HOLY EXHIBIT BATMAN!… BATMAN ’66 EXHIBIT OPENS AT HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM

 

By Tammye McDuff

The world’s most famous Hollywood Museum located in the historic Max Factor Building, will host the first ever “BATMAN ‘66” exhibit which will be open to the public January 12, 2018, the anniversary date of the 1966 premiere of the ABC TV series ‘Batman’.

As the iconic Bat Signal shown high above the Hollywood Museum, Highland Avenue resembled Gotham City at the VIP gala “Holy Hollywood History! Batman ‘66” which was graced by special appearances of original remaining cast members Burt Ward [Robin], Julie Newmar [Catwoman] and Barbara Rush [Nora Clavicle, villainess].

Sitting outside the main entrance of the Museum was the recognizable Bat Mobile. In 1955, the Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company designed and built a futuristic concept car called the Lincoln future.  It was built entirely by hand in Italy with a cost of $250,000. Like most concept cars it was never put into production; however George Barris of Barris Kustom City acquired the car for $1 in the 1960’s. Barris later sold the first Batmobile for $4,200,000.

The exhibit consists of four popular displays from the trendy series, Wayne Manor, The Batcave, Gallery of guest super villains’ and the collectable items based on the show. A special tribute to the dynamic duo Adam West [Batman] and Burt Ward [Robin] is also on show.

The Batman ’66 exhibit features original costumes and props which have not been seen since the original broadcast. Donelle Dadigan, President and Co-founder of the Hollywood Museum noted, “We have costumes and props that evoke one’s childhood memories of the ever popular television series. There is something for everyone, from the Batmobile and Batcycle to Burt and Adam’s original clothing worn during the show.” Dadigan added that one of her favorite displays is that of the original Dr. Casandra. The villainess had a grand scheme against Gotham City through invisibility pills and spellcraft. Dr. Casandra was played by Ida Lupino and the attire has never been seen publicly until now.

Other highlights include costumes from The Riddler, The Joker, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze and life size sculptures of the three famous women, Eartha Kitt, Lee Meriwether and the juicy Julie Newmar, who brought Catwoman to life. The extensive exhibit, located on the third floor features sought after collectibles, the ‘gotta-have’ lunch box, action figures, puppets, rare Batman Ice Cream boxes, board games and the infamous Batman utility belt.

Boy Wonder, Burt Ward, remarked, “I am excited to see all of this.  It is like a homecoming to reunite with these items and to remember my friend and crime fighting partner, Adam West.” The release of Warner Bros. animated films ‘Batman: Return of the Caped Crusader” and “Batman vs. Two Face” has sparked a renewed interest in the original series, which infuses “Batman ‘66” with reinvigorated fervor.

From caped crusader to canine campaigner, Ward and his wife have spent years of research and testing, to create a natural dog food called Gentle Giants. Gentle Giants Products manufacturers all natural Gentle Giants dog food which is sold in more than 1,250 stores in California, and in 339 WalMart Supercenters.

The Hollywood Museum hosts 10,000 authentic show business treasures, highlighting over 100 years of Hollywood history on four floors.