The sum of Batman, the television show in 1966, reached its height at the end of the first season with Batman: The Movie! It is directed by Leslie H. Martinson. He directed the eleventh episode, 21-22, with “The Penguin Goes Straight.” The episodes were told in two parts with a cliffhanger to be resolved the next day. Martinson directed five episodes of the Wonder Woman television show in season three of the series. One of the finest superhero directors IMO, directing two heroes of the DC Trinity, and defining Batman with this movie. It is written by Lorenzo Semple, Jr., he wrote the first episode of the Batman television series as well as 120 other episodes! Semple, Jr. wrote the spy thriller, Three Days of the Condor (1975) and also the campy sci-fi classic, Flash Gordon (1980). The movie begins with a spotlight on a wall falling on a chalk acknowledgement “to the enemies of crime” and then to “funlovers everywhere.”
It passes a couple kissing and then a message of apology to any lovers they missed from the producers! The title sequences has some colored spotlights introducing the Dynamic Duo; Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward). West appeared in the sci fi movie, Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) before being hurtled into pop culture fame. This was Ward’s first role and West and Ward later appeared in the mini-series, Legends of the Superheroes (1979). They reteamed for the animated movie, Batman vs. Two-Face (1966) for the last time before West’s death in 2017. Ward appeared as Burt Ward in the Supergirl epsiode, “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part One” (2019) bringing the show into canon. Their brilliance was that they played their parts straight, as a kid watching the show in re-runs the show was like any other action movie or show, then as an adult I can appreciate the campy fun.
We hear the familiar Batman theme by Neal Hefti. The film’s music by Nelson Riddle who composed music for the first two seasons of the show. Then, Batman’s famous Rogue’s Gallery of Villains are introduced starting with Catwoman. She was introduced in the tenth episode, 19-20, in “The Purr-fect Crime.” Catwoman was of course played by Julie Newmar in the show, but here she is played by Lee Merriwether. She played Lisa Carson in season two’s “King Tut’s Coup” (1967), 53-54. Merriwether joined Newmar in Batman vs. Two-Face in which she voiced Lucilee Diamond. The Joker (Cesar Romero) made his debut with “The Joker Is Wild”, the third episode, 5-6. Romero starred in The Red Skelton Hour before taking on what I think is the best depiction of The Joker since he terrified me as a kid. Romero passed away in 1994. The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) was next with “Fine Feathered Finks” with episode three, 3-4. Meredith was in the drama series, Mr. Novak before playing the Penguin and then the iconic role of Mickey in the Rocky films. Meredith died in 1997.
The last Bat villain shown is The Ridder (Frank Gorshin) with the first episode, 1-2, “Hi Diddle Riddle.” Gorshin starred in the comedy, That Darn Cat! (1965) before becoming the Penguin. He was in Legends of the Superheroes (1979) and voiced Hugo Strange in 2005 episodes of The Batman cartoon. Gorshin unfortunately died in 2005. The best part of the show was introducing many super villains which was exceptional besides Lex Luthor (Lyle Talbot) in Atom Man vs. Superman (1950), then the Superboy (1988-1992), and Smallville (2001-2011) television shows. Still it was the impression of impression of the Batman foes that defined super villains even today. We begin with the narrator, producer William Dozier, focusing on a yacht headed to Gotham City that holds a world changing invention. Bruce Wayne (West) drives back to Wayne Manor with Dick Grayson (Ward).
They are greeted by Alfred (Alan Napier) and Aunt Harriet (Madge Blake). They are return based on a tip about the yacht in danger. Bruce activates the batpoles and hits the switch for Instant Costume Change on the way down! They race to the Batmobile readying th “atomic batteries”, “wait, this sucker is nuclear?” Robin calls the airport to prepare the Batcopter, its first appearance on film. The red helicopter with batwings is readied by technicians which is probably the first time others used Bat technology. Batman and Robin quickly take the Batcopter over Gotham City with a cameo by fitness guru, Jack Lalane and bikini girls on a rooftop. Batman points out the yacht and Robin uses a device to check the “bat drift angle”? They drop the bat ladder which has a sign identifying it and Batman has Robin set the “automatic bat hold”, auto pilot?, as he drops down the ladder.
The props, outdoor shots, and stunts bump up the film quality from the series. Batman is lowered down into the sea and comes out with a shark attached to his right leg! He batters its head which might be enough to let the shark go, but has Robin give him the shark repellent bat spray! There are other sprays like Barracuda repellent just in case you think the shark repellent is too handy. Robin hangs upside down, right out of his circus acrobat days!, and gives Batman the spray. The shark falls off and explodes! At a press conference, reporters gather at the office of Commissioner Gordon, they ask Batman about the missing yacht. He has the shark had swallowed a floating mine. Then, he answers a question posed by Kitanya Irenya Tatanya Karenska Alisoff, Miss Kitka (Merriwether). Love her cheetah print cossack hat and coat.
