Batman (1966)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

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:

Burt Ward has no dialogue as Dick Grayson. He appears without his mask only twice: in the opening when arriving by car at stately Wayne Manor, and later when a damp Bruce returns home from his kidnapping ordeal and Dick and Gordon are there to meet him.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Early in the film, Batman establishes that the US Navy sold a surplus pre-atomic submarine to the Penguin. Later, we see this submarine firing a Polaris missile. Pre-atomic (e.g., diesel) submarines were not equipped to fire Polaris missiles.

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 The Operative: No One Lives Forever (2000) (VG)

REMARKABLE

This movie will change your life (maybe, OK, maybe not, but hey, now that i have your attention): It is the most perfectly well done satire I have ever seen. If you appreciate film, watch this one. Adam West is a comic genius.

The script (obviously comprised by men smarter than we are led to believe in a room filled with contraband smoke) is a thing of Picasso-esque beauty. I am not a superhero connoiseur, but I do know that this movie is as fantastically POW WAM BANG WHAMMO as any superhero movie ever made. Do not ask yourself why the UN is guarded by a singular guard, or how Polaris missiles spell out riddles at the point of explosion, only ask yourself one question: Has there ever been any other film created where the all important phrase "Sometimes you just can't get rid of a bomb" is uttered so convincingly?