Holy nostalgia, Batman! Burt Ward on what made 1966-1968 series so special
Robin’s legacy in the world of DC comics, movies and TV shows is a storied one; but nothing has or likely will ever come close to Burt Ward’s portrayal of the beloved sidekick. Campy, fun, quippy – Robin (that is, Dick Grayson) was no doubt one of the reasons the original Batman series worked so well. But what else does Burt Ward think made Batman such a successful piece of pop culture?
Burt Ward – who turned 80 just this month – cited a number of factors for Batman doing so well, including his co-star Adam West, the production design and what might be the most iconic TV car ever. “We just had this instant chemistry. I think this is one of the reasons that Batman was so successful. Of course, you’ve got the fact that it was in color. We were one of the first television series in all colors and look how colorful it is. How could you have anything more colorful than Batman, the villains and the Batmobile? That Batmobile became the most famous car in the entire world.”
Batman – which ran for 120 episodes between 1966 and 1968 – is easy to poke fun at both from a critical standpoint, but it’s the more playful point of view that helps people enjoy it even today. Take the “Holy _____, Batman!” trope – whether it be “Holy homicide!” or “Holy priceless collection of Etruscan snoods!” – and you’ve got one of the prime elements that helped mark it as must-see TV for Bat-fans of all ages. As Burt Ward explaned, “The ‘Holy this’ and ‘Holy that,’ which was a signatory. Even today you have people in everyday life saying, ‘Holy this’ or ‘Holy that.’ They’ll say that all which emanated from our series. All of that was just overwhelming and kids went crazy. In 1968, when we came on primetime twice a week. We were the No. 1 and No. 2 television show in the entire world. There was nothing that came close to us.”
Nearly 50 years after Batman went off the air, Burt Ward would reprise Robin (alongside Adam West) for two animated movies: Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders and Batman vs. Two-Face, the latter of which brought back original Catwoman Julie Newmar. And who can forget the 1966 movie, which arrived in theaters two months after the first season commenced? OK, that one is about as high quality as the show, but it beats a number of other Batman movies…
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