Batman e Robin

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!

Troy Whigham's first up review here really nails it! I'll just add a few of my own observations.

Part of the show's brilliance was its (arguably intentional) ability to appeal to young and old. Plenty of action for the ankle-biters and black black humor for the thinking adult. So corny, it was brilliant and from a nostalgic viewpoint now, not so far behind Maxwell Smart. No one has delivered such throw-away deadpan lines as Adam West who turned "Batman" into an srt-form by the second series. Credit too must also go to Burt Ward whose acting career never recovered from his oneness with the Boy Wonder!

Outstanding supporting criminal nemesis' provided by the likes of Cesar Romero, Eartha Kitt, Victor Buono and of course Burgess Meredith as The Penguin and Frank Gorshin as Riddler!

Never to be seen again!

Who could ever forget those immortal words such as "Pow" and "Wham" flashing up on the TV screen as Batman and Robin landed into evil wrong-doers with clenched fists flying. Those long black evening gloves of the Caped Crusaders could really pack a punch!

All of us who were hard core "Batniks" had boxes full of the mandatory merchandising goodies. There was the die-cast Batmobile and Bat Boat, the costume complete with 'útility belt' and I seem to recall a board game buzzing around at some point. No doubt, there was also a View-Master reel and probably a flicker ring as well. Ah, those were the days. If only we'd kept all of that stuff, be worth THOUSANDS on ebay!

It's a shame that kids haven't got anything like the old Batman nowadays. It was colorful, fun and highly imaginative.

Pure escapism and great memories.

The elements that made this series so good:

The casting of Batman/Bruce, the casting of Robin/Dick, the casting of The Joker, the casting of The Riddler, the casting of King Tut, the casting of The Penguin, composer Nelson Riddle, composer Billy May, the Irwin Allen sound effects, the flashy Batcave set, the Batmobile, the colourful narrator, and one element is too private to mention here.

This 120 episode series has so many related productions you must see as well: the 1949 Batman and Robin movie serial, the 1966 Batman movie, The Green Hornet TV series of 1966, the Shazam! TV series of 1974, the Superfriends cartoon, the YouTube satire videos, 2003's Back To The Batcave, 2016's Batman cartoon with West/Ward doing the voices, the 1966 Batman Facebook groups with rare behind-the-scene photos of the series, etc. It never ends. 1966 Batman will live forever!

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