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87-517: The Clock King, primarily William Tockman, have appeared in several media adaptations, such as Batman (1966), portrayed by Walter Slezak ; and Arrowverse TV series, portrayed by Robert Knepper . Additionally, an original incarnation, Temple Fugate , appears in shows set in the DC Animated Universe , voiced by Alan Rachins . The first Clock King was originally an enemy of Green Arrow . He has no superpowers or abilities. He wears

174-475: A Batman team-up with John Steed and Emma Peel of The Avengers titled Batman '66 Meets Steed and Mrs. Peel . Batman teams up with Wonder Woman in the crossover team up Batman' 66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 writing by both Parker and Marc Andreyko. In a reversal of sorts, Archie Comics produced the next crossover titled, Archie Meets Batman '66 , released as a six issue mini series in July 2018. The series

261-529: A Matty Collector exclusive four-pack along with Bane , Harley Quinn , and the Scarecrow . Batman (TV series) Batman is an American live-action television series based on the DC Comics character of the same name . It stars Adam West as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Burt Ward as Dick Grayson / Robin —two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City from a variety of archvillains . It

348-666: A building on a television set. There was one other Green Hornet & Kato appearance that was not on the Batman TV series nor on The Green Hornet TV series: a segment of the Milton Berle Show/The Hollywood Palace aired in the Fall of 1966 brought together The Green Hornet and Kato (Van Williams and Bruce Lee), and Batman (Adam West), in a comedy sketch with Milton Berle, in which Bruce Lee demonstrates his martial arts expertise. Burt Ward as "Robin"

435-459: A cell. M'gann discover that Fever has also been captured, and Eddie is brought to the ring to fight Hardrock. When the rest of the Titans arrive at the church, Dreadbolt and Disruptor teleport Wonder Girl and Blue Beetle into the clutches of their teammates. Robin takes on Clock King, only to discover that his foe has the precognitive ability to see 4.6692 seconds into the future. Able to predict

522-758: A chance to join him, but she turns him down; as the Titans prepare to attack as one Clock King removes them from his base, and begins planning anew. Some time later, Clock King takes over the Dark Side Club, planning to use the brainwashed young metahumans for his own plans. Ravager, who had accepted Clock King's offer, helps to train the Terror Titans physically, as Clock King trains them mentally. He has Dreadbolt kill his father and take his name, reunites Persuader with her father, then kills him, and has Copperhead care for an injured combatant named TNTeena, earning her trust, then has him kill her. All this

609-541: A clock mask, a cape, and a blue suit with clock drawings on it. Clock King is a master planner and sometimes uses clock -themed gadgetry. The Clock King became better known more recently by his appearances in Justice League International and Suicide Squad . Born William Tockman , the Clock King spends his early years taking care of his invalid sister. During one day, he finds out from

696-519: A comic-strip action hero, to suggest a prime-time Batman series in the hip and fun style of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. As well, in 1964, film buff Hugh Hefner screened all 15 chapters of the 1943 Batman serial at the Playboy Mansion . The trendy event received much notice in the press, prompting Columbia to offer the unedited serial to theaters in 1965 as An Evening with Batman and Robin in one long, marathon showing. This re-release

783-439: A doctor's visit that he himself only has six months to live. Despairing for his sister's future, he watches the timing of a local bank's vault to rob it, hoping the money would provide for his sister after he was gone. His caper would have gone successfully, had he not tripped a silent alarm and been caught by Green Arrow. While he is incarcerated, his sister dies alone. In further and hideous irony, Tockman discovers that he really

870-497: A female character. He came up with the idea of using Batgirl , who in her civilian identity would be Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Barbara. He asked the editor of the Batman comics to develop further the character (who had made her debut in a 1966 issue of Detective Comics ). To convince ABC executives to introduce Batgirl as a regular on the show, a promotional short featuring Yvonne Craig as Batgirl and Tim Herbert as Killer Moth

