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Batman was released in 1966 as the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the DC Comics character. It was later to acquire the video-box title Batman: The Movie. It starred Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. Filmed at the end of season one of the Batman TV series of the 1960s (between April 25 and May 31, 1966 at an estimated $1,377,800), it featured four main criminals from the show, including The Joker, The Riddler, The Penguin, and Catwoman. It was directed by Leslie H. Martinson, who won a Golden Gryphon for his efforts.
The 105-minute Batman opened at The Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas on July 30, 1966. Like the television series, the movie featured saturated colours, campy dialogue and special effects, and over-exaggeration in acting performances, effectively being a tongue-in-cheek parody. It performed poorly at the box office and and is despised by fans of the "darker", more serious incarnations of Batman.
Plot summary
When Batman (West) and Robin (Ward) get a tip that Commodore Schmidlapp is in danger aboard his yacht, they launch a rescue mission. After a tangle with an exploding shark, Batman and Robin head back to Commissioner Gordon's office where, by case of deduction and wisdom, they figure out that that the tip was a set-up by four of the most powerful villains ever, who seek to defeat the Dynamic Duo once and for all. Armed with a dehydrator that can turn humans into dust, and a Navy surplus submarine, the fearsome foursome intends to take over the world!
Cast
- Adam West - Batman/Bruce Wayne
- Burt Ward - Robin/Dick Grayson
- Cesar Romero - The Joker
- Frank Gorshin - The Riddler
- Burgess Meredith - The Penguin
- Lee Meriwether - Catwoman/Miss Kitka
- Alan Napier - Alfred
- Neil Hamilton - Commissioner Gordon
- Stafford Repp - Chief O'Hara
- Madge Blake - Aunt Harriet
- Reginald Denny - Commodore Schmidlapp