Billy Ingram
As
1964 rolled around, National Periodical Publications (also known as
DC Comics) was poised to make a momentous decision. The venerable comic
book publisher had been in business for decades, pumping out the comics
kids loved best.
Superman. Wonder Woman. The Flash. Justice League
of America. Batman.
Batman,
see, that was the problem. That comic book line ceased making a profit
some years earlier,
Batman and
Detective Comics (where
the character debuted in 1939) were going to get canned after a quarter century on the stands.
As a last-ditch
effort, the books were assigned to the editor of DC’s science
fiction line, Julius Schwartz. His mission - move
Batman into
profitability within six months or else. The team he assembled did the
trick, turning the Caped Crusader into more of a high-tech sleuth and
less of a costumed clown. Colorful villains like Catwoman and The Joker
were resurrected and given new life in stories by John Broome and Gardner
Fox, illustrated by Carmine Infantino and various artists under the
“Bob Kane” byline.
That
same year, 1964,
Shindig! debuted on ABC-TV. A prime-time rock
music show that featured live (not lip-synced) performances by the biggest
acts, Shindig! was a sensation at attracting the youthful crowd the
network was courting. The show did so well, it was expanded to an hour
midseason and in the fall of 1965, split into two half-hour shows a
week. This two episodes a week format was not unheard of; ABC had been
doing it for a few years as a way of milking their hottest shows.
Peyton
Place was broadcast two nights a week in 1964 and three nights
in 1965.
Unfortunately,
the audience unexpectedly deserted
Shindig! after that first
season leaving two gaping holes in ABC’s already desolate schedule.
In an act of sheer desperation, they rushed one of their most promising
shows forward for a midseason debut. This was a risky move because,
while there had been other shows that premiered in the winter, they
were never terribly successful.
None of
them.
Ever.
Batman
starred Adam West as the Caped Crusader and Burt Ward as his youthful
sidekick, Robin. West was last seen on
The Detectives (1961–62),
Burt Ward an unknown. Proving to youngsters at an early age that life
isn't fair,
Batman was scheduled opposite
Lost in
Space on CBS.
Together
with screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr., executive producer William Dozier
crafted a show that could be enjoyed by adults as well as kids.
Batman
debuted on January 12, 1966. Within the first few weeks, the telecast
was attracting fifty-five percent of the viewing audience, with a surprising
two-thirds over the age of eighteen.
They
called it "Camp," ironic comic perfection. The key to
Batman
was in the lead actors playing outlandishly fantastic situations with
a straight face, and the stunt-casting of hot TV personalities like
Julie Newmar (as the Catwoman) along with aging movie icons like Cesar
Romero (as the Joker) and Frank Gorshin (as the Riddler). Before long,
every star in Hollywood lined up for an opportunity to be the costumed
kook-of-the-week on the top show in the nation. "These people (stars)
would call up, or send their agents around, saying, can't so and
so be on?"
William
Dozier bragged to a reporter, "Gloria Swanson, I remember, called
me from New York, but we couldn’t find the right part for her.
Everybody came out of the woodwork; we never had to go after those people.
A lot of them I had known personally, and they would call and say that
they would love to do one of those because 'my kids want me to do it.'
"Up
to twelve years old, they take Batman seriously. From thirteen on, we've
got them chuckling in their beer." Indeed, Dozier (who was also
the show's announcer) instinctively knew this pop-art froth had a short
shelf life, just how short? Network rivals were betting Batman was another
hula hoop craze. "They gave it only ninety days. I gave it two
years."
At the
end of just six months, Bat-mania was in full flower. $75,000,000 worth
of Batman books, capes, toys, coloring books, bubble gum cards, and
weaponry had been sold, with Batman's face plastered on every conceivable
product whether it had any relevant practicality or not. Never before
had the world been bombarded by such a ridiculous assault of loosely
branded products. Batman candy. Batman bicycles. Batman lunch boxes.
Batman bath soap. Batman race cars. Batman lamps. Batman every-damn-thing-you-can-think-of!
And
those
Batman comic books DC almost stopped publishing two years
earlier? They could barely keep up with demand, any comic book with
Batman on the cover could be counted on to sell up to a million copies
a month. Editor Schwartz had done his job well since many of the plots
for the TV program were taken directly from his four-color stories.
Batman
changed the course of television in a profound way by proving that a
program could debut midseason and still be a hit. From 1966 forward,
all three networks began seriously programming a second season.
"
Batman
will fade, of course," Dozier correctly predicted in the
Saturday
Evening Post, at the height of the show's popularity. "We
won't keep all the adults we have now. We have to think ahead."
Dozier
was right to be concerned about audience erosion, he reasoned that adults
would soon defect once the novelty wore off. By the fall of '66,
Batman
was the number-one show in the nation but adult ratings had dropped
to half what they once were. Not surprisingly, ABC was more than willing
to give the producer another slot on their fall schedule,
Batman
was the biggest hit in the network's history.
To recapture
lost adult viewers, Dozier decided to try the super-hero genre without
playing it for laughs. To achieve this, he revived one of the most successful
super-heroes from the radio era -
The Green Hornet.
Read Part Two: The Great Superhero Glut!
