Batman

This show is completely nuts! It is SO goofy, and I can realize that now that I'm older. I watched this from when I was 7-12, and always loved it. I still like to watch it whenever they air the re-runs, but now laugh AT it, not WITH it! I've heard of crime fighting, but this is ridiculous! STILL, I like to watch it because I'm a fan of Adam West and Burt "HOLY" Ward! I'd recommend it to all kids who like super-heros, but any body else had better prepare themselves for the "cheesiest" ride of their lives! "HOLY TELEVISION! IT'S ON EVERY DAY NOW!" So folks, tune in tomorrow (and every day): same bat time, same bat channel!

I love anything to do with Batman, and I just love this series. It is not the best of anything to do with Batman I've seen, and any fans of the comics will perhaps be disappointed, but Batman(1966) is still a great show. Is it silly? Yes it is, and somewhat camp too, with some of the lines and the delivery of them. But that worked in the show's favour, the campiness actually added to the quality of the show for me, and a vast majority of it was witty and fresh.

So why isn't this show a 10 in my book? For me, the show took a spiral downwards during Season 3, it wasn't unwatchable or anything, there were some high points such as Joan Collins' Siren and King Tut who was surprisingly consistent, but there were some weak episodes, the humour wasn't as sharp, witty or satirical and the change of pace(no more cliffhangers) kind of hurt it as well. The episode with Dr.Cassandra epitomised this in my opinion, I wasn't so taken with Sandman, Minerva or Puzzler either and mostly because the story lines weren't as good or the villains themselves were on the dull side, and while Eartha Kitt was a good Catwoman, Julie Newmar was sexier and handled the comedy better. Also Julie had the better-written story lines and dialogue. Lee Merriweather was great too in the movie, which compliments the series very well, but some of the first episodes I saw of this show were those with Julie in. As for Yvonne Craig's Batgirl, the performance was okay but I got the sense that in relation to some of the stories Batgirl felt shoe horned in.

Season 3 aside, Seasons 1 and 2 have some classics. Season 1 is the best, I loved the sharp and witty humour and it maintained its endearing campy freshness that made the show so appealing to me. Season 2 wasn't as good, with a couple of not-so-good episodes, but I liked how much broader the satire got in this season. What was my favourite episode? Many to choose from, but the one where Penguin stands for Mayor is classic.

The production values are pretty good. I liked the photography and the costumes, while the batmobile is wonderful to watch and Gotham City is well-realised without having the spectacle of the Burton and Nolan movies for instance, not a bad thing by the way. The theme song also gives the show its energy, to me the theme song is one of those things that gives the show its status, very driven with a fun, catchy melody it is just irresistible. And I liked the neat little cartoon sequence that went with it.

The story lines are fun and fresh, the idea of the two parters to create something contrasting and different worked wonders, while the writing does a really good job of cheering me up after a long day and the fight sequences are fun and decently choreographed. The performances are good too. Adam West is a fun Batman, and deserves credit for making the campiest of lines sound credible by his deadpan delivery. Burt Ward is good as Robin, his "Holy..." catchphrases may grate depending on who you are, but he contrasts well with West's Batman. Alfred is charmingly played by Alan Napier, Neil Hamilton is a hoot and the narration is deliciously sardonic. But the villains made the show for me, while I was interested in Vincent Price, George Sanders and David Wayne as Egghead, Mr Freeze and Mad Hatter, and Frank Gorshin nailed Riddler(John Astin not so much), my favourites were Penguin and Joker, wonderfully played by Burgess Meredith and Cesar Romero.

Overall, a fun show and great to watch after a hard day. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I watched this tv show as a child, and every Halloween from the age of 5 to 8, I wanted to dress in a costume just like Batman's. Of course, my parents didn't have the resources to hire an entire corps of costumers and props masters, so I had to make do with a jumpsuit from Sears that had the Batman symbol printed on it. Such is Life. Still, I always thought Batman was the best of the legion of super-heroes to come around (except for perhaps Spiderman, whom I discovered later on).

