1. Dismiss Notice
  2. Dismiss Notice
  3. Dismiss Notice
  4. Dismiss Notice
The Spider-Verse Trilogy The Hype Movie Club The Hype TV Club Fantasy TV

Is Adam West woefully underrated?

Discussion in 'The Batcave' started by Optimus_Prime_, Nov 15, 2012.

  1. Optimus_Prime_

    Optimus_Prime_ Superhero

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2006
    Messages:
    5,667
    Likes Received:
    1
    I've been rewatching Batman and Robin from the 1960s, which also had a movie tie in on television. For those who haven't seen it, the show is generally regarded as camp.

    I've been blown away by the overall quality though. It ages very well. The humor is much more ahead of its time than it gets credit for. It's satirical, a straight man comedy that pokes fun at a bunch of high society folks losing their stuff over stolen jewels and silly non threatening villains.

    On top of this it's a fairly good interpretation of the 1950s comics and the villains are all so spot on.

    If Nolan could've used a time machine to cast Ceasar Romero as the Joker, Burgess Meredith as the Penguin and, of course, Frank Gorshin as the Riddler I'm sure we all would've taken it. They simply nailed their roles. I even think Julia Newmar pretty much was their TDKR template for Catwoman.

    It seems like the show and movie catch a lot of unwarranted slack.
     
    #1 Optimus_Prime_, Nov 15, 2012
  2. The Joker

    The Joker The Clown Prince of Crime

    Joined:
    Dec 15, 2003
    Messages:
    51,852
    Likes Received:
    5,126
    I am a HUGE fan of the 1960's Batman show. Feel free to check out the fan thread I made on it some time, Optimus; http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?t=340782

    It is a cult classic, and it has aged really well, IMO. How many times has this show been referenced over the years in TV shows and movies?

    Nolan is a definite fan of the show. He has a poster of the 1966 movie on the wall in his home office. Anne Hathaway's Catwoman is clearly based off the design of Newmar's Catwoman. The clown mask Ledger's Joker wore in the bank robbery scene is the same one Romero's Joker wore in his first episode on the show.

    It's the only version of Batman I've seen that made campy Batman cool and fun. The villains were amazing, my favorite being Burgess Meredith as The Penguin.
     
    #2 The Joker, Nov 15, 2012
  3. Cain

    Cain Gentlebane

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Messages:
    6,174
    Likes Received:
    140
    Adam West is the best. Season 1 of that show is legit one of the greatest showcases of solid television programming in history.
     
    #3 Cain, Nov 15, 2012
  4. Bathead

    Bathead The Oldest Geek

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2004
    Messages:
    6,209
    Likes Received:
    2
    I was a Batman fan before Adam West came along. The first season wasn't too bad, they actully took a number of stories directly from the comics, I thought it was kinda cool and I enjoyed the actors and thier interpretations (of the villains mostly,) the only acting I didn't care for was Gordon and O'Brien, and I absolutely HATED Burt Ward as Robin (He's the reason I'm not a fan of Robin to this day). After that, I think the show became a victim of it's own success, especially when they started making up their own really lame villains (Egghead, Marsha Queen of Diamonds, etc.) and I finally realised that the producers actually had no respect for the characters at all, as the stories got sillier and sillier. I started off loving the show, but I evntually learned to hate it.
    These days, though, I appreciate the show for what it was (a spoof) and what it did, i.e. basically saved the Batman franchise at DC comics, which had been on the verge of being cancelled.
     
    #4 Bathead, Nov 16, 2012
    Last edited: Nov 17, 2012
  5. 747

    747 Fanboy rivalry? Yawn.

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2012
    Messages:
    4,181
    Likes Received:
    0
    West was perfect for the Batman he was doing.
     
    #5 747, Nov 16, 2012
  6. Bathead

    Bathead The Oldest Geek

    Joined:
    Jan 5, 2004
    Messages:
    6,209
    Likes Received:
    2
    Yes, indeed he was.
     
    #6 Bathead, Nov 17, 2012
  7. BH/HHH

    BH/HHH You Are My World

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2004
    Messages:
    30,113
    Likes Received:
    916
    That's exactly it West was that eras Batman and he played it superbly.

    PS. I also love him on Family Guy :p
     
    #7 BH/HHH, Nov 18, 2012
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Accept Learn More...
    Dismiss Notice
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Accept Learn More...
    Dismiss Notice
monitoring_string = "afb8e5d7348ab9e99f73cba908f10802"