Batman: The Complete Series (1966-1968)

[GuruAskew]

Originally Posted by MTRodaba2468

According to TVShowsOnDVD.com, it's currently the second most requested unreleased show; The Wonder Years currently ranks higher (although that can at least be viewed through Netflix).

That's a big-fish/small-pond scenario to say the least. Most shows from the color era of television have some representation on DVD so it's hardly remarkable that a once-phenomenal show with an iconic character that was long-unavailable ranks high on such a list. Is this show gonna be anywhere near the #1 or #2 spot on the list of released shows? Obviously not.

And if anything the spotty availability of the show in the 90s and 00s was a big factor in that ranking too. You can point to a cable network airing to counter my claim that the show was hard to see on TV for years but you simply cannot say that the show was available for syndication and well-represented in your television market and assume that is the case everywhere. That's not how syndication works.

By my light Googlin' I can tell the show has aired on MeTV for a couple years and The Hub for a couple years before that around 2010. Then there's brief evidence of a short run on Nick at Nite around 2002. Then the network airings get fuzzier with the early 90s being when a couple people in this thread recall last seeing it. That is a far better indicator of the shows presence than the whims of your local station's syndication programmer.

[duggie walker]

Originally Posted by BillieCassin

I think the whole comparison to Friends is just absurd, but I find the dismissal of this show absolutely astounding.

Near-obscurity? The show has been running in syndication for nearly 50 years, so it will be another several decades before Friends even has a chance of catching up. If anything, it's lack of home video release has only increased it's desirability - it has been the #1 most requested unreleased show since practically the inception of the DVD format.

While I again think comparing it to Friends is silliness, if we are comparing them, I have a hard time thinking that in 50 years people are going to be sitting and talking about Friends in the way we are now about Batman '66. It's simply not the kind of proven, timeless show that Batman '66 is - as generation upon generation discovered and rediscovered the show. Particularly internationally - it's been said, you can turn off the sound on Batman '66 and still follow the story perfectly, it translates not only across generational but also cultural borders in a way a talky sitcom really cannot.

As to it's influence on Batman/comics in general, I highly recommend you check out the book "14 Miles to Gotham" - it's a very good compilation of essays on the show, and you might pick up quite a bit about how much

Catwoman and Riddler, among others, were essentially resurrected for the show (neither had been in the comics for quite some time, and particularly Riddler was fleshed out much more as a character and to this day you can trace his evolution to the show). They invented the "catsuit" look of Catwoman, and you'll find Anne Hathaway's Catwoman shares more direct lineage to her as any other portrayal of Catwoman. The modern Barbara Gordon Batgirl was created for the show - there was an un-related Bat-girl briefly during the "pink" scare of the 50's, but Batgirl was created for the show and was put into the comics at the same time and has endured for half a century now.

There are so many things about Batman that we currently know that either were created, developed further, or solidified by the '66 series that would take a book to cover (oh, wait a sec, someone did - see above). To play this off as some obscurity when it's a cornerstone of television history (just the fact that it is credited with selling millions of color televisions as the first "must see in color" show alone qualifies it) and here we are, nearly 50 years later, talking about it - action figures are being made, there is more Batman '66 related product out there than since the show was originally on the air, and not to mention that Batman was 2nd fiddle to Superman and on the verge of the comic being cancelled before, and he has been more popular than Superman ever since - to be honest, I can't think of another 60's show aside from Star Trek that can even begin to approach it's overall lasting cultural impact on so many generations of viewers.

It seems impossible to have any kind of rational conversation about anything comic-book related round here. I don't know why I'm surprised. People seem to take it as a personal affront if you say anything even mildly critical.

Get it straight - nobody is comparing FRIENDS, the show, to BATMAN the show. The conversation as about which series is currently more popular. Popular doesn't equate to "good" or "better". Popular doesn't mean popular with us or any of our similarly inclined geek buddies. "Popular" is derived from "population" - meaning the whole population, not just the people smoking bongs in your basement. And I'd still hold that if you did a vox pop in the street today - not 50 years in the past, and not 50 years in the future but today - in the year WB are going to release this series - you would find more enthusiasm and recognition from the general public (both sexes, all ages) about Friends (the SHOW) than Batman (the SHOW).

This is not about Batman, the character. This is specifically about Batman, the show, from the 60s. Nobody is suggesting that either Batman or the 60s show is "obscure". It's obviously popular; just not as popular as FRIENDS, which is - to be fair - extraordinarily popular.

