''Batman'' (also known as ''Batman: The Movie'') is a 1966 American
superhero film
Superhero film/movie is a film genre categorized by the presence of superhero characters, individuals with extraordinary abilities who are dedicated to fighting crime, saving the world, or helping the innocent. It is sometimes considered a sub ...
directed by
Leslie H. Martinson. Based on the
television series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
, and the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the
DC Comics
DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
character of the same name, the film stars
Adam West as Batman and
Burt Ward as
Robin. The film hit theaters two months after the last episode of the first season of the television series. The film includes most members of the original TV cast, with the exception of
Julie Newmar
Julie Newmar (born Julia Chalene Newmeyer; August 16, 1933) is an American actress, dancer, and singer known for a variety of stage, screen, and television roles. She is also a writer, lingerie designer, and real estate Business magnate, mogul. ...
as
Catwoman
Catwoman is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she debuted as "the Cat" in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #1 (spring 1940). She has become one of the superhero Batman' ...
, who, in the film, was replaced by
Lee Meriwether.
Plot
When Batman and Robin get a tip that Commodore Schmidlapp, owner of the Big Ben Distillery, is in danger aboard his yacht, they launch a rescue mission using the
Batcopter. As Batman descends on the bat-ladder to land on the yacht, it suddenly vanishes beneath him. He rises out of the sea with a shark attacking his leg. After Batman dislodges it with bat-
shark repellent, the shark explodes. Batman and Robin head back to Commissioner Gordon's office, where they deduce that the tip was a set-up by the United Underworld, a gathering of four of the most powerful villains in
Gotham City
Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city in the Northeastern United States that serves as the primary city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List ...
:
the Joker,
the Penguin
The Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character made his first appearance in ''Detective Comics'' #5 ...
,
the Riddler
The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in ''Detective Comics'' #140 in O ...
, and
the Catwoman.
The four criminals equip themselves with a dehydrator that can turn humans into dust until they are rehydrated (an invention of Schmidlapp's, who is unaware that he has been kidnapped), escape in a war-surplus, pre-atomic submarine made to resemble a
penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds from the family Spheniscidae () of the order Sphenisciformes (). They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere. Only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is equatorial, with a sm ...
, and recruit three pirate-themed henchmen (Bluebeard, Morgan and Quetch). Batman and Robin learn that the yacht was really a holographic projection and return via
Batboat to a buoy concealing a projector, where they are trapped on the buoy by a magnet and targeted by torpedoes. They use a radio-detonator to destroy two of the torpedoes, and a
porpoise
Porpoises () are small Oceanic dolphin, dolphin-like cetaceans classified under the family Phocoenidae. Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals and Beluga whale, belugas than to the Oceanic dolphi ...
sacrifices itself to intercept the last one. Catwoman, disguised as
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
journalist "Kitayna Ireyna Tatanya Kerenska Alisoff" (acronymed as Kitka) of the Moscow ''Bugle'', helps the group kidnap Bruce Wayne and pretends to be kidnapped with him, as part of a plot to lure Batman and finish him off with another of Penguin's explosive animals (of course unaware that Bruce Wayne is Batman's alter-ego).
After Bruce Wayne fights his way out of captivity, he again disguises himself as Batman, and the Dynamic Duo returns to the United Underworld's HQ, only to find a smoking bomb. Batman is met with frustration rushing all over the docks unable to locate a safe place to dispose of the bomb but finally does so in the nick of time. The Penguin disguises himself as the Commodore and schemes his way into the
Batcave
The Batcave is a subterranean location appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the headquarters of the superhero Batman, whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne and his partners, consisting of caves beneath his personal r ...
along with five dehydrated henchmen. This plan fails when the henchmen unexpectedly disappear into
antimatter
In modern physics, antimatter is defined as matter composed of the antiparticles (or "partners") of the corresponding subatomic particle, particles in "ordinary" matter, and can be thought of as matter with reversed charge and parity, or go ...
once struck: the Penguin mistakenly rehydrated them with toxic
heavy water
Heavy water (deuterium oxide, , ) is a form of water (molecule), water in which hydrogen atoms are all deuterium ( or D, also known as ''heavy hydrogen'') rather than the common hydrogen-1 isotope (, also called ''protium'') that makes up most o ...
