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Post by profh0011 on Jul 14, 2021 19:39:20 GMT -5
Yes, this will be my all-purpose thread for all film or TV versions of the character. Never mind which version i'm starting out with here... (heh) Well, as I promised myself, the 2nd time around, I was only gonna watch 5 3rd-season episodes-- all written by Stanley Ralph Ross. The Siren, Shame, and King Tut. All loads of fun. So tonight, I started in on a show I haven't seen in at least maybe 40-45 years... THE ADVENTURES OF BATMAN. This was originally aired as part of THE BATMAN-SUPERMAN HOUR (1968-69), which was a half-hour of brand-new Batman cartoons, and a half-hour of reruns of Superman cartoons. Even then, I thought it was a rip-off. Apparently, they came up with a separate set of opening and closing credits, so they could syndicate the show on its own.
OH-- MY-- GOD.
You know there's idiots at the Internet Movie Database who love to knock Filmation's STAR TREK for having such terrible animation? This makes Filmation's STAR TREK look like a big-budget feature-film. This makes the Ralph Bakshi-produced Krantz Films seasons of SPIDER-MAN look like they had a real budget. (That show certainly had music that was 100 times better than this one.) This even makes Filmation's earlier JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH-- which I loved despite its many short-comings-- look fabulous, by comparison. (I'd like to get that show on DVD-- this makes me want it even more.)
I originally missed these, because the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia for many years had a 90-minute local show, CARTOON CORNERS, hosted by Gene London, and whatever CBS had scheduled during those 90 minutes was either run between 7-8 in the morning (before I woke up on Saturday mornings), or, after 1 pm. So I actually caught these when they did go into syndication.
As a kid of 9 or 10 years old, something I could not understand was, since this show debuted the very next week after the summer reruns of Adam West's 3rd season ended, WHY they somhow failed to get even a single actor from his show involved in this one. Playing the same parts, I mean.
Well, they did get ONE actor who appeared on the Adam West show. Olan Soule had played a TV news reporter in the 1st King Tut story. This skinny, milquetoast-looking glasses-wearing guy, became the voice of Batman. No kidding.
Robin was played by radio DJ Kasey Casey, also known as the longtime voice of Shaggy on SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU?
Ted Knight (before he played Ted Baxter on MARY TYLER MOORE) supplied the voice of Commissioner Gordon, and, the narrator.
Larry Storch (who I'll always remember for F TROOP) is credited as the voice of The Joker-- but having just watched the initial 2-parter, you couldn't prove it by me. The voice of The Joker in this thing is so screwed-up and twisted, it could be him, but it sounds nothing like his regular voice at all. It reminds me of what Dan Ayckroyd did when he created the DR. DETROIT persona.
Jane Webb did the voice of Barbara Gordon. She has quite a resume of cartoon voices-- Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge & Big Ethel on the ARCHIE cartoons, Cindy Lindenbrook on JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, Erica Lane on FANTASTIC VOYAGE (another series I'd love to get), Sabrina Spellman and other characters on SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH, both Ginger and Maryann on THE NEW ADVENTURES OF GILLIGAN, oh, and Catwoman.
The writing's pretty bad. The animation's much worse. The music is beyond forgettable. It's hard to be sure, but this show may be the absolute nadir of Filmation when it comes to quality (or lack thereof). And yet I'm laughing at the whole thought of it, that I went after this DVD set before so many others. Oh well, after this, upgrading the 90s BATMAN cartoons to DVD will be even more impressive. (I saw the complete series box set for nearly the same price as this thing-- doesn't seem fair, somehow-- heh.)
I froze-framed the end credits, and the only familiar name in the art department, was Mike Ploog. It blows my mind he had anything to do with this (layouts). But I bet he got paid way better for this than anything he ever did for Marvel Comics later on (FRANKENSTEIN, WEREWOLF BY NIGHT, GHOST RIDER, etc.). At least with the Bakshi SPIDER-MAN cartoons, you can actually recognize Gray Morrow's drawing style amidst the nearly non-existent animation. (I've often fantasized, if only that show had a real budget.)
Something your toy-buying heart may appreciate... the 1986 SUPER POWERS Batmobile toy I have (same scale as the action figures) looks amazingly just like the Batmobile in this 1968 Filmation cartoon. It's a lot more sleek and simplified than tha classic Adam West car, which was modified from a 1955 Ford Futura design model. My guess is, either the guy who modified that, or the people involved in the live-action show, owned the rights, and it would have cost too much to license the design. Too bad.
