BATMAN: THE MOVIE

WELCOME BACK, BAT-FANS! Today, we will be looking at “BATMAN: THE MOVIE” [The 1989 TIM BURTON film version.] and the 80 year history of the bat himself!

[From left to right: BEN AFFLECK [“THE DCEU” FILM SERIES -2013-PRESENT], ROBERT LOWERY [“BATMAN AND ROBIN” - 1949 15 EPISODE MOVIE SERIAL], ADAM WEST [“BATMAN: THE T.V. SERIES” - 1966-1968 plus “BATMAN: THE MOVIE” - 1966, “BATMAN: THE RETURN OF THE CAPED CRUSADERS” - VOICED 2016 AND “BATMAN VS. TWO-FACE” - VOICED 2017] MICHAEL KEATON [“BATMAN: THE MOVIE - 1989 AND “BATMAN RETURNS” 1992], VAL KILMER “BATMAN FOREVER” - 1995], LEWIS WILSON [“BATMAN” - 1943 15 EPISODE MOVIE SERIAL], GEORGE CLOONEY [“BATMAN AND ROBIN” - 1997] AND CHRISTIAN BALE [“THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY” : “BATMAN BEGINS” - 2005, “THE DARK KNIGHT” - 2008 AND “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES” - 2012].]

First of all: Did you know that “BATMAN” will be teaming up with the “TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES” in an all new feature-length animated movie?

[This is an upcoming movie that I am particularly excited about, so I just had to get that out of the way first!]

Although I have mentioned the five of them teaming up together before in two previous blog entries [“SABAN’S POWER RANGERS: THE MOVIE [2017]” and “TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE ORIGINAL MOVIE [1990]”], but this is the first time that they have ever met on film!

Did you know that Director TIM BURTON had to fight with Screenwriter SAM HAMM over the idea of a young “JOKER” killing “BRUCE WAYNE’S” parents?

In the final film, “THE JOKER” (then named “JACK NAPIER”) is revealed to be the gangster who guns down “BRUCE WAYNE’S” parents in the streets of “GOTHAM CITY”. It’s a twist that some comic book fans still dislike, and according to HAMM, it definitely wasn’t his fault.

“That was something that TIM had wanted from early on, and I had a bunch of arguments with him and wound up talking him out of it for as long as I was on the script. But, once the script went into production, there was a writer’s strike underway, and so I wasn’t able to be with the production as it was shooting over in London, and they brought in other people.”

HAMM also emphasizes that it was also not his idea to show “ALFRED” letting “VICKI VALE” into “THE BATCAVE”!

[HAMM expressing himself]

Did you know that “BATMAN” actually has two creators?

Everyone knows who BOB KANE is but do you know who BILL FINGER is?

BILL FINGER is the unsung co-creator of “BATMAN”. When he was asked about how he first got involved with “BATMAN” BILL said: “KANE had an idea for a character called “BATMAN”, and he'd like me to see the drawings. I went over to Kane's, and he had drawn a character who looked very much like Superman with kind of ... reddish tights, I believe, with boots ... no gloves, no gauntlets ... with a small Domino Mask, swinging on a rope. He had two stiff wings that were sticking out, looking like bat wings. And under it was a big sign ...

“THE BAT-MAN.””

[BOB KANE’S ORIGINAL “BATMAN” DESIGN/CONCEPT!]

FINGER came up with ideas such as completely redesigning “THE BAT-SUIT”, the secret identity of “BRUCE WAYNE”, the name of “GOTHAM CITY” and much, much more!

BOB KANE said (and I quote) "BILL FINGER was a contributing force on “BATMAN” right from the beginning... I made “BATMAN” a superhero-vigilante when I first created him. Bill turned him into a scientific detective."

FINGER wrote both the initial script for “BATMAN’S” debut in “DETECTIVE COMICS [DC] #27” (May 1939) and the character's second appearance, while Kane provided art. KANE negotiated a contract with NATIONAL COMICS, the future DC COMICS, that signed away ownership of the character in exchange for, among other compensations, a mandatory byline on all “BATMAN” comics (and adaptations thereof). FINGER’S name, in contrast, does not appear as an official credit on “BATMAN” stories or films, even the comics he wrote in the 1940s and 1950s.

Not getting the due credit is why JERRY ROBINSON (who got screwed out of getting proper credit for creating “THE JOKER” because of the contract Kane signed and the legalities he finagled over character creation) created “THE BILL FINGER AWARD” --(which recognized creators who did not get their due credit).

All print/media etc should read "“BATMAN” created by BOB KANE AND BILL FINGER!" There are some books and a HULU documentary [-for anyone who has HULU, just look for the film titled “BATMAN AND BILL”-] on this subject if you are ever interested---Finger came up with a lot more contrabutions of the Batman Universe in his writings and ideas than you might think. His list of character creations is long--and he really does NOT get enough credit.

