Batman was a thirty-minute prime time, live action television series broadcast by the ABC Network between 1966 and 1968. Premiering on January 12, the series featured actor Adam West as the perennial character of Batman, while Burt Ward donned nylon stockings and fairy boots for his portrayal of the erstwhile sidekick, Robin.
The show was noteworthy for its memorable use of onomatopoeia during climactic fight scenes. The show proved popular to many fans, and transformed Adam and Burt into modern pop culture icons.
When not fighting crime as Batman and Robin, the Dynamic Duo were often found at Wayne manor in their respective identities as Bruce Wayne and his “youthful ward”, Dick Grayson. Living alongside them in the vast mansion, was doddering old Aunt Harriet (a character exclusive to the television series), and their mild-mannered butler, Alfred. Alfred possessed the good fortune of being the only other person to know Batman and Robin’s secret identities.
Unlike the earlier movie serials of the 1940s, this was the first Batman project to feature Batman’s rogues gallery of villains. Cesar Romero made numerous appearances as the Joker, while Burgess Meredith reinvented the image of the Penguin, with his crooked smile and trademark “Squawk”. Julie Newmar provided Catwoman’s rolling “R”s, only to be replaced later by Lee Meriwether for the 1966 movie, and again by Eartha Kitt. Two men provided their talents to the role of the Riddler – Frank Gorshin and John Astin.
In addition to the fantastic sets and costumes was the first introduction of the Batmobile, Batcycle, Batboat, and the Batcopter. The Batmobile donor car was a 1955 Lincoln Futura that George Barris customized in only three weeks. Two Batcycles appeared on the show; the first was a barely modified Harley Davidson, and the second was a highly modified Yamaha. The Batboat was built by Glastron.
By season three, declining ratings prompted the introduction of a third partner to the Bat Family, Barbara Gordon – aka Batgirl (played by Yvonne Craig). Although Batgirl was a popular character, her presence could not save the series, and it was canceled in 1968.
A group of independent artists from Calm The Ham have created “The Filmography of Cars,” an illustrated chart featuring 71 “iconic vehicles of film and television from 1929 to the modern day.” A limited edition of 500 signed and numbered prints are available to purchase online.
A mentalist is an individual who appears to have supernatural powers in divining the truth about an individual as well as many facts about that person’s life. A mentalist must be great at decoding, possess observational skills, and have a highly developed ability to observe minute detail. Many people, from criminal profilers to magicians, all use mentalist tactics and a working knowledge of psychology to interpret human behavior. Wanna get your Simon Baker on? Here’s how.
1Make snap, educated judgments. Part of being a mentalist is about trusting your judgment. Unfortunately, most people have turned their observation skills off. General and non-overt assessment of an individual provides good background information that is normally missed. For example, are the person’s hands soft or calloused? Is his musculature toned or not? Is the person dressed to stand out or to hide? Take yourself right now — what might someone learn about you just from looking at you?
There are dozens of general assessment information items that will help you to profile the individual. Think of Sherlock Holmes — he didn’t have ESP, he justnoticed things. That’s all. A slight tan line on the left ring finger. A pen mark on the left hand. He would now trust that this person is either divorced or separated and right-handed. Trust those snap judgments!