Batman: The Movie (1966)

The Dynamic Duo faces four supervillains who plan to hold the world for ransom with the help of a secret invention that instantly dehydrates people.

Director:

Leslie H. Martinson

Writers:

Lorenzo Semple Jr., Bob Kane (based upon the characters created by)

Stars:

Adam West, Burt Ward, Lee Meriwether

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Adam West	...	Batman / Bruce Wayne
Burt Ward	...	Robin / Dick Grayson
Lee Meriwether	...	The Catwoman / Kitka
Cesar Romero	...	The Joker
Burgess Meredith	...	The Penguin
Frank Gorshin	...	The Riddler
Alan Napier	...	Alfred
Neil Hamilton	...	Commissioner Gordon
Stafford Repp	...	Chief O'Hara
Madge Blake	...	Aunt Harriet Cooper
Reginald Denny	...	Commodore Schmidlapp
Milton Frome	...	Vice Admiral Fangschliester
Gil Perkins	...	Bluebeard
Dick Crockett	...	Morgan
George Sawaya	...	Quetch

Storyline

The arch-villains of the United Underworld - the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler and the Catwoman - combine forces to dispose of Batman and Robin as they launch their fantastic plot to control the entire world. From his submarine, Penguin and his cohorts hijack a yacht containing a dehydrator, which can extract all moisture from humans and reduce them to particles of dust. The evildoers turn the nine Security Council members in the United World Building into nine vials of multicolored crystals! Batman and Robin track the villains in their Batboat and use Batcharge missiles to force the submarine to surface.

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Plot Keywords:

batman character | parody | campy | tongue in cheek | world domination | 

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Taglines:

MEN DIE! WOMEN SIGH! Beneath that Batcape - he's all man!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Family

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cesar Romero (The Joker) refused to shave his mustache during filming and it was covered with makeup instead.

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Goofs

(at around 1 min) In the opening credits there is a flipped shot of Robin where the "R" on his costume is backwards.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: This yacht is bringing a revolutionary scientific invention to Gotham City. On a peaceful afternoon motor ride, millionaire Bruce Wayne and his youthful ward Dick Grayson have been summoned back to Wayne Manor by an urgent but anonymous call for help; the invention *and* its custodian are reported in grave danger aboard the yacht! Never ones to shirk responsibility, Bruce and Dick, with characteristic speed and resolve, descend promptly into The Batcave, and then, as they have done...

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Crazy Credits

(Opening disclaimer) ACKNOWLEDGMENT We wish to express our gratitude to the enemies of crime and crusaders against crime throughout the world for their inspirational example. To them, and to lovers of adventure, lovers of pure escapism, lovers of unadulterated entertainment, lovers of the ridiculous and the bizarre--- To funlovers everywhere--- This picture is respectfully dedicated. If we have overlooked any sizable groups of lovers, we apologize. ---THE PRODUCERS

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Alternate Versions

Some TV prints cut Penguin's final line in the scene in which he dehydrates the pirates ("Every one of the them has a mother!").

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Connections

Version of Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts (2015)

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Soundtracks

Bringing in the Sheaves
(uncredited)
Music by George A. Minor
[played by marching Salvation Army Band]

User Reviews

POW! BIFF! THWACK!

Tim Burton's BATMAN is for people who take comic books seriously. The Adam West BATMAN TV series and movie is for the rest of us.

Batman is the role West was born to play. He delivers his lines with a seriousness and self-importance perhaps matched only by Steven Seagal--and Seagal isn't trying to be funny.

I can understand how comic-book fans might dislike this movie. It does, after all, treat the whole Batman concept with jokey disrespect (though really, as another reviewer pointed out, it's an over-the-top parody of the old serials). However, for those of us who see the inherent silliness in the notion of a "millionaire playboy" dressing up in a bat suit to fight "supervillains," it's fun to watch a movie that sees it as well.

Perhaps the most amusing aspect of this movie is its off-the-wall view of the United Nations; the particular ambassadors are treated as something more than bureaucrats, apparatchiks, and political cronies who could be replaced in five minutes with any of ten thousand equally capable (or incapable) people.

7/10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 July 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Batman: The Movie

Filming Locations:

Gateway East Building - 1800 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,377,800 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Marvel Enterprises, William Dozier Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1