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)
Batman (Belgium: French title) (dubbed version) (France) [fr]
Batman (Portugal) [pt]
Batman (Finland) [fi]
Batman - O Homem Morcego (Brazil) [pt]
Batman hält die Welt in Atem (West Germany) [de]
Batman: La película (Spain) [es]

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:

To date, this is the only live-action feature-length Batman film in which Alfred is not played by an actor named Michael.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Obvious stunt doubles for Batman and Robin on the Batcycle.

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:

Spoofed in International Playboys' First Movie: Ghouls Gone Wild! (2004) (V)

Batman! In Color!

A wise man once said "The 60s Batman movie is the greatest ever." I should know, because I was that wise man.

OK, it might not be the greatest movie, but it is one of the awesomest movies ever. Only in 'Batman' could intelligent writers come up with some of the most illogical situations and cheesiest dialog committed to screen.

A Yacht disappears in Gotham Harbour ("How can a yacht simply disappear... unless, it was never really there!"). On board was a 'superdehydrator', a machine that can extract the moisture from any living being, and in of the most logical displays of logic ever, Batman and friends logically come to the (correct) conclusion that the culprits are the combined forces of Penguin, Joker, the Riddler and Catwoman, apparently intent on world domination.

'Batman is scene-after-scene of pure brilliance - great situations, and the greatest dialog ever. 'Batman' is very funny, but only if you appreciate and enjoy the style, otherwise you will hate it. But only those who lack a sense of awesomeness would not like it, and who is really so un-awesome, that they can't even find the captioned fights just that little bit amusing?

8/10 - Awesome, simply awesome