957-590: A fourth commercial minute in every episode of Batman . One affiliate refused to air the series. The network insisted it needed the extra advertising revenue. The Joker , the Penguin , the Riddler , Catwoman , Mr. Freeze , and the Mad Hatter , villains who originated in the comic books, all appeared in the series, the plots of which were deliberately villain-driven. According to the producers, Frank Gorshin

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1044-524: A hip, fun, yet serious adventure show. However, Dozier, who had never before read comic books, concluded, after reading several Batman comics for research, that the only way to make the show work was to do it as a pop-art campy comedy. Originally, espionage novelist Eric Ambler was to have scripted a TV movie that would launch the television series. However, he dropped out after learning of Dozier's campy comedy approach. Eventually, two sets of screen tests were filmed, one with Adam West and Burt Ward and

1131-458: A jazz beat. Burt Ward recorded a song called "Boy Wonder, I Love You", written and arranged by Frank Zappa . In 1966, Batman: The Exclusive Original Soundtrack Album was released on LP, featuring music by Nelson Riddle and snippets of dialogue from Adam West, Burt Ward, Burgess Meredith, Frank Gorshin, Anne Baxter (as Zelda the Great) and George Sanders (the first Mr. Freeze). The "Batman Theme"

1218-469: A mixed fight, with both Batman & Robin and the Green Hornet & Kato fighting Colonel Gumm and his gang. Once Gumm's crew was defeated, Batman and Robin squared off against the Green Hornet and Kato, resulting in a stand-off that was interrupted by the police. In this episode, Batman, Robin, and the police consider the Green Hornet and Kato to be criminals. However, Batman and Robin were cordial to

1305-496: A prominent person, attempting to take over Gotham City , etc.). At police headquarters, Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara deduce the villain's identity, admit they're outclassed, and gaze reverently at the Batphone. At "stately Wayne Manor ", Alfred (Wayne's butler) answers the Batphone and calls Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson away from an oblivious Aunt Harriet with a humorously transparent excuse. Batman and Robin race

1392-411: 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 follow-up episodes, with captives escaping the traps. Ostensibly a crime series ,

1479-465: A variety of extras including a miniature Batmobile, a 32-page episode guide, and a 32-page hardcover book titled The Adam West Scrapbook . A second box set released on Warner Bros.' own "batmanondvd" website replaces the Batmobile, The Adam West Scrapbook , and the trading cards with a letter from Adam West, a script from the episode "The Joker is Wild" and a bonus box containing the film on DVD and

1566-425: Is a four-issue miniseries, and Burt Ward, Boy Wonder was going to be a four-issue miniseries but has not yet been published in full (although a promotional first issue was released for Free Comic Book Day ). Van Williams and Bruce Lee made a cameo appearance as the Green Hornet and Kato in "window cameos" while Batman and Robin were climbing a building. This was in part one of a two-part second-season episode of

1653-435: Is defeated and captured by the Terror Titans. Copperhead , Persuader and Disruptor then infiltrate the tower and attack Ravager . During the battle, a gas line is ruptured, destroying a portion of the tower. Disruptor is then sent to capture Miss Martian , who is thrown into a ring with Kid Devil, whom Clock King had been conditioning into a bestial savage, to be sold to " The Dark Side Club ". Clock King attempts to close

1740-494: Is defeated time and again by the Justice League International , at least when they are not making laughingstocks of themselves. Trying to reform, the members later become the core of the equally laughable hero team Justice League Antarctica. This JLA includes G'Nort, who ends up saving the lives of the entire team. Like his compatriots, Clock King becomes an ardent supporter of Maxwell Lord , partly due to

1827-455: Is known for its camp style and upbeat theme music , as well as its intentionally humorous, simplistic morality aimed at its preteen audience. It was described by executive producer William Dozier at the time as "the only situation comedy on the air without a laugh track ". The 120 episodes aired on the ABC network for three seasons from January 12, 1966, to March 14, 1968, twice weekly during

