The Batman and Robin…old school style.

Batman is one seriously tough Superhero…just ask Christian Bale.

But like all Superheroes he had to start somewhere.

Technically yes it began with the comics…I know…but my first introduction to The Batman was on afternoon television.

It was between two combinations for the duo’s role…

Lyle Waggoner and Peter Deyell.

Adam West and Burt Ward.

Well I am glad that the West/Ward combo won…

Did you notice the bat symbol on Adam West’s costume,  and how they changed it in the series to the more recognisable one ?

Batman ran for three season with 120 episodes produced before it was cancelled. Neither West nor Ward was able to shake off their Batman days and sadly they never reached such heights again in their careers.

Some trivia I thought might be of interest.

• The Batcave set was built on the exact spot where the Skull Island Gate was located in the original King Kong.
• Props used in this show (such as the computers and guns) were used other shows such as Lost in Space, Land of the Giants, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
• In total 352 “Holy” words were used by Robin from “Holy Agility” to “Holy Zorro”.
• 84 different word overlays were used during the fight scenes from “Bam” to “Kapow”.

• The Batmobile turntable in the Batcave was not powered. It did rotate, but with the help of six crewmen who were strategically out of camera. They pushed the car around 180 degrees on the platform. Like many effects in the series, the scene was shot just one time then added again where it was needed.

• Celebrity cameos became a running gag on Batman, with the star generally sticking his or her head out a window while Batman and Robin were climbing a building via Bat Rope. Some famous faces were Jerry Lewis, Phyllis Diller, the Green Hornet & Kato, Milton Berle, Sammy Davis Jr., Werner “Col. Klink” Klemperer, Ted “Lurch” Cassidy, Steve Allen, Don Ho, Jerry “The Beaver” Mathers, Art Linkletter, Alan “The Skipper” Hale, Edward G. Robinson and George Raft.
• The Batcave cost $800,000.
• In the series the back entrance to th Batcave was filmed at the Bronson Caves in L.A.’s Griffith Park.

Bronson Caves a.k.a. the Batcave

• Batman was once interrupted by a special report about an emergency landing of Gemni 8. The network received thousands of calls from angry fans demanding to know the outcome of the episode.
• The only member of the cast ever to receive an Emmy nomination was Frank Gorshin, for his performance of the Riddler.
• In his appearances as The Joker, Cesar Romero’s moustache is visible under his makeup. Romero refused to shave it off, so his makeup had to be applied over it.
• Originally planned as the pilot film for the “Batman” TV series, the movie was instead produced between the show’s first and second seasons. The producers took advantage of the larger budget to have a number of new Bat-gadgets constructed, such as the Bat-Boat. The movie helped promote the series overseas.

• Mickey Rooney and Spencer Tracey were offered the role of The Penquin and both stars turned it down.
• The Batmobile was designed by George Barris and it was based on the Lincoln Futura concept car that was shown at the Chicago Auto Show in 1955.

• Burt Ward was a black belt in Karate at the time he accepted the role of Robin. He sparred with Bruce Lee as Burt and Bruce lived in the same building.

Now as to gadgets in the series:

• Bat-laser: melts the firing mechanism of a Robin imposter’s gun
• Shark Repellant Bat-spray: gets a shark off Batman
• Bat-rope and Grapple: to climb the sides of buildings in multiple episodes
• Bat-radio: to call Robin
• Anti-penguin Gas Pills: to protect them from Penguin’s knockout gas umbrella
• Bat-shield: transparent folding shield protects them from automatic weapons
• Bat-transmitter: makes torpedoes explode prematurely
• Universal Drug Antidote: taken every time they suspect a gassing
• Batgas Pellet: used many times
• Batmissile: used to set off sprinkler system
• Bat Blowtorch: short circuits a generator drive to get it to stop spinning
• Wrist Bat Radio: to send out a radio call of course
• Batclaws: to climb up a wall to maybe escape from a tiger pit
• Batearplugs: to protect them from the Batcommunicator
• Batcommunicator: set to emit 20,000 decibels of high-pitched sound, it can subdue a tiger
• Bulletproof Soles: Batman and Robin both had bulletproof soles on their boots
• Batknife: used to cut the ropes tying them up
• Belt Buckle: reflects sunlight off his highly polished buckle for all sorts of uses
• Batzooka: used to shoot lines to far away buildings

Related posts

• The Batman
• The Batman – Christian Bale Style