The 1966 Batman movie made its premiere 55 years ago today, 30 July 1966, at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas. This big-screen adaptation of the legendary series was initially planned on being filmed before the TV show, but ABC’s disastrous ratings in fall 1965 forced it to put the show as a mid-season replacement.
The movie, unlike the television series, did not have Julie Newmar as Catwoman. Lee Meriwether, the 1955 Miss America, would play the role, and bring her own very special kind of magic to the role, and it clearly played a part in the revival of the Feline Fatale that memorable year. The movie was, and remains, a sheer delight to watch. As a 7-year-old, I was unaware of the film until the late 1980s, but enjoyed it greatly.
Burgess Meredith returned as The Penguin, as did Frank Gorshin as The Riddler and Cesar Romero as The Joker. Filmed immediately after the end of Season One production, the movie did moderately well the first time at the box office. When it aired on ABC for the first time on 4 July 1971, it was such a ratings smash that it was rerun on Labor Day weekend! By today’s standards, the network would have probably revived the show right then and there, but that was not meant to be. Nonetheless, the 1966 Batman movie remains a much-loved affair!!!