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1914-524: Is not terminally ill; his doctor had accidentally switched his papers with those of another patient. Infuriated, he escapes, later futilely attempting revenge on both Green Arrow and the incompetent doctor. With several other villains, the Clock King becomes a member of the Injustice League, a team of out-of-luck supervillains who, when banding together, become even less successful than they have been in their individual careers. The Injustice League

2001-614: Is one of the worlds destroyed by the Anti-Monitor ( LaMonica Garrett ) during the Crisis. Terror Titans The Terror Titans are a supervillain group in the DC Comics . They are a mirror group to the Teen Titans . They first appeared as a team in Teen Titans (vol. 3) #56 (February 2008), though Clock King and Dreadbolt appeared in shadow form at the end of #55. The Terror Titans first appeared in Teen Titans #56,

2088-556: Is the only one who survives. It turns out Cluemaster , shot in a similar manner as Clock King, survives, albeit with drastic scarring. Multi-Man also survives due to his ability to be reborn with new powers after dying. Clock King is not seen for a period of time after Infinite Crisis . In an issue of 52 , one character decides to kill all the time-travelers, and mentions someone "ending up like Time Commander and Clock Queen". A new Clock King appears in Teen Titans #56 as

2175-571: The Batman TV series, "The Spell of Tut", which aired on September 28, 1966. Later that same season, the Green Hornet and Kato appeared in the two-part second-season episodes A Piece of the Action and Batman's Satisfaction , aired on March 1–2, 1967. In the two episodes, the Green Hornet and Kato are in Gotham City to bust a counterfeit stamp ring run by Colonel Gumm (portrayed by Roger C. Carmel ). The Batman's Satisfaction episode leads to

2262-669: The Terror Titans miniseries, Clock King takes over the Dark Side Club , and uses it to brainwash young metahumans, turning them into his very own "Martyr Militia". He sends the Militia to attack Los Angeles , for no reason other than to amuse him. Clock King's plans are eventually undone by Miss Martian , who was posing as one of the captured Metahumans, and Ravager, who attacks and defeats him, forcing him to flee his base of operations. In The New 52 , three iterations of

2349-472: The "Adam West Naked" documentary. This series is also available at the Google Play Store , and iTunes Store . On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes , the series as a whole has received an approval rating of 72%. Additionally, the first season received an approval rating of 50%, based on twenty-two reviews, its consensus reads: "Holy mixed reception, Batman! - this deadpan farce translates

2436-425: The 1960s TV series. It was released on DVD on March 11 of the same year. Also in 2013, PBS produced and transmitted a documentary titled Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle . This documentary talked a little bit about the series and included an interview with Adam West. Warner Bros. released the full 120-episode Batman collection on Blu-ray and DVD on November 11, 2014 (under license from 20th Century Fox) with

2523-519: The 2003 television movie reunion Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt , also released to DVD, could only use footage from the 1966 movie. With Batman being unavailable for home video release until 2014, an unusual situation occurred in which material considered to be DVD featurettes was released separately. In 2004, Image Entertainment released Holy Batmania , a two-DVD set that included documentaries on

2610-488: The 82nd greatest American television show of all time in their 2016 book titled TV (The Book) , stating that "West's performance, the brilliance of which has required decades to be properly recognized, played as if series creator William Dozier and chief developer Lorenzo Semple Jr., had taken the establishment's fantasy of itself and dolled it up in tights and a cape. The anarchic gangs of supervillains and henchmen that kept trying to capture or destroy Gotham City stood in for

2697-486: The Batmobile to police headquarters and begin to work on the case, usually insisting on doing it alone. Batman and Robin locate the villain, lose in a brawl, and are left alone in a ridiculously complex deathtrap . The episode ends in a cliffhanger . The next episode resolves the cliffhanger in a comically improbable fashion. The same general plot pattern of investigation and confrontation repeats until another major brawl (accented by onscreen onomatopoeic words) that defeats