The Nolan Batmans are fresh in the memory for a lot of people, sure, but that's not necessarily a bonus. The people who enjoyed those films won't necessarily enjoy the TV series. One could, in fact, see the show as quite insulting to the character of Batman in the comics and claim that it had a wholly negative influence on the comic book, which got pretty damn silly until Denny O'Neil and others came along in the 70s.

Nobody is claiming that the Batman show didn't influence Batman the character. But this isn't how we measure influence generally. We don't measure influence based on the effect the subject has on itself. In that case, everything is influential. Your morning jerk-off influences what you get done that day but, in global terms, it's not what we'd call influential.

And I really don't see how you can claim it's had a "lasting cultural impact". Really? Just still being on TV here and there isn't enough to qualify it for that. Has it changed architecture in any way? Has it changed fashion, or art? In what sense is the 1960s Batman woven into the fabric of modern life?

It may have become woven into the fabric of your life - you may have action figures and bedspreads - but people on this forum sometimes seem to need reminding that the outside world is not a fictional construct of their own minds. We are not in the Matrix. The vast majority of people don't give a rat's ass about ANY superhero, or comic-book, or film. And this is the reality that studios like WB have to deal with when selling product.

I don't like it either. I want Batman on Blu-ray. I want everything I want and I want everyone to like and want what I want so I can have it. If the world was this forum, we would. We would be driving fricking batmobiles up and down the street, routinely, and there'd be flying cars and shit. But we're a minority. There's about seven billion people in the world. So even a film like THE DARK KNIGHT that makes a billion dollars - that still means there's approximately six billion, nine hundred million people who didn't even see it.

Just saying.

[redrunner97]

Originally Posted by MTRodaba2468

According to TVShowsOnDVD.com, it's currently the second most requested unreleased show; The Wonder Years currently ranks higher (although that can at least be viewed through Netflix).

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by GuruAskew

Available for syndication and widely syndicated are two very different things as this thread demonstrates. When you have people saying they didn't see it for 15+ years you know it doesn't have a Star Trek or Twilight Zone-level presence in reruns.

Well, those are all national stations I listed above - how many of those people sought it out. A few people here saying they didn't notice it on isn't much evidence of anything. You mention Twilight Zone - aside from flipping past it on Sci-Fi, I can't recall seeing it much of anywhere since the 80's - but, I've never really looked for it, so there you go.

It's funny you mention Trek - there were good long periods where TOS wasn't in common syndication. TNG, yes, but TOS really had disappeared until they did the HD editions, and right now (I just checked my listings) it is airing one episode a week, whereas Batman is running several times a day.

All of these shows have ebbs and flows, and by nature of syndication yes, sometimes it's going to be more noticeable than others. While the "genre" community has ignored it largely the past decade or so (because of many of the misperceptions the community has that you well stated) the show did not simply disappear. It's seen a big resurgence the last year or so all on its own without the show available on Home Video, selling millions in new merchandise solely on the strength of nostalgia and pent up demand.

It certainly wasn't languishing in obscurity until this announcement - just because some folks didn't notice it never left TV doesn't mean it somehow vanished. I'd dare say that even among kids - more have seen this show than Lucy, TOS, and Twilight Zone combined.

[GuruAskew]

Seen by more kids than all those shows? Where do you come up with this stuff?

[franken_psycho1990]

I think everyone here is full of sh#t, Me and you included...

[synthemesc]

hopefully this is the real deal...

[franken_psycho1990]

Originally Posted by synthemesc

hopefully this is the real deal...

Fake, Fan made.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by franken_psycho1990

Fake, Fan made.

Whoever made it is really freaking good because that hits every note.

[jebhdb]

Originally Posted by synthemesc

hopefully this is the real deal...

If that is the real deal and the sets are numbered and come with an autographed poster I can only imagine what the cost for this set will be. Might be out of my price range, but if there is one set that I would be willing to break the bank for this would be it.

[franken_psycho1990]

Originally Posted by octagon

Whoever made it is really freaking good because that hits every note.

I agree. I wish this was real. Well, Except limited sets. Yesterday I read who made this but forget who. A big fan of the show. Obviously.

[Gold Ranger]

Originally Posted by synthemesc

hopefully this is the real deal...

I really hope NOT!!!!
only 1966 sets!!!
That's is total bullS!ht if true!

