60 YEARS AGO TODAY:
1/12/66 – “Batman” premiers on ABC Television
"Batman" was an immediate, overnight success. It changed the face of television and became an instant Pop Culture event that still holds up well today when taken at face value ... it did exactly what it set out to do ... and America was fascinated by it.
Airing over back-to-back nights each week, "Batman" offered a cliff-hanger ending on Wednesday Night, typically ending with The Dynamic Duo of Batman and Robin in peril ... some type of villainous concoction from which there is no obvious escape ...
Only to pick up on Thursday Night (Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel) showing their ingenious escape and pursuit of catching that week's bad guys!
And what a colorful list of villians ...
The Riddler (played by Frank Gorshin), The Penguin (portrayed by Burgess Meredith, The Joker (Caesar Romero), Catwoman (Julie Newmar) and a host of others. (Even though Batman and Robin were usually successful at putting their nemeses away, they were typically very short sentences ... each villain was back on the streets of Gotham City in about six weeks to once again try to foil Batman and Robin once and for all ... only to be taken to prison again.
It was totally camp ... and unlike anything else we'd ever seen on television up to that point ... written for laughs but even funnier because it was played totally straight by all of the actors. Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin were outstanding in their roles as Batman and Robin, perfectly cast.
Their fights were populated by balloons screaming BAM! BOOF! POP!, giving the whole look of the comic book from which it was inspired.
The show lasted three seasons (120 episodes) and provided countless memorable moments. Burt Ward's Robin came up with dozens and dozens of expressions of surprise, all starting with the word "Holy"!!! (see bonus clip below)
Celebrities were soon clamoring for a cameo spot on the series when Batman and Robin scaled the walls of a building in pursuit of their foils.
Also on 1/12, Boston Celtics Coach Red Auerbach records his 1,000th NBA career victory (regular season and playoffs), 114-102, over the Los Angeles Lakers in Boston
Also on 1/12, President Johnson declares that the US should stay in South Viet Nam until Communist aggression ends
THE BATMAN BONUS CLIP:
Some of Robin's Holy Expressions:
