The 'Batman' TV Show
If you ever want to find out whether someone takes comics a little too seriously, just mention the '60s era 'Batman' TV series. The jaw will clench and some remark about how that isn't the real Batman will follow. Look, I prefer 'Batman Begins', the 1989 'Batman' movie and 'Batman Returns', but I loved that TV show as a kid. I was reminded of how much fun that show was by "Bat Week" over at Progressive Ruin. Here are some positive thoughts about the apothesis of '60s camp:
- Adam West was a great straight man. If he was trying to one up the over the top guest villians, then it would've totally fallen apart.
- The show knew exactly what it was. The later seasons of 'The Adventures of Superman' were just as preposterous, but it was never intended to be camp. 'Batman' was supposed to be camp.
- The theme song was awesome. Nothing against Danny Elfman, or his excellent score, but I cannot remember the main title theme to the '89 Batman in the same way I remember the TV theme.
- At least three Batman characters have never been better portrayed than they were on the TV show. You can debate Christian Bale vs. Michael Keaton as Batman, or Michael Caine vs. Michael Gough as Alfred. However, you cannot dispute the definative nature of Burt Ward as Robin, Frank Gorshin as the Riddler and Yvonne Craig as Batgirl.
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4 comments:
I'd say Burgess Meredith was the definitive Penguin, as well. That guy was dubious class all the way.
Good post. I also don't see how you can argue with the definitiveness of Julie Newmar's Catwoman.
Bill Burns
"At least three Batman characters have never been better portrayed than they were on the TV show."
I never realized that until you said it.
I agree.
I watched this show when it originally aired, and at first it was interesting but since the entire premise basically involved doing the same gags over and over again, it wore thin. By the time it was canceled, it wasn't interesting any more. I had to laugh when The Simpsons did a parody of it in the episode about the Radioactive Man movie, during which they did a flashback to what the 1960s Radioactive Man TV show had been and it was a sendup (if you can even call it that) of the Batman TV show, which concluded with the studio official shuddering at the memory of the 1960s show. As Monty Python would have put it: "Too silly!" What someone loved as a kid rarely survives when viewed as an adult. The old 1978/79 Battlestar Galactica is another example. An awful show, but kids loved it, and kids probably still love the old show, but it has nothing that adults could find interesting since 90% of the scripts were terrible.
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