Kapow! 1960s 'Batman' series released

A half-century ago, kids watching "Batman," the mid-1960s comic melodrama starring Adam West and Burt Ward, were mesmerized by the colors and the costumed fiends and the Batmobile and the "Bam!" "Sock!" "Kapow!" and "Wham!" graphics that accompanied fight scenes.

Today, the same viewers watching the newly released three-season DVD set of "Batman" are more likely to enjoy the witty, funny and occasionally downright weird one-liners that sailed above their heads 50 years ago.

Take the scene starring Burgess Meredith as the Penguin, defending himself in court when he turns toward Batman and shouts, "In the immortal words of Emile Zola, 'J'accuse!' "

Chances are that particular venture into 19th-century European history didn't ring a bell for most kids in the 1960s.

Today, it's one of dozens of unexpected delights awaiting shoppers willing to plunk down the admittedly hefty price (as much as to $270 on Blu-ray and $200 on DVD at suggested retail) as "Batman" makes its long-awaited debut on disc.

"Of course you'll find those things," West, 86, said in a recent interview. "We did it as a comedy. And, as you get older, you begin to get the gags. It was a social satire, for God's sake.

"The way he (Meredith) spoke the line, wasn't it wonderful? It was so much fun. " 'J'accuse, Batman!' He was great."

The mid-1960s "Batman," which was unavailable on DVD for years because of assorted rights issues, resides at the upper end of this year's flood of DVD and Blu-ray releases timed for holiday sales.

The comic tone might be jarring to a generation raised on the "Dark Knight" iteration of Batman as brooding anti-hero. West's Batman, as envisioned by executive producer William Dozier and executive story editor Lorenzo Semple Jr., was more akin to your eccentric rich uncle.

Accordingly, West was given - and delivered with a straight face underneath Batman's mask - such lines as, "I think you should acquire a taste for opera, Robin, as one does poetry and olives."

When, after a narrow escape from a cattle stampede, Burt Ward as Robin exclaimed, "Holy toreador!" Batman replied, "The word is matador, Robin. Toreador is a word of convenience used by Bizet in his classic opera 'Carmen.' "

There are more, of course. Pick a disc, any disc. (One particular favorite, given the heavy promotion of the Batman DVD set, is Police Commissioner Gordon's observation, "Is there no limit to the brazen effrontery of the press agent?")

Puns, anyone? When Barbara Gordon, the commissioner's daughter (and, secretly, Batgirl), commented on Robin's knowledge of the classics, Robin replied, "Batman teaches me a little poetry in between remanding criminals to jail." Batman's reply: "Enough prose and cons, Robin."

"The kids would have gotten some of the funny stuff, like seeing me save Robin by throwing him a Batarang that he caught in his teeth and me saying, 'You see, Robin, good dental hygiene,' " West said. "Those little homilies were great for the kids."

West said the campy Batman reflected the 1960s as the darker Batman suited the 1990s and 2000s.

"I think there is room for all," he said. "The amazing thing about Batman is that it can be played and presented on so many levels or universes. I could have played it seriously and probably would have enjoyed it, but I really prefer what we did. It has given people so much joy."

Actually, West sounds as if he would like to return to the Batman saga in another route, via the new Fox series "Gotham."

"I could come in the window right now and play Batman's father, helping the young Bruce Wayne out of some terrible dilemma that he can't deal with," West said. "Maybe I'll end up as a hologram."

Another enjoyable element, for viewers who haven't watched "Batman" in years (the show has been available in syndication) is the array of top-flight actors, including Meredith, Cesar Romero (as the Joker), Victor Buono (as King Tut), Frank Gorshin (as the Riddler) and Julie Newmar (as Catwoman), who enjoyed scenery-chewing roles as supervillains.

"They reacted in the best possible way," West said. "They understood the show. They understood comedy, which is very difficult if you don't think funny and don't have timing. These actors had it, and they had great energy."

West, of course, has been among the most faithful keepers of the Batman flame. A few years ago, he recorded his own series of commentaries and released them via his own website under the name "Adam West Naked."

"I had no idea they would finally get it together, so I decided to do my own humble little DVD," he said. "I revealed so many things about the show that nobody knew, just by sneaking around in my attic and basement with a camera on me and talking directly to the office."