Batman, which starred Adam West in the title role, Burt Ward as Dick Grayson/Robin—and Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt as the Feline Fatale—made its debut on 12 January 1966 on ABC.
Even after a half century, its impact on the comics and on television is enormous. It was a show that really explored the imaginative use of color in a medium that was still largely a black-and-white one. For youngsters, it made for a great adventure show, while for the adults, they enjoyed the camp.
Sadly, though, it was the camp and its increased use (and the production costs) that led to the show’s downfall. ABC announced its cancellation on 17 January 1968, and it aired its last episode that 14 March.
Getting back to the first episode, that has remained for us an inspiration. It’s led to us making three fan films, and planning a fan series. That first episode had a darker edge to it, made more so by the death in the second part, “Smack In The Middle.” One also gets a sense of how the series might have taken a more serious tone from the 1965 network presentation. It’s that tone that has us intrigued as we pursue the fan series.
At any rate, despite its age, it’s always fun to take a look back at the series, and enjoy it for what it is. It has cast a very long and interesting shadow on the comic book world.
