THE NEWADVENTURES OF BAMTAN
(CBS, February 12-May
28, 1977)
Filmation Associates, DC Comics
MAIN CAST:
Lennie Weinrib – Commissioner
James Gordon, Joker, Penguin/Oswald Cobblepott, Mr. Freeze/Victor
Friese, Electro, Chameleon, Zarbor,
Clayface/Matt Hagen, Moonman/Scott
Rogers, Professor Bubbles, Sweet Tooth
For the history of Batman, check out the post here.
Almost a decade after The
Adventures of Batman aired as part of the The Batman/Superman Hour,
Batman returned to Filmation’s hands for his second solo cartoon in The New
Adventures of Batman. Until that point, he was only appearing in Hanna-Barbera’s Super
Friends franchise with other members of DC Comics’ Justice League. With both shows on at the same time, it became the first
time that a single character appeared in two programs on rival networks
concurrently.
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| Bat-Mite and Batgirl join Batman and Robin. |
Filmation essentially
created a sequel to two shows in one. The new show utilized the same character
models from their previous one reflecting the art style of comic artist Dick Sprang while updating them slightly to reflect advancements in
animation during the decade between; including rotoscoping various stock
actions such as running, jumping and swinging to make them appear fluid. The
most distinguishing feature of the series was the fact that the “R” on Robin’s
chest had its colors inverted.
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| Sweet Tooth: the original candy crusher. |
However, new elements also
tied it into the live-action Batman series. The major connection was the casting of Adam
West and Burt Ward in the roles of Batman and Robin, respectively. Olan Soule and Casey Kasem, who had
originated the animated roles for Filmation, were currently under contract
with Hanna-Barbera for Super
Friends. Additionally, the entrance to the Batcave was shown as being two
poles hidden behind a bookcase in Wayne Manor, whereas in the original cartoon
just cut to the inside of the cave via a bat-graphic.Coming at a time
when the Batman comics were undergoing a revitalization to bring the character
back to his darker roots, the series stood out as being decidedly lighter and
fun in tone. However, while the show itself may have had elements of the camp Batman was known for, West and Ward
played their roles comparatively straighter than they had previously.
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| The ultimate obsessed fanboy. |
Picking up the comedy slack
for the dynamic duo, as well as fulfilling Filmation’s penchant for diminutive
comical characters, was the inclusion of a new character to animation: Bat-Mite
(Lou Scheimer, utilizing a harmonizer to achieve his impish pitch). Bat-Mite
first appeared in Detective Comics #267 (1959) by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff, at a time when DC’s comics were taking a more
science-fiction approach. He was a child-like imp from the 5th dimension
who considered himself Batman’s biggest fan, and therefore always appeared in
his own version of Batman’s costume. His advanced technology gave him the
appearance of having near-limitless powers. Much like in the comics, Bat-Mite
would constantly appear on the show desiring to help Batman on his cases, but
usually ended up causing problems and chaos with his mischievous ways.
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| Incoming Bat-Message morality lesson, Bat-Fans! |
Another holdover from
the Batman era was the inclusion of Barbara Gordon, aka
Batgirl (Melendy Britt). Like the previous series, she was the city’s District
Attorney rather than the librarian as she was portrayed on Batman and
in the comics. Her character model was also updated to cover her neck with her
costume, whereas the previous show featured it exposed. Her father, police
commissioner James Gordon (Lennie Weinrib) also returned, but this time with
the white hair and mustache he had in the comics. Noticeably absent was Bruce
Wayne’s faithful butler and father figure, Alfred Pennyworth, making this the only Batman
adaptation not to future the character. Present,
however, was Filmation’s customary morality lesson in the last minute of the
show dubbed a “Bat-Message.”
 |
| Penguin, Clayface, Catwoman and Joker. |
Like the previous series, the villains were a
combination of established Batman foes and ones created specifically for the show.
Catwoman (Britt), The Joker, Mr. Freeze and The Penguin (all played by Weinrib)
all made appearances, joined by Sweet Tooth, a sweets-themed villain; Dr.
Devious, a diminutive mad scientist; Zarbor, an evil version of Bat-Mite; and
Chameleon, Devious’ android who could turn into vehicles and metal objects (all
also Weinrib). Catwoman would receive a new costume exclusive the show with a
better cat-theme design, while Penguin lost his trademarked cigarette due to
newly enacted rules in children’s television. Because of their use in Super Friends, Scarecrow and the Riddler
were unable to appear on the show; however, Riddler did make an appearance in
the opening titles (albeit in a pink costume) and was referenced to in an
episode. Making his animated debut was Clayface, aka Matt Hagen (Scheimer at
first, then Weinrib), who needed to take a special formula to gain shape-shifting
powers.
