.Batman on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Compiled, edited, spindled & mutilated by Bill Laidlaw

Episodes of the series can now be seen on the Sci Fi Channel (EST/Pacific Time) in afternoon marathons:
Mon, June 18  SUPERHEROLAND - BATMAN Marathon -
                 11:00 AM    NORA CLAVICLE AND THE LADIES
                 11:30 AM    SURF'S UP! JOKER'S UNDER!
                 12:00 PM    THE RING OF WAX -PT 1
                 12:30 PM    GIVE 'EM THE AXE -PT 2
                  1:00 PM    BLACK WIDOW STRIKES AGAIN - 1
                  1:30 PM    CAUGHT IN THE SPIDER'S DEN - 2
                  2:00 PM    THE SPELL OF TUT -PT 1
                  2:30 PM    TUT'S CASE IS SHUT -PT 2
                  3:00 PM    DEATH IN SLOW MOTION -PT 1
                  3:30 PM    THE RIDDLER'S FALSE NOTION - 2
Mon, July 23  SUPERHEROLAND - BATMAN Marathon -
                 11:00 AM    THE THIRTEENTH HAT -PT 1
                 11:30 AM    BATMAN STANDS PAT -PT 2
                 12:00 PM    THE MINSTREL'S SHAKEDOWN -PT 1
                 12:30 PM    BARBECUED BATMAN -PT 2
                  1:00 PM    I'LL BE A MUMMY'S UNCLE
                  1:30 PM    MINERVA, MAYHEM AND MILLIONA
                  2:00 PM    AN EGG GROWS IN GOTHAM -PT 1
                  2:30 PM    THE YEOGG FOES IN GOTHAM -PT 2
                  3:00 PM    THE GREAT ESCAPE -PT 1
                  3:30 PM    THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY -PT 2
Batman was created by Bob Kane in 1939 (Detective Comics), inspired by The Shadow pulp novels and radio series. Though there was never a Batman radio series to compete with The Shadow, the character did guest star occasionally in the 1940s Superman radio series (in some cases, the actor who played Superman was away, so there were Batman-only episodes of the Superman radio series). Stacy Harris, the actor who played Batman on radio, went on to star in "This Is Your FBI" on radio starting in 1945. For more info, check out the Radio page or go to the Radio Spirits website, I think it's currently the "Old Time Radio" button at www.mediabay.com

By 1966 the comic book was in decline and a mid-season replacement tv series in January played the character as a campy semi-spoof that was quickly embraced by college students, becoming an overnight sensation. Most of the episodes were an hour long, shown in two 30-minute segments on Wednesday & Thursday nights. Like old movie serials, Batman & Robin were always in some "dire predicament" at the end of part 1. The series ended its first season with both Wednesday and Thursday episodes in the Top 10.

In September, a third half-hour was added, on Friday nights: spin-off series The Green Hornet starring a rather stiff Van Williams as the Hornet and a young kid named Bruce Lee as his crime-fighting assistant (Bruce Lee choreographed the fight scenes and tutored Burt Ward in karate). Green Hornet only lasted one year however, so in September the following year (1967) a new character was added to Batman: that of Batgirl. The series was now a single, self contained 30-minute episode per week until March 1968, and wasn't renewed

Was Batman ahead of it's time? Not really. But there was an episode in which King Tut steals an amber necklace. When they find his abandoned headquarters, they find the remains of the necklace. He has smashed open the bits of ancient amber and brought to life the extinct insects trapped inside...

During the 2+ year run of Batman, it became one of the hottest tv series in Hollywood. Actors that did little or no tv agreed to play villains on Batman. Cliff Robertson even spoofed his Western movies, playing an evil cowboy named Shame.
Some of the other villains in the tv series: 
The Penguin..............Burgess Meredith
The Joker................Cesar Romero
The Riddler..............Frank Gorshin in several eps
                         John Astin in one
Egghead..................Vincent Price
King Tut.................Victor Buono
Catwoman.................Eartha Kitt
                         Julie Newmar
Mr. Freeze...............George Sanders
The Mad Hatter...........David Wayne
Bookworm.................Roddy McDowell
The Archer...............Art Carney
Lola Lasagna.............Ethel Merman
Minerva..................Zsa Zsa Gabor
The Devil................Joan Crawford 
The Black Widow..........Tallulah Bankhead
Lady Fogg................Joan Collins
Lord Fogg................Rudy Vallee


1960s Batman Cast


              Batman               Adam West
              Robin                Burt Ward
              Alfred the Butler    Alan Napier
              Aunt Harriet         Madge Blake
              Chief O'Hara         Stafford Repp
              Commissioner Gordon  Neil Hamilton
              Barbara Gordon       Yvonne Craig
              TV themesong         Neal Hefti

Batman Movies & Serials

Batman (1943), 15 awful episodes (he wears black long-underwear, grey swim trunks, a viking helmet, and drives a Model-T batmobile) were nevertheless well-received as "Plan 9 From Outer Space" type camp when an edited feature-length version was re-released in 1965.
Batman & Robin (1949, aka The Return of Batman), 15 more episodes. A hooded villain is The Wizard.
Batman (1966) movie and tv series
In 1977, Adam West & Burt Ward reprised their roles in a Saturday morning cartoon series The New Adventure of Batman, which used the newly-perfected Rotoscope process for more fluid animation.
Previous cartoon series were The Batman-Superman Hour (1967-68), which replaced The Superman-Aquaman Hour (1966-67), and Superfriends starting in 1973.

Legends Of The Superheroes (1979 tv-movie in 2 parts).
In part 1, superheroes competed against supervillains in offbeat "Battle of the Network Stars" type games of skill. In part 2, Ed McMahon hosted The Roast, a mild battle of wits.
Characters/actors who took part:
Batman/Adam West
Robin/Burt Ward
Captain Marvel/Garret Craig
Hawkman/Bill Nuckols
The Flash/Rod Haase
Huntress/Barbara Joyce
Retired Man/William Schallert
Solomon Grundy/Mickey Morton
Mordu/Gabe Dell
Black Canary/Danuta
Giganta/A'Leshia Brvard
Dr. Sivana/Howard Morris
Weather Wizard/Jeff Altman
The Riddler/Frank Gorshin
Sinistro/Charlie Callas
In the 1990s, a gritty new animated series was started by the Fox network, reflecting the new Dark Knight Batman comic books, then went to first-run syndication starring mostly unknown actors, with Mark Hamill as The Joker. The third Batman hollywood movie didn't do so well, and there is serious talk of releasing a feature-length animated Batman in theaters (previous animated Batman features were seen only on tv or in video).

Batman Beyond (1999)
Adventures of Batman & Robin: The Joker (1994)
Adventures of Batman & Robin: Two-Face (1994)
Adventures of Batman & Robin: The Riddler (1994)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Batman Returns (1992)
Batman (1989)
Batman (1966)
Batmania: From Comics to Screen
Batman
The Green Hornet (1940)
The Green Hornet Strikes Again (1940)
Bruce Lee and the Green Hornet (1960s)

. Books available include:
Batman books
Batman & Robin
The Green Hornet
Superman
Bruce Lee (Kato in the Green Hornet tv series)

Green Hornet episode titles (the spinoff series)

Adam West Videos

www.SciFans.com

1960s Batman episodes, all 3 seasons

1960s Batman page on the SciFi Channel website

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Email: tvg@bat.cave