Batman The 1966 Series

A poster used to promote the international film.

Remember the days Blogger started? I remember. It was 1999, the old internet from before 21st Century. However, it really became a big thing after Google bought it in 2003. By now you may be wondering "what is this, a technology review in a movies blog?" the answer is no, I'm just remembering the time where everyone had a blogger account to either complain about something, share talentless poems or talk about whatever your feelings where at that particular time. If you had a blog, you had to share your feelings, you had to wine about whatever and add the latest gadget so that every follower you had knew you were the deal. 

Well, it just so happens today's series in review kinda shook my feelings when I was a little boy growing up in the 80's shadow of an ugly dictatorship in Chile (Wine, Pinochet, The Andes)  What's a boy to do in a place where everything is forbidden? watch TV! watch TV 'til your eyes bleed! Chile was so underdeveloped (and still is) that every local TV network had re runs of 60's 70's and early 80's serials. Everything from those days would fondly be referred as "The 80's greatest serials" by any Chilean even though the series were way older. Anyways, Today we're reviewing Batman (the 1966-1969 series) which was the earliest introduction to the world of comic books I had. Ever since that day I didn't stop reading every comic book I could find, so there you have it a heartfelt blog commentary a la early 2000's style. 

The heroes Gotham needed in the 60's.

Hello, phone sex line?

Rarely has a TV show so gripped the world as Batman did way back in 1966. People still remember this incredibly campy show and watch it. The show was based on a twenty-year-old comic strip named Batman(yeah, I know you never heard of him before). In fact the show was credited for saving the dying Bat comic strip from extinction(do your math or read the magnificent 75 Years of DC Comics Book by Taschen). However the campy tone makes many of the Bat fans angry that this show supposedly set a too campy tone for comic book today. OK, who are we kidding? Comic book characters were very different in the early 60's. Hell! they were even less violent and dark in the 50's and 40's too, so why call the 60's series a bad adaptation just because it was apparently "campy". If you're one of those motherfuckers who thinks is a comic book fan just because you've watched some movies based upon comic book characters, I've got some news for you: you're not a comic book fan, you're merely a movie fan, or as I prefer calling you: you're nothing but a fucking poser. 

Any comic book connoisseur already knows how comic books mood developed before the late 70's and specially in the 80's, where a darker mood set by artist like Frank Miller & Alan Moore made comic books no longer a thing for kids. Nevertheless, let's remember what happened in the early 90's when Batman & Superman were set even darker moods with The Death of Superman & Knightfall. Anyways, long story short, comic book producers decided to stop making their stories angrier, darker and bloodier and returned to a more PG rated story telling. Where am I going with this? Comic books are pure science fiction, meant to be enjoyed as they are, not according to reality or a more adult driven perspective, and the 60's Batman series knew that very well. 

Julie Newmar, a goddess. Sexiest Catwoman ever.

I think the show did have some bad points especially in the second season but this was still a great show. Adam West was a near perfect Batman, Burt Ward was hilarious as Robin. Neil Hamilton was an excellent Commissioner Gordon and Stafford Repp was excellent as Chief O'Hara. Also Alfred the Butler was played excellently by Alan Napier. Together they would fight the forces of evil in Gotham City with a series of excellent cops, honesty, a man in a six foot bat suit and a series of sound effects that would attack villains toward the end of a thirty minute cycle.

The show was campy but all comic books before Batman were. The show had some distinctly satirical overtones and why shouldn't it. A millionaire dresses up as a bat to fight crime? These days the millionaire is more likely to be committing the crime(no pun intended). The episodes at the beginning of the shows short run and the episodes at the end of the shows run were indeed the best and a few of them were some of the noted best episodes in any television show period. 

Cesar Romero, the only mustached Joker there's ever been.

Holy criminal gang bang Batman!

