Batman and Robin set out to rescue Commodore Schmidlapp, whose yacht seems to vanish before their eyes in a mission that soon reveals a deception. Their investigation leads them to the United Underworld, an alliance of Gotham City villains made up of the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler and Catwoman, which has a dehydrator capable of turning people into dust. The Dynamic Duo faces a series of ingenious traps in a lighthearted, fast-paced adventure.

How it was made

William Dozier wanted a big-screen film to build interest in his proposed television series, but 20th Century-Fox balked at covering the full cost of a feature. After a 1965 New York screening of Columbia's 1943 serial renewed interest in the character, and the show became a huge hit, the studio agreed. Lorenzo Semple Jr., a writer on the series, finished the screenplay in ten days, and Leslie H. Martinson directed. Most of the television cast returned, though Julie Newmar, busy with other commitments, was replaced as Catwoman by Lee Meriwether. Nelson Riddle composed the score, and principal photography took about four weeks.

Reception and legacy

The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. It holds an 80% approval on Rotten Tomatoes based on 30 reviews, and a 6.5/10 rating on IMDb. In 1972 it won a Gryphon award at the Giffoni Film Festival. In Spain it was censored during the Franco era, probably because of a parody of a United Nations ambassador, and was not released there until July 1979. Its legacy is tied to the success of the series and to being the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the character.

Stills

Trailer

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Trivia

Catwoman recast

Julie Newmar, who had played Catwoman on the series, had other commitments and could not return, so the role went to Lee Meriwether.

Reused footage

According to a YouTube channel, the production used images of Eva Perón's funeral from an Argentine documentary to show the crowd of Gotham City citizens.

More films by Leslie H. Martinson

PT 1091963

Fathom1967

Missile X: The Neutron Bomb Incident1978

Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.