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Batman: '60s TV Series

Trekker4747

Trekker4747

Boldly going...
Premium Member
The 60s TV series of Batman staring Adam West and Burt Ward as of this writing has no official DVD release, in fact the un-cut and un-trimmed episodes have likely not been seen in decades (since time is cut out of re-runs of shows to allow for the more ad space that modern TV as well as syndication calls for.)

Mostly holding this up is DC and Warner Brothers and their various issues with the property namely that the corniness of it will "harm" the bad-ass reputation of Batman and thus harm modern-day interpretations.

Say it was available. Say next month the complete, un-edited, Batman TV Series gets released on Blu-Ray fully restored, remastered and ready for Hi-Def home viewing.

Would you buy it? Are the tapes or bootleg DVDs you may or may not have enough?

Are TV viewings enough?

Is the TV series just no worth watching at all?

I'm a huge nerd so I suspect I would buy it if the price was right even though I'm not a huge fan of the show.
 
I got my hands on some high-quality bootlegs in 2009, and I'd gladly re-buy. The show is excellent! And not excellent, but where the story plods there are always bright colors.
 
I'd buy it in a heartbeat. While I recognize that the show had flaws this is the thing that made me a Batman fan.
 
I have some related questions, that I'll toss out to the more knowledgeable. There was at least one Green Hornet/Batman crossover episode. If I recall correctly, it was a two-parter, and I think there may have been one part in each series. How would that be handled in a DVD release, I wonder? Would a Green Hornet episode appear in the Batman box set? Does one party hold all the rights to permit this? Thanks!
 
I have what I guess you could call 'bootleg' episodes of this series. The picture quality is rather mediocre, and while I would rather watch the episodes in DVD quality, I think this show is just too inconsistent to purchase on DVD.

But I'm pickier than most people when it comes to DVDs. I don't own any of my favourite shows on DVD except "Batman: The Animated Series" because it's my number one favourite of all-time and the best seasons of "The Simpsons" because I truly believe that for a good five years there were only like two or three episodes that were less than excellent in each season (and even those weren't awful).

Like all the Star Trek series I love and "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer", "Batman" has its share of really strong episodes along with some stinkers, but its best episodes never reach the heights of the best episodes on those shows since they're all ridiculous and silly to a degree. A masterpiece of a camp episode is still camp, and this greatly diminishes my potential enjoyment of the series because unlike other shows I love, it really has no emotional resonance. It has no ambitions beyond being fun, and that makes it get a bit tedious to watch, so I'd rather just check out select episodes.

You know what they say about too much of a good thing. I get burned out on the relentless wackiness of it all. I do feel sorry for the fans who would love a DVD boxset, though. For their sake, I hope one is released someday. I can totally understand others eating up every second of it and never getting tired of its relentless silliness. At 120 episodes (!), however, that's way too much for me.

CC, to answer your question, there are two episodes of "Batman" that feature The Green Hornet and Kato. It is the usual Batman two-parter - episodes 52 and 53 (according to IMDB) or episodes 85 and 86 (according to Wikipedia) in season 2. The episodes are called "A Piece of the Action" and "Batman's Satisfaction" and the title of part one is not the only "Star Trek" connection. The villain of the episode is played by Roger C. Carmel, of "Harry Mudd" fame. It's a typically delightful hammy performance from Ol' Harcourt. :D
 
Biffette said:
I got my hands on some high-quality bootlegs in 2009, and I'd gladly re-buy.
Click to expand...

So did I that same year, and just FYI, my copies are the uncut episodes.

And I would buy an offical release too, but only on DVD. I won't buy Blue Ray.
 
Trekker4747 said:
The 60s TV series of Batman staring Adam West and Burt Ward as of this writing has no official DVD release, in fact the un-cut and un-trimmed episodes have likely not been seen in decades (since time is cut out of re-runs of shows to allow for the more ad space that modern TV as well as syndication calls for.)

Mostly holding this up is DC and Warner Brothers and their various issues with the property namely that the corniness of it will "harm" the bad-ass reputation of Batman and thus harm modern-day interpretations.
Click to expand...

I don't think that's true actually. The problem is a question of ownership and shares. Fox produced the show, but, obviously Warners has the rights to Batman. From what I've understood, it's the agreement between the two of them that needs to be worked out...