used to recharge the Batcave's
atomic pile, leaving them highly unstable. Ultimately, Batman and Robin are unable to prevent the kidnapping of the dehydrated
United World Organization's Security Council, consisting of ambassadors from Japan, the U.S, the U.S.S.R., Israel, France, Spain, West Germany, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria. Giving chase in the
Batboat to retrieve them (and Miss Kitka, presumed by the duo as still captive), Robin uses a sonic charge weapon to disable The Penguin's submarine and force it to surface, where a fist fight ensues.
Although Batman and Robin come out on top, Batman is heartbroken to discover that his "true love" Miss Kitka is actually Catwoman when she loses her mask. Commodore Schmidlapp accidentally breaks the powdered Council members' vials and sneezes on them, scattering the dust. Batman sets to work, constructing an elaborate Super Molecular Dust Separator to filter the mingled dust. Robin asks him whether it might be in the world's best interests for them to alter the dust samples so that humans can no longer harm one another. In response, Batman says that they cannot do so, reminding Robin of the fate of the Penguin's henchmen and their tainted rehydration, and can only hope for people, in general, to learn to live together peacefully on their own.
With the world watching, the
Security Council is re-hydrated. All members are restored alive and well, but continue to squabble amongst themselves, totally oblivious of their surroundings; however, each of them now speaks the language and displays the stereotypical mannerisms of a nation other than their own. Batman quietly expresses his sincere hope to Robin that this "strange mixing of minds" does more good than harm. The duo quietly leaves
United World Headquarters by climbing out of the window and descending on their bat-ropes.
Cast
*
Adam West as
Bruce Wayne / Batman
*
Burt Ward as
Dick Grayson
Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman, Teen Titans and Justice League. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in ' ...
/
Robin
*
Lee Meriwether as
The Catwoman, Kitka
*
Cesar Romero as
The Joker
*
Burgess Meredith as
The Penguin
The Penguin (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. The character made his first appearance in ''Detective Comics'' #5 ...
*
Frank Gorshin as
The Riddler
The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in ''Detective Comics'' #140 in O ...
*
Alan Napier as
Alfred
*
Neil Hamilton as
Commissioner Gordon
*
Stafford Repp as
Chief O'Hara
*
Madge Blake as
Aunt Harriet
*
Reginald Denny as Commodore Schmidlapp
*
Milton Frome as Vice Admiral Fangschleister
*
Gil Perkins as Bluebeard
*
Dick Crockett as Morgan
*
George Sawaya as Quetch
*
Teru Shimada as Japanese Delegate
*
Maurice Dallimore as United Kingdom Delegate
*
Gregory Gaye as Soviet Delegate
*
Albert Carrier as French Delegate
*
Van Williams
Van Zandt Jarvis Williams (February 27, 1934 – November 28, 2016) was an American actor best known for his leading role as Kenny Madison in both Warner Bros. television detective series '' Bourbon Street Beat'' (1959–1960) and its sequ ...
(''uncredited voice'') as President
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...
Production
Development
William Dozier
William McElroy Dozier (; February 13, 1908 – April 23, 1991) was an American film and television producer, writer and actor. He is best known for two television series, ''Batman'' and '' The Green Hornet''.
Early life
Dozier was born in Omaha, ...
wanted to make a big-screen film to generate interest in his proposed ''
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
'' television series by having the feature in theaters while the first season of the series was rolling before the cameras. The studio,
20th Century-Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Com ...
, refused because it would have to cover the entire cost of a movie, while it would only have to share the cost of a TV series (a much less risky proposition).
The studio acquiesced after a 1965 screening of
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
' 1943 ''
The Batman'' serial in New York City renewed interest in the character and after the television series became phenomenally successful. The project was announced in a March 26, 1966, issue of ''
Variety'' magazine.
