by Eric Diaz How The 1960’s Batman Television Series Helped Save Batman

If you’re a Batman fan of a certain age, say mid twenties to younger, chances are you pretty much hate the original Batman television series from the 1960’s starring Adam West and Burt Ward, or at least resent the show’s long lasting impact over the character of Batman. But I’m here to tell you why you shouldn’t hate it, and why in fact you should love it, if for no other reason than this: the original Batman show not only helpled save Batman in the comic book world, but it turned him into a global superstar. Aside from that alone being reason enough, there are lots of other long term contributions to the Bat-verse that came from the television series.

Of course, I’m not saying comic book fans haven’t had a lot of reason to resent the 60’s Batman television series over the years. Premiering just a few years after Stan Lee and Marvel Comics began to take comic books to the next level in terms of mature storytelling, the Batman show essentially reinforced the notion that comics were inherently silly and for five year old boys alone. The show was so hugely popular and influential, that its influence still echoes on today; almost any mainstream article in the media about comic books or comic book movies has a reference to the POW! BAM! ZAP! Sound effects of the show, some 45 years after it premiered. As a comic book fan, that annoys the hell outta me, and I look forward to the day when that lazy kind of writing finally stops. We live in a world where Watchmen is considered one of the greatest novels of the past three decades, and where Heath Ledger won an Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker, and still the show’s influence (and notions of comic books being nothing more than “kid’s stuff”) lingers on. I can see how that bugs.

But the truth is, original Batman series was always meant to be a straight up spoof of the comics, and nothing more or less than that. And it turned out to be a brilliant send up at that. In contrast, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is considered one of the pinnacle achievements in horror fiction, but no one hates on Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein for brilliantly spoofing it.The old Batman show never gets off that easy, because in the case of Batman, the spoof became more well known than the source material. While that can be annoying for fans of the character, all it really means is that the producers, writers and actors just did a really good job. And while the character of Batman was hurt in a lot of ways by the television show, in the long run he benefited in just as many ways as well.

The Television Series Made Batman An Icon

Batman was an instant success when debuting in comics in 1939, this is true. But for decades, he played definite second fiddle to Superman in terms of global awareness outside of comics. While Superman debuted only a year prior to Batman in 1938, within a year Clark Kent was a global icon, and within two years he had a radio show, a series of highly expensive cartoon shorts, and a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Superman mania was something akin to Harry Potter or Twilight mania today, only bigger. Batman, on the other hand, was merely a very succesful comic book series. If you were a nine year old in 1944, chances are your mother knew who Superman was; less likely she knew who Batman was.

The debut of the Batman television show changed all that forever. Debuting in January 1966, Batman was a pop culture sensation that rivaled Beatlemania at the time. Batman aired twice a week on ABC, and the success was so enormous that a movie was shot and rushed into theaters for the summer of ’66. And then, there was the merch; the success of the show caused an avalanche of Batman related products of all sorts, shapes and sizes, rivaled only by Star Wars a decade later. By the time the show had finally burned itself out in 1968, there wasn’t a person in America who didn’t know what and who Batman and Robin were. It might have taken him twenty five years, but because of the television series Batman was finally on equal footing with Superman in recognizabilty. And he has the silly, campy show to thank for it.

Editor’s note: Both of the above pictures are taken from comedian Ralph Garman’s 60s Batman memorabilia collection. Yeah. Both of them.

There are those who say the Batman television series saved the actual comic books themselves from cancellation. Batman co-creator Bob Kane even was quoted as saying that before the show debuted, DC Comics was considering cancelling Batman outright. Now this I find highly unlikely; from 1960-1965, Batman was consistently in the top ten comic books sold in the country. While he was selling half of what Superman sold, and no where near what he sold in the 40’s, it seems highly doubtful that DC ever seriously considered trashing their second most well known character. But without a doubt, the the surge of sales caused by the success of the television show made sure that not only would Batman never be cancelled, but that Batman would always keep a prominent presence at DC Comics.

The Show Returned The Original Classic Villains To Prominence

The 1954 publication of anti comics screed Seduction of the Innocent nearly brought down the comic book industry in one giant swoop of 50’s White People Paranoia, and although DC Comics survived (many other smaller publishers did not) they did not survive unscathed. No character was more affected by this book at DC than Batman. Within a year, gone were the great, creepy villains of Batman’s 1940’s heyday; Catwoman was deemed “too sexual” for a children’s book, Two Face too scary for kids, and villains like The Penguin, Riddler and Scarecrow vanished, replaced by kooky looking aliens and mad scientists. The Joker remained as Batman’s #1 nemesis, but instead of the murderous, insane gangster clown, he was transformed into a harmless, lame prankster.

