Adam West said Batman was ludicrous and absurd, but always somewhat ''believable''

There's a fine line between fiction and reality, but whenever West had a chance to blur that line with Batman, he did.

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Batman changed the game for the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder. The plots to foil whatever threat presented itself to Gotham City and all those Holy-isms lasted for three seasons.

From the first episode, star Adam West knew this series was going to take these legendary characters into a different realm. It was going to be a mix of action, drama and comedy. With West and Burt Ward at the helm, anything was possible. Especially all the laughs that resulted from the three-season series.

"I understood immediately what this thing was going to be and I read Lorenzo [Semple Jr's] script and I just fell down laughing," said Adam West, in a Pioneers of Television interview. "I thought 'yeah, that's the kind of comedy I'd like to try.'" 

The image of Batman was set from years' worth of comics and early movies in the 1940s. By the '60s, West wanted something new. 

"What I tried to bring was something fresh and something people had never seen as a dimension of Batman. The only way I could understand to do it, was to make it fun for the entire family spectrum."

Naturally, the show was a fantasy, but elements that made it seem real was the name of the game for West, who understood both sides.

The point was, "to make it funny and ludicrous and absurd, in a sense, but always kind of believable," West said. 

As far as portraying the Caped Crusader on an episode-by-episode basis, West had plenty of inspiration on what the character should be like. He said it was simple and he just needed to travel back in time. 

"It was easy to play Batman... You know all I had to do was [use] a memory of playing Batman as a kid. The moment I pulled on that cowl... in my head it was like 'hey, you want to go out and play Batman? Let's go, come on!'"

The character of Batman has had many adaptations since its inception in the 1939 comics. The 1966 series, though it only had three seasons, has became a classic, still loved today. Like so many other now-classic shows, the stars never would've imagined that amount of success it would still have all these years later. 

"I never had a sense of it being, how can I say, something permanent. Something as lasting as it's been."

Holy long-lasting classic series, Batman!

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52 Comments

Deleted 12 months ago
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LoveMETV22 12 months ago
Her is a Quiz H & I (another of Weigels stations) did:

https://heroesandiconstv.com/quiz/who-are-these-celebs-popping-out-of-a-window-on-batman

Most of the faces are recognizable, however you would have to guess on the others if you guess incorrectly it will indicate the correct individual.
Deleted 12 months ago
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12 months ago
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Dario 12 months ago
Oh God, it smells too much like "The Bunny Hop." 😝😝😝😝😝
Lacey 12 months ago
The best type of comedy is played straight. That is why Airplane works and Silence of the Hams does not. Batman, for all its ridiculousness, was played straight. It was their world and welcome to it.
Avie 13 months ago
Playing Batman was obviously West's true cowling.
Moverfan Avie 12 months ago
Ohhhhh....
Dario Avie 12 months ago
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 😂😂😂😂😂 😜😜😜😜😜 😝😝😝😝😝 😆😆😆😆😆
Coldnorth Avie 12 months ago
Pretty clever. I like that one
Hpsnape1957 13 months ago
Loved the show when I was a kid in the 60s and one of those shows that gets funnier through the years. It's hysterically funny now. I shake my head how I never thought how ludicrous it was back then, it was just a really cool show. The 1966 Batman movie is a hoot, especially the part where Batman runs around trying to find a place to dispose of the bomb for what, 5 minutes?
RobertK Hpsnape1957 13 months ago
We were so easily entertained back then... Good Times!
Dario Hpsnape1957 12 months ago
I first saw the Batman movie on KABC-TV Ch. 7 here in L.A. in 1976 either during one of my school vacations or summer vacation during the Bicentennial. And yes, that scene with the bomb was terrific! 💣👍😀
Stoney Hpsnape1957 12 months ago
"Some days, you just can't rid of a bomb!" One of my favorite movie lines ever.
Runeshaper 13 months ago
Batman was a FANTASTIC series!
Bapa1 13 months ago
I was eight years old when Batman first premiered, and it was my first introduction to Batman. Got me started reading comic books.
Mblack 13 months ago
The show was the only Batman I knew, until much later. So itwas just Batman.
RobertK 13 months ago
It was a corny show but when it originally showed on TV in the late 60s, the playgrounds and alleys were empty. It was all we would talk about the next day at school. Adam West always seemed to speak with educated authority and that's what I think had a part in it's "believability".
MrsPhilHarris 13 months ago
Love that show. It’s so campy.
Andybandit 13 months ago
I meant to say I wish Batman was back on Saturday instead of Sventunie.
cperrynaples 13 months ago
I'll never forget when Adam had to dispose of a bomb in the movie! That scene was more Get Smart than Batman! In fact, Don Adams did a similar scene on his show!
Andybandit 13 months ago
The Bateman TV show was a funny show. I wish it was back on Sunday instead of Sventunie. Pow, wham, oof.
justjeff 13 months ago
Holy perspective, Batman!
Coldnorth justjeff 12 months ago
holy Wah Batman
Peter_Falk_Fan 13 months ago
Thank goodness it was campy and not the dark, moody Batman version. I'm also a fan of the "Green Hornet" TV show. Kato was so cool. I never missed an episode of either show.
dennydenco 13 months ago
As a small boy, I saw it in its first reruns around 1970 during the afternoon. Then, I thought it was very serious and COOL. Now, I still love it as I see it hysterically funny.....and COOL!
harlow1313 13 months ago
We boys greatly anticipated this show before its premiere, but I was greatly disappointed. I didn't understand the campy and silly style at that age.

