| Batman | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | William Dozier |
| Based on | |
| Developed by | Lorenzo Semple Jr. |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | William Dozier |
| Opening theme | "Batman Theme" byNeal Hefti |
| Composers |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 120(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | William Dozier |
| Producer | Howie Horwitz |
| Editor | Byron Chudnow |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | January 12, 1966 (1966-01-12) – March 14, 1968 (1968-03-14) |
Batman is an Americanlive-action television series based on theDC Comicscharacter of the same name. It starsAdam West as Bruce Wayne/Batman andBurt Ward asDick Grayson/Robin—two crime-fighting heroes who defendGotham City from avariety of archvillains.[1][2] It is known for itscamp style andupbeat theme music, as well as its intentionally humorous, simplistic morality aimed at its preteen audience.[3] The120 episodes aired on theABC network for three seasons from January 12, 1966, to March 14, 1968, twice weekly during the first two seasons, and weekly for the third. A companionfeature film was released in 1966 between the first and second seasons of the TV show.
Batman held the record for the longest-running live-action superhero television series (in terms of episodes) until it was surpassed bySmallville in 2007.
The series focuses on Batman and Robin as they defendGotham City from its various criminals. Although the lives of their alter-egos, millionaireBruce Wayne and his wardDick Grayson are frequently shown, it is usually only briefly, in the context of their being called away on superhero business or in circumstances where they need to employ their public identities to assist in their crime-fighting. The "Dynamic Duo" typically comes to the aid of the Gotham City Police Department upon the latter being stumped by a supervillain, who is usually accompanied in their appearances by several henchmen, often with nicknames themed around the criminal or the crime, and, in the case of male villains,an attractive female companion. Throughout each episode, Batman and Robin follow a series of seemingly improbable clues (also known as "bat logic") to discover the supervillain's plan, then figure out how to thwart that plan and capture the criminal.
For the first two seasons,Batman aired twice a week on consecutive nights. Every story is a two-parter, except for two three-parters featuring villainous team-ups (the Joker and the Penguin, then the Penguin and Marsha, Queen of Diamonds) in the second season. The titles of each multi-part story usually rhyme. The third and final season, which aired one episode a week and introducedYvonne Craig asBarbara Gordon/Batgirl, consists of self-contained stories. Each third-season story ends with a teaser featuring the next episode's guest villain, except for the series finale. Thecliffhangers between multiple-part stories consist of villains holding someone captive, usually Batman and/or Robin, with the captive(s) being threatened by death, serious injury, or another fate. These cliffhangers are resolved early in follow-up episodes, with captives escaping the traps.
Ostensibly acrime series, the show's style is intentionally campy and tongue-in-cheek. It exaggerates situations and plays them for laughs, while the characters take the absurd situations very seriously.
According to West's memoirBack to the Batcave, his first exposure to the series concept was through reading a sample script in which Batman enters a nightclub in full costume and requests a booth near the wall, as he "shouldn't wish to attract attention". The scrupulously formal dialogue and the way that Batman earnestly believed he could avoid standing out while wearing a skintight blue-and-grey costume convinced West of the character's comic potential.
Producers developed several tentative scripts forTwo-Face but never produced any of them.Clint Eastwood was allegedly considered for the role shortly before the series was canceled.[4]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 34 | January 12, 1966 (1966-01-12) | May 5, 1966 (1966-05-05) | |
| 2 | 60 | September 7, 1966 (1966-09-07) | March 30, 1967 (1967-03-30) | |
| 3 | 26 | September 14, 1967 (1967-09-14) | March 14, 1968 (1968-03-14) | |
In the early 1960s, Ed Graham Productionsoptioned the television rights to thecomic bookBatman and planned a straightforward juvenile adventure show much likeAdventures of Superman andThe Lone Ranger, to air onCBS on Saturday mornings.
East Coast ABC executive Yale Udoff, a Batman fan in his childhood, contacted ABC executivesHarve Bennett andEdgar J. Scherick, who were already considering developing a television series based on a comic-strip action hero, to suggest aprime-timeBatman series in the hip and fun style ofThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.