[“BATMAN” [MICHAEL KEATON] and CO-CREATOR BOB KANE on the set of 1989’s “BATMAN: THE MOVIE”!]

[“BATMAN [THE 1939 COMICS VERSION]”, CO-CREATOR BILL FINGER AND “BATMAN” [BEN AFFLECK] together in an edited picture.]

Did you know that when the ‘89 movie rights were being bought, no one would take a dark “BATMAN” movie seriously?

Yep, you [sort of] heard me. Nobody wanted to make a dark “BATMAN” movie!

Here’s what Executive Producer MICHAEL USLAN said about this issue:

"People - in the Hollywood community - weren’t understanding what I was saying [about a dark, serious BATMAN film]. They said ““BATMAN” is a pot-bellied funny guy with ‘Pows, Zaps, and Whams. It’s silliness. “ And I’d tell them “No it’s not.” They couldn’t get it. Even when I showed them [the dark “BATMAN” comic books - old and current]. So I sat down and worked with a friend of mine on a script titled “RETURN OF THE BATMAN”. I wanted to do it not because this was what the film would be, but to give people some idea of just what the hell I was talking about! It really was about ten years before “THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS” - it was that sort of approach to it. And that helped me convince a few people in Hollywood what I was trying to accomplish."

[USLAN with a collection of “BAT-MEMORABILLIA”.]

Did you know that comedy legend ROBIN WILLIAMS was used to trick JACK NICHOLSON into playing “THE JOKER”?

WILLIAMS was offered the role of “THE JOKER” when NICHOLSON hesitated. He had even accepted the role, when producers approached NICHOLSON again and told him WILLIAMS would take the part if he didn't. NICHOLSON took the role, and WILLIAMS was released. WILLIAMS resented being used as bait, and not only refused to play “THE RIDDLER” in “BATMAN FOREVER” (1995) but also refused to be involved in any WARNER BROTHERS productions until the studio apologized. Geeze, talk about a bad casting move!

[The late ROBIN WILLIAMS.]

JACK NICHOLSON said of his role, "The thing I like about “THE JOKER” is that his sense of humor is completely tasteless." He later said “THE JOKER” was one of his favorite roles he played. NICHOLSON also received a percentage of the gross on the film, and due to its massive box-office take, he took home around $60 million. As of 2003, it is still the single-movie record for an actor's salary.

[NICHOLSON AS “THE JOKER”]

[NICHOLSON without the makeup.]

Did you know that the cathedral fight scene takes exactly ten minutes of real-time?

It’s all true and all very real! Right (at around 1hour & 45 mins.) before “THE JOKER” enters the “GOTHAM CITY CATHEDRAL” with “VICKI VALE” [KIM BASINGER], he requests over the walkie-talkie for "transportation for two" to arrive in ten minutes. Between entering the cathedral and the arrival of “THE JOKER’S” helicopter, the action inside the cathedral unfolds in real-time.

[The cathedral from “THE JOKER’S” point of view!]

According to MICHAEL KEATON, his background in comedy proved useful in playing “BATMAN”, because it gave him instincts in how to shape scenes and build dimension into his character. For example, in the scene when “VICKI” and “BRUCE” are having dinner, KEATON suggested that they be seated far apart at a very long table and his line of dialogue, "I don't think I've been in this room before." In another example, he contributed the idea of “BRUCE” hanging like a bat after sleeping with “VICKI”. "It makes all the other stuff even weirder and darker because you're thinking, 'This guy's off,'" Keaton said. The hanging like a bat idea was rejected.

[KEATON in an interview for his films “THE FOUNDER” [2016] and “SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING” [2017] on “ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT”.]

We all know that “THE JOKER” will be starring in his own solo movie [starring JOAQUIN PHOENIX] that’s coming out in late 2019, but, did you know that “CATWOMAN” also [sort of] starred in her very own movie?

“CATWOMAN” [starring HALLE BERRY] was released in 2004. Buuuttt the less said about that movie, the better!

[Movie posters for both “CATWOMAN” and “THE JOKER”.]

Did you know that, in the comics, “VICKI VALE” is not blonde [but it was not intentionally red either]?

That’s right, while KIM BASINGER has blonde hair, “VICKI VALE was a redhead in the comics. According to “BATMAN” Co-creator BOB KANE, “VALE” was supposed to be blonde in the comics, and her hair came out red due to a coloring error in her first appearance. Ironically, BASINGER would later sport red hair in the movie “EVEN MONEY” (2006). Talk about a hair-raising experience!

[BASINGER as “VICKI VALE” - with her natural blonde hair - in a scene from “BATMAN: THE MOVIE” [1989] and as “CAROLYN CARVER” - with red hair - in “EVEN MONEY” [2006].]

Well BAT-FANS, that’s all I have for ‘ya. There was a lot of stuff that I found, but I think I will end it here! BYE!!!