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2784-590: The Boy Wonder's every move, Clock King soundly defeats Robin, and prepares to stab him with a knife. Within the Dark Side Club's arena, Eddie, with help from Megan's telepathy, manages to regain his rational mind, and the two escape. As Wonder Girl is being badly beaten by Disruptor and Persuader, Rose saves her, and Blue Beetle, having defeated Dreadbolt and Copperhead, joins them in helping Robin. Ravager attacks Clock King, only to find that her precognitive abilities are in perfect synch with his. Clock King offers her

2871-489: The Caped Crusaders was released on Digital HD and Digital Media on October 11, 2016, and on DVD and Blu-ray November 1. A sequel to Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders called Batman vs. Two-Face was released on October 10, 2017. The film starred William Shatner voicing Two-Face as the main antagonist. Adam West died before it was released, but did complete his voiceover work before his passing. This

2958-585: The Catwoman during the first two seasons. Singer-actress Eartha Kitt assumed the role for season three, as Newmar was working on the film Mackenna's Gold at that time and was therefore unable to appear. In the United States , Kitt's performance in the series marked the second mainstream television success of a black female, following Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura in Star Trek and continued breaking

3045-651: The Clock King appeared: In the DC Rebirth relaunch, two Clock Kings are active: In an alternate timeline depicted in Flashpoint , the Clock King is imprisoned in military Doom prison before breaking out alongside Heat Wave and Plastic Man . In February 2009, Mattel released an action figure of the DCAU incarnation of Temple Fugate / Clock King in the Justice League Unlimited toyline in

3132-565: The Cossacks, Zelda The Great, Shame, and Marsha Queen of Diamonds all have their first appearance in Batman comics. Penguin, Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, and Mr. Freeze also appear in the series. Issue #3 of Batman '66 introduced the Red Hood and Dr. Holly Quinn into the series continuity. In issue #7, Batman used a new vehicle, the Bat-Jet , to follow False-Face to Mount Rushmore. The series

3219-854: The Joker; then, after the interruption, The Green Hornet TV series theme music is heard. In the December 9, 1966 Green Hornet episode "The Secret of the Sally Bell", the Batmobile can be seen revolving on its turntable floor in the Batcave on a "bad guy's" TV set. In the February 3, 1967 Green Hornet episode "Ace in the Hole" (which aired between the September 1966 and March 1967 Batman appearances mentioned above), Batman and Robin can be seen climbing

3306-519: The aid of the Gotham City Police Department upon the latter being stumped by a supervillain, who is usually accompanied in their appearances by several henchmen and, in the case of male villains, 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

3393-421: The beloved comic strip with the punch of an onomatopoeia panel, but its overload of camp can be as grating as it is amusing". While the third season received an approval rating of 94%, based on sixteen reviews, its consensus reads: "Fierce females shook up the dynamic duo in the final season of Batman with plenty of technicolor "POW!"" Television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ranked Batman as

3480-430: The brainwashed metahumans, who turn on the Terror Titans. They come to Clock King for help, but instead he kills Disruptor and leaves the rest at the mercy of the incoming metahumans. Ravager confronts Clock King, and manages to defeat him, although she is unable to keep him from escaping. The three remaining Terror Titans escape from custody two weeks later, and set out to get revenge on Clock King. The team are taking up

3567-439: The bus to their fight. It takes place at a Metropolis toy store. They end up fighting one of the many incarnations of the Teen Titans , the heroes Booster Gold and Firehawk and DEO agent Cameron Chase . An unclear super-effect from Chase ultimately neutralizes Clock King's team and they are all imprisoned. Clock King himself escapes on another bus. Still later, Clock King and his Injustice League friends are transformed into

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3654-411: The cliffhanger episodes by intoning, "Tune in tomorrow – same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!" During the climactic fistfights in each episode, the punches and other impacts were punctuated by onomatopoeia (sound effects such as "POW!", "BAM!", "ZONK!") superimposed on the screen, as in comic-book fight scenes. A typical story begins with a villain's nefarious caper (stealing a fabulous treasure, kidnapping

