TO THE BATPOLES #157: Adam West as Catman; False Face; and a Camp Question

General goings on in the 1966 Batman World

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bat-rss
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TO THE BATPOLES #157: Adam West as Catman; False Face; and a Camp Question

Post by bat-rss »

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Part of Adam West’s renaissance as a performer, once his fans were old enough to cast him in stuff, was voicing various versions of himself in cartoons. One of these was in Nickelodeon show The Fairly OddParents, in which “TV’s Adam West” was the famous actor who had played the hero “Catman” — but thought he really was Catman! This time we take a look at Adam’s appearances on the show.

Also:
  • The 7th issue of the Batman ’66 comic book, featuring False Face! Art by past Deconstructing Comics interviewee Christopher Jones.
  • One of the weirdest Batman theme versions we’ve found yet: Celio Balona's "Tema de Batman".
  • Get your tent and your Coleman stove; we’re going on another camping trip, this time exploring why the implausibilities of Batman ’66, and other shows of its time, may not fly with today's young-adult TV viewers;
  • We read your reaction to episode 154’s discussion of Batfink and Waldo Kitty;
  • And a few tidbits gleaned so far from our listener survey -- it's not too late to submit yours!
Listen here!
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-- The Joker, in a line cut from "The Joker's Epitaph"
rocketboy
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #157: Adam West as Catman; False Face; and a Camp Question

Post by rocketboy »

Don't forget when Adam West met Johnny Bravo. Johnny also met Donny Osmond and Mystery Inc.
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Dan E Kool
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #157: Adam West as Catman; False Face; and a Camp Question

Post by Dan E Kool »

Did you guys record this podcast just for me?

So I guess this is the part where I come out of the age closet and admit that I was the target demographic for Fairly Oddparents in its original run c. 2001.

While some of the quicker one-liners definitely went over my head back then, I'll disagree with the notion that all of the '66 Batman gags were just for my parents. My friends and I understood who Adam West was and why his Catman character acted the way he did. I remember seeing Adam West's name in the opening credits and being amazed they'd gotten such a 'big star' on one of my favorite cartoons. The idea that West might have had a dry spell in his career never occurred to my 11-year-old mind. He was Batman, after all.

Of course, I haven't seen Oddparents in almost 20 years, so hearing you guys go through them brought back some fun memories. Thanks! I just watched one of the Adam West episodes on YouTube and it's almost (but not quite) as good as I remembered.
Ah, nostalgia.

Even better than the Oddparents review, though, was Paul's editorial on the way camp is interpreted by different generations.

It doesn't surprise me to hear that something as mundane as a misaligned rear-projection shot of the Batmobile has essentially become unintentional camp. This essentially puts most every pre-2010 sitcom smack dab into the campground. And that pleases me greatly.

I think Paul's students reacted so strongly to the inconsistency precisely because the rest of Batman's character is so consistent. For a generation that grew up with much higher (almost theatrical movie-like) production values, there's no reason for Batman to be driving in such an uncharacteristically reckless manner.

What does surprise me, though, is that Paul's students didn't accept this mistake as part of the greater camp sensibilities that make '66 Batman what it is.

In other words, I'm not surprised that they noticed it. But I am surprised that it bothered them. Inconsistencies are expected in a camp production. Singling them out is counter to what makes camp enjoyable.

I do wonder what the impact of watching the show in HD Blu-Ray as opposed to a small CRT makes, though. Maybe the addition of these minor production gaffes takes away from the intentional camping. I doubt these things were so readily noticed in the past.

Lastly, loved the intro theme cover for this episode. Easily one of the most unique in a long while.
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High C
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #157: Adam West as Catman; False Face; and a Camp Question

Post by High C »

Paul, that was an interesting camp session. Here is what I say about it. Yes, the younger people, Generation Z or what-have-you, have a fair point about how there were a ton of coincidences and inconsistencies and flat-out implausibilities in TV back then. No doubt about it, and I don't like a lot of them in Batman, including the supposed Jill St. John/Burt Ward switcheroo in the pilot. Point well-taken.

However, I would say this to those people. Maybe it's a recency bias, because I'm not sure things have gotten all that much better in the intervening years. OK, we have less of the 'person gets into one bank of elevators just before person who needed to see that other person emerges from the other bank of elevators' and 'Mr. Roper overhears Jack Tripper and completely misinterprets the conversation' sort of stuff, but...

I know we're talking movies and not TV, but watch, say, the Dark Knight Batman movie with Heath Ledger as Joker or No Country For Old Men and start counting the coincidences/implausibilities for so-called 'gritty realism' movies. You'll run out of fingers and toes very quickly.

And on TV, is is it just me, or does every crimefighter, whether official or superhero, have that one person on their 'team,' who can hack into ANY computer system in 22 seconds flat? And speaking of which---hey you kids, get off my lawn there, I just got rid of the crabgrass--uh, what was I saying again???--oh yeah, I know this isn't necessarily germane to the original point, but...

I know 1966 Batman had Robin and Alfred, but wow, many of today's superheroes seem to have more people helping them than the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. And it's not all that compelling. 'The team' dynamic that I referred to before (and yes, I know about the JLA) keeps salaries under control I suppose, but it doesn't make for riveting TV, IMO. Makes things very talky when the hero/heroine has to discuss things ad nauseam with the rest of his/her 'team' before even thinking about confronting the baddie.

