TO THE BATPOLES #202: British Batmania: A Slow Burn

General goings on in the 1966 Batman World

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bat-rss
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TO THE BATPOLES #202: British Batmania: A Slow Burn

Post by bat-rss »

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We Americans know that Batman was also popular in the United Kingdom (and many other countries), but there are differences in the level of popularity that was reached and how long it lasted, and also in terms of when “first run” of the show was there. 66 Batman Message Board co-admin Ben Bentley is, in fact, British, so we asked for his assistance in tackling this topic. Our discussion touches on the show’s second wind in the ‘70s, Batman references in The Avengers (as in Steed and Peel) and other British TV shows and commercials (on into the ’80s!), Adam West’s “Kerb Drill” traffic safety PSA, the Carpet King, whether British kids actually jumped from roofs because of Batman, and more.

Plus, the Piano AccoMan version of the theme, more of Adam talking with Conan O’Brien, and your reaction to Episode 199’s discussion of the Nora Clavicle script!

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"I'm half-demented with whimsical outrage!"
-- The Joker, in a line cut from "The Joker's Epitaph"
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Ben Bentley
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #202: British Batmania: A Slow Burn

Post by Ben Bentley »

Thanks again for having me!

Now this episode is out there in the universe, hopefully someone will come out of the woodwork and completely prove me wrong about the window-jumping PSA…
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BATWINGED HORNET
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #202: British Batmania: A Slow Burn

Post by BATWINGED HORNET »

Another interesting show, guys! Ben, thanks for shining light on the perception of the '66 series from non-American eyes. I know several people from the UK who were old enough to recall watching Batman when it was first distributed there, but they never go into the same kind of detail about its impact a Bat-fan would.

On the subject of TV series, commercials or episodes inspired by the '66 series, I immediately thought of one you guys missed--



From the 5th season of The Benny Hill Show (the Thames TV era) in a skit titled--appropriately enough--"Batman!", which aired on December 27, 1973. Note the cowl's design--clearly inspired by the '66 version.
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #202: British Batmania: A Slow Burn

Post by bat-rss »

Thanks, Hornet. I guess "Batman" has a double meaning here, but I'm not quite getting the other one...
"I'm half-demented with whimsical outrage!"
-- The Joker, in a line cut from "The Joker's Epitaph"
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Jim Akin
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #202: British Batmania: A Slow Burn

Post by Jim Akin »

bat-rss wrote: Thu May 04, 2023 11:52 pm I guess "Batman" has a double meaning here, but I'm not quite getting the other one...
I learned the alternate meaning in the dim pre-internet days (and before comics were included in legitimate library collections). When I tried looking up "Batman" in the index of any book or reference that seemed like it might yield info on the character or series, I was disappointed to find the lower-case-b definition of a "British military officer's valet or servant."

Coincidentally(?) there was an unlikely one-hit wonder on the British charts in 1967 with a title based on this definition: "I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" by Whistling Jack Smith. (Earworm alert.)

Incidentally, as heard in the Benny Hill clip, the military-valet usage of "batman" puts the emphasis on the first syllable, rather like the way Otto Preminger pronounces the name of the caped crusader.
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #202: British Batmania: A Slow Burn

Post by clavierankh »

From Wikipedia:
A batman or an orderly is a soldier or airman assigned to a commissioned officer as a personal servant. Before the advent of motorized transport, an officer's batman was also in charge of the officer's "bat-horse" that carried the officer's kit during a campaign.[1]

The British English term is derived from the obsolete bat, meaning "pack saddle" (from French bât, from Old French bast, from Late Latin bastum)[2]

The military term long predates the appearance of the fictional superhero
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #202: British Batmania: A Slow Burn

Post by bat-rss »

OK, interesting. Yeah, a joke that would definitely fly over the heads of most Americans. Thanks!
"I'm half-demented with whimsical outrage!"
-- The Joker, in a line cut from "The Joker's Epitaph"
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #202: British Batmania: A Slow Burn

Post by BatMite »

This of course proves nothing about the supposed PSA, Ben, but I find it interesting that there’s a quote attributed to Dozier confirming the incidents, if not the filmed footage itself.
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #202: British Batmania: A Slow Burn

Post by Scott Sebring »

BatMite wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 6:41 pm This of course proves nothing about the supposed PSA, Ben, but I find it interesting that there’s a quote attributed to Dozier confirming the incidents, if not the filmed footage itself.
That's really intriguing. Nice piece to dig up. What's it from,btw?
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #202: British Batmania: A Slow Burn

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Ben Bentley
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #202: British Batmania: A Slow Burn

Post by Ben Bentley »

BatMite wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 6:41 pm This of course proves nothing about the supposed PSA, Ben, but I find it interesting that there’s a quote attributed to Dozier confirming the incidents, if not the filmed footage itself.
Interesting stuff, Batmite! Thank you for sharing. As I said on the show, I'm eager to find any and all tangible evidence of this outside of the same old anecdotes.
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