If you were a kid or a teenager in 1989, no other movie was more anticipated than this iconic 80’s flick. The first superhero movie to take the gritty and grounded approach, it was the comic book event of the decade and the film that transformed the campy Caped Crusader into the brooding Dark Knight. So fire up the Batmobile and meet us in Gotham City as Tim Williams and guest co-host, Laramy Wells and Ron West, discuss “Batman” from 1989 on this episode of the 80’s Flick Flashback!
Here are some additional behind the scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:
- Michael Keaton was unable to hear while wearing the Batsuit. He said that his claustrophobia helped get him in the proper mood to play Batman. "It made me go inward and that's how I wanted the character to be anyway, to be withdrawn," he said.
- Batman creator Bob Kane was to make a cameo in the film, but became ill, and shooting of his scene was not re-scheduled. Kane had drawn and signed the "Batman" sketch used by reporters to tease Knox, and Kane was to be the cartoonist who presented it.
- The Batmobile was built on the chassis of a Chevy Impala, and incorporated the engine of an Impala, the tail lights of a Ferrari, the fuel caps of a London bus, and jet engine parts from a Harrier Jump Jet. The sliding cockpit was also inspired by that of a Harrier, with the slim windows of a gun emplacement. Art director Terry Ackland-Snow added the headlights of a Honda Civic to the vehicle after noticing them on his wife's car. As a special promotion around the film's release date, MTV held a "Steal the Batmobile" contest, where the winner would be awarded one of the prototypes that had the engine removed.
- When the Joker tells Bob to tail Knox, Jack Nicholson ad-libbed his Grissom impression, complete with Jack Palance's breathy voice.
Sources:
Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office Mojo https://www.joblo.com/batman-1989-revisited-superhero-movie-review/
Intro & Outro Music: "Total Eclipse" by Nathaniel Wyver
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