Watching the tv show now as an adult, I realize just how campy and ridiculous it was, but where as a child I interpreted the action sequences as dynamic and exciting, now I see these same scenes as well-staged comedy, which is how the original producers intended it to be seen. Who can forget the big cartoon graphics such as "BAM!" and "POW!" and "Crrr-Rash!" which flashed up just before Batman slugged a villain or knocked over a prop? I beat up the sofa cushions with just as much enthusiasm. And don't even get me started on the car (Batmobile), the boat (Batboat), and helicopter (Batcopter) which I absolutely had to have in Corgi miniatures (still have mine in a box in the garage, along with James Bond's Aston Martin and the Monkeemobile). And all the kids knew the Batman song. NaNa NaNa NaNa NaNa Batman!

Looking back at it now, I see that even though Adam West and Burt Ward, two relative unknowns at the time, never really recovered from being typecast, just about all of the supporting actors were accomplished in either films, tv, or the stage, such as Cesar Romero and Victor Buono (check him out in "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane"), and they managed to continue their careers. A few, such as Eartha Kitt, used the "Batman" series as a springboard to other things (I saw Kitt's performance as the Wicked Witch in "Wizard of Oz" on stage and she was fantastic). But whatever their future careers became, they turned in quality performances on the show.

I always had a thing for both Cat Woman (all 3 of them) and Batgirl. The costume designers really knew how to show off a woman's curves in those tight-fitting catsuits with big metallic utility belts and high-heeled shoes, but I suppose that was the fashion back in the late-60's. They probably fit right in with the mini-dresses and go-go boots the other girls were wearing.

Your kids will love the show and will watch it again and again. You'll enjoy it the first two times you see it, but then it'll get stale and boring. But just remember, no matter how grim things get when the Riddler and Joker have Batman and the Boy Wonder hanging over a vat of acid or encased in a gas chamber, the Dynamic Duo always manage to pull out a can of Bat Rope Dissolver or Bat Gas Begone and show up to defeat the villains each week at the same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.

To the Batcave!

I think Adam west's Batman is the best batman. And the Batmobile looks great.

This is one of my favorite television shows. I used to watch it whenever it came on television. It always made me feel better when I was feeling down.

I liked the colorful sets. The guest stars. The opening and closing credits. The opening and closing credits are similar to wonder woman in that they are cartoons.

I don't think the stories are that realistic or the special effects are that great.

Batman is a fun show to watch.

Adam West not only was Batman, in this series he was straight man. His straight face was always what held thing together. No matter how outlandish Robin or a super criminal was, West would always appear to take things in stride & have a straight face when he would pull something out of his utility belt to handle the problem. Burt Ward's Robin was often reactive with many Holy Blanks!! & while he was mostly a sidekick for Batman, sometimes when the Caped Crusdaer was tied up, he & the faithful Alfred would manage things. To me the criminals were most often the stars of this. Burgess Meredith made a great Penguin - especially when he runs for mayor of Gotham City against Batman and proclaims "I should have gotten into politics sooner because in campaigns, all my dirty bird tricks are legal now!" Imagine that, & this is before Nixon got caught.

Frank Gorshin's Riddler has never been equaled. Ceasar Romero's Joker was so good that Jack Nicholson had to take the character in new directions in the film to avoid direct comparison. The amazing thing about this series was the amount of great actors & actresses they got to play the criminals. It is a who's who of character actors from that era. Alan Ladd, Vincent Price, Otto Preminger, Art Carney, Roddy Mcdowell to name a few villains.

This was an ABC series which would have lasted longer, but CBS had such a power house line-up, this was lucky to make it 3 seasons. At least they were 3 great seasons & all in color. The cliff hangers & fights from these are now classic, & some of the plots were pretty corny, while others showed imagination. Overall, just think of Robin saying "Support your police!" & Batman responding "Well said, Robin." and you get an idea that while the series was corny, it at least had a moral compass always. Holy establishment, Batman!