At the beginning of 1966 everything turned Batman. The TV show dominated television, merchandising an advertisement for the show even made it to the Super Bowl! The show even was made into a theatrically released movie(follow the link and read our review). The show lost almost all of it's edge when the second season came and the show went from being satirical and over the top to just too campy.

The villains were great as well. Top name celebrities lined up to star in this show. John Wayne, Spencer Tracy, Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis and other top named celebrities lined up to star in this show, many of them never got the chance. But some of these people were just great. Frank Gorshin as the Riddler, Julie Newmar as Catwoman, Cesar Romero as the Joker and Burgess Meredith as the Penguin are now legendary. There were many others but those were arguably the four most well known.

To the Batmobile!

Choose your villain.

Burgess Meredith was always my favorite. He was such a great actor in real life. Frank gorshin's excellent job as the Riddler brought the Riddler in the comic books from being a minor villain to one of the top villains. My favorite episode of the series were the ones where The Penguin ran for mayor. These were just so many great moments in that one, watching Allen Ludden comment on the fight between Batman and the Penguins goons were hilarious. My second favorite episodes were where the Joker went surfing and planned to win taking over the surfers. That was classic.

I found it interesting that in this show everyone was helpful, the only bad guys were the villains and everyone who was not a villain was misguided and the villains were really goofy instead of evil. Everyone was basically decent. People that lived during that time said it was like that even outside of television. I like the comic strips of Batman and the show because it is supposed to show everyone in a good light and show everyone's good side. 

We have some good friends out there.

To the Batcopter!

Calling this series a campy and forgettable show is simply not having a clue about comic book history. Remember, in the early 60's comic books were not doing so well after the Comic Code Authority happening and after making kids lose interest over a rising interest in television as a more immediate source of entertainment. After Batman aired, things changed dramatically and for the first time ever in comic book history not only kids but complete families fell in love with the caped crusader adventures. Bob Kane himself acknowledged the influence the series had over the return of comic book interest in larger audiences. Also, The Flash happened in those years, and let's not talk about the rise of Marvel comics...

Now, let's check the episodes guide:

Season 1: 1966

Until September 1967, two-part episodes appeared on consecutive days. The date given here is the date the first episode in a multi-part episode appeared; the second episode appeared the following day. Exceptions are the three part episodes. Afterward, the series appeared only once a week and the additional parts of multi-part episodes appeared the following week(s)

Keep calm and call the Dynamic Duo!

Episode	Title	Airdate	Villain(s)	Actor
1 2	Hi Diddle Riddle Smack in the Middle	January 12, 1966 January 13, 1966	Riddler	Frank Gorshin
3 4	Fine Feathered Finks The Penguin's a Jinx	January 19, 1966 January 20, 1966	Penguin	Burgess Meredith
5 6	The Joker is Wild Batman Is Riled	January 26, 1966 January 27, 1966	Joker	Cesar Romero
7 8	Instant Freeze Rats Like Cheese	February 2, 1966 February 3, 1966	Mr. Freeze	George Sanders
9 10	Zelda The Great A Death Worse Than Fate	February 9, 1966 February 10, 1966	Zelda the Great	Anne Baxter
11 12	A Riddle a Day Keeps the Riddler Away When the Rat's Away the Mice Will Play	February 16, 1966 February 17, 1966	Riddler	Frank Gorshin
13 14	The Thirteenth Hat Batman Stands Pat	February 23, 1966 February 24, 1966	Mad Hatter	David Wayne
15 16	The Joker Goes to School He Meets His Match, The Grisly Ghoul	March 2, 1966 March 3, 1966	Joker	Cesar Romero
17 18	True or False-Face Holy Rat Race	March 9, 1966 March 10, 1966	False-Face	Malachi Throne
19 20	The Purr-fect Crime* Better Luck Next Time*	March 16, 1966 March 17, 1966	Catwoman	Julie Newmar
21 22	The Penguin Goes Straight Not Yet, He Ain't	March 23, 1966 March 24, 1966	Penguin	Burgess Meredith
23 24	The Ring of Wax Give 'Em the Axe	March 30, 1966 March 31, 1966	Riddler	Frank Gorshin
25 26	The Joker Trumps an Ace Batman Sets the Pace	April 6, 1966 April 7, 1966	Joker	Cesar Romero
27 28	The Curse of Tut The Pharaoh's in a Rut	April 13, 1966 April 14, 1966	King Tut	Victor Buono
29 30	The Bookworm Turns While Gotham City Burns	April 20, 1966 April 21, 1966	Bookworm	Roddy McDowall
31 32	Death in Slow Motion The Riddler's False Notion	April 27, 1966 April 28, 1966	Riddler	Frank Gorshin
33 34	Fine Finny Fiends Batman Makes the Scenes	May 4, 1966 May 5, 1966	Penguin	Burgess Meredith

