What's the appeal of the 60's show?

[Dark Knight Detective]

I know that there are some fans of the Adam West show on this site. What I ask is why do you guys like it? I'm willing to listen to anyone.

                                                                                               -The Batman Returns

[batass4880]

Because it's fun!

[Dark Knight Detective]

Because it's fun!

Would you like to elaborate? I'm willing to listen.

[batass4880]

Would you like to elaborate? I'm willing to listen.

First I'd like to hear why you personally don't like it, if you wouldn't mind.

[Dark Knight Detective]

First I'd like to hear why you personally don't like it, if you wouldn't mind.

I'm waiting for the other members to give their opinions. Once there's enough, I'll tell you & the others my opinion for the grand finale!

[batass4880]

Fair enough.

Like I said, it's fun. Fun is fun and that's that.

Another appeal it has IMO are the villains. Julie Newmar was so hot 'n' sexy as the Catwoman. I personally love Burgess Merideth's Penguin and Frank Gorshin's Riddler. They OWNED those roles.

Also, like it or not, it was VERY close to the original comics of the 1940's even though it was not dark. Still, it was a great show IMO. Can't wait 'til it comes out on DVD in 100 years!

[thecolorsblend]

What I enjoy was the whimsy it had.  The show always knew what it was and it crafted a tone where the absurd was the norm.  Batman walking into a club in full bat costume saying "I'll stay at the bar.  Don't want to attract attention" was priceless.  It doesn't meet the standard set by Pixar but it is a show that kiddos and adults could watch and get two very different things from.  It was fairly close to the comics of the period in a design sense and also the general tone.  Best of all, it saved Batman comics from cancellation and guaranteed that Denny O'Neil, Frank Miller, Alan Grant, Jeph Loeb and others could come along later and take their shot at the legend.

As ever, I'm tempted to say that if you don't dig the West show, you don't understand Batman's versatility.

[The Dark Knight]

Bingo. It?s just plain fun. Highly enjoyable and faithful to the comics of the time. I could watch that show repeatedly and not get bored. It?s a credit to the character that we can have two extremes of light and dark.

[Dark Knight Detective]

What I enjoy was the whimsy it had.  The show always knew what it was and it crafted a tone where the absurd was the norm.  Batman walking into a club in full bat costume saying "I'll stay at the bar.  Don't want to attract attention" was priceless.  It doesn't meet the standard set by Pixar but it is a show that kiddos and adults could watch and get two very different things from.  It was fairly close to the comics of the period in a design sense and also the general tone.  Best of all, it saved Batman comics from cancellation and guaranteed that Denny O'Neil, Frank Miller, Alan Grant, Jeph Loeb and others could come along later and take their shot at the legend.

As ever, I'm tempted to say that if you don't dig the West show, you don't understand Batman's versatility.

WTF!?

I haven't even mentioned anything of Batman's versatility. Just wait until you hear my opinion!

[DocLathropBrown]

Item #1: what gets forgotten is that the show was a comedy first, adventure series second. Yes, it was deliberately intended to be funny. You'd be surprised how often that detail gets overlooked and people assume it was funny "by accident." It's not. It's the way it is on purpose.

My review of the 60s film, from my blog (kinda long, so I'm sorry!):

Batman: The Movie (1966)

Boy, this movie takes me back. For as much as I love 1989's Batfilm, I've probably seen THIS one even more than B89! Simply put, this film is a classic.

Assuming that you all know the plot (really, anyone visiting this blog should be familiar with the film on some level), let's jump right into the analysis. The film, classic though it may be, isn't the best of West and Ward. Although Lee Meriwhether's Catwoman is superior to Julie Newmar's, I feel. Her performance is stronger and more assertive (as opposed to Newmar's sinister act), something that the Catwoman character really benefits from. Meredith and Romero hold their own, but the villain to steal the show, again, is Frank Gorshin's Riddler. It's all the more obvious that he is the show's best when put on screne with the other three. His exclaimation of outwitting Batman being his "very paradise" is suitably disturbing and psychotic. Not to mention true to the character's legacy.

