Fourth Season Myth

General goings on in the 1966 Batman World

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Keith Mayo
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by Keith Mayo »

BATWINGED HORNET wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 3:33 pm
Big Daddy K wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 1:29 pm Screen Gems also did Batfink.
Batfink was a cartoon (which Screen Gems did not produce) not an expensive live action series. Screen Gems' most successful productions were sitcoms; in addition to the series mentioned in my previous post, this is the same studio that released Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, among other series. That's where the profits were for the studio, not fantasy. Aside from that, why would any studio want to pick up the tab on a series that had long outlived its appeal a year eariler?
To answer your question BH, beats me.
I just thought it was interesting that in the discussion Screen Gems was mentioned.
"It's the very essence of our democracy". - Batman, S1 Ep 11
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Bob Furmanek
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by Bob Furmanek »

Wham-O (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wham-O) produced the show in an effort to promote toys.

Screen Gems picked up BATFINK on March 8, 1967:
Batfink 3.8.67.JPG
Batfink 3.8.67.JPG (32.52 KiB) Viewed 6676 times
Batfink 3.16.67.JPG
Batfink 3.16.67.JPG (38.64 KiB) Viewed 6675 times
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Keith Mayo
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by Keith Mayo »

We sure had a lot of "finks" in my childhood. Rat Finks, Bat Finks and Fine Feathered Finks. 😁
"It's the very essence of our democracy". - Batman, S1 Ep 11
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BatMite
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by BatMite »

How exactly did BATFINK "create a market" for WHAM-O's toys? Were the toys featured in the cartoon? Does anyone know?
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Keith Mayo
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by Keith Mayo »

BatMite wrote: Wed May 02, 2018 6:27 pm How exactly did BATFINK "create a market" for WHAM-O's toys? Were the toys featured in the cartoon? Does anyone know?
I found this at http://tralfaz.blogspot.com/2018/01/hot ... tfink.html

"Frank Buxton had one other career. As odd as it seems for someone involved with Peabody-winning children’s programming, he starred in a syndicated TV cartoon show, the stiffly-animated Batfink. The series by Hal Seeger Productions was originally distributed in early 1967 by Mission Productions, the TV arm of WHAM-O, the toy maker, before Screen Gems took over to sell the show in more cities and cash in on its exclusive merchandising rights. A deal had closed to sell Hanna-Barbera to Taft Broadcasting, meaning Screen Gems needed to find new cartoon characters to push. Suffice it to say, I have serious doubts that Batfink won a Peabody. Incidentally, after finishing Batfink in June 1967, Seeger turned its attentions (according to Variety) to producing cartoon series called Wilbur the Wanted and Mr. E. Whether Buxton was involved in these, I don’t know."
"It's the very essence of our democracy". - Batman, S1 Ep 11
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Jim Akin
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by Jim Akin »

I'd have never guessed there were 100 Batfink cartoons, but I've seen more than a few of them. There was never any Wham-O product placement that I can recall. Of course, there was never any cereal in Bullwinkle cartoons, either, but General Mills produced them as a vehicle for selling Cheerios.

Batfink was kind of a hybrid spoof of Batman and Green Hornet. Batfink was an actual bat, with bulletproof wings. His sidekick was a big Asian human guy named "Karate," who did well, karate—and also drove the batfinkmobile. (I dunno if that's really what they called the car.)

Part of Batfink's schtick was to wrap himself in his invulnerable wings when bad guys shot at him. His catchphrase (at least the only one I recall) was "Your bullets cannot harm me. My wings are like a shield of steel!"

I wonder if Greenway ever pursued any legal action. I think it would've been hard to prove any kind of infringement; parody is fair game, on the one hand. And there were material differences between Batman and Batfink on the other: Batfink had no secret identity, and he was a superpowered anthropmorphic animal. Aside from the "Bat-" name, I don't think it was any more specifically a swipe of Batman than Super Chicken, Underdog, Atom Ant, Fearless Fly, etc. -- or Bob Kane's own self-ripoff, Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse.
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clavierankh
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by clavierankh »

I would say Batfink would fall under rules governing satire and parody.
elmrgraham
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by elmrgraham »

Batfink was all in good Cartoon Fun.
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Bob Furmanek
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by Bob Furmanek »

Here's the first episode:

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Keith Mayo
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by Keith Mayo »

STOP THE PRESSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I found the proof!!!!!! :-)
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"It's the very essence of our democracy". - Batman, S1 Ep 11
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High C
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by High C »

Nice photoshop, but The Wrath of Kahn?

'Kirk, this brisket is too fatty. I shall hound you to the ends of the galaxy until you make it a leaner cut!'
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clavierankh
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by clavierankh »

I notice McCoy is hitting on Batgirl.😁
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Keith Mayo
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by Keith Mayo »

clavierankh wrote: Mon Aug 27, 2018 7:48 pm I notice McCoy is hitting on Batgirl.😁
Well, his nickname was Bones after all. :-)
"It's the very essence of our democracy". - Batman, S1 Ep 11
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Keith Mayo
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by Keith Mayo »

High C wrote: Mon Aug 27, 2018 7:38 pm Nice photoshop, but The Wrath of Kahn?

'Kirk, this brisket is too fatty. I shall hound you to the ends of the galaxy until you make it a leaner cut!'
Done by the same guy - Paul Brady.
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"It's the very essence of our democracy". - Batman, S1 Ep 11
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Dr. Shimel
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Re: Fourth Season Myth

Post by Dr. Shimel »

"Batman, I'm a doctor..."
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