I've also got a 1989 movie Batmobile the SAME scale as the SUPER POWERS car, so the figures are inter-changable (heh). It was such a shock when I read that car's designer, Anton Furst (who also designed the Gotham City buildings in the movie) committed suicide only a few months after the film came out. WTF? To me, the '89 car was 2nd, right after the '66 car, for a classic design. It was intensely stupid when director Joel Schumacher had new cars designed for both of his Batman films. There was zero need for that.
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Post by brutalis on Jul 14, 2021 20:50:51 GMT -5
Is it hokey? Yes. Is it animated cheaply in the least possible way? Yes. Is it only utilizing voice actors you can count on 1 hand? Yes. But dang it all I adore this cartoon. It or Superfriends was my 1st animated introduction to Batman. Before Saturday mornings as a wee lil' tyke all I had was one black and white paperback with yellowing brittle pages falling apart at its seams. So seeing Batman in color on the television was new, exciting and a blast.
Batman '66 was NOT something my parents were going to watch so I missed out until syndication a few years later. So ridicule ALL the early Batman cartoons for their simplicity, but they were important for many of us in our formative years helping to prepare us as collectors of comic books. And all things considered knowing Disney and Warner Bro's animation was movie based and television was NEVER going to spend that kind of money for "KIDS", I'm just glad comic book heroics made their way to the small screen in any form.
Gimme those Hanna Barbera and Filmation DC cartoons over a lot of the modern movies as they look like and reflect the comics they are based on. They were doing the best they could with time and budget while embracing the spirit of entertaining children. To look at them with an adult attitude will only ruin their worth as cheap fun that got our attention for seeking out the comic book adventures.
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BATMAN
Jul 14, 2021 21:06:46 GMT -5
Post by profh0011 on Jul 14, 2021 21:06:46 GMT -5
Here's the key point, I think: "And yet I'm laughing at the whole thought of it, that I went after this DVD set before so many others."  My budget's limited, and there's all this stuff out there I want to get... but, I ordered THIS. And so far, I'm enjoying it, for exactly what it is. One thing I'll always have in the back of my head: the 1st season of Hanna-Barbera's " SUPER-FRIENDS" (1973) was WAYYYY worse than this!!! You wouldn't think that possible, but I saw that first episode when it was first-run. And DIDN'T watch another one... until the 2 seasons when Adam West replaced Olan Soule doing Batman's voice. Now THOSE were good! Something a bit crazy I figured out awhile back, talking with my best friend on the phone... BOTH Olan Soule AND Adam West did Batman's voice for BOTH Filmation AND Hanna-Barbera. Isn't that nuts? 
Oh-- and those people who bad-mouth Filmation's STAR TREK cartoons, I'm sure, DID NOT see them when they were first-run, like I did. So they have NO IDEA what a HUGE upgrade those were from anything Filmation did before.
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Post by Prince Hal on Jul 14, 2021 22:47:30 GMT -5
Olan Soule was one of the great radio voices ever, appearing in thousands of episodes and commercials, in addition to many parts in movies and on TV. I always remember him from the 60s version of Dragnet, where he always played Ray the lab guy.
Oh and you were thinking of Casey Kasem as the voice of Robin.
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Post by profh0011 on Jul 15, 2021 9:32:34 GMT -5
Olan Soule was one of the great radio voices ever, appearing in thousands of episodes and commercials, in addition to many parts in movies and on TV. I always remember him from the 60s version of Dragnet, where he always played Ray the lab guy. Oh and you were thinking of Casey Kasem as the voice of Robin. OH, YES! I used to watch the 60s DRAGNET all the time. He must be the guy they were poking fun at on POLICE SQUAD.
Casey Kasem-- TYPO! TYPO!!! (I try to proofread stuff before I leave, but sometimes things just slip right by you...)
It got hilarious during THE NEW SCOOBY-DOO MOVIES (1972-73) when they tamed up with Josie & The Pussycats, or, Batman & Robin, as Casey Kasem was doing Shaggy, Alexander Cabot, and Robin.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2021 12:00:35 GMT -5
These are still my most re-watched cartoons! Especially at night, I love unwinding to the simple pleasures of that era.
Does it get any better than Simon the Pieman on Batman? Marvin on the first season of Super Friends having super powers for one episode where he walks up into the air? Never to see that talent again? How about the balloon people episode from that season?
And Olan Soule was indeed a staple of the times! How about those appearances on Andy Griffith and the Beverly Hillbillies as well? Even my kids when they watch those episodes go "that's Batman!"
Also, I'm going to get a little art school snobby here...but a lot of people miss some very elegant visual design/aesthetic that can exist in some of the limited animation technique shows. Looks at the painted backgrounds of Jonny Quest. 60's Aquaman undersea backgrounds also beautiful. And yes, Star Trek to me had a great aesthetic.
In a Ben Grimm inspired voice, I'll say "some people ain't got no account for good taste".
