Exploring Wayne Manor Over 80 Years of Batman
Over time, the mansion started to change, especially as filmmakers began creating live action adaptations of the story, the first of which came out in 1943. Simply titled Batman, this serial doesn’t show viewers too much of the exterior of the manor, which is shrouded in trees and dark sky. “You can’t see a lot,” Wyetzner says, “but what you can see are these two gables.” Fuzzy chimneys, towers, spires, and a larger dormer window are also in view. However, the dark and imposing aesthetic of the home isn’t just a coincidence, and certainly can’t be overlooked. “Frankly, this was made as an anti-Japanese propaganda film in the middle of World War II,” Wyetzner says, explaining that not only is the style of the manor dark, but so is its message.
Batman and Robin (1949)
Photo: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
In Batman and Robin from 1949, the Wayne Manor is seen much more clearly, in what appears to be a neighborhood. “It’s just a regular, colonial, suburban house,” Wyetzner says in the video. Like Wayne Manor’s history in the Batman franchise, the home used to portray the estate has its own cinematic history too. Named The Lindsay House, the structure is on the Warner Brother’s backlot and can be seen in movies such as Bewitched, Dennis the Menace, The Three Stooges, and Lethal Weapon.
Batman (TV series; 1966–1968)
Photo: Courtesy of Greenway Productions and 20th Century Fox Television
