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Do you feel about me the way they feel about you? I didn't think you would.
-FyedkaFiddler on the Roof
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 Aired: 1966 - 1968
Show Type: Live Action
Country of Origin: US
Wikipedia:
(Posted 4th June 07)
The series was produced in the United States and debuted at 7:30, Wednesday evening, January 12, 1966 on ABC television, with the conclusion airing at 7:30 Thursday night, January 13 (replacing The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet on Wednesdays [which moved to Saturday] and the canceled primetime music variety series Shindig! on Thursdays), at a time against other popular TV series including The Andy Griffith Show and The Wild Wild West. The Batman series set a standard that identifies it as a product of the 1960s. It was known for its silly high camp humour and continues to be the version some associate with the Batman character despite it being least reflective of the Batman mythos as it is known today. (The series was, however, very reflective of the character as portrayed in comics in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before editor Julius Schwartz revamped the books, removing much of the silliness.) The series ran for a total of 120 25-minute episodes.
The show revolved around the adventures of the crimefighter Batman (Adam West) and his sidekick Robin (Burt Ward) in Gotham City. Batman's dual identity was that of the debonair "millionaire philanthropist" Bruce Wayne, who lived outside the city in "stately Wayne Manor." He lived with his youthful ward Dick Grayson, also known as Robin (Burt Ward), faithful butler Alfred (Alan Napier), and Aunt Harriet Cooper (Madge Blake). Though mentioned only a few times during the second season (in the episodes 'The Clock King Gets Crowned' and 'The Devil's Fingers'), Aunt Harriet Cooper was Dick Grayson's, not Wayne's, biological aunt. Both Wayne and Grayson were orphaned at the hands of criminals.
The adventures usually called for the heroes to fight supervillains such as The Joker (Cesar Romero), who refused to shave off his moustache before his make-up was applied), The Riddler (Frank Gorshin and John Astin), The Penguin (Burgess Meredith), King Tut (Victor Buono), and Catwoman (at various times Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt). In reality King Tut was a timid history professor who, after being hit in the head with a brick at a peace rally, donned the persona of the Egyptian royal. When a bell rang (suggesting a school bell) the villain would return to his meek demeanor.
Other main characters were Police Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton), Chief O'Hara (Stafford Repp) of the Gotham City Police, and, in the third season, Batgirl (Yvonne Craig). Probably one of the campiest installments featured flashy Vegas showman Liberace, in a dual role as a hard-nosed cigar chomping thug and his intimidated but essentially honest brother.
Quick action sequences, the voice of TV producer William Dozier as a pompous sounding narrator (identified as Desmond Doomsday on the Batman Television Soundtrack Album) providing the storylines, psychedelic sets and costumes, Dutch angles (with the criminals' lairs always being filmed with the camera at an angle to emphasize the "crooked" nature of the criminals), and bright colors were all meant to evoke the four-color, campy world of the comic books of the 1950s and 1960s under the strict Comics Code Authority.
The series is notable for its use of cliffhanger endings, and the "Batclimb cameo", whereby the Dynamic Duo would occasionally scale the outside of a tall building, encountering cameo appearances from top celebrities of the day. The fight scenes were accompanied with comic-style captions, such as WHAM! and POW!, that would appear on screen in time with the action.
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