AND... all of the cameos. Permissions from either the actors or the estates. That's a LOT of people to talk to (and negotiate with.)

I have a feeling that's more of a hitch than the harming of the reputation. Consider all of the episodes of Super Friends... And Batman: The Brave and the Bold--which CURRENTLY airs... wouldn't those "harm" the reputation?

OH, and the 1966 Batman MOVIE is available. So, again, if DC and Warners were worried about the reputation... that bat has flown.

Say it was available. Say next month the complete, un-edited, Batman TV Series gets released on Blu-Ray fully restored, remastered and ready for Hi-Def home viewing.

Would you buy it?
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Without a doubt.
 
I grew up watching these after school along with Ultraman and Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot back in the 70's. I would snatch these up in a second. I put in the movie once in awhile. Pure camp and corniness but it's still awesome!
 
CorporalCaptain said:
I have some related questions, that I'll toss out to the more knowledgeable. There was at least one Green Hornet/Batman crossover episode. If I recall correctly, it was a two-parter, and I think there may have been one part in each series. How would that be handled in a DVD release, I wonder? Would a Green Hornet episode appear in the Batman box set? Does one party hold all the rights to permit this? Thanks!
Click to expand...

It was a two-parter but both episodes aired as part of Batman. In fact, I have them on my DVR right now (they were on the Hub cable channel recently).
 
It hasn't been released? That is surprising! Batman is one of the top campy series from the '60s if not the top one. It's incredibly memorable and was on broadcast tv in some markets even into the '90s, and was popular on the FX channel in the '90s too.

Harm Batman's image? The 1950s Batman comics harm Batman's image more (someone probably knows the site with Ace the Wonder-Dog, Bat-Mite, Zebra costume Batman, and more). The '60s Batman is a fun romp with excellent villainy. While some may feel Heath Ledger and Mark Hamill's animated Joker beat Cesar Romero, no one has yet to beat Burgess Meredith's Penguin (the Penguin laugh being probably the most remembered/mocked thing about the show). Catwoman... Riddler... King Tut, and many one-shot villains (like Vincent Price, Milton Berle, the guy who played Harry Mudd in Star Trek). If anything, they should do a mock episode of the show, like trying to render Knightfall where Bane defeats Batman into how the '60s show would depict it.

The characters of Batman/Bruce Wayne (hilarious that he made no effort to change the voice or demeanor, unlike Kevin Conroy and the Batman movie actors from 89-97), Robin, Commissioner Gordon, & Alfred were very nice and watchable. They make the episodes/series very easy to watch over and over again. Chief O'Hara is a walking stereotype and Aunt Harriet may be a bit grating, though I believe Aunt Bee has that category locked up. They need to interview Adam West about these episodes for a backup feature because he's getting old (age 82) and besides Robin, almost nobody is left from the cast.


CC, to answer your question, there are two episodes of "Batman" that feature The Green Hornet and Kato. It is the usual Batman two-parter - episodes 52 and 53 (according to IMDB) or episodes 85 and 86 (according to Wikipedia) in season 2. The episodes are called "A Piece of the Action" and "Batman's Satisfaction" and the title of part one is not the only "Star Trek" connection. The villain of the episode is played by Roger C. Carmel, of "Harry Mudd" fame. It's a typically delightful hammy performance from Ol' Harcourt
Click to expand...
Beat me to the punch. Who are you, the Flash? Yep, it was a crossover appearance, not a classic Part 1 in Series A/Part 2 in Series B crossover. And it starred Roger Carmel as Colonel Gumm, a one-shot villain.
 
I too used to watch the show as a kid after school and I loved it. I showed my kids "batman: the movie" and they loved it. so if it came out on dvd I would get it and my children would get more fun out of it than I would, but I would enjoy watching it with them :techman:
 
Not only did the Green Hornet Xover feature an ST guest star, but one of the eps had the same name as a TOS--and it involved the characters posing as gangsters to overcome other gangsters.
 
Professor Zoom said:
AND... all of the cameos. Permissions from either the actors or the estates. That's a LOT of people to talk to (and negotiate with.)
Click to expand...

I think this has always been the biggest problem, and probably why we will never see the series out on video. There also isn't any real demand for this series to be released like for TOS on Blu-Ray, so Warners probably won't bother.
 
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