The batboat.

The Batusi.

Season 2: 1966–67

In Season 2, the show featured repetition of its characters and its formula. Semple's participation in the series decreased.

Adam West explained to Jeff Rovin in his autobiography, Back to the Batcave, that when beginning work on the second season following the completion of the feature film, Dozier, his immediate deputy Howie Horwitz, and the rest of the cast and crew rushed their preparation for the second season, failing to give themselves enough time to determine what they wanted to do with the series during that season.

Episode	Title	Airdate	Villain(s)	Actor
35 36	Shoot a Crooked Arrow Walk the Straight and Narrow	September 7, 1966 September 8, 1966	The Archer	Art Carney
37 38	Hot Off the Griddle The Cat and the Fiddle	September 14, 1966 September 15, 1966	Catwoman	Julie Newmar
39 40	The Minstrel's Shakedown Barbecued Batman?	September 21, 1966 September 22, 1966	Minstrel	Van Johnson
41 42	The Spell of Tut Tut's Case is Shut	September 28, 1966 September 29, 1966	King Tut	Victor Buono
43 44	The Greatest Mother of Them All Ma Parker	October 5, 1966 October 6, 1966	Ma Parker Catwoman (cameo)	Shelley Winters Julie Newmar (cameo)
45 46	The Clock King's Crazy Crimes The Clock King Gets Crowned	October 12, 1966 October 13, 1966	Clock King	Walter Slezak
47 48	An Egg Grows in Gotham The Yegg Foes in Gotham	October 19, 1966 October 20, 1966	Egghead	Vincent Price
49 50	The Devil's Fingers The Dead Ringers	October 26, 1966 October 27, 1966	Chandell Harry	Liberace
51 52	Hizzonner the Penguin Dizzoner the Penguin	November 2, 1966 November 3, 1966	Penguin	Burgess Meredith
53 54	Green Ice Deep Freeze	November 9, 1966 November 10, 1966	Mr. Freeze	Otto Preminger
55 56	(The Impractical Joker) (The Joker's Provokers)	November 16, 1966 November 17, 1966	Joker	Cesar Romero
57 58	Marsha, Queen of Diamonds Marsha's Scheme of Diamonds	November 23, 1966 November 24, 1966	Marsha, Queen of Diamonds	Carolyn Jones
59 60	Come Back, Shame It's How You Play the Game	November 30, 1966 December 1, 1966	Shame	Cliff Robertson
61 62	The Penguin's Nest The Bird's Last Jest	December 7, 1966 December 8, 1966	Penguin	Burgess Meredith
63 64	The Cat's Meow The Bat's Kow Tow	December 14, 1966 December 15, 1966	Catwoman	Julie Newmar
65 66	The Puzzles Are Coming The Duo is Slumming	December 21, 1966 December 22, 1966	Puzzler	Maurice Evans
67 68	The Sandman Cometh The Catwoman Goeth	December 28, 1966 December 29, 1966	Sandman Catwoman	Michael Rennie Julie Newmar
69 70	The Contaminated Cowl The Mad Hatter Runs Afoul	January 4, 1967 January 5, 1967	Mad Hatter	David Wayne
71 72 73	The Zodiac Crimes The Joker's Hard Times The Penguin Declines	January 11, 1967 January 12, 1967 January 18, 1967	Joker Penguin	Cesar Romero Burgess Meredith
74 75	That Darn Catwoman Scat! Darn Catwoman	January 19, 1967 January 25, 1967	Catwoman	Julie Newmar
76 77 78	Penguin Is a Girl's Best Friend Penguin Sets a Trend Penguin's Disastrous End	January 26, 1967 February 1, 1967 February 2, 1967	Penguin Marsha, Queen of Diamonds	Burgess Meredith Carolyn Jones
79 80	Batman's Anniversary A Riddling Controversy	February 8, 1967 February 9, 1967	Riddler	John Astin
81 82	The Joker's Last Laugh The Joker's Epitaph	February 15, 1967 February 16, 1967	Joker	Cesar Romero
83 84	Catwoman Goes to College Batman Displays His Knowledge	February 22, 1967 February 23, 1967	Catwoman	Julie Newmar
85 86	A Piece of the Action Batman's Satisfaction^	March 1, 1967 March 2, 1967	Colonel Gumm	Roger C. Carmel
87 88	King Tut's Coup Batman's Waterloo	March 8, 1967 March 9, 1967	King Tut	Victor Buono
89 90	Black Widow Strikes Again Caught in the Spider's Den	March 15, 1967 March 16, 1967	Black Widow	Tallulah Bankhead
91 92	Pop Goes the Joker Flop Goes the Joker	March 22, 1967 March 23, 1967	Joker	Cesar Romero
93 94	Ice Spy The Duo Defy	March 29, 1967 March 30, 1967	Mr. Freeze	Eli Wallach

