'Batman' Television Series: Behind the Scenes Shocking Facts

Batman begins

The television series Batman aired on ABC from January 1966 until March 1968. There were 120 episodes in three seasons, and it was an immediate hit with viewers.

Adam West portrayed the Caped Crusader, who was really billionaire Bruce Wayne. Burt Ward played Wayne's teenage ward, Dick Grayson, who was also Batman's sidekick Robin. Only their trusted butler Alfred, (Alan Napier) knew about the dual roles.

The show aired cliffhangers on Wednesday night that ended with the stars in life and death situations. The announcer would detail the harrowing situation as if there were no hope for the caped crusaders and end by saying to tune in to the next episode at "the same bat time", on " the same bat station."

The conclusion of the episode would be shown on Thursday night, and Batman and Robin always got the best of the villains. Not everyone, however, who wanted to watch the heroes in action had the same experience.

Batman sexcapades and subsequent movies

Some fans might be turned off to find out about the hijinks that were going on during the taping of the popular show. In later years, West and Ward both admitted that there was a lot of promiscuity on the set.

In an article by Page Six, the actors admitted to having quickies in between sets and that women would be throwing themselves at them. Ward said he was a young, inexperienced 20-year-old who had only dated a couple of women before the TV show. West was in his 30's and introduced the young actor to the world of orgies.

Batman trivia

According to 66batmania.com, ABC was looking for a show to boost ratings, and producer William Dozier had just the right idea. He proposed an “over-do” for the DC Batman comic book character to make the show appealing to both children and adults.

This included Robin’s many expressions with the word holy in front of them. “Holy catnip, Batman, holy crime fighting. or holy penguins, etc. Fans of the show loved how the writers also included the wacky words that appeared on screen during fight scenes: Sock, thwack, blam, powie, wham, etc. This is why many today consider the series to have been campy and at times tongue-in-cheek.

Ratings dropped during season 2, and the show was canceled in the third year. Fans of the dynamic duo can currently catch episodes on various retro and oldies television stations.

During its run, Batman was known for famous actors portraying villains which included Frank Gorshin as the Riddler, Caesar Romero as the Joker, and Burgess Meredith as the Penguin. Yvonne Decarlo was Barbara Gordon, AKA Batgirl, beginning in season 2. Julie Newmar portrayed Catwoman for the first two seasons, and Eartha Kitt was the feline foil for the third. Lee Meriwether was cast as Catwoman for the 1966 Batman movie.

Batman, Batgirl, and Catwoman

When Julie Newmar portrayed Catwoman, she was always trying to start a romance with Batman. When Eartha Kit took over the role, the romantic banter was discontinued because she was black.

During 1960's television interacial dating on television was simply not done. Ironically, Eartha Kit was married off-screen to John William McDonald, who was white.

Yvonne DeCarlo portrayed Batgirl and many beautiful women who appeared on the series. None of them, including Kitt, Decarlo, Newmar, or Merriweather, ever mentioned a tryst with West or Ward and the men did not name names.

Capitalizing on sex appeal

Adam West admitted that they were playing their scenes for 3 different audiences at the time. The first being the nostalgic parents who grew up on DC comics.

The second was the innocent children who enjoyed the show, and the third was teenagers, who were catching double entendres in the lines being spoken. Both actors believed their tight-fitting costumes were the attraction for the ladies.

Batman can be seen in syndication and on streaming services, so check your local listings.