1/12/66 Party

General goings on in the 1966 Batman World

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Keith Mayo
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1/12/66 Party

Post by Keith Mayo »

"It's the very essence of our democracy". - Batman, S1 Ep 11
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Jim Akin
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Re: 1/12/66 Party

Post by Jim Akin »

Great find! That sure looks like fun. It's interesting that Burgess Meredith made the scene in civilian garb. Partygoers would have to wait another week to see his debut as Pengy, so I suppose showing up in costume would have been a spoiler—not to mention putting a crimp in his dance moves.

Less surprising is Bob Kane, taking credit for the Carmine Infantino/Murphy Anderson Batman poster. :)

You can almost make it out from a matchbook in one of the shots, but the venue, Harlow's, was located at 242 E. 79th St. in NYC. Within a few years, the discotheque would be renamed Play Street, but New York Magazine still saw fit, in its April 1972 issue, to note that it was "formerly Harlow's." Today, the space houses a restaurant called Sojourn.
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BatMite
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Re: 1/12/66 Party

Post by BatMite »

I don’t suppose there’s anyway to learn the name of the band?
artbat123
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Re: 1/12/66 Party

Post by artbat123 »

The only thing that's weird about this was a party on 1/12/66 in which multiple celebrities attended and showing both parts of the pilot episode.. Were there other parties beside this one? I also notice that the posters that were used at this party were mass produced during the first season. Could this party have taken place at a different date?
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Jim Akin
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Re: 1/12/66 Party

Post by Jim Akin »

artbat123 wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 10:43 pm The only thing that's weird about this was a party on 1/12/66 in which multiple celebrities attended and showing both parts of the pilot episode.
How do you know they showed both parts of the pilot? The 7:30 pm time posted on the outdoor poster made me think they just showed the TV broadcast.
artbat123 wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 10:43 pmWere there other parties beside this one?
A Hollywood premiere event would have seemed in order, but if there was one, the main cast didn't participate. In his book, Adam recalls picking up snacks to watch the first episode at home, hearing kids at the supermarket saying how excited they were about Batman, and realizing things were about to change for him in a big way.
artbat123 wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 10:43 pmI also notice that the posters that were used at this party were mass produced during the first season. Could this party have taken place at a different date?
The Getty Images archive lists the "shoot date" for the images as Jan. 12, 1966. The records could be off, but the timing makes sense. The "Batman is coming" tagline on the party balloons is from a teaser ad campaign that led up to the show's debut. And the dancer's lack of a TV-style batsuit suggests 1966 Batmania hadn't ignited yet. By February 1966 a Batman-themed nightclub called "Wayne Manor" had opened in northern California, complete with a go-go dancer in a (bad) TV-style batsuit; by Halloween 1966, costumes based on the TV suit were everywhere.)
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