3741-416: The complete series sometime the same year. In April, the website tvshowsondvd.com quoted Burt Ward in saying that Warner Bros. would release the complete series on November 11, 2014, in time for the holiday season under license from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and that Adam West and he were doing special features for the release. Prior to the announcement, multiple conflicting reports were given for

3828-518: 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 , consists of self-contained stories. Each third-season story ends with

3915-451: The deal with " Boss Dark Side ", but is refused on the grounds that he promised all the Titans. The Terror Titans return to base, and Ravager, who survived the explosion, follows them. Back at the Tower, Robin triggers a message in one of Clock King's devices. The message tells him to bring all the remaining Titans to an abandoned church. Meanwhile, Eddie and M'gann have been imprisoned within

4002-402: The duo in the earlier window appearance. There is also a mention of The Green Hornet TV series in the Batman TV series episode The Impractical Joker (episode 55, Part 1, aired November 16, 1966): while watching TV together, Alfred, Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne (who says, "It's time to watch The Green Hornet  ", with the hornet buzzing sound audible in the background) are interrupted by

4089-465: The fact he is the only one willing to hire them. His group even guards Lord when he is incapacitated by a bullet wound. The villains again later reunite as the Injustice League as henchmen of Sonar . Later, the Clock King leads his own separate team of villains in a mission. They consist of Radiant, Sharpe, Acidia, and Crackle. They are not as well-organized as even the Injustice League. For example, Crackle still lives with his mother and they have to take

4176-592: The film had been conceived to help sell the television series abroad, but the success of the series in the United States was sufficient publicity. The film was shot after season one was filmed. The film's budget allowed for producers to build the Batboat and lease a helicopter that would be made into the Batcopter , both of which were used in the second and third seasons of the television show. In addition to

4263-508: The first in Sean McKeever 's Terror Titans story arc. Subsequently, a six-part Terror Titans limited series was released October 2008 with Joe Bennett on art duties. The Terror Titans make their first strike as Kid Devil throws an impromptu party at Titans Tower . Dreadbolt , in his civilian identity, plants several surveillance/teleportation/jamming devices around the tower, and later lures Kid Devil into an ambush. Kid Devil

4350-466: The first two seasons, and weekly for the third. In 2016, television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ranked Batman as the 82nd greatest American television series of all time. A companion feature film was released in 1966 between the first and second seasons of the TV show. Batman held the record for the longest-running live-action superhero television series (in terms of episodes) until it

4437-412: The following week. Aunt Harriet was reduced to just two cameo appearances during the third season due to Madge Blake 's poor health and the issue of trying to fit so many characters (Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Chief O'Hara, and a guest villain) into a half-hour episode. Another cast change during the final season was replacing Julie Newmar , a popular recurring guest villain as

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4524-400: The forces of chaos that kept threatening to engulf so-called civilized America throughout the sixties, only made colorfully grotesque and knowingly silly". In 1997, TV Guide ranked the episodes "The Purr-fect Crime" and "Better Luck Next Time" #86 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes. In 2009, "Better Luck Next Time" was ranked No. 72. A film based on the television show, Batman ,

4611-459: The freelance writers working under him. The show's campiness was played up in elements, including the design of the villains, dialogue and in signs appearing on various props. Batman would frequently reveal one of his many crime-fighting gadgets, which were usually given a ridiculous-sounding name, such as Shark Repellant Bat-Spray or Extra-Strong Bat-Knockout Gas. The series used a narrator (executive producer William Dozier , uncredited) who would end

4698-674: The head of a team of villains named the Terror Titans . In an interview with Teen Titans writer Sean McKeever, he described this Clock King as "... Very smart. He sees things differently than others". His costume is similar to the suit worn by the Clock King seen in Batman: The Animated Series , although lacking a hat and having clock faces on his tie. Also evocative of the Animated Series , Disruptor refers to him as " Tem " before being killed; After his group defeats and captures Kid Devil , Clock King conditions