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Post by profh0011 on Jul 15, 2021 15:57:03 GMT -5
In a Ben Grimm inspired voice, I'll say "some people ain't got no account for good taste".
To this day, when I read Ben Grimm, I hear Paul Frees' voice. |
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Post by profh0011 on Jul 15, 2021 16:07:32 GMT -5
How about those appearances on Andy Griffith and the Beverly Hillbillies as well? Even my kids when they watch those episodes go "that's Batman!" Also, I'm going to get a little art school snobby here...but a lot of people miss some very elegant visual design/aesthetic that can exist in some of the limited animation technique shows. Looks at the painted backgrounds of Jonny Quest. 60's Aquaman undersea backgrounds also beautiful. And yes, Star Trek to me had a great aesthetic. Regarding Olan Soule, somehow I never connected the voice, the face and the name until recently. It happens!
I love the black BAT shape that SWOOPS over the picture when they change scenes.
The look of animated cartoons (simple figures with painted backgrounds) inspired me for years to want to do comic-book art the same way.
I still feel JONNY QUEST was the single BEST thing Hanna-Barbera ever did. It was made for prime-time, and from what I've read, it was hoped to be the first of a number of "better" shows. And it got REAL GOOD ratings, too! But after-the-fact, ABC said it was "too expensive". So instead of renewing it for a 2nd season, they just ran the 1st season 4 TIMES over 2 years. Grrr. The result was, H-B gave up any idea of doing "better" shows, and between them and Filmation (their chief rival in the 60s & 70s) they began what someone called a "race to the bottom", to do cheaper and cheaper shows.
I loved SPACE GHOST in '66, but looking back, can't help but wish it had been done as "full-length" stories, with the same level of writing & budget as JQ. I think the last show H-B did in that era I really likd was the first 2 seasons of SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? What I didn't realize at the time was, the 2nd season had fewer episodes than the 1st (I hate when they do that). There was no 3rd season-- they just kept re-running seasons 1 & 2. The 4th year, they came back with new stories-- but the totally-revamped format of THE NEW SCOOBY-DOO MOVIES made it something that, for me, a once-and-done thing. I watched.. but never had any interest in watching them again. Not so the earlier ones. Those are definitely on my "wanted" list for DVDs.
You guys are making me feel real good I started this thread.
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Post by brutalis on Jul 15, 2021 16:26:57 GMT -5
Space Ghost, Mightor, Herculoids and Birdman would have all 4 benefitted from full episodes and more emphasis on plot and story connection, creating a fuller world for fans. Still glad to have each season but you can see how easily they could have been so much greater.
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Post by tarkintino on Jul 15, 2021 17:38:38 GMT -5
Is it hokey? Yes. Is it animated cheaply in the least possible way? Yes. Is it only utilizing voice actors you can count on 1 hand? Yes. But dang it all I adore this cartoon. It or Superfriends was my 1st animated introduction to Batman. Before Saturday mornings as a wee lil' tyke all I had was one black and white paperback with yellowing brittle pages falling apart at its seams. So seeing Batman in color on the television was new, exciting and a blast. Batman '66 was NOT something my parents were going to watch so I missed out until syndication a few years later. So ridicule ALL the early Batman cartoons for their simplicity, but they were important for many of us in our formative years helping to prepare us as collectors of comic books. And all things considered knowing Disney and Warner Bro's animation was movie based and television was NEVER going to spend that kind of money for "KIDS", I'm just glad comic book heroics made their way to the small screen in any form. Gimme those Hanna Barbera and Filmation DC cartoons over a lot of the modern movies as they look like and reflect the comics they are based on. They were doing the best they could with time and budget while embracing the spirit of entertaining children. To look at them with an adult attitude will only ruin their worth as cheap fun that got our attention for seeking out the comic book adventures. The '68 Batman cartoon successfully employed the cliffhanger format for several of the episodes, adding a level of tension absent from so many superhero cartoons, while the voice talent defined the portrayal of Batman and Robin for a generation. It is miles above and beyond Hanna-Barbera's usually horrible Super Friends series, actually had the characters punching each other (this was one of the last network series of the 1960s to have characters engage in physical violence before the ridiculous Action for Children's Television group conned networks into believing false correlations between violence on the streets with clearly different comic-action violence in cartoons), throwing explosives, villains firing weapons at the heroes--the works.
Filmation was always sharp at creating main title sequences, and the versions for The Batman-Superman Hour and The Adventures of Batman were thrilling, and perfectly captured the style of mid-New Look Batman and Robin. The Bat-characters would never have it so good again in animated form until the WB series premiered in 1992.
