As the widow of Batman’s comic book creator Bob Kane, can you tell us a little about him? So many of your husband’s influences in creating Batman’s world came from the movies he loved as a young man: Zorro, The Bat Whispers, The Man Who Laughed, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde and more. How excited was he when Batman first came to the big screen?
Elizabeth Kane: “He was thrilled. I cannot tell you in words. In fact, I remember the moment at the first Batman premiere when the studio had a limo pick us up and we rounded the corner in Westwood, and he looked at me after he saw all the fans and tears welled up. And I had said ‘Stop right now!’ because I had just had all this makeup put on my face and my mascara was going to run! He was just overwhelmed by it.”
Did your husband have a favorite Batman out of the many actors who have played the character?
Kane: “He liked them all. They each brought something different to Batman, and he said that’s the wonderful thing about the character, that different people could play him and each person could bring their own essence, their own creativity.”
How would he feel about Batman Begins, seeing everything rolled back and started all over with a brand new take?
Kane: “I think he’d be really thrilled, because in this film they’re addressing Batman’s spirituality, and he always wanted to see a film about the spirituality of The Batman, because he himself was a very spiritual person and had, for lack of better word, worked with spiritual gurus his whole life. He really did, and so he always wanted to look at the spiritual roots of Bruce Wayne and Batman, and I think they’re doing it this time around.”
