Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jul 30, 2024 | 1 comment

COOL VIDEO! Holy cheering throngs! The film opened with a parade and screening in Austin, Texas, on July 30, 1966…

American movie premieres in the ’60s were usually in Los Angeles or New York, but when the 1966 Batman movie debuted, it was in… Austin, Texas?!

Yep, Austin — and not because of the Alamo Drafthouse. Or SXSW. They wouldn’t exist until decades later. Nope, it’s because Glastron, the company that built the ever-snazzy Batboat, was headquartered in the Texas state capital.

According to KVUE, the local ABC affiliate, “It’s been reported that the company didn’t want to be paid any money for fabricating the boat. Instead, they asked the movie’s producers to host the film’s premiere in Austin.”

So, members of the cast moseyed on down to the Lone Star State and thousands turned up, a few days before the annual Austin Aqua Fest was scheduled to kick off.

“Austin went batty before the actors even touched down, with swarms of fans mobbing the airport to greet them,” according to Austin Monthly magazine. “At the Crest Inn (now the Line Hotel) where (Adam) West and Lee Meriwether (Catwoman) were staying, throngs of people arrived to kick off the festivities. In total, almost 30,000 spectators paraded alongside the cast down Congress Avenue to the Paramount Theatre.”

Not much in the way of video or photos exist online, though there is a brief clip posted of Congress Avenue (renamed Batman Boulevard for the festivities) by the Austin History Center:

Also attending were Cesar Romero (the Joker, natch) and Burgess Meredith (the Penguin, also natch), and the Batboat was on display inside the theater.

Want more on the classic flick? Dig the links below.

—

MORE

— The 13 GREATEST MOMENTS of the 1966 BATMAN MOVIE. Click here.

— Dig This UP-CLOSE LOOK at the Original 1966 PENGUIN SUB. Click here.