[Thomas Guycott]

Originally Posted by franken_psycho1990

Fake, Fan made.

I can second this: totally fan made.

http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Batman-Batman-Rumors/18730

The above article is from around Comic Con last year, and the bogus box itself is from 2012.

REPEAT: THAT BOX ART IS AN OLD FAKE

[BillieCassin]

Originally Posted by GuruAskew

Seen by more kids than all those shows? Where do you come up with this stuff?

How many children do you know who watch I Love Lucy, TOS, or Twilight Zone?

A 50's B&W sitcom centered around adults, a talky, cerebral sci-fi show from the 60's, or a horror anthology series, vs a colorful comic book show with a well-known hero?

Any kid can see five seconds of Batman and know what it's all about, and they certainly know who Batman is. Sad as it may be, I doubt there are many under 20 who even know who Lucille Ball or Rod Sterling are (most who do know about Twilight Zone are most likely to know it as a theme park ride more than anything else), and considering how much the current Trek films make, and how little TOS is in syndication the past five years or so, to them Captain Kirk is young and blonde.

Originally Posted by duggie walker

It seems impossible to have any kind of rational conversation about anything comic-book related round here. I don't know why I'm surprised. People seem to take it as a personal affront if you say anything even mildly critical.

I just love it when people start posts with declarative statements that pigeon-hole someone into a little box based on their perception of other posters.

Originally Posted by duggie walker

Get it straight - nobody is comparing FRIENDS, the show, to BATMAN the show..

Actually, yeah, some people were - discussing the cultural significance and impact. The people I replied to. Which wasn't you. Sorry you got confused.

Originally Posted by duggie walker

The Nolan Batmans are fresh in the memory for a lot of people, sure, but that's not necessarily a bonus. The people who enjoyed those films won't necessarily enjoy the TV series. One could, in fact, see the show as quite insulting to the character of Batman in the comics and claim that it had a wholly negative influence on the comic book, which got pretty damn silly until Denny O'Neil and others came along in the 70s.

As I recommended earlier to someone else, you should really check out "14 Miles to Gotham". It's interesting how the show actually went back to the original, 1939 Batman much more than a lot of folks think.

I agree that a lot of Nolan fans might not like it - liking it or not is a personal preference. But if they reason that it made the comics "silly" they are simply ignorant of comic book history. The mid-50's saw such silliness as "Ace the Bat Hound", and by the late 50's, Batman was time traveling and shape-shifting (once into a Zebra, if I recall) and all kinds of silly garbage. This was all long before '66.

Originally Posted by duggie walker

Nobody is claiming that the Batman show didn't influence Batman the character. But this isn't how we measure influence generally. We don't measure influence based on the effect the subject has on itself. In that case, everything is influential. Your morning jerk-off influences what you get done that day but, in global terms, it's not what we'd call influential.

Actually, yeah, some people did say that - which, is again, what I was replying to. Someone stated that they did not see the impact that iteration had on future Batman incarnations, and I was addressing them.

Originally Posted by duggie walker

And I really don't see how you can claim it's had a "lasting cultural impact". Really? Just still being on TV here and there isn't enough to qualify it for that. Has it changed architecture in any way? Has it changed fashion, or art? In what sense is the 1960s Batman woven into the fabric of modern life?

Like, seriously?

Dude, first of all - we are talking about it 50 years later. The news of this release spread like wildfire based on a single tweet. Something tells me if Conan had said "My Favorite Martian" was coming to DVD, we wouldn't be having this volume of interest.

Batman changed television itself tremendously. It was the first show that was truly constructed on dual levels, to appeal to both parents and children - something that has become quite common today. Before Batman, there were kids shows, and everything else. It also introduced many people to the comic culture for the first time - which up until that point was restricted to little boys.

Visually, the odd-camera angles and style weren't seen on television before, they were strictly in the domain of experimental cinema. The "BAM!" "POW" titles helped bring the concept of pop art to the masses.

The list is endless. The show influenced fashion and hairstyles at the time. It had a black woman as Catwoman back when most roles for African-American women were still maids, if they appeared at all. One could write a book - in fact, they already have - I highly recommend the essay collection noted above. It's got some really great content that goes into this stuff in great depth. The show had tremendous impact, both at the time and continuing.

I mean...just the theme song - you can play five seconds of that and it's instantly recognizable to anyone who has even sampled the show (and many who have not) - when you look at other programs of the era, again, we are talking Lucy, Trek, Brady Bunch, Twilight Zone - not many shows are this instantly recognizable. It's a very small list.

