Batman (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:

From the famous character "BATMAN"

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Family

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

At 105 minutes long, this is the shortest live-action "Batman" film as well as the only live-action "Batman" film to run under two hours.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 15 mins) As Batman and Robin are running across the street, a passenger in a Corvette convertible can be clearly seen looking, smiling and waving directly at the camera crew.

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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 American TV prints omit the sequence showing Batman and Robin driving the Batmobile down a boat dock to reach the Batboat (including a gag showing them using another set of batpoles to get down to sea level).

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Connections

Featured in Nostalgia Critic: The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2014)

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Soundtracks

Batman Theme
Written by Neal Hefti
Performed by Studio Orchestra (uncredited)

User Reviews

Cheesy, a great comedy.

I seriously hope that the director intended this film to be a comedy and didn't want the audience to actually take Batman seriously, because after a few minutes of this film, all seriousness is thrown out the window.

When I was young, I used to watch the old Batman TV series, so I kind of knew what to expect, but it has been quite some time since I've seen any of those episodes. The film was far cheesier and sillier that I expected. With all that said, I actually liked the film. I didn't think it was an excellent film, but it was worth my time.

Adam West and Burt Ward are hilarious in this film. The way they say things just cracks me up. The cast of evil-doers are quite good and funny as well: Lee Meriwether, Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, and Frank Gorshin. The rest of the cast pulls off a good performance as well.

I don't know that I would recommend this film to everyone, but if you're a fan of superhero films or just like old campy movies, then this is the film for you. If you do see it, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading,

-Chris

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 July 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Batman: The Movie

Filming Locations:

1800 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,377,800 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

William Dozier Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1