Prime Minister's Exploding Cake

50 years ago (January 12th 1966) plus a few weeks saw the first broadcast of the DC Comic Character, Batman in a live action television show.

The persona was already well established in animation, publications and popular folk lore and so it was a natural progression for a collaboration between 20th Century Fox and ABC .

The production represented a fresh breath of air to the schedules of the time in its pop-art style, sharp graphics, primary colours, up beat music and offset disorientating camera angles. Perhaps more appealing to the viewing public, drawn from all age groups, was the combination of straight faced delivery by Batman and the Boy Wonder, Robin of a camp, corny and downright ridiculous script.

The lead actors in the Dynamic Duo , Adam West as millionnaire Bruce Wayne  and the, at the time, unknown Burt Ward as his Ward of Court , Dick Grayson played their parts with conviction and an overriding seriousness making the opening broadcast an overnight success in the US ratings.

The studio sets included the Stately Wayne Manor attended by elegant and calm manservant, Alfred, with its fireman's pole access to the Bat Cave beneath and parts of Gotham City, the fictional location for Batman's crime fighting against such larger than life characters as The Joker, Penguin and The Riddler.

Batman had use of a jet powered Batmobile, other vehicles and  accessories, all being meticulously labelled as to purpose and some plainly ridiculous. On descending the pole from Bruce Wayne's mansion the pair of heroes simply pulled a lever to operate the "Instant Costume Change".

These outrageous comic book traits transferred well to the small screen.

An effective technique was the introduction, during the fight scenes, of full and colourful speech bubbles of "BIFF", "BAM" and "ZONK", which made it possible to represent violence but with no real prospect of anyone getting really hurt.

The show also made a point of Batman educating the youth of America by encouraging the wearing of seat belts, eating vegetables, doing homework and drinking milk. These messages were well received with this sort of clever interweaving with a crime crusading narrative.

High ratings continued through the first series and were undoubtedly helped by the broadcast of two shows weekly rather than the conventional weekly expectation for mainstream TV of the time.

The first of the two weekly episodes always ended with a bit of a cliffhanger in the storyline revolving around a situation of dire peril for Batman and Robin at the hands of the arch villains. A voice over "Tune in Tomorrow. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel" kept the viewers enthralled and hooked.

Series two was quickly commissioned but viewing figures, surprisingly for the TV executives , began to falter.

The use of even more far fetched plot lines and characters including Batgirl and the singer Eartha Kitt as Catwoman could not arrest the slide in popularity. Cameo appearances by other American TV celebrities, usually popping their heads out of windows as Batman and Robin effortlessly scaled the side of a building (on a horizontal set), were also used but to no avail.

The broadcasts were cut back to one a week in a last ditch attempt to jump start audience interest but by the end of the third season in 1968 and a total of 120 episodes the TV company made the decision to drop the show.

The sale of Worldwide Rights saw The Batman in the living rooms of Europe and farther afield.

I was an avid viewer in the late 1960's on British television and for the many repeats in subsequent years.

Adam West, to many, the definitive Batman found it difficult to shake off the character to be offered other work and the same could be said for Burt Ward. Now 87 and 70 years old respectively they continue to make appearances at Conventions and Benefits. Adam West is of course now known for his voicing of Mayor West in Family Guy.

The short lived TV series did make an impact on successive generations of viewers and trailblazed for the multi-million pound money spinners of the more recent big screen Batman Movies.

I feel it may have been a bit before its time, losing out on the media coverage and franchising that was and remains so much an integral and essential aspect of the financial viability and longevity of a TV series. Cherish that classic Corgi Toys Batmobile is what I say , rather than bury it in the garden or paint it in camouflage enamel shades , which are two things I very much regret now.

I leave you with three archetypal lines from 1960's Batman which capture the atmosphere and wackiness perfectly.

"We've come a long way from the Prime Minister's exploding cake-or have we?",
"Salt and Corrosion. The infamous old enemies of the crime fighter",
 "It's sometimes difficult to think clearly when you're strapped to a printing press"

Look out tomorrow for the collected "Holy" sayings of the Boy Wonder, Robin.