Batman plugs for U.S. government...

[Warped9]

I never saw this in Canada. Batman plugs for the U.S. Government and the war in Vietnam.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zGnfqLyyQoQ&desktop_uri=/watch?v=zGnfqLyyQoQ

 

[The Old Mixer]

Batman...LBJ...Vietnam...Holy Sign of the Times!

 

[inflatabledalek]

Surely Batman could have helped out by just winning Vietnam single handedly?

 

[Nerys Myk]

Surely Batman could have helped out by just winning Vietnam single handedly?

Not enough prep time.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Weird to hear about Vietnam in shilling to school children.

Surely Batman could have helped out by just winning Vietnam single handedly?

He can't even keep the Joker from being at large.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Weird to hear about Vietnam in shilling to school children.

Surely Batman could have helped out by just winning Vietnam single handedly?

He can't even keep the Joker from being at large.

I blame the Gotham prison system.

 

[Christopher]

Weird to hear about Vietnam in shilling to school children.

It wasn't a new thing -- Batman, Superman, and other characters in popular or children's entertainment (such as Bugs Bunny) promoted war bonds heavily back in WWII. Some examples are here:

http://comicsalliance.com/batman-adam-west-vietnam-war-bonds-video/

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Yeah, but WWII was the "good war" and at my age feels like a different era where Vietnam was much more contentious and relatively contemporary. Fundamentally it's the same but just resonates differently for me. It doesn't hurt that Batman 66 always seemed more counter-culture to me.

 

[the G-man]

To me, the most shocking part is Batman being so chummy with LBJ. Everyone knows that Bruce Wayne is an old money Rockefeller Republican.

But, seriously, in 1967, support for the war was still relatively high (generally around 60-50 precent). It wasn't until the Tet Offensive in 68 that opposition really solidified.

 

[Christopher]

To me, the most shocking part is Batman being so chummy with LBJ. Everyone knows that Bruce Wayne is an old money Rockefeller Republican.

I think there was a scene in the series (or the movie?) where Batman talked to the president on the phone, and showed the respect due to the office. After all, Batman was very much a supporter of lawful authority. He would've respected and served the President regardless of any partisan difference.

But, seriously, in 1967, support for the war was still relatively high (generally around 60-50 precent). It wasn't until the Tet Offensive in 68 that opposition really solidified.

Right. If it had been unpopular from the start, we'd probably never have gotten in so deep in the first place.

 

[the G-man]

I think there was a scene in the series (or the movie?) where Batman talked to the president on the phone, and showed the respect due to the office. After all, Batman was very much a supporter of lawful authority. He would've respected and served the President regardless of any partisan difference.

I believe that it was the movie. And actually Batman didn't speak to the Pres. Commissioner Gordon did, keeping him updated on the hotline while Batman labored in the cave to restore the diplomats.

and actually I should've said that Bruce Wayne was a Stonefeller Republican

 

[The Old Mixer]

I think there may have been a scene in an episode as well in which we only saw Batman's end of the conversation...though I could be thinking of the scene in which he's offered the 1968 presidential nomination for both of the major parties.

Surely Batman could have helped out by just winning Vietnam single handedly?

Not enough prep time.

Surely he must have had some Anti-Viet Cong Bat-Spray tucked away in his utility belt....

 

[Warped9]

Superman plugging...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HphslJnkuAQ

 

[Nerys Myk]

I think there may have been a scene in an episode as well in which we only saw Batman's end of the conversation...though I could be thinking of the scene in which he's offered the 1968 presidential nomination for both of the major parties.

Surely Batman could have helped out by just winning Vietnam single handedly?

Not enough prep time.

Surely he must have had some Anti-Viet Cong Bat-Spray tucked away in his utility belt....

Sold it to Tony Stark.

 

[Turtletrekker]

That reminds me of the anti-drug commercial Shatner, Nimoy and Nichols made.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j48mTZ0JIOs

Audio only, so I assume it was made for radio.

 

[Ensign_Redshirt]

More justifiable in the case of WWII because that one was basically about saving the world from a supervillain.

Batman urging schoolschildren to support military interventation in a civil war in South East Asia (which was basically a conflict between a communist dictatorship in the north and a military dictatorship in the south) looks downright bizarre today and I probably would have considered morally deplorable back then. But still hilarious in hindsight.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Was Dick Grayson from the 60's TV show illegible for the Draft?

He didn't seem to go to school, and he didn't seem to have a job.

Whatever dodgy means did Bruce use to keep Dick off the front lines could have been a massive scandal if the press cottoned on.

As Dick Grayson, he was a student at Woodrow Roosevelt High School.

Well I guess it just depends on when he graduated in the series' 3 year run, and how the frak he passed any classes when he seemed to spend all his time wanking about at Stately Wayne Manor or Robining.

Do you think Bruce was buying Exams for Dick or just buying new buildings at the high school, afterwhich the faculty just figured out which way the wind was blowing?

If Robin went to Vietnam, and came back, do you think he would still fight crime unarmed?

And really, if Dick Grayson had his excuses all set up, Robin didn't.

That could have been problematic.

Also, all the criminals Batman fought, after they lost, wouldn't they have been given a choice during sentencing, jail or armed service in Viet Nam?

Sure the Joker breaks out of Prison every other week, but imagine how long it would take him to get back from Vietnam if he was parachuted into Kong territory?

Meanwhile, remembering how taunting Nicholson's Joker was, if Romero's Joker after he Signed up to/for the war, wouldn't it be outstanding if he dared Batman to sign up as well?

Batman would be a yellow bellied coward if he didn't volunteer, and the joker would win or Batman would die and the War and the Joker would win.

 

[Christopher]

More justifiable in the case of WWII because that one was basically about saving the world from a supervillain.

If Hitler had been a supervillain, the world would've been a lot worse off. Hitler's incompetence and instability tended to act in the Allies' favor.

 

[danellis]

....Hitler's incompetence and instability tended to act in the Allies' favor.

I thought incompetence and instability were the crucial requirements for being a super villain?

dJE

 

[Ensign_Redshirt]

Hitler managed to kill 40 million people. As far as supervillainery goes, that's pretty "impressive". Of course, like any other supervillain he was defeated in the end.