Batman

{{Series infobox

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| genre = superhero Comedy | creator = William Dozier | country = United States | language = English | seasons = 3 | episodes = 120 | runtime = 25 | network = ABC | release = January 12, 1966 – March 14, 1968 | status = ended | wiki = https://batman.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Batman_(1960s_series)

About the show

The series focuses on Batman and Robin as they defend Gotham City from its various criminals. Although the lives of their alter-egos, millionaire Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson are frequently shown, it is usually only briefly, in the context of their being called away on superhero business or in circumstances where they need to employ their public identities to assist in their crime-fighting. The "Dynamic Duo" typically comes to the aid of the Gotham City Police Department upon the latter being stumped by a supervillain, who was accompanied in his/her appearances by several henchmen and an attractive female companion. Throughout each episode, Batman and Robin follow a series of seemingly improbable clues (also known as "bat logic") to discover the supervillain's plan, then figure out how to thwart that plan and capture the criminal. For the first two seasons, Batman aired twice a week on consecutive nights. Every story is a two-parter, except for two three-parters featuring villainous team-ups (the Joker and the Penguin, then the Penguin and Marsha, Queen of Diamonds) in the second season. The titles of each multi-part story usually rhyme. The third and final season, which aired one episode a week and introduced Yvonne Craig as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, consist of self-contained stories. Each third-season story ends with a teaser featuring the next episode's guest villain, except for the series finale. The cliffhangers between multiple-part stories consist of villains holding someone captive, usually Batman and/or Robin, with the captive(s) being threatened by death, serious injury, or another fate. These cliffhangers are resolved early in the follow-up episode with Batman and Robin getting themselves out of every trap. Ostensibly a crime series, the style of the show is intentionally campy and tongue-in-cheek. It exaggerates situations and plays them for laughs, though the characters take the absurd situations very seriously.

Cast

Adam West as Bruce Wayne / Batman: A multi-millionaire industrialist whose parents were murdered when he was a child and who now secretly uses his vast fortune to fight crime as the masked crime fighter Batman. Producer William Dozier cast Adam West in the role after seeing him perform as the James Bond-like spy Captain Q in a Nestlé Quik television commercial. Lyle Waggoner had screen-tested for the role, though West ultimately won out because, it was said, he was the only person who could deliver his lines with a straight face. West later voiced an animated version of the title character on The New Adventures of Batman while Waggoner would appear in a later superhero TV series of his own, as Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman. Burt Ward as Dick Grayson / Robin: Batman's sidekick, dubbed the "Boy Wonder": a high school student noted for his recurring interjections in the form of "Holy ________, Batman!" The series avoids referencing Robin's origins as Bruce Wayne's fellow "crime orphan", as whose legal guardian the courts appoint Bruce. Ward voiced an animated version of this character on The New Adventures of Batman. Since the death of Adam West on June 9, 2017, Burt Ward is now the only surviving main Batman cast member. Alan Napier as Alfred: Batman's loyal butler and Batgirl's discreet confidant. He is the only person who knows the true identities of Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Barbara Gordon. Neil Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon: The Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department and one of Batman's two major police contacts. He summons the Dynamic Duo via the Batphone or the Bat Signal. Stafford Repp as Chief O'Hara: Gotham City's Chief of Police, and Batman's other major police contact. The character was created by Semple for the series, as someone for Gordon to talk to, and later briefly added to the comics. In 2013, DC revealed this incarnation's first name to be "Miles" in their Batman' 66comics. Madge Blake as Harriet Cooper: Dick Grayson's maternal aunt. She first appeared in the comics, two years before the series premiered, to give Bruce and Dick a reason to be secretive about their dual identities. Yvonne Craig as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl: Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Gotham City librarian, and crime-fighting partner for Batman and Robin in the third season. Occasionally, this threesome was nicknamed the "Terrific Trio". William Dozier as Narrator (uncredited). According to Adam West's memoir Back to the Batcave, his first exposure to the series concept was through reading a sample script in which Batman enters a nightclub in his complete costume and requests a booth near the wall, as he "shouldn't wish to attract attention". It was the scrupulously formal dialogue, and the way that Batman earnestly believed he could avoid standing out while wearing a skintight blue-and-grey costume, that convinced West of the character's comic potential. Recurring villains Cesar Romero as The Joker: A clown-themed, prank-loving villain and Batman's arch-enemy, who leaves behind jokes as clues to his next crime. Burgess Meredith as The Penguin: A penguin-themed gentleman thief who commits crimes using multipurpose umbrellas. Frank Gorshin (Seasons 1–3) and John Astin (Season 2) as The Riddler: A criminal who leaves behind riddles as clues to his crimes. Julie Newmar (Seasons 1–2) and Eartha Kitt (Season 3) as The Catwoman: A cat-themed jewel thief and cat burglar in a complicated love-hate relationship with Batman. Victor Buono as Professor William McElroy / King Tut: An Egyptologist who developed a split personality after being struck on the head during a student protest. Each time he is hit on the head, he switches between the personalities of a university professor and a reincarnated version of the pharaoh Tutankhamun. George Sanders (Season 1), Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach (Season 2) as Dr. Art Schivel / Mr. Freeze: A mad scientist who, after exposure to a freeze solution, now needs below-freezing temperatures to survive. His weapon of choice is a freeze-blast gun, capable of freezing its target solid. In his first appearance, the gun can also produce a heat/incendiary beam. David Wayne as Jervis Tetch / Mad Hatter: A formally dressed villain with an obsession for collecting hats (he steals the hats from his victims, then knocks them out with a mesmerizing ray that pops out of the top of his hat). Vincent Price as Egghead: A smug, bald-headed genius whose crimes and speech patterns involve eggs. Carolyn Jones as Marsha, Queen of Diamonds: A criminal with a fondness for jewelry. Cliff Robertson as Shame: A Western-themed villain whose partners at various times include Okie Annie and Calamity Jan. The three of them spoof famous Western characters from the movies (namely Shane, Annie Oakley, and Calamity Jane). Anne Baxter as Olga, Queen of the Cossacks: A Russian villainess often paired with Egghead. Before this role, Baxter first appears in one story as "Zelda the Great", a magician criminal. Milton Berle as Louie the Lilac: A gangster with a fondness for flowers. Producers did develop several tentative scripts for Two-Face, but never produced any of them. Clint Eastwood was allegedly considered for the role shortly before the series was cancelled.

