The Hullaballoo Dancers Dance To The Batman Theme

Thanks to Agent Double-4

Nearly a week after the rest of us have quit, Dial B For Blog's Robby Reed continues an amazing daily tribute to the Batman anniversary! Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6

Ma Parker Is Dead

Actress Shelley Winters, who played the dastardly Ma Parker in episodes 43 and 44 of Batman, is dead. Of the roughly three dozen "special guest villains" who opposed the Dynamic Duo in the feature film and series, which began 40 years ago this week, 11 are still alive:

Julie Newmar (Catwoman)
Eartha Kitt (Catwoman)
Lee Meriweather (Catwoman)
Joan Collins (The Siren)
Zsa Zsa Gabor (Minerva)
Glynis Johns (Lady Penelope Peasoup)
Cliff Robertson (Shame)
Barbara Rush (Nora Clavicle)
Malachi Throne (False Face)
Eli Wallach (Mr. Freeze)
And, frighteningly, Van Johnson (The Minstrel), who must be 150.

Services: Wednesday and Thursday, 7:30 PM, Gotham Prison Chapel.



Pix: The 1966 Batman Villains - Ma Parker and this eBay auction.

As Wayne Manor Burns...
DOLPHINS SING BATMAN THEME!
[Thanks to AGENT DOUBLE 4]

Fire Guts Stately Wayne Manor from the 1966 Batman series! On the other hand, Stately Wayne Manor Escapes Damage!

UPDATE: The mansion that did burn to the ground -- was it Stately Wayne Manor in a movie? [Last link via This Is Pop!]

We Have Already Seen...

The always stunning comics site Dial B For Blog scans the 1966 TV Guide Article On Batman! And while we're at it, let's not forget Batfriend, the best-looking Batman '66 fansite of all--or the poor, deluded Siamese Human Knot Site!

Holy Grim & Gritty!

'Critics have accused this story of giving birth to the era of "grim and gritty" comic books'
-- The Dark Knight Returns entry at Wikipedia.

'Tim Burton later adapted the comic's bleak sensibility for his first "Batman" movie, and since then, countless comics creators have aped the "grim and gritty" milieu.'
-- San Francisco Chronicle

'Overall, a very cool image that suggests Batman Begins will return the franchise to its grim and gritty pre-Schumacher days.
-- FilmForce

'If the original Dark Knight seems almost normal today, it’s because... it set the tone for the wave of “grim and gritty” superhero comics that’s still going on.'
-- Portland Phoenix

'Comic book writers wrestle with his dark, grim and gritty traits while trying to make him a mainstream hero to whom readers can relate.'
--Detroit News

____________
So, to recap the conventional wisdom: Batman sucked until 1986, when people began to describe him with the grown-up sounding "grim and gritty."

Well, I found the earliest known citation of the term as it relates to Batman, and it will shock you. I am not kidding. It's true, I swear. And you'd better be sitting down:

NARRATOR: When last we saw our beleagured battlers, they were slowly sinking in a bitter batter of Riddler quicksand! A grim and gritty end awaits them unless something awfully good happens awfully fast!
-- Batman, A Riddling Controversy, first broadcast February 9, 1967

____________
So, to all of you people who take the Dark Knight oh-so seriously: your very mantra comes from the ADAM WEST TV SHOW! When he was trapped in a GIANT CAKE! HAHAHAHAHA!

Sorry. It's just... HAAAAHAHA! Oh, God!

[Hard evidence here.]

Commissioner Gordon Quote Of The Week

"Dire news, Batman! Egghead is back--with a cartonful of crime!"





Episode 47
"An Egg Grows In Gotham"

BAT-TIME FLIES

ROBIN: Boy! That was our closest call ever! I have to admit that I was pretty scared!

BATMAN: I wasn't scared in the least.

ROBIN: Not at all?

BATMAN: Haven't you noticed how we always escape the vicious ensnarements of our enemies?

ROBIN: Yeah, because we're smarter than they are!

BATMAN: I like to think it's because our hearts are pure.

The greatest achievement in the history of filmed entertainment turns 39 today. ABC broadcast "Hi Diddle Riddle," the premiere episode, on January 12, 1966.


Bat-Quotes
The Best-Looking Bat-Fan Site (Where I got these great Bat-Pix!)
This Informative Bat-Site
Bat-Episode Guide
Fab Argentine Bat-Site
The '66 Batmobile
Batman Trap Page
The poor, deluded Siamese Human Knot Site
How To Batusi
Bat-Images
Bat-Links
Newly added: Bat Climbs! Bat Details! McSweeneys Analysis Of The Batman Theme! AND MORE BAT-LINKS!!!