4785-461: The hero to be sold as a fighter to a group called "The Dark Side Club". Clock King then brings the Titans to his base of operations, a dimension outside of time. After besting Robin, Clock King is stymied by Ravager , who possesses similar precognitive abilities. He offers Ravager a chance to join him, but she refuses. Clock King then removes the Titans from his base and decides to move on to new plans. Ravager ultimately reconsiders his earlier offer. In

4872-475: The main series and she appeared in every episode of the 3rd season with the seasons opening episode focusing almost entirely on her. This helped the season's ratings temporarily increase, but not enough for ABC to continue to produce new episodes. West and Ward reprised their roles in Batman animated film as their characters for the show's 50th anniversary along with Julie Newmar returning. Batman: Return of

4959-441: The making of the series, as well as rare footage such as the original screen tests of the cast and Lyle Waggoner. In 2008, Adam West released a privately issued DVD with the tongue-in-cheek title Adam West Naked for which he recorded anecdotes regarding all 120 episodes of the series. In 2013, PBS aired an episode of Pioneers of Television called "Superheroes" that featured interviews with Adam West and Burt Ward, and talked about

5046-504: The mantle of other older supervillains, as McKeever explains: "What I've done with the Terror Titans is create a team of bad teenagers using the idea of legacy characters": At the end of Teen Titans (vol. 3) #60 Ravager left the Teen Titans and will have a role in the limited series although, according to McKeever, not necessarily as part of the team: "She won't necessarily be on the Terror Titans team, but she's front and center in

5133-448: The mid-1960s". Semple's participation in the series decreased in the second season. In his autobiography Back to the Batcave , Adam West explained to Jeff Rovin – to whom he dictated the autobiography after rejecting an offer to contribute to The Official "Batman" Batbook written by Joel Eisner – that when work on the second season commenced following the completion of the feature film, Dozier, his immediate deputy Howie Horwitz , and

5220-405: The movie, and prior to season 3, a 7-minute pilot introducing Batgirl was produced. While it never actually aired, it was intended as a pilot for a Batgirl spinoff series that would often cross over with the parent series. These actions were to boost declining ratings and to get a wider audience by having a regular female lead. Eventually the end result was simply adding Batgirl as one of the leads on

5307-408: The new Suicide Squad . They are sent to a remote research facility where a genetic monstrosity is holding its creator hostage. Its main defenses are spawned "children" that could explode. During the mission, most of the team are seemingly killed, including Clock King, who is shot repeatedly in a retreat attempt. He is seen still alive after his brutal wounds but, in the end, Major Disaster believes he

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5394-473: The other with Lyle Waggoner and Peter Deyell, with West and Ward winning the roles. Lorenzo Semple Jr. had signed on as head scriptwriter. He wrote the pilot script and generally wrote in a pop-art adventure style. Stanley Ralph Ross , Stanford Sherman, and Charles Hoffman were script writers who generally leaned more toward campy comedy, and in Ross's case, sometimes outright slapstick and satire . It

5481-415: The previous two seasons had avoided. The set design also changed to a more minimalist setup, except for Wayne Manor, Commissioner Gordon's office and Barbara Gorden/Batgirl's Apartment, the majority of the season 3 sets consisted of stylized cardboard or paper cutouts set up against a black background. As head scriptwriter, Lorenzo Semple wrote four episodes himself and established a series of "Bat Rules" for

5568-400: The racial boundaries of the time. Frank Gorshin, the original actor to play the Riddler, returned after a one-season hiatus, during which John Astin made one appearance in the role. The nature of the scripts and acting started to enter into the realm of surrealism . In addition, the third season was much more topical, with references to hippies , mods , and distinctive 1960s slang , which