The film's plot involving the instant whiskey maker/dehydration and ransom for world leaders is more over the top than I'd prefer, even for the 1960s series. The film followed the first season, and the rise in lunacy really started to show from the movie onward. The first season was a little more grounded in pop adventure more than camp humor, which I prefered. By the second season, the show had become tiringly silly, and I can never recommend the second or third seasons with any enthusiasm.

But aside from the heightened silliness that the movie shows, it's still a fine adventure film, and a side-splittingly funny comedy to-boot. The middle section does drag slightly, switching gears from an adventure spoof into a romance spoof when Bruce Wayne starts romancing an in-cognito Catwoman, but it's place is essential in moving the plot forward and providing an emotional resonance to the third act finale. What does drag without sufficient reason is the post-final battle wrap-up. The reconstruction of the powder (dust) making up the world leaders is laborious and will strain your interest. Although the laughs are still being played, the main thrust of the movie (Batman and Robin Vs. the United Underworld) is over with and as such, the wrap-up, although essential in one form or another, is of much less interest. The ending feels hollow; Batman and Robin, having essentially botched the job, leave silently and non-triumphantly with a musical cue that's slightly pensive and confusing. Really, the falling action as it exists (Commodore Schmiddlap breaking the dust and Batman and Robin failing to truly recreate each world leader correctly) should have been removed and the duo should have triumphantly restored the leaders and bowed out to great fanfare as opposed to sneaking-out. I never truly liked the ending as a child, and I haven't changed my opinions since.

That's really about my only complaint, though. The film succeeds with it's laughs (Batman vs. an intentionally fake rubber shark, Batman can't get rid of the bomb, etc...), and it's adventure, which, if nothing else, sustains the movie. West and Ward as always are committed to playing the drama straight to it's basic insanity. But the parts that aren't attempting to be zany are quite exciting and still transport me back to my childhood. The handiness and efficiency that Batman and Robin take in the opening (right into the cave, to the Batmobile and into the Batcopter) still tickles my fancy, not to mention the stashed Batcycle for an emergency vehicle. The easy access Batboat also excites. Something about all of it... as a child and even today still, the clean, pure and intricate adventure pleases me and hooks me every time I watch.

A dynamite score by Nelson Riddle also provides another strong element. It remains my second favorite Batman film score behind Danny Elfman's for BATMAN. Riddle deftly composes light but heroic themes for the various vehicles and Batman and Robin. The same cue is used for the Batcopter and Batboat, played in different ways; whereas the Copter plays the cue flighty and light, the Boat recieves the cue in an aggressive, jazzy, boldly adventureous manner. Riddle also effectively puts Neil Hefti's iconic Batman theme to good use, using it in moderation for dramatic percussion of the Batmobile scenes. In addition, the villains get their themes reprised from the series. The score is very much like Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and The Wolf. The Joker's theme is goofy with a menacing undertone, the Penguin's is pompous and arrogant, the Riddler's is puzzling and very alive. Catwoman is given the film's love theme as her composition in the film. When either theme is played, you immediately identify it with the character it belongs to, and it's an great touch.

For as much as some factions of the fans may detest this film, it is a classic, and it is completely within the spirit of Batman. Even above and beyond the darkness or the camp, it's high-flying adventure is still very much the stuff of any Batman incarnation. And I suggest that you all go out and pick up the steller Blu-ray release that streeted last week. It's a great transfer with a DTS audio track and loads of special features with notable Batman comic contributers (Most of them related to the modern Batman). Perhaps DC (and thereby, WB) are finally getting away from considering the 1960s series and film a "black mark on the history of Batman?"

As a Batman fan, I could not love this movie more. It is decidedly a living comic book. And whereas some fans may be ashamed of their favorite character being of comic book origins, for the rest of us, it's refreshing for a comic book movie to feel like a comic book. Not in the absurdity, but it the refreshing flamboyance of it all. Frank Miller said "I don't need to see sweat patches under Superman's arms, I want to see him fly." Comic Books are bold and big, even the modern Batman comics carry that legacy with them. And a Batman film that forgets it's comic book roots or mishandles them is a great disservice to the legacy.