Although the televison series mocked the ultra cheesy, day glow color palette tone of the then current comics of the time, the producers wisely chose to go back to the comic book’s glory days of the 40’s for their villain roster. Around the time of the show’s debut, The Riddler was brought back for the first time since 1948 and became Batman’s (arguably) second biggest nemesis due to his brilliant portrayal by actor Frank Gorshin. Catwoman was brought back from her twelve year exile for being too sexy (the ultimate example of “slut shaming” in comics) and other old villains like Mr. Freeze were resurrected and given new life. The televison show cemented the notion of these bad guys (particulary the “big four” of Joker, Riddler, Catwoman and Penguin) as the “A List” of Bat rogues, a concept that would carry over into the comics and stay that way from then on. Even characters that never made it onto the series were created in an attempt to get on television; Poison Ivy was created in the comics to be a sexy villainess in the Catwoman mold for the show, but the show was canned before she could ever appear.

Ever since the show made the villains as iconic as Batman, the comics themselves have never looked back. By the early 70’s, Batman returned to his grim late 1930’s roots, but the classic villains remained and have stayed around ever since. Because of the 60’s show, it is now impossible to imagine a DC Universe without them.

The TV Show Gave Us Barbara Gordon, Batgirl

Batgirl was another addition to the Batman mythology created for the television series…well, sort of. Batman artist Carmine Infantino had debated creating a new Batgirl for the comics, but wasn’t sure if his bosses would go for it, as no one at DC Editorial was too fond of the lame Batwoman character, a relic of the 1950’s. While visiting the DC Comics offices in 1966, the television series producers saw a sketch of Carmine Infantino’s take on Batgirl on his desk. Looking for a new female character to add to the show, the producers of the show encouraged DC to go through with making this new Batgirl, pretty much just so they could use her on the television series. Although technically debuting a several months prior to her small screen arrival, if not for the Batman show, the Barbara Gordon version of Batgirl might have just stayed a sketch on Infantino’s desk. Although Yvonne Craig’s Batgirl only appeared in the final season of Batman, because of her popularity she has remained a staple of DC Comics ever since.

The Fetishization of the Batmobile

Batman has had a Batmobile since the early 1940’s, the show certainly didn’t invent it. But George Barris’ customized 1957 Ford Futura was so iconic and central to the show, that from then on the Batmobile in the comics has become equally fetishized and made important. From the early 40’s to the early 60’s, the design of the Batmobile barely changed at all, and really wasn’t much more than “Batman’s car.” It got him from cave to crime scene, but that’s about it. But after the debut of the tv series, and the focus on the car the show had, the Batmobile in the comics has become a character unto itself, constantly changing and evolving to keep up with the times. The Batmobile has become as much a part of Batman as his utility belt or his Batarangs. And the rocket engine was definitely a creation of the old show, now carried over into most media takes on the Batmobile, from the Tim Burton movie to the Bruce Timm animated series.

The Show’s Legacy

Sine the 1989 debut of Tim Burton’s Batman movie, the campy image of Batman has lessened significantly in the popular culture. The Joel Schumacher movies of the mid 90’s tried to emulate the 60’s television series and failed miserably. You can’t be campy and be taken seriously as a narrative at the same time; the producers of the 60’s show understood this fact pretty well.

Not long ago, Batman character owners Warner Brothers finally settled a decades long dispute with Twentieth Century Fox (creators of the show) and now have the license to merchandise the hell out of the old Batman show and its characters. So coming soon, expect a second tide of 60’s Bat merchandise, with Adam West t shirts, Julie Newmar/Catwoman posters, Yvonne Craig/Batgirl Halloween costumes and who knows what else (hopefully the series itself finally comes out on DVD) With Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy finally cementing Batman as a dark and serious character to even Joe Six Pack in Boise Idaho, maybe it is time for fandom to finally embrace the old Batman show for what it was, and realize how truly significant a part of the Batman legacy it really is.

Coming Soon: The second in a series of three Batman articles from yours truly, leading up to the July debut of The Dark Knight Rises.