This was the first time I watched the whole show (BluRay looks amazing). I was literally smiling for all of the 120 episodes. Yes, I remembered a somewhat borderline silly show (part of that might be because up to now I only knew the German dubbed version) but re-discovered a true TV gem of old .
It is understandable that people who only know the modern day superhero shows are laughing this off. Batman is not without flaws, it has highs and lows. And you can feel, even today, over the course of the three seasons they made, the quality dripping away. But if you take the analytical approach here, you probably won't understand this show.
This show was a street sweeper in 1966. A must see for kids and adults alike. It had something for everyone. The dialogue was great and you got a lot of puns and double meanings (which didn't work all that well today). It was part comedy, part satire, but always presented in a serious manner.
You can see the standing this show had if you look at the array of guest villains. Which in itself was genious not calling them guest stars like every other show did. They were special, household Hollywood names, who lined up for a chance to do an episode. Granted, some villains were better than others but most of them were fun.
I love how everything was labeled, even things like a secret chamber had a sign saying "secret chamber". There was a bat-thingy for everything. Positively hilarious.
Give it a go, but don't take it to serious. It's entertainment. To quote the late Adam West: "Always grotesque but never bizarre"
To the Bat-poles !