The New Adventures of Batman began on CBS on February 2, 1977 and ran for a single season. Unlike
the previous series, DC writers weren’t involved with the scripting duties. It
was written in-house by Len
Janson, Chuck Menville, Mark
Fink, Arthur H. Nadel, Bill
Danch, and Jim Ryan, with music by Ray
Ellis and Norm Prescott (as Yvette Blais and Jeff Michael, respectively). In the
following years, it aired as reruns paired with other Filmation programs. It
was seen with Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle as part of The
Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour (which initially planned to have West and Ward
appear in live-action wraparound segments) and was joined by the Super 7 in an extended ninety-minute
block called Tarzan and the Super 7 until 1980. Beginning
in 1980, New Adventures moved to NBC with Super
7 in a block called Batman and the Super 7. In Japan,
the series was broadcast with a different opening utilizing more clips from the
show and an all-new theme song.
West and Ward would return
to portray their characters in live-action one last time in Legends of
the Superheroes: two one-hour specials produced by Hanna-Barbera for NBC in
1979 loosely based on their Super Friends franchise. While
those would prove to be the last outing for Ward until two direct-to-video
animated movies based on the live series in 2016 and 2017, West would go on to
replace Soule as Batman in the last two versions of Super Friends. Homage
to the series would be paid in The
New Batman Adventures episode “Legends
of the Dark Knight,” which utilized the same character designs and style for a
segment. The Bat-computer’s bat-shaped design served as the inspiration for the
Batwave in The
Batman. The villain Sweet Tooth also went on to make an appearance
on Batman:
The Brave and the Bold, as well as in Team Starkid’s
musical “Holy
Musical B@man!” Brave and the Bold would
become the new frequent home of Bat-Mite, voiced by Paul Reubens, following additional comic appearances and a semi-cameo
in Batman:
the Animated Series episode “Deep Freeze”, voiced by
Pat Fraley.
 |
| The DVD cover. |
In
2007, Warner Home Video released the complete series to DVD with a bonus
retrospective detailing the creation of the series. The episode “The Pest” was
included on the compilation DVD Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1970s Volume 1 in 2009, and again in the entire compilation collection in 2018. Also in 2018, the
series was re-released
as a double-feature with Filmation’s first series, The
New Adventures of Superman.
EPISODE GUIDE:
“The Pest” (2/12/77) – Joker disguises himself as the inventor of a
hydrogen-powered car in order to steal it.
“The Moonman” (2/19/77) – Astronaut Scott Rogers is infected by space
waves that turn him into the Moonman during a full moon.
“Trouble Identity”(2/26/77) – Catwoman disguises herself as Batgirl in
order to frame her for the theft of a machine that changes trash into fabric.
“A Sweet Joke on Gotham City” (3/5/77) – Sweet Tooth holds Gotham
City’s water supply ransom by transforming it into chocolate syrup.
“The Bermuda Rectangle” (3/12/77) – Professor Bubbles captures ships
carrying weapon pieces he can use to take over the world.
“Bite-Sized” (3/19/77) – Electro shrinks Batman and Robin and uses
mind-control to have them steal for him.
“Reading, Writing & Wronging” (3/26/77) – Penguin starts a school
to teach teens to steal for him, leading to the theft of Batman’s utility belt.
“The Chameleon” (4/2/77) – A shape-shifting android plans to shut down
Gotham’s lunar/solar collector.
“He Who Laughs Last” (4/9/77) – Joker escapes from prison and leaves a
series of clues for Batman linked to his various crimes.
“The Deep Freeze” (4/16/77) – To prove himself Batman’s most powerful
foe, Mr. Freeze steals a nuclear submarine to commit crimes around the world.
“Dead Ringers” (4/23/77) – Clayface hires a circus acrobat to pose as
Batman and Robin and steal an oil-locating device.
“Curses! Oiled Again!” (4/30/77) – Catwoman and Clayface hold the city’s
oil supply for ransom.
“Birds of a Feather Fool Around Together” (5/7/77) – Penguin uses his
crime-slime to turn people evil, including Batman and Robin.
“Have an Evil Day (1)” (5/14/77) – Clayface, Joker, Catwoman and
Penguin attack the city and Zarbor uses the distraction to steal all of Earth’s
nuclear power plants.
“Have an Evil Day (2)” (5/21/77) – Batman and Robin track Zarbor back
to his home planet and attempt to retrieve the power plants.
“This Looks Like A Job For Bat-Mite!” (5/28/77) – Zarbor uses a
mind-ray to turn Batman and Robin into the Crime Crusaders, leaving Bat-Mite to
save the day.
Originally posted in 2014. Updated in 2020.
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