Joker's Birthday

[johnnygobbs]

These four movies are definitely surreal. That's part of their charm for me. According to that news paper Harry Truman is president and yet Gotham has modern cars, color television, and yet old-fashioned clothes, cameras and microphones, at least in the Burton movies. In the Schumacher movies I think Gotham seems more modernized. It's like a whole other world with a blending of different eras and history is different. Since Truman is president maybe World War II occurred in the 1980's.

If Truman was President during the events of Batman 1989, does that mean Eisenhower was in power during the events of Batman Returns?

I see the Gotham of Batman Returns as representing a very conservative, fiercely anti-Communist environment akin to the early nine-fifties and the 'Red Scare' which coincided with the transition from Truman's presidency to Eisenhower's.

[JokerMeThis]

In Batman Returns Bruce mentions Ted Bundy and the fictional character Norman Bates. Alfred mentions "The Love Connection" and Max mentions Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew. But this just makes the paradox all the more fascinating when you remember that Harry Truman is president or was recently president and some of the other elements reflecting different eras.

I've never noticed it myself but someone once said he saw that some of the birth years of Gotham's firstborn on either Penguin's lists or the records he was reading were in the 1920's. If true this is yet another delightful paradox.

[JokerMeThis]

I think it's very possible Dwight Eisenhower was president during Batman Returns in its universe. Maybe the McCarthy era occurred at the same time in this fictional world as well.

Max mentions Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew but maybe they were president and vice president before Truman and Eisenhower in this world. And perhaps someone else is Vice President during the Eisenhower administration rather than Richard Nixon.

Doesn't one of those pictures showing Max meeting celebrities include one of him meeting President Reagan? Or maybe it was President Nixon. I don't remember for certain. If it was Reagan perhaps he was president prior to Truman's and Eisenhower's administrations in this movie's world as well.

[Slash Man]

Apparently, it does offer one concrete instance of dates, despite contradicting itself in the instances you've mentioned. The first infants of Gotham were born in 1950/51:

http://screencaps.us/199/2-batman-returns/full/batman-returns-disneyscreencaps.com-4112.jpg
http://screencaps.us/199/2-batman-returns/full/batman-returns-disneyscreencaps.com-4118.jpg
http://screencaps.us/199/2-batman-returns/full/batman-returns-disneyscreencaps.com-4123.jpg

So going back to the 1947 timeframe, Batman Returns would take place four or five years later. I forget if it was actually officially given how many years Returns takes place after the original.

[johnnygobbs]

So it's possible that Batman Returns takes place in the winter of 1951, or maybe 1952/1953 if the children are older.

[JokerMeThis]

Maybe. But it's not the 1950's we remember. It has color televisions, television remote controls, modern cars, Ted Bundy, Norman Bates and "The Love Connection." It's another world.

[JokerMeThis]

Some people might find this interesting.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RetroUniverse