5655-536: The reason the series had not been released officially. These included: Under the Fox/ABC deal, the series is still in syndication and regularly shown on several channels worldwide, currently appearing in the United States on Me-TV and IFC as of July 2014. Until 2014, only the 1966 feature film was available on DVD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment for nonbroadcast viewing in North America. This affected

5742-453: The rest of the cast and crew rushed their preparation. Thus, they failed to give themselves enough time to determine what they wanted to do with the series during season two. John Astin replaced Frank Gorshin as The Riddler for a pair of episodes when Gorshin's new agents at William Morris demanded more money. By season three, ratings were falling, and the series' future seemed uncertain. To attract new viewers, Dozier opted to introduce

5829-420: The series. Adam West released a single titled "Miranda", a country-tinged pop song that he actually performed in costume during live appearances in the 1960s. Frank Gorshin released a song titled "The Riddler", which was composed and arranged by Mel Tormé . Burgess Meredith recorded a spoken-word single called "The Escape" backed with "The Capture", which consisted of the Penguin narrating his recent crime spree to

5916-488: The show's style is intentionally campy and tongue-in-cheek. It exaggerates situations and plays them for laughs, while the characters take the absurd situations very seriously. 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". The scrupulously formal dialogue and

6003-404: The show. NBC agreed to take over the series, but before it could do so, it was discovered that hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Batman sets had been destroyed. Rather than rebuild the sets, NBC dropped the project. From the beginning, cameras were purposely placed out of level with the set (known as " Dutch tilt "), and characters were filmed from high and low angles. This technique

6090-411: The television rights to the comic book Batman and planned a straightforward juvenile adventure show much like Adventures of Superman and The Lone Ranger , to air on CBS on Saturday mornings. East Coast ABC executive Yale Udoff, a Batman fan in his childhood, contacted ABC executives Harve Bennett and Edgar J. Scherick , who were already considering developing a television series based on

6177-467: The villain. Scene transitions in the show were accompanied by a Batman logo appearing over a rapidly-spinning background along with an iconic stinger. Episodes also frequently featured "Window Cameos", in which Batman and Robin are shown climbing up the side of a building by rope, and a guest celebrity appears out of a nearby window of the building and makes a joke or aside. Near the end of the third season, ratings had dropped significantly, and ABC canceled

6264-412: The way that Batman earnestly believed he could avoid standing out while wearing a skintight blue-and-grey costume convinced West of the character's comic potential. 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 canceled. In the early 1960s, Ed Graham Productions optioned

6351-405: Was Clock King's way of conditioning the Terror Titans into ruthless soldiers. It is eventually revealed that Clock King has made the brainwashed metahumans into his own Martyr Militia , and set them on Los Angeles, having them destroy the city simply for his own amusement. Ravager, disgusted, turns against the Terror Titans, and with Miss Martian , who had been posing as one of the combatants, frees

6438-458: Was created by writer/artist Mike Allred as a tribute to the 1960s TV series. Bluewater Comics has released a series of comics that take their cue from the TV show. They are The Mis-Adventures of Adam West , The Secret Lives of Julie Newmar , and Burt Ward, Boy Wonder and are similar in tone to the TV series. The Mis-Adventures of Adam West is a four-issue miniseries and a regular series that ran nine issues. The Secret Lives of Julie Newmar

6525-474: Was included, along with titles like "Batusi A Go! Go!", "Batman Thaws Mr. Freeze", and "Batman Blues". It was reissued later on compact disc. Neal Hefti , who wrote the iconic theme song for the series, also released a soundtrack album in 1966, Batman Theme and 11 Hefti Bat Songs . In January 2014, television host Conan O'Brien posted on his Twitter account, and Warner Bros. later confirmed that Warner Bros. would release an official DVD and Blu-ray boxed set of

6612-412: Was initially intended as a one-hour show. However, ABC changed the premiere date from Fall 1966 to January. With the network having only two early-evening half-hour time slots available, the show was split into two parts to air in 30-minute installments on Wednesdays and Thursdays. A cliffhanger connected the two episodes, echoing the old movie serials . Some ABC affiliates were unhappy that ABC included