The film features many characters from the show. It was written by series writer
Lorenzo Semple Jr. and directed by
Leslie H. Martinson, who had directed a pair of the television series season one episodes: "
The Penguin Goes Straight" and "
Not Yet, He Ain't". Semple Jr. completed the screenplay in 10 days. Principal photography began on April 28, 1966, and concluded within 28 days, with a further three days to complete second-unit photography.
Casting

The film includes most members of the original TV cast: the actors for Batman, Robin, Alfred, Gordon, O'Hara, Aunt Harriet, the Joker, the Penguin, and the Riddler all reprised their roles. Though
Julie Newmar
Julie Newmar (born Julia Chalene Newmeyer; August 16, 1933) is an American actress, dancer, and singer known for a variety of stage, screen, and television roles. She is also a writer, lingerie designer, and real estate Business magnate, mogul. ...
had at this point played
Catwoman
Catwoman is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she debuted as "the Cat" in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #1 (spring 1940). She has become one of the superhero Batman' ...
in two episodes of
season one in the
TV series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...
, she had other commitments at that time and was replaced by
Lee Meriwether in the film. According to the ''
Biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...
'' special ''Catwoman: Her Many Lives'' aired on July 20, 2004, Newmar was unable to reprise her role because of a back injury.
Catwoman
Catwoman is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she debuted as "the Cat" in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #1 (spring 1940). She has become one of the superhero Batman' ...
was nonetheless played by Newmar once again in the following eleven episodes of
season two of the series;
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt (née Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby" ...
would then play
Catwoman
Catwoman is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she debuted as "the Cat" in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #1 (spring 1940). She has become one of the superhero Batman' ...
in three episodes of
season three.
Jack LaLanne has a cameo as a man on a rooftop with bikini-clad women.
Tone and themes
Even though it is often described (like many contemporary shows) as a parody of a popular comic-book character, some commentators believe that its comedy is not so tightly confined. They felt the film's depiction of the Caped Crusader "captured the feel of the contemporary comics perfectly". The film was made at a time when "the Batman of the
Golden Age comics was already essentially neutered".
Certain elements verge into direct parody of the history of Batman. The movie, like the TV series, is strongly influenced by the comparatively obscure 1940s serials of Batman, such as the escapes done almost out of luck.
The penchant for giving devices a "Bat-" prefix and the dramatic use of stylized title cards during fight scenes acknowledge some of the conventions that the character had accumulated in various media, but the majority of ''Batman''
's campier moments can be read as a broader parody on contemporary mid-1960s culture in general.
Furthermore, the movie represented Batman's first major foray into
Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
issues, paying heavy attention to
Polaris Missiles,
war surplus submarines and taking a poke at
the Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...
. The inclusion of a glory-hunting presidential character and the unfavorable portrayal of Security Council Members marked Batman's first attempts to poke fun at domestic and international politics.
Vehicles
Besides the
Batmobile
The Batmobile is the fictional land vehicle driven by the superhero Batman, used both to patrol Gotham City looking for crime and to engage in car chases or vehicular combat with the city's criminal underworld. The Batmobile is one of a suite o ...
, other vehicles used by The Dynamic Duo include:
*
Batcycle with side car
*
Batboat, provided by
Glastron
*
Batcopter
Of the three new Batvehicles which first appeared in the ''Batman'' film, only the
Batcycle properly crossed over into the
TV series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...
as the budgetary limits of the TV series precluded the full use of the others. While the
Batcopter and
Batboat from the movie appeared briefly in episodes (including a use of the Batboat in the conclusion of the first post-film two-parter: "
Walk the Straight and Narrow"), they primarily did so in the form of stock-footage scenes from the film intercut into the series.
Music
Nelson Riddle
Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many vocalists at Capitol Records, including ...
's original score to ''Batman the Movie'' was released in 2010 by La-La Land Records and
Fox Music
Fox Music was the music division label of 20th Century Fox. It encompassed music publishing and licensing businesses, dealing primarily with television and film soundtracks. It was located in Century City, California.
During CEO Robert Kraf ...
. The album contains the entire score as heard in the film in chronological order as well as an unreleased cue. This limited edition includes a lavishly illustrated color booklet which features exclusive liner notes by Brian Baterwhite. This Limited Edition was of 2000 units.