Episodes

Season 1

Season 1 aired two episodes per week, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and followed a single storyline per week. No. overall No. in season Title Directed by Written by Original air date Special Guest Villain 1 1 "Hi Diddle Riddle" Robert Butler Lorenzo Semple Jr. January 12, 1966 The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) Molly (Jill St. John) 2 2 "Smack in the Middle" January 13, 1966 While the Riddler maneuvers Batman into being sued, the Dynamic Duo investigate the supervillain's concurrent scheme. 3 3 "Fine Feathered Finks" Robert Butler Lorenzo Semple Jr. January 19, 1966 The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) 4 4 "The Penguin's a Jinx" January 20, 1966 The Penguin plots to manipulate Batman into inadvertently devising capers for him. 5 5 "The Joker Is Wild" Don Weis Robert Dozier January 26, 1966 The Joker (Cesar Romero) 6 6 "Batman Is Riled" January 27, 1966 The Joker decides to fight fire with fire against Batman with a utility belt of his own. 7 7 "Instant Freeze" Robert Butler Max Hodge February 2, 1966 Mr. Freeze (George Sanders) 8 8 "Rats Like Cheese" February 3, 1966 Dr. Shivel aka Mr. Freeze has returned and is seeking revenge on Batman, who accidentally spilled a freeze solution on him, forcing him to live in a climate 50 degrees below zero. He commits crimes involving diamonds, or "ice", in different forms. 9 9 "Zelda the Great" Norman Foster Lorenzo Semple Jr. February 9, 1966 Zelda The Great (Anne Baxter) Eivol Ekdal (Jack Kruschen; not billed as Extra Special Guest Villain) 10 10 "A Death Worse Than Fate" February 10, 1966 The Dynamic Duo arranges a trap for an elusive annual bank robber, but the female magician they are hunting is on to them with a new scheme of her own. 11 11 "A Riddle a Day Keeps the Riddler Away" Tom Gries Fred De Gorter February 16, 1966 The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) 12 12 "When the Rat's Away the Mice Will Play" February 17, 1966 When a visiting King is accosted by the Riddler, the Dynamic Duo pursues his subsequent complex trail of riddles to try to stop him. 13 13 "The Thirteenth Hat" Norman Foster Charles Hoffman February 23, 1966 The Mad Hatter (David Wayne) 14 14 "Batman Stands Pat" February 24, 1966 Jervis Tetch, aka the Mad Hatter, is abducting all the jurors who convicted him of a previous crime wave. He is also taking their hats. His final target is none other than Batman, who provided the key testimony in the Mad Hatter's trial. 15 15 "The Joker Goes to School" Murray Golden Lorenzo Semple Jr. March 2, 1966 The Joker (Cesar Romero) 16 16 "He Meets His Match, The Grisly Ghoul" March 3, 1966 The Joker strikes at the high school level when his rigged vending machines give out stocks, bonds, and silver dollars. It's all part of his sinister scheme to blackmail the school’s basketball team. 17 17 "True or False-Face" William A. Graham Stephen Kandel March 9, 1966 False Face (Malachi Throne, billed only as "?" before the end of part 2) 18 18 "Holy Rat Race" March 10, 1966 A master of disguise, False Face, is on the loose in Gotham City and launches a barrage of tricky true-or-false crimes including replacing a bank's real money with counterfeits. 