Zap! Pow! Holy Cliffhanger, Batman, we've been cancelled! Yes, on March 14, 1968, BATMAN went out of production and into eternal syndication.
Batman was created by by Bob Kane for "Detective Comics" in 1939. It was very popular and led to the movie serial BATMAN (1943) starring Lewis Wilson. BATMAN AND ROBIN (1948) has Robert Lowery as the Caped Crusader. Both serials have 15 episodes.
Fast forward to the Swinging 60's. Executive producer William Dozier created the BATMAN TV series, which premiered on ABC Wednesday, January 12, 1966 at 7:30 p.m. (EST). 120 episodes were made in 3 seasons. It aired twice a week for the first 2 seasons, and once per week the final season. During the first season it was rated 10 on Wednesdays, and 5 on Thursdays.
Adam West stars as Batman/Bruce Wayne, with Burt Ward as Robin/Dick Grayson. The other regulars are: Alan Napier as Alfred the butler, Madge Blake as Aunt Harriet Cooper, Neil Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon, Stafford Repp as Police Chief O'Hara, and in the third season Yvonne Craig as Batgirl/Barbara Gordon.
Bruce Wayne is a very rich man and Dick Grayson is his ward. They put on costumes and become Batman and Robin, morally upright crime fighters in Gotham City. It's done with tongue-in-cheek humour, and their straight-faced saintly virtues are so over-the-top that it is hilarious. As the "Black Widow" (Tallulah Bankhead) says to Batman, "You're a crashing bore."
The real fun comes from the weekly guest villains. They are free-spirited, independent, and individualistic. In other words, BATMAN is subversive because the villains are more appealing than the ethical and square Dynamic Duo.
Shame: "You big sissy, you couldn't drive nails in a snow bank.
Batman: "Why would I want to?"
Shame: "Your mother wore Army shoes."
Batman: "Yes, she did. As I recall, she found them quite comfortable."
Robin: "Maybe you can bully an aging mogul, but not me."
Batman: "I'm just going to hang around the bar. I don't want to look conspicuous."
Robin: "Holy oleo!"
Batman: "I never touch spirits. Have you some milk?"
Joker: "Either I get The S.S. Gotham, or your precious Dynamic Duo gets launched... to eternity! (laughs)"
(Batman and Robin enter)
Batman: "Wrong, Joker! You get launched!"
Robin: "Right back to the pen where you belong."
Joker: "Egads! What sorcery is this? There was enough paralyzing gas in that cork to keep ordinary men unconscious for hours."
Batman: "No sorcery, merely the precaution of a Universal Drug Antidote Pill."
(slugs The Joker)
Robin: "You've tripped on one of your tricks this time, Joker!"
Batman: "That replica of your utility belt was too exact."
Robin: "We analyzed the cork and had found paralyzing gas."
Batman: "And I happened to notice that the seal around the bottle of that cork was not discolored with age... odd in a 1949 vintage."
Venus: "What is it, Joker? $2,000 is a lot of money."
Joker: "Ah, this merchandise is worth $2,000."
Penguin: (popping out of box) "It's worth 2,000? You cheapskate. You could have at least sent me a plane ticket."
Joker: "Well, we had to get you into Gotham City without anyone knowing about it, Pengy. Especially Batman."
Penguin: "Well, I hope you have something special cooked up for that caped creep."
Joker: "Ah, I do. The pot's on the fire and Batman's in it!"
Penguin: "Ah, you are a man after my own heart, Joker."
Joker: "Black, eh?"
Penguin: "Black as pitch!"
Joker: (laughs)
(the Green Hornet and Kato stick their heads out a window while Batman and Robin are climbing the wall outside)
Green Hornet: "What are you doing here?"
Batman: "I might ask you the same question."
Green Hornet: "Pursuing the enemies of law and order, wherever they happen to be. Well, I don't want to hold you up from your crimefighting."
Batman: "Thank you. And good luck to you, Mister Hornet."
Kato: "Nice to have met you."
(Kato and the Green Hornet go back in, and shut the window)
Robin: "Gosh, Batman, what are they dressed like that for?"
Batman: (shrugs) "Hmmph?"
Some of the guest villains are: Zsa Zsa Gabor (Minerva), Vincent Price (Eggman), Milton Berle (Louie the Lilac), Joan Collins (Siren), Liberace (Chandell), Otto Preminger and George Sanders (Mr. Freeze), Frank Gorshin (Riddler), Burgess Meredith ((Penguin), Cesar Romaro (Joker), and Eartha Kitt, Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether (Catwoman).
Batclimb cameos include: Dick Clark, Sammy Davis Jr., Bruce Lee, Jerry Lewis, Art Linkletter, and Edward G. Robinson. Non-villain stars appear such as Steve Allen, Gypsy Rose Lee, and Phyllis Diller.
The Bat equipment includes: the Batarang, Batphone, Batsignal, Batcycle, Batmobile, Batcopter, Batboat, Batshield, Batpoles, Batrope, Batcuffs, Batsuits, Batsleep, Batawake, Utility belt, and the Batcomputer and other Bat stuff in the Batcave.
Neil Hefti wrote the repetitive hit theme song, and Nelson Riddle wrote the "Zow"-ey arrangements for each episode. At first the "Bam!" and "Crash!" graphics were superimposed over the action in fight scenes. It was an expensive optical process at the time, so they switched to editing in the words on different coloured backgrounds.
On August 3, 1966 the BATMAN movie was released. It was supposed to come out before the TV series, and it's just more of the same with better production values. Props and expensive items such as the Batboat from the movie were then used on the TV show.
When ABC cancelled BATMAN, NBC was very interested. The series would have survived, but NBC backed out when they learned the $800,000 Batcave set had been demolished. Essentially, BATMAN was too expensive for ABC to produce and too expensive for NBC to continue production. Fans tended to be youngsters, and it was therefore difficult to find sponsors willing to pay the bills.
In the 1980's and 1990's a number of BATMAN movies were released, yet they are very different from the TV series. They are dark and depressing, perhaps an appropriate interpretation, considering the hero is a bat. However, I think it was just a sign of the times: the movies were made during a dark and depressing period in society.
The 1960's BATMAN TV series is bright, colourful and very cheerful because that's how it was in the 60's. It has a comic book style. BATMAN is a perfect example of 1960's Pop Culture.