It was newly re-issued in 2016. While the program and master of this release is identical to the 2010 release, this reissue features all-new exclusive liner notes by John Takis and art design by Jim Titus. This new Limited Edition is of 2500 units.
Release
Theatrical
''Batman'' premiered at the
Paramount Theatre in
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
, on July 30, 1966 (between the first and second seasons of the
TV series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...
); it was moderately successful at the box office. The
Batboat featured in the film was created by Austin-based company
Glastron, whose payment was in having the film premiere in their hometown. In conjunction with the premiere, Jean Boone of Austin CBS affiliate station
KTBC interviewed the film's cast, including
Lee Meriwether,
Cesar Romero, and
Adam West.
Television
ABC, the network which previously aired the
''Batman'' television series, first broadcast the film on the July 4, 1971, edition of ''
The ABC Sunday Night Movie''; the film was quickly rebroadcast on ABC September 4 of that year.
Home media
The film debuted on home video via formats
VHS and
Betamax
Betamax (also known as Beta, and stylized as the Greek letter Beta, β in its logo) is a discontinued consumer analog Videotape, video cassette recording format developed by Sony. It was one of the main competitors in the videotape format war ag ...
release in 1985 by
Playhouse Video, then apparently re-released (after a
Blockbuster Video executive asked why it ''wouldn't'' be repackaged on the heels of the successful ''
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
'' film of 1989) in 1989 by
CBS/Fox Video, and in 1994 by
Fox Video.
The film was released on DVD in 2001, and re-released July 1, 2008, on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
and on
Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
by
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Home Entertainment (previously known as Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC. and also known as 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment) was a home video distribution arm that distributes films produced by 20th Century Stud ...
.
Reception
Box office
According to Fox records, the film needed to earn $3.2 million in rentals to break even and made $3.9 million (equivalent to $ million in ).
Critical response
''Batman'' holds an 81% rating on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
based on thirty-six reviews. The site's consensus states: "''Batman: The Movie'' elevates camp to an art form -- and has a blast doing it, every gloriously tongue-in-cheek inch of the way."
Bill Gibron of Filmcritic.com gave the film 3 out of 5 stars: "Unlike other attempts at bringing these characters to life...the TV cast really captures the inherent insanity of the roles". ''
Variety'' stated in their review that "the intense innocent enthusiasm of Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith and Frank Gorshin as the three criminals is balanced against the innocent calm of Adam West and Burt Ward, Batman and Robin respectively".
Sequels
West and Ward reprised their roles in ''Batman'' animated movies for the show's 50th anniversary along with Julie Newmar returning.
''Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders'' was released on Digital HD and digital media on October 11, 2016, and on DVD and Blu-ray November 1.
A sequel to ''Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders'' called ''Batman vs. Two-Face'' was released on October 10, 2017. The film starred
William Shatner
William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
voicing
Two-Face
Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bob Kane, and first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #66 (August 1942). He has become one of the superhero Batman's most enduring e ...
as the main antagonist.
Adam West completed his voiceover work, but died of
leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...
in June 2017, before it was released.
See also
*
List of American films of 1966
References
External links
*
*
*
''Batman The Movie''at BYTB: Batman Yesterday, Today and Beyond (archived 2006)
at kiddiematinee.com (archived 2010)
Jean Boone – Interview with the cast of ''Batman: The Movie'' (1966)(archived 2008)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Batman (1966 Film)
Batman (TV series)
1966 films
1966 action films
1960s American films
1960s buddy films
1960s superhero films
1960s English-language films
1960s fantasy action films
1960s fantasy films
20th Century Fox films
American action films
American buddy films
American fantasy action films
American fantasy films
American superhero films
Batman films
Catwoman in other media
Cold War submarine films
Films based on adaptations
Films based on television series
Films directed by Leslie H. Martinson
Films produced by William Dozier
Films scored by Nelson Riddle
Films shot in California
Films with screenplays by Lorenzo Semple Jr.
Joker (character) in other media
Penguin (character) in other media
Sequel films to television series
Live-action films based on DC Comics
English-language action films
English-language fantasy action films
English-language fantasy films
English-language buddy films