HOLY TV TRIVIA BATMAN!! To mark my latest interview with actor BURT WARD (Episodes 75 & 76), who played Robin “The Boy Wonder” on the camp classic TV series “Batman”, I've put together this entertaining trivia list featuring some fun facts about this beloved television series for you to enjoy! TO THE BATMOBILE……
The 120 episodes of “Batman” aired on the ABC network for three seasons from January 12, 1966, to March 14, 1968, twice weekly during the first two seasons, and weekly for the third.
The show was extraordinarily popular, and was considered "the biggest TV phenomenon of the mid-1960s".
When Burgess Meredith was cast as the Penguin in the series, he had not smoked in 20 years. He came up with the Penguin's distinctive squawking because the cigarettes irritated his throat. The Penguin's waddling way of walking was another improvisation; Meredith found it difficult to stand and walk straight while wearing the rubber padded fat suit that was part of his costume.
After ABC canceled the series, the producers waited to see if anyone else would pick it up, then demolished the Batcave set when it appeared that no one would do so. Two weeks later, NBC offered to pick it up, unaware that the Batcave set had already been demolished; unwilling to invest in the high cost of rebuilding the entire set, NBC ultimately decided not to continue the series.
Burt Ward was badly injured several times while he starred in the series. He claimed that he was burned and / or struck by shrapnel several times when ill-conceived pyrotechnic effects went wrong. At least once, he was nearly flung out of the Batmobile after his door flew open during a high-speed turn.
John Astin replaced Frank Gorshin as The Riddler for a pair of episodes when Gorshin's new agents at William Morris demanded more money.
Robin (Burt Ward) used 352 "Holy (blank)!" phrases in the series, ranging from "Holy Agility!" to "Holy Zorro!"
Cesar Romero's laughter of the Joker was created almost entirely by accident. Shortly after being cast, Romero met with the producers to discuss his role on his series. While waiting to meet with them, Romero happened to see conceptual art of the Joker's costume. Romero felt that the pictures almost looked absurd and, as a result, he spontaneously broke out into a playfully loud and almost maniacal laughter. A producer overhearing it responded by telling Romero, "That's it, that's your Joker's laugh!"
The scene of the Batmobile leaving the Batcave was filmed at Bronson Cavern in the Hollywood Hills. The Batmobile was about the same width as the cavern's entrance. To avoid ripping off the Batmobile's fenders, the camera was under-cranked so that it could come out slowly, and the footage was then sped up.
The bust of Shakespeare that was used to slide open the bookcase and expose the Batpoles had an electric switch inside of it that could not open the bookcase, but it did turn on a light behind the set that signaled the men behind the scenes to slide it open.
The Batmobile was a customized 1955 Lincoln Futura which had been previously used in It Started with a Kiss (1959). According to George Barris, five Batmobiles were both made and used during the series' run.
The series' fight scenes used 88 unique word overlays, alphabetically from "!OX?-ETH!" and "AIEEE!" to "ZZZZZWAP!" "KAPOW!" was used 54 times, "BOFF!" and "POW!!" were tied at 53 times each, and 32 overlays were only used once. The overlays appeared 832 times, with a total of 1,120 exclamation points. The most exclamation points used in one overlay was in "BIFF!!!!" The Great Train Robbery (1968) had the most overlays: 18. The Great Escape (1968) and Minerva, Mayhem and Millionaires (1968) have the most overlays in a single Bat-fight: 15.
Yvonne Craig was added to the cast for season three in 1967, portraying Barbara Gordon/Batgirl.
With the death of Adam West on June 9, 2017, Burt Ward is the series' last surviving regular cast member. Julie Newmar is also the series' last surviving Special Guest Villain who appeared in more than three episodes.
Aunt Harriet was reduced to just two cameo appearances during the third season due to Madge Blake's poor health and the issue of trying to fit so many characters (Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Chief O'Hara, and a guest villain) into a half-hour episode.
The Batmobile's turntable in the Batcave was not electrically powered. Six off-camera crewmen pushed the car 180 degrees on the platform. As with most of the series' special effects, the scene was shot only once, then added wherever it was needed.
Burt Ward reprised his role as Dick Grayson in Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part One (2019). That episode established that the series takes place on Earth-66, a reference to the year that it premiered.
In his autobiography, Adam West recalled that he became good friends with both Frank Gorshin and Cliff Robertson and that he had a great deal of respect for Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith and Vincent Price. He described Alan Napier (Alfred) as quiet and reserved, but found that Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon) was somewhat difficult to work with.
Eartha Kitt took over the role of Catwoman for three consecutive episodes of season 3 because Julie Newmar was busy filming Mackenna's Gold (1969) at the time. Some of ABC's Southern U.S. affiliates objected to the casting of an African American actress in the role, but Charles B. Fitzsimons said that he and the series' other producers did not care about the issue; however, that defiance did not go so far as to continue the character's mutual attraction for Batman, a character undertone which was completely removed in all three of Kitt's episodes.
Of all of the villains portrayed on the series, Mr. Freeze had the most actors portraying him: George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach. Catwoman had three actresses portraying her as well: Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and Eartha Kitt, but Meriwether portrayed her only in Batman: The Movie (1966).
Many top Hollywood names of the time had guest roles on the series, including many who did not do much television. Performers who were not cast as Special Guest Villains usually popped their heads out of windows to exchange a few words with Batman and Robin as they climbed up the walls of buildings using their Batropes. Frank Sinatra, Natalie Wood, and Cary Grant were all fans and wanted to be on the series, but the producers were never able to come up with the right roles for any of them. Van Williams and Bruce Lee teamed up with the Dynamic Duo in a crossover episode with The Green Hornet (1966), and did a window cameo in another one.
Yvonne Craig has stated that she briefly did have a stunt double, but eventually she did most of her stunts in the series herself. She actually rode the Batgirl Cycle herself as well. She was an accomplished biker at the time and actually owned a motorcycle.
The character of Aunt Harriet Cooper was introduced in the comics in 1964, 18 months before the series premiered. Her appearance was at the same time as the killing of Alfred.
Adam West (Bruce Wayne / Batman), Burt Ward (Dick Grayson / Robin) and Neil Hamilton (Commissioner James W. Gordon) are the only actors to appear in all 120 episodes of the series.
The steps leading to Commissioner Gordon's office, seen in every opening of every episode of the series, were shot on the Warner Brothers studio lot and are still standing. They are a facade of a triangular-shaped building that is attached to a soundstage. This triangular-shaped building contains every piece of clothing that Clint Eastwood has worn in every one of his films.
Because Cesar Romero absolutely refused to shave off his mustache before putting on his make-up when he played the Joker in every episode where he did so in this series, he is the only actor and interpretation of the Joker to have facial hair.
In 1977, Adam West and Burt Ward returned as voice actors for the second Filmation-produced animated series, The New Adventures of Batman
Burt Ward received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in January 2020.
Trivia items from IMDB & Wikipedia
To listen to my BAT-TASTIC conversation with actor Burt Ward (Episodes 75 & 76), star of the classic TV series “Batman”, on my podcast - click on the links below. Enjoy!
Episode 75 - HERE
Episode 76 - HERE
