The evolution of Batman on television - part one

   Photo:Flickr:chanchan222

Gotham City's Caped Crusader, Batman, has evolved throughout the character's history as one of the most prominently portrayed super-heroes on television.

The original “Batman” TV series, starring Adam West as Batman and his alter ego, millionaire Bruce Wayne, first aired on the ABC network on January 12, 1966. The show ran for one and one-half seasons until March 14, 1968, resulting in the unusually large total of one hundred and twenty episodes. The series also starred Burt Ward as Batman's sidekick Robin, aka Bruce Wayne's ward, Dick Grayson; Alan Napier as Bruce Wayne's faithful butler and confidant, Alfred Pennyworth; Neil Hamilton as Police Commissioner Gordon, Stafford Repp as Police Chief Miles O'Hara and Yvonne Craig as Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Barbara Gordon, aka Batgirl. The show and its dialogue were quite camp and corny, and it guest starred a cavalcade of prominent actors and actresses in eccentric villain roles. These included Burgess Meredith as The Penguin, Cesar Romero as The Joker, Vincent Price as Egghead, Frank Gorshin and John Astin as The Riddler, and Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt and Lee Meriwether as Catwoman. One of the signature scenarios of the show entailed Batman and Robin vertically scaling a building on their Bat-ropes. During these sequences the head of a notable celebrity would occasionally emerge from a window in the building that they were ascending and engage in a short verbal exchange with the Dynamic Duo. Guest heads included Dick Clark, Sammy Davis Jr., Jerry Lewis, Don Ho and Edward G. Robinson. A film entitled “Batman” that is based on the program was released in 1966 and has been broadcast on television for decades.

In 1968, Batman was transformed into an animated hero, courtesy of the Filmation product, “The Batman/Superman Hour”. This series premiered as part of the CBS Saturday morning line-up on September 14, 1968. In Batman's share of this double-billed show, he was teamed with both Robin and Batgirl, as they faced off against the classic rogues gallery of Batman nemeses. The series marked the first time that the characters Batman and Robin were voiced by Olan Soule and Casey Kasem, respectively. In 1969, the Superman elements of the show would be removed, and the series would be renamed, “Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder”. The trend of family friendly versions of Batman and Robin inspired by these endeavors would continue as part of multiple incarnations of the Hanna-Barbera show “Super Friends”, which ran in different forms and formats on ABC from 1973 until 1986. Soule and Kasem continued to be the voices of Batman and Robin throughout the journey until the show's swan song in 1985, “The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians”. For “Guardians”, Kasem would speak for Robin, but the role of Batman was once again placed in the hands, or in this case the voice, of Adam West. Soule and Kasem would also vocalize the roles of Batman and Robin as guest stars, in two episodes of “The New Scooby-Doo Movies”.

Batman would once again have his own television vehicle on February 10, 1977, courtesy of Filmation's animated “The New Adventures of Batman” on CBS. For this series, Batman, Robin and Batgirl were joined by Batmite, a small, omnipotent being from another dimension, who claimed to be Batman's biggest fan and was often more of a liability than an asset. Batman and Robin were voiced by the leads from the 1960's Batman live action show, Adam West and Burt Ward. The program was in direct competition with the “Super Friends” on ABC, which held the rights to several primary Batman villains, including the Riddler and the Scarecrow, prohibiting the characters involvement in the CBS series. The show did however hold the rights to the Joker, preventing his appearance on the rival “Super Friends”.