Superhero Media: Batman (1966)

I've said it before and I''l say it again, the 1960s Batman television series is the second best multimedia incarnation of Batman ever, right after Batman the Animated Series; making Adam West the runner up to Kevin Conroy, which is no mean feat. For those put off by the high-camp style of William Dozer's production, I can't recommend enough giving the programme a go, it's clever, incredibly well made and full of brilliant actors giving great performances. My DVD collection of the series features a documentary on Adam West, demonstrating just how good an actor he really is, and it does show in Batman; he commits to the role and hokey dialogue completely, which is what makes it so compelling. Similarly, credit needs to be given to Burt Ward, who as well as playing a convincing teenager at age 21, put up with all manhandling. That said, the legendary amount of women he had in his dressing room probably helped with that. Almost all of the "Guest Villains" are pedigreed actors having a ball in their roles, as well as the regulars, one-offs from Shelly Winters and John Astin make for really entertaining episodes. 

For the most part, Batman is made up of two-part episodes, with a cliffhanger involving an elaborate deathtrap and an unlikely escape, there is the occasional one or three-parter and Season Three starts to link each episode through cold opens and teasers. Season Three also introduces Batgirl, played by Yvonne Craig, who becomes something of a second lead to West's Batman. Many fans regard this change of focus as the reason for the cancellation of the programme, but I'm a bit of a fan of the Batgirl dynamic and am more inclined to believe that the novelty had simply worn off for most audiences. Batman is formulaic, but the formula works, and the characters and good acting keep the pace going, even through the poorer episodes. Caesar Romero is one of the all-time-great Jokers, up there with Mark Hamill and Heath Ledger, playing the "Clown Prince of Crime" persona to a tee. We're spoiled for Catwomen, with Julie Newmar vamping it up beautifully and Eartha Kitt purring her way through scenes; incidentally, how cool is it that an African American Woman, still under investigation for sedition by the US government at the time, was cast as Catwoman? If you did that these days, the internet would melt down as armies of over-privilaged morons posted about how Catwoman is "supposed to be white". Idiots.

This incarnation of Batman is the perfect tonic for those, like myself, that simply cannot stand any more "grim and gritty", post-Frank Miller, Nolan-esque versions of Batman grunting and screaming. Adam West presents the Caped Crusader as an intelligent, thoughtful, tolerant and inquisitive; yes, he fights, but only when reason will no longer work or lives are at stake. Yes, Batman is camp, but that style only enhances the comic-book feel, rather than diminishing it, as so many fanboys erroneously claim. I really want to see elements of this series come back into the Batman films, not necessarily the "Biff" and "Pow" and bright costumes, but the banter, the presence of Robin, Bruce Wayne being an altruist rather than a free-market capitalist, using science to solve crimes and the Batmobile being a car rather than a tank. Even some of the storylines from episodes would work well in a modern setting, like The Riddler suing Batman for wrongful arrest, the Joker attacking the education system to create more delinquents from which to draw his henchmen or Penguin trying to marry an heiress. Some of the most genuinely unique Batman can be found in this series, it's well worth your time to watch at least a few episodes.