As well, in 1964, film buffHugh Hefner screened all 15 chapters of the1943Batman serial at thePlayboy Mansion. The trendy event received much notice in the press, prompting Columbia to offer the unedited serial to theaters in 1965 asAn Evening with Batman and Robin in one long, marathon showing.[5] This re-release was successful enough to inspire the development of a television series based on the property. When negotiations between CBS and Graham stalled, DC Comics quickly reobtained the rights and made a deal with ABC, which farmed the rights out to20th Century Fox to produce the series.[6]
In turn, 20th Century Fox handed the project toWilliam Dozier and his production company, Greenway Productions. ABC and Fox expected a hip, fun, yet serious adventure show. However, Dozier, who had never before read comic books, concluded, after reading several Batman comics for research, that the only way to make the show work was to do it as apop-artcampy comedy.[7] Originally, espionage novelistEric Ambler was to have scripted a TV movie that would launch the television series. However, he dropped out after learning of Dozier's campy comedy approach. Eventually, two sets of screen tests were filmed, one withAdam West andBurt Ward and the other withLyle Waggoner and Peter Deyell, with West and Ward winning the roles.[8][9]
Lorenzo Semple Jr. had signed on as head scriptwriter. He wrote thepilot script and generally wrote in a pop-art adventure style.Stanley Ralph Ross, Stanford Sherman, andCharles Hoffman were script writers who generally leaned more toward campy comedy, and in Ross's case, sometimes outrightslapstick andsatire. It was initially intended as a one-hour show, but as ABC executives changed the premiere date from fall 1966 to January and the network having only two early-evening half-hour time slots available, the show was split into two parts to air in 30-minute installments on Wednesdays and Thursdays.[10] A cliffhanger connected the two episodes, echoing the oldmovie serials.
Some ABC affiliates were unhappy that ABC included a fourth commercial minute in every episode ofBatman. One affiliate refused to air the series. The network insisted it needed the extra advertising revenue.[11]
The Joker,the Penguin,the Riddler,Catwoman,Mr. Freeze, andthe Mad Hatter, villains who originated in the comic books, all appeared in the series, the plots of which were deliberately villain-driven. According to the producers,Frank Gorshin was selected to portrayRiddler because he had been aBatman fan since childhood.Catwoman was portrayed by three different actresses during the series run: byJulie Newmar in the first two seasons, byLee Meriwether in thefeature film based on the series, and byEartha Kitt in the third and final season.
Burgess Meredith improvised the Penguin's "quacking" to avoid coughing out loud from smoke getting caught in his throat from the cigarette required for the role.[12]
The show was extraordinarily popular, and was considered "the biggest TV phenomenon of the mid-1960s".[13]
Semple's participation in the series decreased in the second season. In his autobiographyBack to the Batcave, Adam West explained toJeff Rovin – to whom he dictated the autobiography after rejecting an offer to contribute toThe Official "Batman" Batbook written by Joel Eisner – that when work on the second season commenced following the completion of the feature film, Dozier, his immediate deputyHowie Horwitz, and the rest of the cast and crew rushed their preparation. Thus, they failed to give themselves enough time to determine what they wanted to do with the series during season two.
John Astin replaced Frank Gorshin as The Riddler for a pair of episodes when Gorshin's new agents atWilliam Morris demanded more money.[14]
By season three,ratings were falling, and the series' future seemed uncertain. To attract new viewers, Dozier opted to introduce a female character. He came up with the idea of usingBatgirl, who in her civilian identity would be Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Barbara. He asked the editor of the Batman comics to develop further the character (who had made her debut in a 1966 issue ofDetective Comics).[15] To convince ABC executives to introduce Batgirl as a regular on the show, a promotional short featuringYvonne Craig as Batgirl and Tim Herbert asKiller Moth was produced.[16] Batgirl was the first Superheroine to appear in an ongoing capacity on television. The show was reduced to once a week, with primarily self-contained episodes, although the following week's villain would be introduced in a tag at the end of each episode, similar to asoap opera. Accordingly, the narrator's cliffhanger phrases were mainly eliminated, and most episodes ended with him encouraging viewers to watch the following week.[notes 1]
Aunt Harriet was reduced to just two cameo appearances during the third season due toMadge Blake's poor health and the issue of trying to fit so many characters (Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Chief O'Hara, and a guest villain) into a half-hour episode. Another cast change during the final season was replacingJulie Newmar, a popular recurring guest villain as the Catwoman during the first two seasons. Singer-actressEartha Kitt assumed the role for season three, as Newmar was working on the filmMackenna's Gold at that time and was therefore unable to appear. In theUnited States, Kitt's performance in the series marked the second mainstream television success of a black female, following Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura inStar Trek and continued breaking the racial boundaries of the time. Frank Gorshin, the original actor to play the Riddler, returned after a one-season hiatus, during whichJohn Astin made one appearance in the role.