6699-677: Was introduced earlier as one of King Tut's henchmen but gained a focus story). The first five issues were compiled into the Batman '66 Vol. 1 trade paperback in April 2014. Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman likewise worked on a Batman and Green Hornet crossover titled Batman '66 meets The Green Hornet . The six-issue miniseries began publication in June 2014. Jeff Parker wrote a Batman and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. team-up titled Batman '66 meets The Man from U.N.C.L.E. released in 2016. Ian Edginton wrote

6786-548: Was most often used when filming on the set of a villain's lair to lend a surreal, comic-book quality to the scenes, as well as to imply or merely remind the viewer that the crooks were crooked. The original Batmobile from the 1960s TV series was auctioned on January 19, 2013, at the Barrett-Jackson auction house in Scottsdale, Arizona . It was sold for $ 4.2 million. Several cast members recorded music tied into

6873-428: Was not included in this appearance. The Arrowverse crossover event " Crisis on Infinite Earths " features a cameo appearance from Burt Ward as an older Dick Grayson/Robin , wearing a red sweater with a yellow and green trim while walking a dog. Upon seeing the skies turn red, the former Boy Wonder shouts, "Holy crimson skies of death!" The event also reveals that the events of this series are set on Earth-66, which

6960-533: Was one of Adam West's final performances before he died from leukemia . In 2013, DC began publication of Batman '66 , a comic book series telling all-new stories set in the world of the 1966–68 TV series. Jeff Parker writes the series, which features cover art by Mike Allred and interior art by different artists in each issue. In the course of this series, the Bookworm, the Minstrel, Sandman, Olga Queen of

7047-430: Was produced. Batgirl was the first Superheroine to appear in an ongoing capacity on television. The show was reduced to once a week, with primarily self-contained episodes, although the following week's villain would be introduced in a tag at the end of each episode, similar to a soap opera . Accordingly, the narrator's cliffhanger phrases were mainly eliminated, and most episodes ended with him encouraging viewers to watch

7134-434: Was released in 1966. The film was initially intended to be produced before the series as a way to introduce the series to the public. However, the series premiere was moved up, and the film was forced to wait until the summer hiatus after the first season. The film was produced quickly to get into theatres prior to the start of season two of the television series. The film did not initially perform well in theaters. Originally,

7221-410: Was selected to portray Riddler because he had been a Batman fan since childhood. Catwoman was portrayed by three different actresses during the series run: by Julie Newmar in the first two seasons, by Lee Meriwether in the feature film based on the series , and by Eartha Kitt in the third and final season. The show was extraordinarily popular, and was considered "the biggest TV phenomenon of

7308-418: Was successful enough to inspire the development of a television series based on the property. When negotiations between CBS and Graham stalled, DC Comics quickly reobtained rights and made a deal with ABC, which farmed the rights out to 20th Century Fox to produce the series. In turn, 20th Century Fox handed the project to William Dozier and his production company, Greenway Productions. ABC and Fox expected

7395-488: Was surpassed by Smallville in 2007. 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

7482-456: Was to have introduced Killer Croc into the continuity, as well as a new villainess named Cleopatra. Issues #23 through #28 were mainly dedicated to introducing villains from the comics that either were not used, such as Solomon Grundy , Poison Ivy , and Scarecrow , or did not exist at the time, such as Ra's al Ghul , Bane , the Harlequin (Dr. Quinn's criminal persona) and Killer Croc (who

7569-435: Was written by Batman '66 veteran Jeff Parker and Archies stalwart Michael Moreci. Mike Allred returned to create the main covers, with Archie artists creating the alternative covers and interior art. A version of Batman closely resembling his 1960s TV series counterpart briefly appears in the 2003 Planetary/Batman one-shot by DC Comics. The 7th issue of Solo featured a short adventure titled Batman A-Go-Go! , which

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