^The real guest star of this episode is not Roger C. Carmel (Col. Gumm) but rather Van Williams (the Green Hornet) and Bruce Lee (Kato), in a crossover from their own series, who are suspected by the Dynamic Duo and Gotham police as being criminals, rather than crime fighters.

Holy hairy pussy Batman!

Holy Batgirl tits Batman!

Season 3: 1967–68

By Season 3, ratings were falling and the future of the series seemed uncertain. To attract new viewers, Dozier opted to introduce a female character. He came up with the idea of using Batgirl, who in her civilian identity would be Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Barbara, and asked the editor of the Batman comics to further develop the character (who had made her debut in a 1966 issue of Detective Comics). To convince ABC executives to introduce Batgirl as a regular on the show, a promotional short featuring Yvonne Craig as Batgirl and Tim Herbert as Killer Moth was produced. The show was reduced to once a week, with mostly self-contained episodes, although the following week's villain would be in a tag at the end of the episode, similar to a soap opera. Accordingly, the narrator's cliffhanger phrases were eliminated, with most of the episodes ending with him saying something to encourage viewers to watch the next episode.

Aunt Harriet was reduced to just two cameo appearances during the third season, due to Madge Blake's poor health. Another cast change for the final season saw Julie Newmar, who had been a popular recurring guest villain as the Catwoman for the first two seasons, being replaced by singer-actress Eartha Kitt for season three, as Newmar was working on the film Mackenna's Gold at that time, and was unable to appear. In America, Kitt's performance in the series marked the first mainstream television success of a black female, continuing to break racial boundaries of the time, Kitt even flirted with West's character on screen. Kitt's performance as Catwoman would also, later, inspire Halle Berry's portrayal of the character in the 2004 shitty film Catwoman, in which Berry would mimic Kitt's famous purrs. Frank Gorshin, the original actor to play the Riddler, returned for a single appearance after a one-season hiatus, during which John Astin made one appearance in the role.