The nature of the scripts and acting started to enter into the realm ofsurrealism. In addition, the third season was much more topical, with references tohippies,mods, and distinctive 1960sslang, which the previous two seasons had avoided. The set design also changed to a more minimalist setup, except for Wayne Manor, Commissioner Gordon's office and Barbara Gordon/Batgirl's Apartment, the majority of the season 3 sets consisted of stylized cardboard or paper cutouts set up against a black background.
As head scriptwriter, Lorenzo Semple wrote four episodes himself and established a series of "Bat Rules" for the freelance writers working under him. The show's campiness was played up in elements, including the design of the villains, dialogue and in signs appearing on various props. Batman would frequently reveal one of his many crime-fighting gadgets, which were usually given a ridiculous-sounding name, such as Shark Repellant Bat-Spray or Extra-Strong Bat-Knockout Gas. The series used a narrator (executive producerWilliam Dozier, uncredited) who would end the cliffhanger episodes by intoning, "Tune in tomorrow – same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!" During the climactic fistfights in each episode, the punches and other impacts were punctuated byonomatopoeia (sound effects such as "POW!", "BAM!", "ZONK!") superimposed on the screen, as in comic-book fight scenes.
A typical story begins with a villain's nefarious caper (stealing a fabulous treasure, kidnapping a prominent person, attempting to take overGotham City, etc.). At police headquarters,Commissioner Gordon andChief O'Hara deduce the villain's identity, admit they're outclassed, and gaze reverently at the Batphone. At "statelyWayne Manor",Alfred (Wayne's butler) answers the Batphone and callsBruce Wayne andDick Grayson away from an obliviousAunt Harriet with a humorously transparent excuse. Batman and Robin race the Batmobile to police headquarters and begin to work on the case, usually insisting on doing it alone. Batman and Robin locate the villain, lose in a brawl, and are left alone in a ridiculously complexdeathtrap. The episode ends in acliffhanger. The next episode resolves the cliffhanger in a comically improbable fashion. The same general plot pattern of investigation and confrontation repeats until another major brawl (accented by onscreenonomatopoeic words) that defeats the villain.[17] Scene transitions in the show were accompanied by a Batman logo appearing over a rapidly-spinning background along with an iconicstinger. Episodes also frequently featured "Window Cameos", in which Batman and Robin are shown climbing up the side of a building by rope, and a guest celebrity appears out of a nearby window of the building and makes a joke or aside.
Near the end of the third season, ratings had dropped significantly, and ABC canceled the show.NBC agreed to take over the series, but before it could do so, it was discovered that hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth ofBatman sets had been destroyed. Rather than rebuild the sets,NBC dropped the project.[18][19]
From the beginning, cameras were purposely placed out of level with the set (known as "Dutch tilt"), and characters were filmed from high and low angles. This technique was most often used when filming on the set of a villain's lair to lend a surreal, comic-book quality to the scenes, as well as to imply or merely remind the viewer that the crooks were crooked.
The originalBatmobile from the 1960s TV series was auctioned in January 2013, at theBarrett-Jackson auction house inScottsdale, Arizona.[20] It was sold for $4.2 million.[21]
Several cast members recorded music tied into the series. Adam West released a single titled "Miranda", a country-tinged pop song that he actually performed in costume during live appearances in the 1960s. Frank Gorshin released a song titled "The Riddler", which was composed and arranged byMel Tormé. Burgess Meredith recorded a spoken-word single called "The Escape" backed with "The Capture", which consisted of the Penguin narrating his recent crime spree to a jazz beat. Burt Ward recorded a song called "Boy Wonder, I Love You", written and arranged byFrank Zappa.
