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

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 | Behind The Scenes | Fame | Lifting Person In Air | Cape

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

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:

Adam West and Burt Ward had input on who was cast to play them as Batman and Robin in flashbacks in ‘Return to the Batcave’. Jack Brewer (Batman) and Jason Marsden (Robin) were the lucky winners. Adam and Burt helped the actors research the roles and worked with them on their mannerisms.

Quotes:

Valet parker: Hey, if you're looking for the Batmobile, it went that way.
Adam West: [noticing he's wearing an eye patch] You have a sharp eye, my friend.

Movie Connections:

References "The Munsters" (1964)

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.