My analysis of Adam West's Batman, from the same blog:

Adam West ("Batman" TV Series, 1966-'68; Batman: The Movie, 1966)

A man who needs no major introduction. West took the role very seriously as a comedic one, because that's how the show was written. He knew for the comedy to work, Batman had to be totally square to all of the absurdity around him. Took the role and, unfortunately, never outran the bat-shadow, but has, in recent years. given in to fate and accepted the shadow of the bat with open wings--er... arms.

The Look: Adam West is the best looking guy to ever play Bruce Wayne. Fit and totally dashing and debonaire, he remains the definitive "Playboy" Bruce Wayne. West really just had to be himself.

In the suit, he looks exactly like he was ripped from the post-1964 "New Look" Batman issues. Complete with short Bat ears and nose sticking out from otherneath the cowl slightly. And there are times when he even managed to look mysterious in the suit

The Act: As I said in a previous entry, West is a thorn in the side of Batman mythology to younger Batfans who like their Batman strictly dark and demented. But West's portrayal is of a time when Batman was anything-but dark in the comic books. But as Bruce Wayne, his performance is still suitable for the modern version of Batman, surprisingly enough. As Batman, he's as square as can be. But there's many times when he gets to have a serious moment in the series and film, and he's wonderfully committed to it all. That's the key about West: he plays the character for the reality that is supposed to exist. He knew that's what made the comedy work. And when you aren't laughing, you're impressed by how cool it all is, and if you're like me, you can still let the film take you back to your childhood, and you can get caught up and swept away in the adventure.

The Villain(s): As West was the only live-action television Batman, I can't go over every villain he ever fought. Rather, I'll take a quick look at each villain from the film adaptation; which is the four primary ones of the show...

The Joker -- Caeser Romero's Joker is a treat. From a period when the Joker was a generic clown/trickster character in the comics (as opposed to a vicious murderer), he's manic. Kooky and devious!

The Penguin -- Burgess Meredith remains my favorite Penguin. As the character hasn't changed much in all these years. A deadly serious menace, Meredith is cunning and crafty, also quite sinister.

The Catwoman -- Three different women played Catwoman throughout the course of the show and film. Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether and Eartha Kitt. My favorite is Meriwether from the film. She's sneaky, conniving, seductive and strong. She wasn't burndoned by stupid cat affectations in her speech like Newmar or Kitt.

The Riddler -- But the show's best villain (and the film's) is Frank Gorshin's Riddler. Manic and highly, highly intelligent, he was a true match for Batman. His manic nature is frequent, but it often gives way to a shattering moment of lucidity and pure menace. Gorshin didn't play it for laughs, and when he really gets twisted (when lamenting what he thinks is the death of Batman in the first season episode "Give 'Em the Axe", for example), he's frighteningly psychotic. Gorshin was nominated for an emmy for the performance. The only actor from the show to receive such recognition.

The Legacy: The show is one of the most iconic and everlasting portrayals of Batman, ever. It caused the first worldwide wave of Batmania, and left Adam West typecast forever. West's a major reason for the show's success. And when you mention Batman, everybody thinks "Adam West." If not first, than second. Defintely one of the greatest and most popular television series of all time, thereby making West one of the greatest and most popular Batmen of all time.

And, just in general:

The 1966 series exists in infamy for many Batfans. But this series is no less accurate for Batman's history than Christian Bale's version!

Although Batman started as a darker-pulp style character in 1939 (although, not emotionally troubled), during the later 1940s, througout the 1950s and into the 1960s, Batman was a fully-deputized agent of the law in Gotham City and always went out into the daytime. Although there were plenty of sci-fi storylines such as "Batman Becomes Bat-Baby!" and "The Mermaid Batman!"

That changed when famed editor Julius Schwartz came to DC and decided to revamp the characters. Giving Batman a makeover and doing away with the sci-fi, he made Batman an adventurous detective once again. And this was reflected in the 1960s TV series, although the show was more campy in regards to current pop-culture trends, the stories of the time were just as "square" as the TV series. Some of the first season episodes are actually faithfully adapted from the specific issues of the comic of the time!

I may add more later...