Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt

Return to the Batcave:
The Misadventures of Adam and Burt

DVD cover
Written by Duane Poole
Directed by Paul A. Kaufman
Starring Adam West
Burt Ward
Jack Brewer
Jason Marsden
Music by Douglas J. Cuomo
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Executive producer(s) Dawn Wells
Larry Germain
Producer(s) Michael Gallant
Cinematography James Glennon
Editor(s) Casey O. Rohrs
Running time 90 minutes
Production company(s) Artisan Entertainment
Fox Television Studios
The Kaufman Company
Release
Original network CBS
Original release March 9, 2003 (2003-03-09)

Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt is a 2003 American made-for-television action-comedy film based on the 1966–1968 Batman television series which features the original stars Adam West and Burt Ward as themselves, with Jack Brewer and Jason Marsden portraying the young West (Batman) and Ward (Robin) in flashbacks. It was broadcast on CBS on March 9, 2003.

Plot

Adam West and Burt Ward go in search of the Batmobile after it is stolen, and along the way find themselves forced to consult their memories to decipher clues left by the criminals, evidently people they had known from filming the Batman television series. Memories include affairs, one of which led to Burt being chased by a knife-bearing lover, medicine Burt was forced to take so his genitals would not be so visible in his tights, and Adam meeting the actress who played Batgirl (Yvonne Craig) and accidentally placing a hand on her breast during filming. As it turns out, the villains who stole the Batmobile were the actors who once played the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) and Catwoman (Julie Newmar).

Casting

Apart from West and Ward, a number of actors from the original series also appeared in the film. This includes Frank Gorshin, who played the Riddler, Julie Newmar, who played Catwoman for the first two seasons of the show and Lee Meriwether, who played Catwoman in the Batman theatrical film. Gorshin and Newmar appear as themselves, while Meriwether appears as a waitress. The most noticeable surviving cast member not to appear in the movie is Yvonne Craig, who played Batgirl in the third season of the show. When asked by a fan at a convention why she did not appear in it she replied that she did not like the script and politely turned it down.

Due to licensing problems involving the original TV series, the makers of this film were only allowed to use footage from the 1966 Batman feature film. As a result, Lee Meriwether's rendition of Catwoman is the only one seen in archive footage in this film (even during a musical sequence intended to pay tribute to Newmar). Zambia-born actress Julia Rose plays the young Julie Newmar and gets to briefly don the Catwoman costume.

Jason Marsden, who plays the young Burt Ward/Robin, has done a few voice roles in DC/Warner Bros Cartoons such as Batman Beyond, Justice League Unlimited, and Young Justice.

Lyle Waggoner, who originally auditioned for the part of Batman, and Betty White both have cameos in the movie. Some of Waggoner's actual audition tape footage can be seen in the movie. Waggoner ended up landing a role into another DC Comics' TV series: he played Steve Trevor on Wonder Woman in the 1970s alongside Lynda Carter as the title character. Adam West's daughter, Nina West, also has a cameo as a psychotic actress who tries to kill Burt Ward after a one-night stand. This incident is mentioned in Ward's autobiography, My Life in Tights. During the original series, of the four main supervillains (Joker, Riddler, Penguin, and Catwoman), only Riddler never entered the Batcave set; in the movie the Riddler finally does enter the Batcave.

Cast

DVD release

Return to the Batcave was released on DVD on May 17, 2005, by Anchor Bay (under license from Fox/Artisan, owners of the special). (Cat. No. DV13084)

It is now out of print.

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