As hard as it is for me to believe that 2016 is the Golden Anniversary of the 1960's Batman TV series; as a matter of fact, fifty years ago yesterday the first episode aired on American television. Not that I'll be doing all that much celebrating myself because it's fair to say that having been old enough to have actually watched that episode I have some decidedly mixed feelings about the program.
Though it's taken decades I think I've finally made my peace with the show and its legacy. I am a grudge-holding kind of Comic Book Guy, but I can forgive. But not forget.*
But if nothing else, you've got to admire the show's staying power. Back in the bad old days before basic cable and VHS, after a TV show left the air it was gone and soon to be forgotten, especially if that show only ran three years. Conventional wisdom said a TV program had to last at least five years to have enough episodes to have a decent chance of being successful in syndication. But like Star Trek, another three season "loser," Batman has been in relentless repeats ever since; both shows are currently regular parts of the Saturday night schedule on Me-TV. Which is, for those unaware, one of those hybrid over the air/basic cable rerun channels which are proliferating like mad; there's also Antenna TV, Get-TV, This-TV, Comet, Escape, and Grit.
And not being entirely made out of stone I must confess that even though we know almost nothing about it, I am kind of interested in seeing the Batman '66 ninety minute animated film featuring the voices of Adam West and Burt Ward reprising their original roles (see “Adam West, Burt Ward to Voice 'Batman' Feature”). Because while it was campy and ridiculous, you didn't notice any of that when you were a kid. If you were a kid it was fun, and we could definitely use a "fun" Batman.
One last bit of holiday related business. For the last couple of years, I've mused upon how "special limited edition holiday flavors" proliferate at this magical time of year. Well, this apparently was the Christmas where multiple manufacturers were convinced that all of America was breathlessly waiting for gingerbread flavoring to be placed in absolutely everything. I didn't notice it at the time, but as I trolled the various discount bins at Kroger's I found Gingerbread tea, chocolate bars, marshmallows and Pop Tarts (for the record the Limited Edition Pumpkin flavor Pop Tarts didn't seem to go over all that well either). Also not a tremendous hit from the number of unsold units in the bins, the Betty Crocker Limited Edition Maple Bacon Cookie Mix, proving you can’t put bacon in absolutely everything. On the other hand, I did grab a package of Betty Crocker Limited Edition Eggnog Cookie Mix, because eggnog flavoring really should be in a lot more food products. Plus, for 29 cents how could I not?
* It certainly didn't help that during the height of Batmania when my parents couldn't afford to buy a licensed Batman t-shirt my Mother, God Rest Her Soul, meticulously made a Bat insignia and sewed it onto one of my sweatshirts. I wore its school exactly once and spent the entire day being called "Fatman."
The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.
