Batman (1966 TV Series)

"Holy Benedict Arnold! Susie, the chief cheerleader - a member of The Joker's criminal gang!"

- Robin

Batman was a thirty-minute prime time, live action television series broadcast by the ABC Network between 1966 and 1968. Premiering on January 12th, the series featured actor Adam West as the perennial character of Batman, while Burt Ward donned nylon stockings and fairy boots for his portrayal of the erstwhile sidekick, Robin.

The series took the tradition of Batman into uncharted territory, oftentimes mocking the character's heritage with trite dialogue and overly campy plot devices. The show was noteworthy for its memorable use of onomatopoeia during climactic fight scenes. Despite the clumsy nature of the series however, the show proved popular to many fans, and transformed Adam and Burt into modern pop culture icons.

When not fighting crime as Batman and Robin, the Dynamic Duo were often found at Wayne Manor in their respective identities as Bruce Wayne and his "youthful ward", Dick Grayson. Living alongside them in the vast mansion, was doddering old Aunt Harriet, and their mild-mannered butler, Alfred. Alfred possessed the good fortune of being the only other person to know Batman and Robin's secret identities.

Unlike the earlier movie serials of the 1940s, this was the first Batman project to feature Batman's rogues gallery of villains. Cesar Romero made numerous appearances as the Joker, while Burgess Meredith reinvented the image of the Penguin, with his crooked smile and trademark "Squawk". Julie Newmar provided Catwoman's rolling "R"s, only to be replaced later by Lee Meriwether, and again by Eartha Kitt. Two men provided their talents to the role of the Riddler - Frank Gorshin and John Astin.

By season three, declining ratings prompted the introduction of a third partner to the Batman Family, Barbara Gordon – aka Batgirl (played by Yvonne Craig). The pattern of the series also changed, being cut down from two episodes a week to one. The cliffhanger endings were eliminated, as it was felt they would be difficult to remember from week to week. Stand-alone episodes were introduced, with next week's villain being introduced at the end of a story.

Although Batgirl was an immensely popular character, her presence could not save the series, and it was cancelled by ABC in 1968. Two weeks after the cancellation, NBC offered to make a fourth season, providing the sets (the Batcave, Wayne Manor and Gotham City Police Headquarters) were still available. However, NBC's offer came too late, as the sets had already been demolished.

Season One

 * Hi Diddle Riddle
 * Smack in the Middle
 * Fine Feathered Finks
 * The Penguin's a Jinx
 * The Joker is Wild
 * Batman is Riled
 * Instant Freeze
 * Rats Like Cheese
 * Zelda the Great
 * A Death Worse than Fate
 * A Riddle a Day Keeps the Riddler Away
 * When the Rat's Away, the Mice Will Play
 * The Thirteenth Hat
 * Batman Stands Pat
 * The Joker Goes to School
 * He Meets His Match, the Grisly Ghoul
 * True or False Face
 * Holy Rat Race
 * The Purr-fect Crime
 * Better Luck Next Time
 * The Penguin Goes Straight
 * Not Yet, He Ain't
 * The Ring of Wax
 * Give 'Em the Axe
 * The Joker Trumps an Ace
 * Batman Sets the Pace
 * The Curse of Tut
 * The Pharaoh's in a Rut
 * The Bookworm Turns
 * While Gotham City Burns
 * Death in Slow Motion
 * The Riddler's False Notion
 * Fine Finny Fiends
 * Batman Makes the Scenes

Season Two

 * Shoot a Crooked Arrow
 * Walk the Straight and Narrow
 * Hot off the Griddle
 * The Cat and the Fiddle
 * The Minstrel's Shakedown
 * Barbecued Batman?
 * The Spell of Tut
 * Tut's Case is Shut
 * The Greatest Mother of Them All
 * Ma Parker
 * The Clock King's Crazy Crimes
 * The Clock King Gets Crowned
 * An Egg Grows in Gotham
 * The Yegg Foes in Gotham
 * The Devil's Fingers
 * The Dead Ringers
 * Hizzoner the Penguin
 * Dizzoner the Penguin
 * Green Ice
 * Deep Freeze
 * The Impractical Joker
 * The Joker's Provokers
 * Marsha, Queen of Diamonds
 * Marsha's Scheme of Diamonds
 * Come Back, Shame
 * It's the Way You Play the Game
 * The Penguin's Nest
 * The Bird's Last Jest
 * The Cat's Meow
 * The Bat's Kow Tow
 * The Puzzles Are Coming
 * The Duo is Slumming
 * The Sandman Cometh
 * The Catwoman Goeth
 * The Contaminated Cowl
 * The Mad Hatter Runs Afoul
 * The Zodiac Crimes
 * The Joker's Hard Times
 * The Penguin Declines
 * That Darn Catwoman
 * Scat, Darn Catwoman
 * Penguin is Girl's Best Friend
 * Penguin Sets a Trend
 * Penguin's Disastrous End
 * Batman's Anniversary
 * A Riddling Controversy
 * The Joker's Last Laugh
 * The Joker's Epitaph
 * Catwoman Goes to College
 * Batman Displays His Knowledge
 * A Piece of the Action
 * Batman's Satisfaction
 * King Tut's Coup
 * Batman's Waterloo
 * Black Widow Strikes Again
 * Caught in the Spider's Den
 * Pop Goes the Joker
 * Flop Goes the Joker
 * Ice Spy
 * The Duo Defy

Season Three

 * Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin
 * Ring Around the Riddler
 * The Wail of the Siren
 * The Sport of Penguins
 * A Horse of Another Color
 * The Unkindest Tut of All
 * Louie the Lilac
 * The Ogg and I
 * How to Hatch a Dinosaur
 * Surf's up, Joker's Under
 * The Londinium Larcenies
 * The Foggiest Notion
 * The Bloody Tower
 * Catwoman's Dressed to Kill
 * The Ogg Couple
 * The Funny Feline Felonies
 * The Joke's on Catwoman
 * Louie's Lethal Lilac Time
 * Nora Clavicle and the Ladies' Crime Club
 * Penguin's Clean Sweep
 * The Great Escape
 * The Great Train Robbery
 * I'll be a Mummy's Uncle
 * The Joker's Flying Saucer
 * The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra
 * Minerva, Mayhem and Millionaires

Trivia

 * For the first two seasons, Batman episodes were aired as two-part storylines, with the title of the second episode often rhyming with the title of the first episode.


 * The Batman series was famous for showcasing various celebrity talents including: Edward G. Robinson, Jerry Lewis, Art Linkletter, Roddy McDowell, Milton Berle, Dick Clark, Steve Allen, Sammy Davis Jr., and many others.


 * The Batman and Batgirl costumes from this series are featured in the Kingdom Come future era Planet Krypton restaurant in Kingdom Come #1 and the "One Year Later" epilogue following Kingdom Come #4 in the collected editions. The Batman costume is seen hanging in a display case, while a T-shirt salesgirl reading a Young Love comicbook wears the Batgirl costume.

Related Articles

 * Batcave
 * Batgirl
 * Batman (1966 Movie)
 * Batman
 * Batmobile
 * Catwoman
 * False Face
 * Gotham City
 * Commissioner Gordon
 * Joker
 * Penguin
 * Riddler
 * Wayne Manor