19 19 "The Purr-fect Crime" James Sheldon Stanley Ralph Ross & Lee Orgel March 16, 1966 Catwoman (Julie Newmar) 20 20 "Better Luck Next Time" March 17, 1966 Catwoman steals some priceless art but the importance of the crimes go beyond the taking of the objects involved. 21 21 "The Penguin Goes Straight" Leslie H. Martinson Lorenzo Semple Jr. & John Cardwell March 23, 1966 The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) 22 22 "Not Yet, He Ain't" March 24, 1966 The Penguin apparently goes straight, thwarting crimes across Gotham City and offering his services as a security expert. Batman doesn't believe it and sets out to prove the Penguin guilty of a crime, but the Dynamic Duo end up framed for jewel theft. 23 23 "The Ring of Wax" James B. Clark Jack Paritz & Bob Rodgers March 30, 1966 The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) 24 24 "Give 'Em the Axe" March 31, 1966 The Riddler's latest scheme involves stealing a wax figure to melt down for its wax that is powerfully corrosive when exposed to direct flame. He wants to open a vault of rare books to find the key to an ancient treasure. 25 25 "The Joker Trumps an Ace" Richard C. Sarafian Francis M. Cockrell & Marian B. Cockrell April 6, 1966 The Joker (Cesar Romero) 26 26 "Batman Sets the Pace" April 7, 1966 A wave of senseless robberies by the Joker prove to be part of a plot against a visiting maharajah. 27 27 "The Curse of Tut" Charles R. Rondeau Robert C. Dennis & Earl Barret April 13, 1966 King Tut (Victor Buono) 28 28 "The Pharaoh's in a Rut" April 14, 1966 A new villain called King Tut, a former academic who thinks he is really King Tut, prepares to claim Gotham City as his new Thebes. 29 29 "The Bookworm Turns" Larry Peerce Hendrik Vollaerts April 20, 1966 The Bookworm (Roddy McDowall) 30 30 "While Gotham City Burns" April 21, 1966 When Commissioner Gordon's death is faked by the Bookworm, the Dynamic Duo must track down the literate criminal to find out what he is up to. Cameo by Jerry Lewis as himself during a wall climb by Batman & Robin. 31 31 "Death in Slow Motion" Charles R. Rondeau Richard Carr April 27, 1966 The Riddler (Frank Gorshin) 32 32 "The Riddler's False Notion" April 28, 1966 The Riddler is back, and is pursuing a silent movie theme with his latest scheme. As the Dynamic Duo pursue the Riddler, they discover the true purpose behind his cinematic caper and his ultimate target. Along the way Riddler abducts Robin and places him in a series of classic death-perils. Silent film star Francis X. Bushmanappears as Mr. Van Jones in his final acting appearance before his death in August 1966. 33 33 "Fine Finny Fiends" Tom Gries Sheldon Stark May 4, 1966 The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) 34 34 "Batman Makes the Scenes" May 5, 1966 The Penguin has returned and has a dastardly plan involving Alfred, whom the Penguin captures and brainwashes to be his unwitting pawn for his scheme against a wealthy social event.

See more

• Explore the Batman Wiki on Fandom
• Watch Batman on ABC