I still consider the program a weak effort.
Pacificsun 13 months ago
"It was easy to play Batman... You know all I had to do was [use] a memory of playing Batman as a kid. The moment I pulled on that cowl... in my head it was like 'hey, you want to go out and play Batman? Let's go, come on!'"

The Story is from the point of view of Adam West, and with appreciation! Pretty cool reading his direct quotes about how he devised playing the memorable role! I think we can agree that it was all about adults having fun, and sharing the fun with everyone watching. I agree, it appealed to the family.

In the day ('66 to '68) however, Batman (TV Series) was known for being Camp [ Definition: something that provides sophisticated, knowing amusement, as by virtue of its being artlessly mannered or stylized, self-consciously artificial ]. And I'm surprised he didn't make reference to it. Because the Show was taking a chance as I can't think of another (live action) series like it. Cartoons were to an extent, as they had the freedom to lampoon anything. But Batman was so artful, that major Stars clamored to be part of it. They could tell it was going to be memorable in television history!
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justjeff justjeff 13 months ago
...and here's one more that I've just finished...
justjeff justjeff 13 months ago
...and another one...
justjeff justjeff 13 months ago
This one's also finished... One more to go to complete my April, 2023 font releases...
justjeff justjeff 13 months ago
Last, but not least... here's the 10th font from my April releases... now just ten more designs to go to reach 2,000 fonts!
Mblack 13 months ago
TCM has been runing the Batman serial on Saturday mornings.
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cperrynaples LoveMETV22 13 months ago
PS Yes I wanna see Sventoonie!
LoveMETV22 cperrynaples 13 months ago
That might be a mistake
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What might be a mistake( The schedule or their decision to bring Batman back?) As for Sventoonie or Batman , I don't actively follow either, so in that regard whatever they do schedule wise so be it. I'm sure it doesn't affect Rich Koz's bottom line, as he is most likely amply compensated by the network....LOL!
LoveMETV22 Pacificsun 13 months ago
😉😉😉😉😉

The people in the balcony are clapping!!
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Perhaps some in the balcony are laughing too. Like Statler and Waldorf, with a little bit of Fozzie for good measure! LOL
Pacificsun LoveMETV22 13 months ago
So sweet! 😉 I love Fozzie Bear!
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