In 1966,Batman: The Exclusive Original Soundtrack Album was released on LP, featuring music byNelson Riddle and snippets of dialogue from Adam West, Burt Ward, Burgess Meredith, Frank Gorshin, Anne Baxter (as Zelda the Great) and George Sanders (the first Mr. Freeze). The "Batman Theme" was included, along with titles like "Batusi A Go! Go!", "Batman Thaws Mr. Freeze", and "Batman Blues". It was reissued later on compact disc.Neal Hefti, who wrote the iconic theme song for the series, also released a soundtrack album in 1966,Batman Theme and 11 Hefti Bat Songs.[22]
| DVD/Blu-ray name | Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season (DVD) | November 11, 2014 | TBA | TBA |
| The Second Season: Part One (DVD) | February 10, 2015 | TBA | TBA |
| The Second Season: Part Two (DVD) | July 14, 2015 | TBA | TBA |
| The Complete Third Season (DVD) | November 3, 2015[23] | TBA | TBA |
| The Complete Series (DVD & Blu-ray) | November 11, 2014 | 16 Feb. 2015 | TBA |
In January 2014, television hostConan O'Brien posted on his Twitter account, and Warner Bros. later confirmed that Warner Bros. would release an official DVD and Blu-ray boxed set of the complete series sometime the same year.[24] In April, the website tvshowsondvd.com quoted Burt Ward in saying that Warner Bros. would release the complete series on November 11, 2014, in time for the holiday season under license from20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and that Adam West and he were doing special features for the release.
Prior to the announcement, multiple conflicting reports were given for the reason the series had not been released officially. These included:
Under the Fox/ABC deal, the series is still in syndication and regularly shown on several channels worldwide, currently appearing in the United States onMe-TV and IFC as of July 2014. Until 2014, only the 1966 feature film was available on DVD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment for nonbroadcast viewing in North America. This affected the 2003 television movie reunionReturn to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt, also released to DVD, could only use footage from the 1966 movie.
WithBatman being unavailable for home video release until 2014, an unusual situation occurred in which material considered to be DVD featurettes was released separately. In 2004,Image Entertainment releasedHoly Batmania, a two-DVD set that included documentaries on the making of the series, as well as rare footage such as the original screen tests of the cast and Lyle Waggoner.[30] In 2008, Adam West released a privately issued DVD with the tongue-in-cheek titleAdam West Naked for which he recorded anecdotes regarding all 120 episodes of the series.[31] In 2013, PBS aired an episode ofPioneers of Television called "Superheroes" that featured interviews with Adam West and Burt Ward, and talked about the 1960s TV series. It was released on DVD on March 11 of the same year.
Also in 2013,PBS produced and transmitted a documentary titledSuperheroes: A Never-Ending Battle. This documentary talked a little bit about the series and included an interview with Adam West.
Warner Bros. released the full 120-episodeBatman collection on Blu-ray and DVD on November 11, 2014 (under license from 20th Century Fox) with a variety of extras including a miniature Batmobile, a 32-page episode guide, and a 32-page hardcover book titledTheAdam West Scrapbook.[32] A second box set released on Warner Bros.' own "batmanondvd" website replaces the Batmobile,The Adam West Scrapbook, and the trading cards with a letter from Adam West, a script from the episode "The Joker is Wild" and a bonus box containing the film on DVD and the "Adam West Naked" documentary. This series is also available at theGoogle Play Store, andiTunes Store.[33]
Onreview aggregator siteRotten Tomatoes, the series as a whole has received an approval rating of 72%.[34] Additionally, the first season received an approval rating of 50%, based on twenty-two reviews, its consensus reads: "Holy mixed reception, Batman! - this deadpan farce translates the beloved comic strip with the punch of an onomatopoeia panel, but its overload of camp can be as grating as it is amusing".[35] While the third season received an approval rating of 94%, based on sixteen reviews, its consensus reads: "Fierce females shook up the dynamic duo in the final season of Batman with plenty of technicolor "POW!""[36]
Television criticsAlan Sepinwall andMatt Zoller Seitz rankedBatman as the 82nd-greatest American television show of all time in their 2016 book titledTV (The Book), stating that "West's performance, the brilliance of which has required decades to be properly recognized, played as if series creator William Dozier and chief developer Lorenzo Semple Jr., had taken the establishment's fantasy of itself and dolled it up in tights and a cape. The anarchic gangs of supervillains and henchmen that kept trying to capture or destroy Gotham City stood in for the forces of chaos that kept threatening to engulf so-called civilized America throughout the sixties, only made colorfully grotesque and knowingly silly".[37] In 1997,TV Guide ranked the episodes "The Purr-fect Crime" and "Better Luck Next Time" #86 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.[38] In 2009, "Better Luck Next Time" was ranked No. 72.[39]
Conan O'Brien has stated that the show was among his favorites and formative in his comedy development, citing its influence on deadpan comedies such asAirplane! andThe Naked Gun.[40]
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A film based on the television show,Batman, was released in 1966. The film was initially intended to be produced before the series as a way to introduce it to the public, but the series premiere was moved up, and the film was forced to wait until the summer hiatus after the first season. The film was produced quickly to get into theatres prior to the start of season two of the television series.