Originally Posted by duggie walker

It may have become woven into the fabric of your life - you may have action figures and bedspreads - but people on this forum sometimes seem to need reminding that the outside world is not a fictional construct of their own minds. We are not in the Matrix. The vast majority of people don't give a rat's ass about ANY superhero, or comic-book, or film. And this is the reality that studios like WB have to deal with when selling product.

Oh please, spare me the drama and hypebole. If people don't care about ANY superhero, then WB isn't trying to sell them the product.

Go out into that real world you lecture about, stand somewhere with even a small gathering of people - and say "dunna-dunna-dunna-dunna..." and I bet you someone will yell "BATMAN".

That's cultural significance - the penetration into the public consciousness.

It's funny that you believe I'm living in a "construct" - when, actually, it seems as if you are - the one the "elite" comic community of teens and early 20-somethings who grew up with the Nolan films who like to pretend the show doesn't exist or is some sty on Batman history. THEY live in a construct, when, to those very people you cite as not being "Superhero" fans, the "average" folk you talk about - those people think of this show first - as it's the first (and often only) exposure people have to Batman. If they only know one thing about Batman, chances are - it traces somewhere back to this show.

Originally Posted by duggie walker

I don't like it either. I want Batman on Blu-ray. I want everything I want and I want everyone to like and want what I want so I can have it. If the world was this forum, we would. We would be driving fricking batmobiles up and down the street, routinely, and there'd be flying cars and shit. But we're a minority. There's about seven billion people in the world. So even a film like THE DARK KNIGHT that makes a billion dollars - that still means there's approximately six billion, nine hundred million people who didn't even see it.

Just saying.

Well, we are getting it - so yay us.

I understand your point, but it still doesn't change my belief (and the overwhelming evidence) that the show is among a very small handful from the era that are even remembered today, much less have had the lasting influence on popular culture - as much as it's really possible for a television show to have.

Since we both are happy it's coming, I'm not really sure what the argument is about - obviously, there would not be the kind of interest there is if this was not a big deal, and given that it's happening - I can just say I'm very pleased.

[tonylopez]

6a4e092f0df0c9136720852f69079ba4.jpg

I just want to see her in HD and I'm good.

[tylergfoster]

Originally Posted by synthemesc

hopefully this is the real deal...

Considering this thing doesn't even have a date, I'm gonna guess not.

[Blu-Velvet]

The TV series would be fun to revisit -- love all those veteran guest stars hamming it up -- but the 1966 Batman movie will hold me until then. Somewhere I think I have an old Corgi car Batmobile from when I was a kid.

I actually rather enjoyed the 1949 BATMAN AND ROBIN Columbia serial, and thought the 1943 BATMAN serial was okay, although its WWII propaganda got to be a bit much at times. I'd love to see those on Blu-ray someday.

[The_Donster]

If you have no interest in something or don't see the significance of the show why participate in the thread guru? Are you stirring the pot or serious? I honestly can't tell if it is that or your just too young to remember running home to watch this, Dark Shadows and TOS as a child. These, and many other shows have special meaning to some of us. Otherwise there wouldn't have been 3 separate threads on this topic once the news hit. It is part of TV history, like The Honeymooners, I love Lucy, Andy Griffith, etc. Just because you don't get it doesn't change its special place. So don't be so quick to dismiss it.

[Morsoth]

Originally Posted by Blu-Velvet

I actually rather enjoyed the 1949 BATMAN AND ROBIN Columbia serial, and thought the 1943 BATMAN serial was okay, although its WWII propaganda got to be a bit much at times. I'd love to see those on Blu-ray someday.

The two Serials will be collected together (Re-Release) on February 4, 2014. Unfortunately, only on DVD



Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Gotham-City-Se...m+city+serials

[BrandonJF]

Originally Posted by The_Donster

If you have no interest in something or don't see the significance of the show why participate in the thread guru? Are you stirring the pot or serious? I honestly can't tell if it is that or your just too young to remember running home to watch this, Dark Shadows and TOS as a child. These, and many other shows have special meaning to some of us.

Some of you are really taking this to the extreme. So, in order to participate in this thread, everyone needs to agree that the show has some incredible cultural significance and is more popular than one of the most popular sitcoms ever?

Some of us are just excited it's coming to home video finally and don't need to become overly hyperbolic in the importance this release has to the world.