'Batman - the Movie' by Lorenzo Semple Jr.

FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE MOTION PICTURE SCREEN IN COLOR!

Adam West As Batman And Burt Ward As Robin Together With All Their Fantastic Derring-Do And Their Dastardly Villains, Too!


Holy Team Ups! The Penguin, the Joker, the Riddler and the Catwoman have joined forces to form the United Underworld, and are planning to take over first Gotham City - and then the world! They begin by kidnapping Commodore Schmidlapp, proprietor of the famous Big Ben Distilleries, and attempt to kill the pursuing Batman and Robin by means of a disappearing yacht and an exploding shark. Luckily, the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder are able to escape with the aid of a can of handy Shark-Repellant Batspray. During the subsequent press conference Batman meets Kitanya Irenya Tatanya Kernska Alisoff (or KITKA for short), a beautiful Russian journalist from The Moscow Bugle - actually Catwoman in disguise. Later, at their secret headquarters at Ye Olde Benbow Taverne, the frightful four hatch a plan to kidnap the members of the Security Council from the United World Organization building on Gotham East River; however, before they can begin, they need to get the Dynamic Duo out of the way… Miss KITKA uses her femine wiles to beguile Bruce Wayne, taking him out to dinner and then back to her apartment; here the millionaire is captured by the Penguin, the Joker and the Riddler, all riding flying umbrella jet-packs. The villains plan to lure Batman to their hideout, where the Caped Crusader faces death in the many arms of the Penguin's exploding octopus; however, Bruce manages to escape, and soon rejoins Dick Grayson and Commissioner Gordon back at Wayne Manor. Meanwhile the United Underworld begins preparations to use Schmidlapp's invention, the Total Dehydrator, planning to extract the moisture from the Security Council members, thereby transforming them into easily-manageable piles of dust…

Adam West (Bruce Wayne / Batman), Burt Ward (Dick Grayson / Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred Pennyworth), Madge Blake (Aunt Harriet Cooper), James Hamilton (Police Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Police Chief O’Hara), William Dozier (Narrator)*, Lee Meriwether (The Catwoman / Comrade Kitanya 'Kitka' Irenya Tantanya Karenska Alisoff), Cesar Romero (The Joker), Burgess Meredith (The Penguin), Frank Gorshin (The Riddler), Reginald Denny (Commodore Schmidlapp), Milton Frome (Vice Admiral Fangschleister), Gil Perkins (Mr. Bluebeard), Dick Crockett (Morgan), George Sawaya (Quetch), Sterling Holloway (Colonel Terry)*, Del Moore (American Delegate)*, Maurice Dallimore (British Delegate)*, Teru Shimada (Japanese Delegate)*, Ivan Trisault (West German Delegate)*, Jack La Lanne (Himself - Rooftop Cameo), Emmanuel Thomas (Mr. Stanley), Van Williams (Voice of the President)*, Vince Barbi*, Wolfe Barzell*, Albert Carrier*, George Cisar*, Gregory Gaye*, Harry Lauter*, George J. Lewis*, Wally Rose*, William Tannen*
*Uncredited

Directed by Leslie H. Martinson
Produced by William Dozier
Associate producer Charles B. Fitzsimons

TX:
Released:
30th July 1966

Duration:
105 minutes

Bat-Notes:
*Featuring Bruce Wayne (a.k.a. Batman), Dick Grayson (a.k.a. Robin), Alfred Pennyworth, Aunt Harriet, Police Commissioner Gordon and Police Chief O’Hara

*The movie was originally intended to introduce audiences to Batman and the rest of the cast of characters, and was scheduled to be made prior to the television series; however, when ABC registered the faltering ratings of several of its shows, the studio bosses decided to bring the premiere of the television show ahead from its intended premiere date of Autumn 1966, to January 1966; they put production of the movie on hiatus, to be completed once the first series had been completed

*Some American TV prints omit the sequence of Batman and Robin driving the Batmobile down the dock to the Batboat, and then using another set of batpoles to reach sea level; other prints edit out Penguin's final line, "Every one of them has a mother!", when he dehydrates the pirates.