Originally, the film had been conceived to help sell the television series abroad, but the success of the series in the United States was sufficient publicity. The film's budget allowed for producers to build theBatboat and lease a helicopter that would be made into theBatcopter, both of which were used in the second and third seasons of the television show.[42] The film did not initially perform well in theaters.
In addition to the film, and prior to season 3, a 7-minute pilot introducing Batgirl was produced. While it never actually aired, it was intended as a pilot for a Batgirl spin-off series that would often cross over with the parent series. These actions were to boost declining ratings and to get a wider audience by having a regular female lead. Eventually the end result was simply adding Batgirl as one of the leads on the main series and she appeared in every episode of the 3rd season with the season's opening episode focusing almost entirely on her. This helped the season's ratings temporarily increase, but not enough for ABC to continue to produce new episodes. The pilot was eventually released on DVD and Blu-ray in theBatman Complete Series box set.
Two TV specials were produced byHanna-Barbera featuring Adam West and Burt Ward reprising their roles as Batman and Robin alongside several other DC Comics heroes and villains. Frank Gorshin also returned as The Riddler for the first special,The Challenge of the Superheroes.
An animated film marking the show's 50th anniversary, with West and Ward reprising their roles as Batman and Robin. Julie Newmar also returned as Catwoman.[43][44]
Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders[45] was released on Digital HD and Digital Media on October 11, 2016, and on DVD and Blu-ray November 1.[46]
A sequel toBatman: Return of the Caped Crusaders calledBatman vs. Two-Face was released on October 10, 2017. The film starredWilliam Shatner voicingTwo-Face as the main antagonist.[47][48]Adam West died before it was released,[49] but did complete his voiceover work before his death. This was one of Adam West's final performances before he died fromleukemia.
In 2013, DC began publication ofBatman '66, a comic book series telling all-new stories set in the world of the 1966–68 TV series.Jeff Parker writes the series, which features cover art byMike Allred and interior art by different artists in each issue.[50][51][52] In the course of this series, the Bookworm, the Minstrel, Sandman, Olga Queen of the Cossacks, Zelda The Great, Shame, and Marsha Queen of Diamonds all have their first appearance in Batman comics. Penguin, Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, and Mr. Freeze also appear in the series. Issue #3 ofBatman '66 introduced theRed Hood andDr. Holly Quinn into the series continuity. In issue #7, Batman used a new vehicle, theBat-Jet, to follow False-Face to Mount Rushmore. The series was to have introducedKiller Croc into the continuity, as well as a new villainess named Cleopatra. Issues #23 through #28 were mainly dedicated to introducing villains from the comics that either were not used, such asSolomon Grundy,Poison Ivy, andScarecrow, or did not exist at the time, such asRa's al Ghul,Bane, the Harlequin (Dr. Quinn's criminal persona) and Killer Croc (who was introduced earlier as one of King Tut's henchmen but gained a focus story). The first five issues were compiled into theBatman '66 Vol. 1 trade paperback in April 2014.Kevin Smith andRalph Garman likewise worked on a Batman and Green Hornet crossover titledBatman '66 meets The Green Hornet. The six-issue miniseries began publication in June 2014.[53]Jeff Parker wrote a Batman andThe Man from U.N.C.L.E. team-up titledBatman '66 meets The Man from U.N.C.L.E. released in 2016.[54] Ian Edginton wrote a Batman team-up withJohn Steed andEmma Peel ofThe Avengers titledBatman '66 Meets Steed and Mrs. Peel.[55][56][57] Batman teams up withWonder Woman in the crossover team upBatman' 66 Meets Wonder Woman '77, written by both Parker and Marc Andreyko.[58] In a reversal of sorts,Archie Comics produced the next crossover titled,Archie Meets Batman '66, released as a six issue mini series in July 2018. The series was written by Batman '66 veteranJeff Parker and Archies stalwart Michael Moreci.Mike Allred returned to create the main covers, with Archie artists creating the alternative covers and interior art.[59]
A version of Batman closely resembling his 1960s TV series counterpart briefly appears in the 2003Planetary/Batman one-shot by DC Comics.
