Batman (1966)

Film Title: Batman
Also known as: Batman: The Movie, Batman & Robin (Hong Kong)
Released: July 30, 1966
Directed by: Leslie H. Martinson

Written by: Lorenzo Semple Jr. based on characters created by Bill Finger, Edmond Hamilton, Bob Kane, Sheldon Moldoff, Jerry Robinson, & Dick Sprang

Starring: Adam West, Burt Ward, Lee Meriwether, Cesar Romero, Burgess Medredith, & Frank Gorshin

Plot: The Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin, must save the world from the combined forces of Catwoman, the Riddler, the Penguin & the Joker.

IMDb: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 79/100
My Score: 3.5/5

1966's Batman, later commonly referred to as Batman: The Movie, was released in between seasons one and two of the Batman television series. The stars of the show, Adam West and Burt Ward, are present in their roles as Batman and Robin, respectively, as are the most notorious villains from their rogues gallery: Cesar Romero as the Joker, Burgess Meredith as the Penguin and Frank Gorshin as the Riddler. Lee Meriwether makes her only appearance as Catwoman, taking over for Julie Newmar who appeared in both seasons one and two of the series but was unable to star in the film due scheduling conflicts. The story concerns the super villains kidnapping inventor Commodore Schmidlapp (Reginald Denny as in his final film appearance) and his invention, the total dehydrator, a device that removes every bit of water from a person, reducing them to dust. Aiding the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder are their allies Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton), Chief O'Hara (Stafford Repp) and trusty butler Alfred Pennyworth (Alan Napier), all whom appear on the series. Wacky and surreal, including colorful onscreen signs reading "Pow!", "Bang!", etc, during fight scenes, a proliferation of Dutch angles and nearly everyone onscreen overacting, it stands as a touchstone of camp, and watched as such, is a lot of fun. Batman is one of my favorite comic book characters and I usually prefer the darker, grittier, post-Frank Miller version of him. Miller's 1986 comic book miniseries The Dark Knight Returns forever eradicated the kitschy aesthetic associated with the character for years after the series ended. But this adaptation of the hero hearkens back to the more family friendly, post-World War II era of Batman history, and does so wonderfully. While everyone is delightfully demented, I enjoyed Gorshin's interpretation of the Riddler the most out of all the villains. He imbues the character with such manic madness that he has an almost childlike sense of wonder that is truly a treat to watch. The godfather of fitness Jack LaLanne makes a quick cameo as a man on a rooftop exercising with a group of girls who wave at the Batcopter as it passes overhead near the beginning of movie. In 1972, director Leslie H. Martinson won the Golden Gryphon Award at the Giffoni Film Festival for his work on the movie. Watch the trailer below and check out this informative feature length history of Batman and review of the movie from The DVD Shelf Movie Reviews.