I suppose what I mean is that every generation of media consumer has complaints about the way the product is packaged. I don't like the way TV is today. The serialization of TV means everything is meant to binge, everything is meant to 'set up' the next thing. I'll admit--I HATED the lack of continuity in 1960s TV, in which everything re-sets to zero the next week. (Case in point--Uhura's mind is supposedly 'wiped clean' by Nomad the roaming computer, and a week later, she's fine.)

I wish we could have something like the 1980s, in which you had the transition from the 1960s-70s to today--momentum and developing plotlines, but you still could watch an individual episode and enjoy it for what it was and not feel cheated. So many individual episodes today feel like filler because they exist to set up the big SEASON FINALE or MID-SEASON FINALE or somesuch. And don't get me started on the idiotic idea of sitcoms having cliffhanger finales. Dumb.
'I thought Siren was perfect for Joan.'--Stanley Ralph Ross, writer of 'The Wail of the Siren'

My hobbies include gazing at the Siren and doing her bidding, evil or otherwise.

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High C
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #157: Adam West as Catman; False Face; and a Camp Question

Post by High C »

I also should add that implausibilities and plot holes are still such a thing that a YouTube channel, Screen Rant, has a running feature called Pitch Meeting. It's by far their most popular video series on YT and it's pretty funny. I'll admit I'm a fan of it. It stars an actor named Ryan George. He plays both parts, a writer pitching a movie and a producer, and the point is to show all the dumb plot points and inconsistencies in movies. They've skewered over 200 movies.
'I thought Siren was perfect for Joan.'--Stanley Ralph Ross, writer of 'The Wail of the Siren'

My hobbies include gazing at the Siren and doing her bidding, evil or otherwise.

'She had a devastating, hypnotic effect on all the men.'--A schoolmate describing Joan Collins at age 17
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Jimmy L. 66
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #157: Adam West as Catman; False Face; and a Camp Question

Post by Jimmy L. 66 »

High C wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 4:54 pm I also should add that implausibilities and plot holes are still such a thing that a YouTube channel, Screen Rant, has a running feature called Pitch Meeting. It's by far their most popular video series on YT and it's pretty funny. I'll admit I'm a fan of it. It stars an actor named Ryan George. He plays both parts, a writer pitching a movie and a producer, and the point is to show all the dumb plot points and inconsistencies in movies. They've skewered over 200 movies.
Great point about the 'Scooby Gang' aspect of the modern super hero show High C. The CW shows, that I am both fortunate that I get to cover and Unfortunate that I have to watch, are most guilty of this. So much so that no one really gets a chance to speak because there are so many characters on screen trying to help the hero. Just packing the screen with lush young faces to attract a certain demo.

I am also a pretty big fan of the Pitch Meeting series, some of you fella might be as well.
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High C
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #157: Adam West as Catman; False Face; and a Camp Question

Post by High C »

Jimmy L. 66 wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 3:14 pm I am also a pretty big fan of the Pitch Meeting series, some of you fella might be as well.
Posting links to YouTube is tight.

I hope you didn't go to too much trouble finding it.
'I thought Siren was perfect for Joan.'--Stanley Ralph Ross, writer of 'The Wail of the Siren'

My hobbies include gazing at the Siren and doing her bidding, evil or otherwise.

'She had a devastating, hypnotic effect on all the men.'--A schoolmate describing Joan Collins at age 17
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Dan E Kool
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #157: Adam West as Catman; False Face; and a Camp Question

Post by Dan E Kool »

High C wrote: Thu Apr 22, 2021 9:07 am Paul, that was an interesting camp session. Here is what I say about it. Yes, the younger people, Generation Z or what-have-you, have a fair point about how there were a ton of coincidences and inconsistencies and flat-out implausibilities in TV back then. No doubt about it, and I don't like a lot of them in Batman, including the supposed Jill St. John/Burt Ward switcheroo in the pilot. Point well-taken.
Paul can correct me if I'm wrong here, but my impression is that his students were reacting to the way that the production mistake forced an inconsistency onto Batman's character, rather than any implausibility of driving on the wrong side of the road.

I'm curious how his students reacted to the rest of the show. Did the camp humor completely fly over their heads? Were they able to enjoy it as a farce at all?

It's an interesting contrast to the reactions of college-aged audiences in 1966. I wonder how much of that is a result of the very different Batman they grew up with. There might've been a nostalgic quality to Dozier's Batman for audiences of the time, who'd read the comic books or seen the serials. Audiences today are totally disconnected from any version of Batman like that.

Or maybe it's the tone in general. Media of the past 20 years is generally darker and more serious than anything produced 60 years ago. Maybe growing up that way just sucks all the fun out of you. :D
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artemisknab
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #157: Adam West as Catman; False Face; and a Camp Question

Post by artemisknab »

Regarding the Batman 66 comic, I have no problem with stories that could never have been made as episodes of the show. I say use the comics medium to its fullest extent, I'm really there for the tone and characters and they mostly get those right in the issues I've read. After getting through Season 3 of the show and seeing the Empty Black Soundstage of Cost Savings over and over again, I'm happy to see some exciting set pieces, even if they're only on the page.
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