As much as I dig Christopher Nolan's BATMAN BEGINS and as much as I'm eagerly anticipating my Friday, 12:01 AM screening of THE DARK KNIGHT, I still have a very, very warm place in my heart for the 1960s TV show and movie starring Adam West as a decidedly less serious version of The Caped Crusader.In fact, I recently secured a set of the original TV show and can't wait till my daughter is a little older and we can enjoy the adventures of Batman and Robin as they match wits with such nefarious nasties as The Riddler, The Joker, The Penguin and Catwoman, not to mention Egghead, King Tut (a personal fave!), Milton Berle as Louie the Lilac, The Bookworm (a pre-POTA Roddy McDowell) and so many more members of the greatest Rogues Galleries to ever grace the boob tube.
I'm dismayed when I hear or read people dismissing the show as a bad joke. Frankly, Batman was a failing title when the show was developed and its success was a double-edged sword... it saved the character from the dustbin of history but re-launched him in a goofier, gentler version that took a bit of the bite out of his truly sinister nature.
While we wait for TDK to open (something I'm doing with tempered expectations after the bitter disappointment of Burton's 1989 flick) enjoy this look (courtesy of DialBForBlog.com via SlashFilm.com) at what the marketing for THE DARK KNIGHT may have looked like had Lorenzo Semple, Jr. written the film!
1 comment:
I totally agree with you that the TV series has been unfairly dismissed. One thing that always bothered me about the original cycle of movies was that the focus never seemed to be on Batman. Unlike other superheroes, Batman seemed to exist solely for the purpose of introducing one ridiculous villain after another. Say what you will about its camp factor, but the TV version allowed Batman (and Robin) to maintain equal ground against their adversaries. And no movie has been able to capture playful moments like the attraction between Batman and Catwoman (especially when Julie Newmar played her). I admired BATMAN BEGINS for trying to reclaim the franchise in the name of its hero, but it didn't blow me away. I'm not really the target audience for superhero movies. (Comic book movies are a different matter.) Haven't seen KNIGHT yet, but I've got a bunch of free movie passes, so I'll get around to it. I'll be sure to let you know what I think. All the best,
Fidge
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