Happy Anniversary TV Batman & Robin

by Tracey · Published January 12, 2015 · Updated February 9, 2019

I can’t believe it has been 49 years since the first Batman & Robin episode aired on ABC. I can believe it gained a place in Nielsen’s top 10 ratings in its first season. All of us kids were CRAZY about Batman & Robin. I remember my brother had a toy Batmobile! Now that was a car!!

And didn’t you just love Alfred and Aunt Harriet?

If you weren’t around for the TV Series, it was based on the DC Comics characters created by Bob Kane in 1939. Adam West starred as millionaire Bruce Wayne and his superhero alter ego, Batman. Burt Ward costarred as Dick Grayson/Robin (The Boy Wonder). There was an assortment of villains which included Cesar Romero (Joker); Eartha Kitt & Julie Newmar (Catwoman); Burgess Meredith (Penguin) and Frank Gorshin (Riddler). Other Batvillians were Archer to Zelda the Great! All Three Catwomen-all Three frozen Mr Freezes! The Archer , Bookworm, Black Widow, Catwoman, Chandel, Nora Clavicle, Egghead, False Face, King Tut, Ma Parker, Mad Hatter, Mr. Freeze, Pussycat, Puzzler, Sandman, and Zelda The Great!

The show was also know for great cameo appearances, especially those that popped out as Batman & Robin either climbed up or down the side of a building. Look for Jerry Lewis, Dick Clark, Green Hornet & Kato, Sammy Davis Jr., Jose Jimenez (Bill Dana), Detective Sam Stone (Felony Squad), Colonel Klink (Werner Klemperer), Lurch (Ted Cassidy), Don Ho, Andy Devine as Santa Claus, Art Linkletter, Edward G. Robinson, Suzy Knickerbocker, and the Carpet King (not sure who he is).

Our Batman had no superpowers. But he did have his Utility Belt full of Bat Accessories. He had his trusted Batarang, Bathooks, Batrope, and Bateverything else. The grandsons are SuperHero Crazy! Last year they told me that they didn’t have a bat cave so what would any good Grandma do? Well of course, I made them one. We created a Batman Utility Belt and a Robin Utility Belt. They loved it all!

The Batman I grew up with might of been cheesy and watching the Batman Movie last weekend with my grandsons – I must say down right stupid. BUT we loved one of our first televised Super Heroes.