In 1966, Batmania swept the United States. Though the character had first appeared in comic books in 1939, the 1966 Batman TV show starring Adam West and Burt Ward gave the character a newfound popularity that was beyond anything he had known before. Between the first and second season of the show a theatrical feature film starring the same cast and made by the same crew was released. However, the original intention for this movie was to have it released before the premiere of the TV show. This theatrical feature film was supposed to be audiences' introduction to this version of the caped crusader. However, this was not meant to be. When ABC decided to debut the TV series as a mid-season replacement in early 1966, audiences ended up seeing Adam West and Burt Ward as the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder on TV before seeing them on the big screen. Perhaps this was for the best because all though the TV series was a national phenomenon, this movie ended up only being a moderate success at the box office. The movie premiered at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas, on July 30, 1966. Though this marked Batman's first feature length film this was not the first time he was seen on movie screens as there were two Batman movie serials in the 1940's.
This movie's plot is wonderfully simple. The Joker (Ceaser Romero), The Penguin (Burgess Meredith), The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) and Catwoman (Lee Meriwether) all team up to pull off an elaborate scheme to take over the world. Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) must stop them before they can complete their evil scheme.
This movie may feel like a longer episode of the TV show, but if it does it feels like one of the best episodes. This film is a complete delight from start to finish. Like the TV series much of the action is played completely tongue in cheek. This movie is corny, but it knows that it is corny. Because of this the filmmakers have a lot of fun playing with just how silly a lot of the action is. That makes it so that we have just as much fun watching. There are many scenes here that are pure comedy gold. No matter how many times I watch this film, I still laugh out loud at some of these comedic moments. The opening scene with the dynamic duo in the Bat-copter, the famous Bat-Shark repellant gag, the scene in the Commissioner's office where they try to figure out who is behind this and of course the classic "Somedays you just can't get rid of a bomb" scene are all comedic brilliance. Yet this movie also captures the same secret that makes the TV show work. While it may be filled with silly over-the-top gags, the characters themselves are never treated as jokes. Batman and Robin are still exactly the type of hero that every kid would want to be. Even as an adult these two versions of Batman and Robin are exactly the type of hero that I would wish to be. This is why Adam West remains my favorite Batman. It is not because of the corniness of the movie and TV show but because this version of Batman is everything that I feel a hero should be. Similarly, the villains, while over the top, feel like a real threat to our heroes. We may laugh at some of their antics but like Batman and Robin, they never become jokes. As a threat to our heroes, we take them seriously. Of course, as is true with the TV show, the great casting makes this movie work incredibly well. Each actor plays their roles absolutely perfectly.
The only real problem I have with this movie is that it is a little bit longer than it needs to be. Some of the scenes involving the romance between Bruce Wayne (Batman's secret identity) and Kitka (really Catwoman in disguise) can drag a little. Maybe these could have been shortened to make a tighter movie. However, even with this flaw, I love this movie with all my heart.
This one of the rare theatrically released films directed by Leslie H. Martinson. Martinson had mostly worked as a TV director. Though as a TV director his career spanned from the 1950's through the 1980's. TV shows he directed episodes for included The Roy Rogers Show, Tales of Wells Fargo, Cheyenne, Maverick, Mission: Impossible, Mannix, Wonder Woman, Young Maverick, CHiPs and of course Batman. Fans of classic TV might also know him for directing the made for TV movie, Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978). The only difference in the casting for this movie and for the TV show is that Lee Meriwether played Catwoman instead of by Julie Newmar (who played the character in the first two seasons of the TV show).
I truly love this movie with all my heart. This is just sheer corny superhero fun at its best.
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