Tuesday, January 12 . . . Here in Austin, Texas, we have a wonderful old movie theater, The Paramount. It’s the kind of theater they used to call a palace, and it still wears the patina of prestige. It was built back in the days when you could see two movies, a newsreel, a short subject, a cartoon and coming attractions for less than a buck. They use it now for stage shows, mostly . . . last week Woody Allen played there with his New Orleans Jazz Band.
Imagine. Woody Allen in Texas. That happens about as often as a visit from Batman.
Which is precisely what happened here on July 30, in 1966. The Paramount hosted the world premiere of the movie, ‘Batman: The Movie’.
No, not the dark Tim Burton version starring Michael Keaton. This is the version that starred Adam West and Burt Ward, and was a spin-off from the then-phenomenally popular ABC TV series.
ABC Television Network was in dire straits in 1966, running a distant 3rd place in the ratings race. The underdog network was willing to try anything to win over new, younger viewers – including making the first TV series about a comic book hero since Superman was hoisted on invisible wires in the 50s.
On this day in 1966, Batman, the TV show, premiered on ABC – a tongue-in-cheek, anything-goes series showcasing the adventures of Gotham City’s Caped Crusader. Gone was any semblance of dark, noirish elements of the original Bob Kane comic strip – replaced by bright candy-colors, outrageously bad puns, wildly tilted camera angles, cheesy sets, “special guest villains” and over-the-top but winking emoting by series stars Adam West (as millionaire Bruce Wayne, aka Batman) and Burt Ward (youthful ward, Robin.) To just about everyone’s surprise, the camp show became a runaway hit, appealing to both youngsters and savvy adults.
It was almost inevitable that a quickie feature-length film would be made to cash in on the phenomenon before it died. The movie has its admirers; there is a small but vocal cult who considers it superior to Tim Burton’s dark 1989 version. Be your own judge. But it’s a refreshing and evocative journey back to the campy pop sensibilities of the ‘60’s. Boff! Thwack! Socko! Crunch!
Check out this fab clip from Batman: The Movie . . .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0UJaprpxrk
(If link fails, just copy and paste to the website address bar above.)
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