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Post by tarkintino on Jul 15, 2021 17:43:47 GMT -5
Also, I'm going to get a little art school snobby here...but a lot of people miss some very elegant visual design/aesthetic that can exist in some of the limited animation technique shows. Looks at the painted backgrounds of Jonny Quest. 60's Aquaman undersea backgrounds also beautiful. And yes, Star Trek to me had a great aesthetic. Not snobby at all; Filmation's backgrounds and art direction in general were stunning; with everything from the alien worlds of Star Trek, to Atlantis on Aquaman, to the grand landscapes seen on Bravestar, Flash Gordon, He-Man, Space Sentinels, Tarzan, etc., Filmation had a talent for creating dramatic, distinct environments, unlike so many rival animation houses of the same era. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 17, 2021 19:01:43 GMT -5
Yeah, Filmation usually went to town on the writing and the backgrounds. They had their money saving tricks and Hanna-Barbera had theirs.
I actually enjoy the first season of the Super Friends over much of the rest of the series, except for Challenge of the Superfriends. That one rises above all, thanks to the villains. First season has some pretty good plots and stories, even if they did struggle under the heaviest Standards & Practices restrictions. Later series had better over all individual episodes; but, the overall quality of that season, compared to the unevenness of others, ranks it pretty high on my list.
Galactic Guardians has a couple of really good episodes and some better character designs (since they continued the Jose Luis Garcia Lopez revamp, from Legendary Super Powers Team); but several are just kind of "okay." I tend to find most of the series had about 1/3 great episodes, about a third good and some bad, with a couple of variations to the proportions.
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BATMAN
Jul 17, 2021 23:52:20 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by brutalis on Jul 17, 2021 23:52:20 GMT -5
Glad to see someone else appreciates that 1st season of Superfriends. Considering the limitations of Saturday morning programming "laws" I enjoyed it. Did a wonderful job of sharing airtime for the team while making kids feel like they could be a part of it all through Wendy and Marvin. I have very fond memories of watching the 1st season when it was repeated as a Sunday morning staple here in Phoenix for several years.
And Challenge of the Superfriends came at the perfect time for me as by the time it was on the air I had been able to embrace and build my comic book collection. I was capable of recognizing ALL the villains so it was fanboy geek heaven for many of us, and probably the closest representation of comic books given life for the time.
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BATMAN
Jul 19, 2021 18:00:19 GMT -5
Post by profh0011 on Jul 19, 2021 18:00:19 GMT -5
Been watching more of the '68 cartoons. I don't know where someone said Larry Storch was involved with this show. I wonder if somebody contributing to the IMDB may have confused it with some later version? As far as I can tell, Ted Knight did the narrator, Commissioner Gordon, Alfred, and The Joker! I haven't figured out The Penguin yet. Jane Webb makes Catwoman sound like an OLD WITCH!
One glaring error I saw at the IMDB involved the 1967 Hanna-Barbera FANTASTIC FOUR cartoons. They said Joseph Sirola did the voice of Dr. Doom. NO, HE DIDN'T! The funny thing is, he LOOKED like a young Victor Von Doom. but that was never his voice. I know because in one magazine-- it might have been COMIC BOOK ARTIST or ALTER EGO-- they happened to mention who did Doom's voice, and the INSTANT I read it, it hit me like a slap in the face. I KNEW it was right, though it had never once crossed my mind. And later, when I got to see the cartoons again, for the first time in decades, I easily recognized they were right. And unlike Sirola, it was someone who had done a LOT of voice for H-B... HARVEY KORMAN. (The way he did "Hedley Lamar" in BLAZING SADDLES, his voice was very similar.)
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Post by profh0011 on Jul 19, 2021 18:07:32 GMT -5
Space Ghost, Mightor, Herculoids and Birdman would have all 4 benefitted from full episodes and more emphasis on plot and story connection, creating a fuller world for fans. Still glad to have each season but you can see how easily they could have been so much greater. Oh, HELL, yeah.
I love the 1966 SPACE GHOST and the 1967 HERCULOIDS. I didn't realize for many years just how much influence they had on my own work. They mainly suffer in comparison to the 1964 JONNY QUEST, which, of course, was done for prime time, but, further, was done as an experiment to try making "more expensive" cartoons, which only "failed" because ABC decided after-the-fact it was "too expensive" (the EXACT same thing they did with Glen Larson's BATTLESTAR GALACTICA).
It kind of saddened me when I once read that Alex Toth-- SG's creator-- said he "hated" the show. SHEESH! I can only guess he hated the limitations placed on it that prevented it from being as good or better than JQ, which he also did substantial work on.
Thanks to Cartoon Network running those "Boomerang" blocks long after midnights on Saturdays 15 or 20 years back, I got to see a FEW late-70s revival episodes that got slipped in with the late-60s originals. My-- GOD!!! --they were AWFUL.
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