'Batman' Continues to Pow and Zap Its Way on MeTV

[Orrymain]

Holy Time Gone By. Has it really been a whopping 48 years since Adam West and Burt Ward first zapped their way into our imaginations on the hit NBC series, 'Batman?' It was indeed as the caped crusaders made their debut on January 12, 1966 in an episode entitled, 'Hi Diddle Riddle.' As the name implies, it was The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) who first tried to do no good in Gotham City.

I was reminded of this long-ago required viewing as a child with the recent news that the show's creator, Lorenzo Semple Jr., died Friday, March 29th, having just turned 91 the day before.

Though he went on to write many well known theatrical films such as 'Flash Gordon,' 'King Kong,' 'Papillon,' and 'Three Days of the Condor,' Semple told The Archive of American Television that 'Batman' was his best work ever. He spoke fondly of the series and his role in it. Indeed, Sempler is responsible for many of the show's most well known elements, such as Robin's "Holy <whatever>" exclamations and the Pow! Zap! and Kapow! graphics that were interspersed into the fight sequences.

So here I am, happy that MeTV is currently running the series on Saturday nights so I can continue to enjoy admittedly campy yet wonderfully entertaining moments with characters like Mrs. Spaghetti (Spring Byington), Egghead (Vincent Price), and The Bookworm (Roddy McDowell), not to mention the more well known villains like Gorshin's The Riddler.

[video=youtube;5Tq7BzMwe-M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tq7BzMwe-M[/video]

The acting is so-so, the dialogue is certainly dated, and the sets are nothing to write home about, but 'Batman's' appeal speaks to family entertainment and lessons with values for youngsters to learn from. That's my kind of television.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153055914421686

http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/lorenzo-semple-jr

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lorenzo-semple-jr-dead-creator-675354

 

[MrPogi]

No matter how many Batman movies there are, the real Batman to me will always be the campy 1960's show I grew up with.

 

[Tim58hsv]

The series has yet to come to DVD. I wonder if it ever will.

 

[James]

Recently my local station stopped carrying MeTV. Then it popped up again on Fios on a "new" network that was not there before. I am glad to have it back.

 

[reverenddejesus]

I think the 60s TV series spin-off Batman movie is the still best version out there ('Somedays you just can't get rid of a bomb!'). The TV series was pure pop art; garish, stylish, self-aware and witty. We can see the legacy of that kind of self-referential humor and knowing slapstick in The Simpsons and Family Guy. It also had one of the most flawless ensemble casts in the history of television-it was like a character-actor candy shop in TV in the 60s!