Batman Poster #18 and Robin! Adam West and Burt Ward 60’s TV Show / Movies

Description

Batman and Robin on the Bat-phone! Batman is a 1960s American live action television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. Adam West as Bruce Wayne / Batman: a millionaire whose parents were murdered by criminals, he now secretly uses his vast fortune to fight crime as Batman. Producer William Dozier cast Adam West in the role after seeing him perform as the James Bond-like spy Captain Q in a Nestle Quik television ad. Lyle Waggoner had screen tested for the role, though West ultimately won the role. Burt Ward as Dick Grayson / Robin: Batman’s faithful partner and “boy wonder”, noted for his recurring interjections in the form of “Holy ________, Batman!” (As with Batman, the series avoided referencing Robin’s origins as one of Bruce Wayne’s fellow “crime orphans,” as whose legal guardian the courts appoint Bruce). Many sports, music, and media personalities, and a number of Hollywood actors, looked forward to and enjoyed their appearances as villains on the Batman show. They were generally allowed to overact and enjoy themselves on a high-rated television series, guaranteeing them considerable exposure (and thus boosting their careers).citation needed The most popular villains on the show included Cesar Romero as Joker, Burgess Meredith as Penguin, Frank Gorshin as Riddler, and Julie Newmar as Catwoman. Other famous names from the “rogues gallery” in the comic book series made appearances on the show (notably Mad Hatter), and some were taken from other superhero comics, such as Puzzler and Archer (Superman villains) and The Clock King (a Green Arrow villain, who was again portrayed as a Batman villain in the 1990s animated series). The live action television show was extraordinarily popular, called “the biggest TV phenomenon of the mid-1960s”. At the height of its popularity, it was the only prime-time television show other than Peyton Place to be broadcast twice in one week as part of its regular schedule, airing at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays. Episodes of the show were filmed as two-part cliffhangers, with each storyline beginning on Wednesday and ending on the Thursday night episode. (In the second season, a pair of three-parters were also seen; at the very end of the Thursday night segment, a brief tag featuring the next week’s villain would be shown, such as, “Next week: Batman jousts with The Joker again!” This started on the third week of the series’ run and continued until the end of season two. The first episode of a storyline would typically end with Batman and Robin being trapped in a deathtrap, while the narrator (Dozier) would tell viewers to watch the next night with the repeated phrase: “Tune in tomorrow — same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!” Even many years after the show ceased production, this catch-phrase still remained a long-running punchline in popular culture. The series’ stars, Adam West and Burt Ward, were typecast for decades afterwards, with West especially finding himself unable to escape the reputation of a hammy, campy actor. However, years after the series’ impact faded, an episode of Batman: The Animated Series paid tribute to West with an episode titled “Beware The Gray Ghost”. In this episode, West played the role of an aging star of a superhero television series Bruce Wayne had watched as a child and from which he later found inspiration. This gave West new popularity with the next generation of fans. He also played Gotham City’s Mayor Grange as a somewhat recurring role in The Batman. In 2003, West and Ward reunited for a tongue-in-cheek television movie titled Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt which combined dramatized recreations of the filming of the original series (with younger actors standing in for the stars), with modern day footage of West and Ward searching for a stolen Batmobile. The typical story began with a villain (often one of a short list of recurring villains) committing a crime, such as stealing a fabulous gem or taking over Gotham City. This was followed by a scene inside Commissioner Gordon’s office, where he and Chief O’Hara would deduce which villain was responsible. Commissioner Gordon would press a button on the Batphone, a bright red telephone located on a pedestal in his office. The scene would then cut to ‘stately Wayne Manor’ where Alfred (the butler) would answer the Batphone, which sat like a normal everyday telephone on the desk in Bruce Wayne’s study (though often it would be seen under a glass cover on another pedestal). Frequently, Wayne and his ward, Dick Grayson, would be found talking with Dick’s aunt, Harriet Cooper, who was unaware of Bruce’s and Dick’s secret identities. Alfred would discreetly interrupt so they could excuse themselves to go to the Batphone. Upon learning which criminal he would face, Wayne would turn a switch concealed within a bust of Shakespeare that stood on his desk. This would cause a bookcase to slide back and reveal two fireman’s poles. “To the Batpoles!” Wayne would exclaim, and he and Grayson would slide down to the Batcave, activating an unseen mechanism on the way that dressed them as their alter egos. The title sequence often began at this point. The title sequence featured animated versions of Batman and Robin, drawn in the then-current style of the comic books, running towards camera and then fighting an assortment of villains (including several “marquee” villains like the Joker).

Near mint condition.