Episode	Title	Airdate	Villain(s)	Actor
95	Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin	September 14, 1967	Penguin	Burgess Meredith
96	Ring Around the Riddler	September 21, 1967	Riddler Siren	Frank Gorshin Joan Collins
97	The Wail of the Siren	September 28, 1967	Siren	Joan Collins
98 99	The Sport of Penguins A Horse of Another Color	October 5, 1967 October 12, 1967	Penguin Lola Lasagne	Burgess Meredith Ethel Merman
100	The Unkindest Tut of All	October 19, 1967	King Tut	Victor Buono
101	Louie, the Lilac	October 26, 1967	Louie the Lilac	Milton Berle
102 103	The Ogg and I How to Hatch a Dinosaur	November 2, 1967 November 9, 1967	Egghead Olga, Queen of the Cossacks	Vincent Price Anne Baxter
104	Surf's Up! Joker's Under!	November 16, 1967	Joker	Cesar Romero
105 106 107	The Londinium Larcenies The Foggiest Notion The Bloody Tower	November 23, 1967 November 30, 1967 December 7, 1967	Lord Marmaduke Ffogg Lady Penelope Peasoup	Rudy Vallee Glynis Johns
108	Catwoman's Dressed to Kill	December 14, 1967	Catwoman	Eartha Kitt
109	The Ogg Couple	December 21, 1967	Egghead Olga, Queen of the Cossacks	Vincent Price Anne Baxter
110 111	The Funny Feline Felonies The Joke's on Catwoman	December 28, 1967 January 4, 1968	Joker Catwoman	Cesar Romero Eartha Kitt
112	Louie's Lethal Lilac Time	January 11, 1968	Louie the Lilac	Milton Berle
113	Nora Clavicle and the Ladies' Crime Club	January 18, 1968	Nora Clavicle	Barbara Rush
114	Penguin's Clean Sweep	January 25, 1968	Penguin	Burgess Meredith
115 116	The Great Escape The Great Train Robbery	February 1, 1968 February 8, 1968	Shame Calamity Jan	Cliff Robertson Dina Merrill
117	I'll Be a Mummy's Uncle	February 22, 1968	King Tut	Victor Buono
118	The Joker's Flying Saucer	February 29, 1968	Joker	Cesar Romero
119	The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra	March 7, 1968	Dr. Cassandra Spellcraft Cabala	Ida Lupino Howard Duff
120	Minerva, Mayhem and Millionaires	March 14, 1968	Minerva	Zsa Zsa Gabor

Nelson Riddle composed the magnificent music you hear in the series and in the film.

Barbara Gordon/Batgirl.

The nature of the scripts and acting started to enter into the realm of surrealism. For example, the set's backgrounds became mere two-dimensional cut-outs against a stark black stage. In addition, the third season was much more topical, with references to hippies, mods, and distinctive 1960s slang, which the previous two seasons had avoided.

Cancellation

Near the end of the third season, ratings had dropped significantly, and ABC cancelled the show. Reruns of the series have been seen on a regular basis in the United States and much of the world since 1968, and are currently shown on the classic TV network Me-TV on Saturday nights.

Batman '66 

In 2013 DC Comics released the Batman '66 comic book based entirely in the 60's series. To date is an ongoing successful comic book. In addition, the series has been released for the first time ever in home video format (DVD, Blu Ray & Digital) 

So whoever dares call 60's Batman series a boring and campy offense at the dark knight legacy, think again, there are millions of fans who do appreciate this early rendition of one of the most beloved characters science fiction have ever delivered.

Character likeness at its finest.

The magnificent Batman '66 comic book.

Within the return of the original series to today's world, many newcomers have shown appreciation for the show. Never judge a book by its cover. To date Adam West's impersonation of Bruce Wayne/Batman remains the best family rated rendition there's ever been. This Batman is not in constant pain, he's not suffering like an emo teen. Instead, he chooses to embrace the fact that he has the resources to fight crime and prevent others from suffering his and his fellow counterpart fate. This Batman does justice in broad daylight and his foes fear him in his spandex batsuit. 

Here's the legendary Batman intro:

The batusi dance:

And an A to Z guide on Batman's villains: