On March 14, 1968, Batman and Robin took on Zsa Zsa Gabor's Minerva, a spa proprietress who plundered her clients' brains and then their valuables. The Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder triumphed as usual, but still it was curtains for the Dynamic Duo: After two years and 120 episodes, Batman, ABC's splashy high-camp action series, had come to an end. Zzzzwap!
Created by Bob Kane in 1939, the Dark Knight first fought crime in comic books, radio shows, and clunky serials. But when it debuted on network TV in January 1966, Batman emerged as a live-action cartoon with delirious techno-gimmickry and kitschy Pop-art effects — Splat! — that flashed during fight scenes.
The half-hour show first ran twice a week, with Wednesday's episode leaving the heroes in cliff-hanger peril — roasting in a huge barbecue pit, say. On Thursdays — ''same bat time, same bat channel'' — the duo would vanquish the bad guys. It was an overnight sensation, the first show to hold two spots in the season-end Nielsen top 10. Stars clamored to appear as guest villains (see box). Teenagers danced the ''batusi.'' And there were as many tie-ins — night-lights, pogo sticks, corn chips, etc. — as there were gizmos in Batman's utility belt.
Adam West, previously a little-known character actor, played the hero with deadpan earnestness alongside Burt Ward's Robin. ''The adults saw the gags and laughs,'' says West, 70, who appears in April's comedy Drop Dead Gorgeous. ''And the kids loved the costumes and action.''
But the ultra-pop Batman proved — Oof!! — disposable. In its second season, ratings plummeted. Even introducing slinky Batgirl (Yvonne Craig) in the fall of 1967 couldn't save the show. Batman would continue to flourish in syndicated reruns, cartoons, and the recent neo-gothic features. But if he continues to engage the imagination, it's because TV's Batman illuminated the Day-Glo underside of Bob Kane's Dark Knight.
MIX 'N' MATCH
Holy bat-stunt casting! One of Batman's trademarks was its use of famous guest villains. Everyone remembers Cesar Romero as the Joker and Burgess Meredith as the Penguin. But how many of these other star baddies can you name?
1. Roddy McDowall
2. Vincent Price
3. Joan Collins
4. Victor Buono
5. Van Johnson
6. Ethel Merman
7. Otto Preminger
8. Frank Gorshin
A. King Tut
B. Mr. Freeze
C. The Minstrel
D. The Bookworm
E. The Riddler
F. Lola Lasagna
G. Egghead
H. The Siren
Answers: 1-D; 2-G; 3-H; 4-A; 5-C; 6-F; 7-B; 8-E
Time Capsule: March 14, 1968
AT THE MOVIES: Bonnie and Clyde continues its run, nabbing 10 Oscar nods. It would win two.
AT BOOKSTORES: The Confessions of Nat Turner, William Styron's Pulitzer Prize winner, leads the best-seller list.
IN MUSIC: Otis Redding's ''(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay'' sits atop the charts.
AND IN THE NEWS: President Lyndon Johnson and candidate Richard Nixon continue their respective campaigns after wins in the New Hampshire presidential primary two days earlier. Two weeks later, LBJ will drop out.
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