The 7th issue ofSolo featured a short adventure titledBatman A-Go-Go!, which was created by writer/artistMike Allred as a tribute to the 1960s TV series.
Bluewater Comics has released a series of comics that take their cue from the TV show. They areThe Mis-Adventures of Adam West,The Secret Lives of Julie Newmar, andBurt Ward, Boy Wonder and are similar in tone to the TV series.The Mis-Adventures of Adam West is a four-issue miniseries and a regular series that ran nine issues.The Secret Lives of Julie Newmar is a four-issue miniseries, andBurt Ward, Boy Wonder was going to be a four-issue miniseries but has not yet been published in full (although a promotional first issue was released forFree Comic Book Day).
Van Williams andBruce Lee made a cameo appearance as the Green Hornet and Kato in "window cameos" while Batman and Robin were climbing a building. This was in part one of a two-part second-season episode of theBatman TV series, "The Spell of Tut", which aired on September 28, 1966.[60]
Later that same season, the Green Hornet and Kato appeared in the two-part second-season episodesA Piece of the Action andBatman's Satisfaction, aired on March 1–2, 1967. In the two episodes, the Green Hornet and Kato are inGotham City to bust a counterfeit stamp ring run by Colonel Gumm (portrayed byRoger C. Carmel).[61] TheBatman's Satisfaction episode leads to a mixed fight, with both Batman & Robin and the Green Hornet & Kato fighting Colonel Gumm and his gang. Once Gumm's crew was defeated, Batman and Robin squared off against the Green Hornet and Kato, resulting in a stand-off that was interrupted by the police. In this episode, Batman, Robin, and the police consider the Green Hornet and Kato to be criminals. Batman and Robin, however, were cordial to the duo in the earlier window appearance. There is also a mention ofThe Green Hornet TV series in theBatman TV series episodeThe Impractical Joker (episode 55, Part 1, aired November 16, 1966): while watching TV together, Alfred, Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne (who says, "It's time to watchThe Green Hornet ", with the hornet buzzing sound audible in the background) are interrupted by the Joker; then, after the interruption,The Green Hornet TV series theme music is heard.
In the December 9, 1966Green Hornet episode "The Secret of the Sally Bell", the Batmobile can be seen revolving on its turntable floor in the Batcave on a "bad guy's" TV set. In the February 3, 1967Green Hornet episode "Ace in the Hole" (which aired between the September 1966 and March 1967Batman appearances mentioned above), Batman and Robin can be seen climbing a building on a television set. There was one other Green Hornet & Kato appearance that wasnot on theBatman TV series nor onThe Green Hornet TV series: a segment of theMilton Berle Show/The Hollywood Palace aired in the Fall of 1966 brought together The Green Hornet and Kato (Van Williams and Bruce Lee), and Batman (Adam West), in a comedy sketch with Milton Berle, in which Bruce Lee demonstrates his martial arts expertise. Burt Ward as "Robin" was not included in this appearance.
TheArrowversecrossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths" features a cameo appearance fromBurt Ward as an olderDick Grayson/Robin, wearing a red sweater with a yellow-and-green trim while walking a dog. Upon seeing the skies turn red, the former Boy Wonder shouts, "Holy crimson skies of death!" The event also reveals that the events of this series are set on Earth-66, which is one of the worlds destroyed by theAnti-Monitor (LaMonica Garrett) during the Crisis.[62]
After the first screening of theDC Extended Universe (DCEU) filmThe Flash (2023) to the attendees of theCinemacon 2023, directorAndy Muschietti and producerBarbara Muschietti revealed thatcameo appearances of Romero's Joker and Meredith's Penguin were considered for the film, but were left on the "cutting floor room" due to not fitting in the story.[63] The film also features CGI cameos of West as Batman and Ward as Robin during the film's final battle.[64][65]
The Batman character appeared in fourpublic service announcements:
During the summer/fall of 1966,Adam West andFrank Gorshin went on a tour as Batman and the Riddler to promote the new Batman movie and the series. They were usually accompanied by several bands before the featured event that saw Batman and the Riddler exchange corny jokes as well as a song performed by West. The tour most famously stopped at Shea Stadium in New York on June 25[72] and City Park in New Orleans on November 26.[73]
The companyStern released thepinball machineBatman '66, based on the TV series, in December 2016. It is the first Stern game that features a full-color LCD in the backbox instead of aDot-matrix display. There are three different versions of the pinball machine: Super Limited Edition, Limited Edition and Premium.[81][82]
Starting in 1966, an enormous amount of Batman merchandise was manufactured and marketed to cash in on the TV show's vast popularity. This includes trading cards, bubblegum cards, scale model kits of the Batmobile and Batboat, coloring books, and board games. Items from this particular era have gained substantial collector appeal with their remarkable variety, scarcity, and style.