She wants him to take off his mask for a photo. Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton) and Chief O’Hara (Stafford Repp) are offended. Batman explains to her that they have to keep their identites secret. O’Hara and Gordon say it would take away their ability to be crime fighters and Gordon says that they are fully deputized. The reporters are sent out and Batman admits that they were following a decoy. The group goes to see the criminals on the loose on a closed circuit tv which Batman must know at all times. They put the clues together about the foiled rescue attempt which leads Gordon and Batman to conclude that it is all four villains together! A taxi takes Miss Kitka to the dockside, Ye Olde Benbow Taverne. She enters a bar filled with brawling customers and sees a pirate who says, “Yo ho, Catwoman.”
The Joker laughs in front of the logo of the group, the United Underworld! The Riddler is angry at the Penguin’s exploding shark. The Joker separtes them and uses his electrifying Joy Buzzer. Miss Kitka tells her black cat, Hecate to attack them. The others draw back from the cat and she scoffs at the name of the group. The Riddler and Penguin decide to calm down next to their respective shelves with riddles and penguin food! Miss Kitka says she went to the press conference without problems and asks about the prisoner. The Joker says he hasn’t realized he is kidnapped and brings a tray of tea to Commodore Schidlapp (Reginald Denny). His invention is the Total Dehydrator that is used by the villains to transform people into colored dust! The threat to the world is changing the United World organization into dust! A foghorn goes off and he is unconcerned that fog has kept them from Gotham City. A henchman uses a photo of the sea and a foghorn to keep up the deception. Miss Kitka has changed into her black Catwoman outfit and Penguin has his pirates prepare his submarine.
At the Batcave, Robin uses the Film Developing Tank (Super Fine Batgrain) to show a photo of the sea. Batman finds in the picture a bell buoy that projected the image of the yacht. They take the Batmobile to head to the Batboat. On a private dock, they get into the blue boat with bat fin in the rear, another bat vehicle that made its live action debut. Batman tells Robin that the real yacht must have been taken to a secret island. Below them is Penguin’s submarine, it has the head of a penguin painted on its bow and ends with flappy flippers! This is easily my favorite of the new vehicles! The Penguin notes his command of the vessel over Riddler and Joker. On the penguin-shaped p.a., he warns his pirates, who tlls them a “small vessel” is approaching the trick buoy. The Batboat heads towards the buoy as a penguin periscope pops out of the water!
On the buoy, Batman finds a shark cage, as Penguin orders Joker to load the torpedo tube! Robin finds the hologram projector and Batman spots the penguin periscope! Penguin orders a pirate to activate the buoy’s penguin magnet that traps the Dynamic Duo with their utility belts! Batman frees his utility belt transmitter. The torpedoes are launched! Batman uses the transmitter to destroy the torpedos. Another torpedo is fired and Batman realizes the batteries on the transmitter are dead! Very funny. Then, there is an explosion. The Batboat escapes and at the dock, Batman calls up Admiral Fangschliester (Milton Frome) to ask if he sold a war surplus submarine! Frome is known for the comedy, The Nutty Professor (1963). He looks up the information and says it was sold to a person named P.N. Gwynne!
Batman and Robin notice a missile is launched, it explodes, leaving behind the Riddler’s cloudy clues! They return to headquarters, Gordon’s office, and assemble the clues to Catwoman, very silly, in this criminal collection. The group wonders what they want, two of the villains Batman says could take Gotham City, three, the country, and four, the world! At the headquarters of the United Underworld, Catwoman shows them a photo the United World Building that holds the Security Council. The Total Dehydrator is the weapon that will threaten the world! The Riddler puts togther a plan involving all of the villains. He has Miss Kitka bring a victim to get the attention of Batman for the trap, Bruce Wayne!
At the Wayne Mansion, Miss Kitka brings him the Riddle’s clues and he invites Miss Kitka to dinner! This is the first time that we see development with Bruce Wayne and a romance that happens to be with Catwoman! In the comics, their romance was on again, off again until DC Rebirth. Captured Bruce Wayne ends up in bed with Miss Kitka, the most scenes with Bruce Wayne. Also novel is Alfred driving the Batmobile, the Penguin in disguise enters the Batcave, and the best scene, Batman running around the docks saying, “Some days you can’t get rid of a bomb!”
Five Batarangs out of Five!
#BatmanTheMovie, #LeslieHMartinson, #LorenzoSempleJr, #AdamWest, #BurtWard, #LeeMerriwether, #CesarRomero, #BurgessMeredith, #FrankGorshin
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