Batman: '60s TV Series

[LaxScrutiny]

Um...ok...some people really like campiness

To me, Adam West and his series was an awful depiction of Batman that really made no sense in the context of the origin of the character.

I think that is unfair, and pretty unsupportable.

Christopher has very often written detailed, factual explanations showing how the 60's series was true to the comics of the time. I quite agree with him and do we really have to detail it again for the umpteenth time?

The show wasn't "campy" for it's era; it was a comedy, it was no more realistic than Hogan's Heroes or Gomer Pyle or Andy Griffith. It was a show about a comic book, in an age where the emphasis was on "comic". It was silly because the source was silly.

The seriousness of the current Batman is a retcon. It's great, it's interesting, it's a good read, there are compelling and memorable stories, but Batman just wasn't like that back then, it was on exactly the same level as Green Arrow with his boxing glove arrows and Arrow Car.

So yeah, I liked the Adam West Batman, I also liked I Dream of Jeanie, Get Smart, and Wild Wild West. None of them were realistic, dark, or edgy. Shows don't always have to be dark and edgy to be enjoyable.

 

[Gotham Central]

There are many ways of defining Batman, and yours is not the only "right" one just because it's yours. You'd do well to broaden your perspective and try to understand other points of view beside your own.

You've taken my position and stretched it way beyond what I actually said. My first post was about how I PERSONALLY never understood the appeal of 60's Batman. At no point have I criticized ANYONE for their enjoyment of the camp crusader. Indeed, the one time I specifically acknowledged that "some people like camp" you took issue with that as well.

Moreover, you've also drawn the broad conclusion that people, like myself, that do not like campy Batman, somehow cannot enjoy humorous comics. That could not be further from the truth in case. One of my all time favorite superhero comics was the original JLI...which was an exercise in the absurd. I loved it precisely because these were D list characters that could never live up to the standards of the A list. Indeed, the only time I liked a humorous Batman, was his appearance there presicely because he was clearly embarassed to be anyway associated with those misfits.

Hell...to date one of my favorite characters is still Booster Gold.

 

[Greg Cox]

So yeah, I liked the Adam West Batman, I also liked I Dream of Jeanie, Get Smart, and Wild Wild West. None of them were realistic, dark, or edgy. Shows don't always have to be dark and edgy to be enjoyable.

Nicely put. In general, it does sometimes seem like there's an attitude in in modern fandom that "serious" = "good," "silly" = "bad." Which is, well, silly.

Don't get me wrong. I loved the new BSG, too. But it does sometimes seem like there's a bit of overcompensation at work here, as though some of us have worked so hard to convince a skeptical world that "comics aren't just kid stuff anymore" (or science fiction or fantasy or whatever) that they want to sweep anything that seems remotely "campy" under the rug, along with Krypto the Super-Dog, Plastic Man, Barbarella, red kryptonite, and tons of fun old comic book history.

There's no rule that superheroes or sf have to be grown-up and serious all the time. Although that certainly appeals to older readers.

 

[Gojira]

I like to be entertained and I watch movies to get away from the stress and strain of life. So the older I get I find myself moving away from the real dark and depressing movies. I don't find dark and depressing entertaining. I cut my teeth on Adam West's portrayal of Batman. That is why I also like the Schumacher Batman movies...they're silly fun.

There is nothing wrong with any ones tastes even if you may not share in the likes or dislikes of another.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

^^ I think I retract Wild Wild West though, it was actually pretty edgy for it's time now that I think about it.

 

[inflatabledalek]

I don't care what anyone says -- Adam West was a great Batman. The essential quality of Batman isn't that he's grim or violent; lots of inferior characters have those traits. The essential qualities that make Batman who he is are: 1) his profound, unshakeable dedication to justice and protecting the innocent; and 2) his extreme intelligence, resourcefulness, and preparation that always enable him to respond to any situation. And West's Batman embodied both those qualities fully, even if he did so in a more comedic way than other incarnations. Maybe the show poked fun at him for being the ultimate square, but West never made it seem like a mockery, because he always conveyed an utterly sincere commitment to his principles and his mission. Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne spent the better part of two movies trying to get out of being Batman, but West left no doubt in the viewer's mind that his Batman would be unwaveringly dedicated to the cause until the day he finally met his maker in some elaborate, themed deathtrap.

Agreed. I think West also had a huge advantage over all his (live action) successors in that he had a costume that was a hell of a lot easier to give a performance in.

I know there's a logical reason for the body armour, but it does mean Batman often comes over as this immobile slab of plastic, and I suspect is a large part of the reason he's often the least interesting part of the film. Things have improved over time, but for the next reimagening I'd love them to go for something more fabric-ey that the actor can be more comfortable in. Hand wave it as some super new lightweight Wayne Enterprises inventions.

 

[Cmdr_Blop]

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.

There's this:

http://www.fmpet.com/product.php?productid=38200&cat=0&page=1

 

[Christopher]

I know there's a logical reason for the body armour, but it does mean Batman often comes over as this immobile slab of plastic, and I suspect is a large part of the reason he's often the least interesting part of the film. Things have improved over time, but for the next reimagening I'd love them to go for something more fabric-ey that the actor can be more comfortable in. Hand wave it as some super new lightweight Wayne Enterprises inventions.

I dunno, I quite like the Bat-armor from the two Dark Knight movies, which looks like very modern high-tech padding and helmet, like state-of-the-art military armor crossed with what a BMX biker might wear, I guess. It looks functional, rather than the stylized/sculpted look from the Burton and Schumacher movies. It certainly allows for much more freedom of movement.

I don't think there's any realistic hope of seeing "fabric-ey" superhero costumes on the big screen these days. Even the new Spider-Man, who's shown putting his costume together in his bedroom from spandex sportswear bought online, is put in an ultra-fancy, textured rubber costume (which was actually manufactured by Cirque du Soleil!). And the new Superman's in this similarly hypertextured Kryptonian body armor or something. The closest thing to a basic fabric costume anymore (not counting the Hulk's pants) is Black Widow's catsuit. Even the X-Men First Class costumes looked kind of high-tech for the period. Heck, even the new Star Trek uniform tunics have an added pattern of thousands of little Starfleet arrowheads printed on the fabric. Everything on the big screen has to be ultra-textured.

 

[drychlick]

i love the more light harted Batman than the dark no fun batman of today! Adam west is my fav batman of all time!