Batman (1966)

Director:

Leslie H. Martinson

Writers:

Lorenzo Semple Jr. (written by)
Bob Kane (characters)

Release Date:

5 October 1966 (France)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Family

Tagline:

He's Here Big As Life In A Real Bat-Epic

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Batman | Penguin | Joker | Villain | Submarine

Awards:

1 win

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fred Aldrich	...	Meeting Room Onlooker (uncredited)
Vincent Barbi	...	(uncredited)
Wolfe Barzell	...	Israeli Delegate (uncredited)
Albert Carrier	...	French Delegate (uncredited)
George Cisar	...	Rumpot in Window (uncredited)
Maurice Dallimore	...	United Kingdom Delegate (uncredited)
George DeNormand	...	White-haired Policeman in office (uncredited)
William Dozier	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Gregory Gaye	...	Soviet Delegate (uncredited)
Jack LaLanne	...	Himself (uncredited)
Harry Lauter	...	Mr. Merrick, Gotham Globe Reporter (uncredited)
George J. Lewis	...	Spanish Delegate (uncredited)
Charlie Picerni	...	Guinea Pig #5 (uncredited)
Wally Rose	...	(uncredited)
Teru Shimada	...	Japanese Delegate (uncredited)
Fred Stromsoe	...	Henchman (uncredited)
William Tannen	...	American Delegate (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Policeman in Gordon's Office (uncredited)
Ivan Triesault	...	German Delegate (uncredited)
Van Williams	...	Voice of the President (uncredited)

Directed by
Leslie H. Martinson

Writing credits
Lorenzo Semple Jr.		(written by)
Bob Kane		(characters)

Produced by
William Dozier	....	producer
Charles B. Fitzsimons	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Nelson Riddle

Cinematography by
Howard Schwartz		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Harry W. Gerstad		(as Harry Gerstad)

Art Direction by
Serge Krizman
Jack Martin Smith

Set Decoration by
Chester L. Bayhi
Walter M. Scott

Makeup Department
Margaret Donovan	....	hair styles supervisor
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Sam Strangis	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bill Derwin	....	assistant director (as William Derwin)
Ray Kellogg	....	second unit director

Art Department
Jack Briggs	....	property master (uncredited)
Walt Douglas	....	property master (uncredited)
Wes Lee	....	property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound
Roy Meadows	....	sound

Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Crockett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Louie Elias	....	stunts (uncredited)
Hubie Kerns	....	stunt double: Adam West (uncredited)
Victor Paul	....	stunt double: Burt Ward (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Charlie Picerni	....	stunts (uncredited)
Wally Rose	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Sawaya	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jack A. Marta	....	photographer: second unit (as Jack Marta)
Nelson Tyler	....	aerial photographer
Dave Friedman	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Bill Neff	....	gaffer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Steve Johnson	....	colorist

Music Department
Gil Grau	....	orchestrator
Neal Hefti	....	composer: Batman Theme

Other crew
Richard Kuhn	....	title designer: main title
George Barris	....	car designer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
• William Dozier Productions
• Greenlawn Productions

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1966) (USA) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Company (1966) (UK) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1966) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Fox Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Glastron  batboat
• National Periodical Publications  Batman and Detective Comics Magazines published by
• National Screen Service  main title

Also Known As:

Batman: The Movie (USA) (video box title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 (original rating) | Finland:K-8 (re-rating) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (35th anniversary special edition) | Netherlands:6 | USA:PG (Certificate No. 21297) | Italy:T | Australia:G (original rating) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Brazil:Livre | Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | France:U | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:U | West Germany:6 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

380 South San Rafael Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

During Bruce Wayne's fight with the villains, he says lines about a hidden radio up his sleeve and knowing the villains were listening, although he wasn't properly miked for the dialogue to be heard well.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): At the press conference following Batman's fight with the shark, Batman replies to a reporter's question about the yacht by saying, "Nonsense - how can a yacht simply disappear?" Discussing the yacht in the next scene at the Batcave, he says to Robin, "As you, yourself, stated, a yacht simply can't disappear." Batman credits Robin with saying something at the conference he actually said.

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...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "High Chaparall: (#2.8)" (2004)

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.