredited)

Stunts
Lesley Aletter	....	stunt double: Julie Newmar
Michael Cassidy	....	stunt coordinator
Zack Milan	....	stunt driver

Camera and Electrical Department
Monty Bass	....	grip
Gary L. Camp	....	Steadicam operator
Matthew A. Del Ruth	....	assistant camera
Cory Geryak	....	chief lighting technician
Casey Hotchkiss	....	camera operator
Bruce Letterman	....	grip
Stephen B. Martinez	....	best boy grip
Max Neal	....	first assistant camera
Joe Sanchez	....	camera operator: "b" camera
R. Michael Stringer	....	key grip
Larry Sushinski	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Eric Ward	....	dolly grip
Brian Woronec	....	lighting technician
James M. Wykoff	....	grip
Michael Yarish	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Tammy Hynes	....	costume supervisor
Kathy Pillsbury	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Tirsa Hackshaw	....	first assistant editor

Transportation Department
David Frederick	....	transportation coordinator
Nathon S. Lewis	....	driver: Julie Newmar

Other crew
Kiley Fascia	....	production accountant
Anne Fletcher	....	choreographer
Wes Hagan	....	key assistant location manager
David Lear	....	location assistant
Brian M. O'Neill	....	location manager
Jon Prutow	....	assistant: Burt Ward
Christina Rollo	....	production coordinator
Suzie Sax-Horowitz	....	script supervisor
Brad Shoemaker	....	general foreman
Adam West	....	executive creative consultant
Michelle A. De Mayo	....	post-production accountant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Artisan Entertainment
• Kaufman Company, The

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (2003) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Ireland:12 | UK:12 | Australia:PG

Company:

Artisan Entertainment

Trivia:

The scene where young Robin drives up to the gate and the car stalls was not scripted. Apparently, Jason Marsden didn't know how to drive a stick shift! It was so funny that the producers decided to leave it in the movie.

Quotes:

[after Adam disarms a bomb]
Burt Ward: Good thing that bomb was a fake.
[the bomb explodes and Burt is sent flying out of the cave by the blast, Adam walks out unharmed]
Burt Ward: How come you didn't get burned?
Adam West: Stuntman.
Burt Ward: [disgusted] Dang!

Movie Connections:

References The Graduate (1967)

Silly fun (when it was funny), not to be confused with a quality production

This movie was not for anyone who would rather see the dark 1990s movies about the caped crusader than the campy 1960s TV series. Although I was not a big fan of the 1960s series, I do remember seeing and enjoying a few episodes, and I enjoyed the villains more than the heroes in the 1990s movies, but I didn't like the darker feel of those movies.

So I was somewhat happy with this ridiculous TV-movie. It starts out with Adam West and Burt Ward, playing themselves, getting mysterious invitations to a charity event. While they are there, the lights go out and the Batmobile is stolen. The actors realize that, even though they are not super heroes, they are the best ones to solve this crime. As they go in search of clues, they have flashbacks to their days on the TV series. At first, these flashbacks are so much more entertaining, and much more well-acted and written, than the scenes in the present. Early on, the flashbacks show, in a quite humorous way, how the series got its start, with Ward (played by a younger actor) getting numerous injuries. The younger West (also played by someone else) shows confidence and acting ability that suggest the series could have been more than just silly. Unfortunately, the flashbacks get kind of boring when the actors' real lives are shown, which wouldn't have been so bad if the entire movie had been set in the 1960s, with West and Ward just providing narration.

The present-day scenes get better as more clues are uncovered and our heroes get a chance to be as wild and campy as they were in the 1960s. A fight scene has words on the screen and sound effects, just like the series. The flashbacks return to being funny (becoming quite raunchy, parents), and the movie's second half offers quite a few laughs in both settings. One reason the second half is so funny: We are constantly reminded that this is just a movie. During the first half, West keeps hearing the voice of Lyle Waggoner narrating the movie just before each commercial break, but Ward hears the voice only later. Then West realizes a commercial break is coming but misses the voice. Later the two wonder why Waggoner has so little confidence in our heroes. The ending is close to insanity (in the present day, at least).

Several actors who played villains in the TV series appear in the present-day scenes of the movie. In the flashbacks, other actors play the parts of those who portrayed the villains, and many of their performances are quite good. Betty White has only two lines, but her performance is one of the best in the whole movie. As for West and Ward, West seems to enjoy being a buffoon, but I felt sorry for Ward. I think they were enjoying themselves, but what they did was not Shakespeare.

Overall, I had a good time.

I don't understand how this got past the network censors, but in addition to numerous close-ups of breasts and off-color jokes, Adam West as a younger man was shown apparently naked in bed with not one but two apparently naked girls at the same time. Parents should NOT let younger kids watch.