One of the most desired collectibles involves the episodes introducing Catwoman ("The Purr-fect Crime"/"Better Luck Next Time"), which were the subject of aView-Master reel & booklet set in 1966 (Sawyers Packet # B492). While the series was first run on ABC, packet cover indicia reflected the "Bat Craze" cultural phenomenon by referring to the booklet as aBatbooklet, Dynamically Illustrated. By the time the television series was canceled in 1968, and GAF had taken over the View-Master product,Batbooklet was removed in favor of then-standard View-Master packaging for all future releases in the decades to follow, right up to the period when the standard packet line was discontinued. The first season's superimposed fight onomatopoeias were not used for the View-Master's scenes of fights. Instead, black-lined "blast" balloons (transparent inside) and series-like onomatopoeias were illustrated and superimposed over fight images.
The TV series' popularity has continued several decades after its debut; toy companyMattel has made the 1966Batmobile in various scales for theHot Wheels product line. The Batmobile with Batboat was also produced under the Matchbox and Corgi names in the UK during this period.
Warner Bros. acquired merchandising rights to the series in 2012.[83] In 2013, Mattel released an action figure line based on the television series. To date, only a single series of figures have been produced: Batman, the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, Catwoman, and, exclusive to a boxset, Robin. Three Batman variants were also produced: a limited SDCC exclusive boxed figure with an action feature that replicates the famous Batusi dance, a cardedSurf's Up Batman figure complete with surfboard and trunks, and a boxed, unmasked Batman with Batcomputer and Bruce Wayne's study accessories. A carded Joker variant, with surfboard and trunks, and a boxed Batgirl figure followed. Each figure has the likeness of their respective actor (with Catwoman resembling Newmar and the Riddler resembling Gorshin) and came packaged with a display base and collector card. A Batmobile was also sold to retail, making this the first time the classic model had been produced for action figures on a 6-inch scale.
In 2013, Hong Kong-based entertainment collectible manufacturerHot Toys produced1⁄6 scale versions of West's Batman and Ward's Robin. An extensive range of 8-inch action figures with the TV cast's likenesses have been released by Figures Toy Company (FTC) from 2013 to 2018 and, in 2017, a single wave of 3.75-inch figures (including King Tut, Bookworm, and two Mr. Freezes) fromFunko.
In 2016, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the TV series,Lego released set 76052 Classic TV series Batcave,[84] featuring minifigure versions of Batman, Robin, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and the four main villains from the film (Catwoman, The Penguin, The Riddler, and Joker). In 2021, LEGO released a set based on the 1966 TV series Batmobile,[85] featuring minifigure versions of Batman and Joker. This set was a newer version of an SDCC exclusive. Later that same year, LEGO released a buildable cowl based on the TV series.[86]
The series stars, Adam West and Burt Ward, weretypecast for decades afterward, with West especially finding himself unable to escape the reputation of a hammy, camp actor. Years after the series' impact faded, an episode ofBatman: The Animated Series paid tribute to West with an episode titled "Beware the Gray Ghost". In this episode, West provided the voice of an aging star of a superhero television series Bruce Wayne had watched as a child, from which he later found inspiration. This gave West new popularity with the next generation of fans. He also played Gotham City's Mayor Grange in a somewhat recurring role inThe Batman. In addition, West played the voice of Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne's father, in the episode "Chill of the Night!" from the seriesBatman: The Brave and the Bold. West would eventually embrace his past with the series. His recurring role asa fictionalized version of himself as Mayor West in the TV seriesFamily Guy deliberately made no references to the series, at the behest ofFamily Guy creatorSeth MacFarlane.
Burt Ward reprised his role as an older Dick Grayson inCrisis on Infinite Earths.
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