The New Adventures of Batman was an animated series produced by Filmation in 1977 and broadcast on the CBS network from February 5, 1977 until May 21, 1977. It was a half an hour program, spanning a total of sixteen episodes. The series was presented and distributed in association with Warner Bros. Television.
The series featured the voice talents of Adam West and Burt Ward, both of whom portrayed the characters of Batman and Robin (respectively) in the live-action television series from 1966.
- West and Ward were the only two actors to reprise their roles for the animated series.
- The program also featured the voice talents of Lennie Weinrib who played the roles of Commissioner Gordon, the Joker and Mister Freeze.
- Lou Scheimer provided the voice for Bat-Mite, an impish character who made sporadic appearances in Batman and Detective Comics during the 1960s. Scheimer also lent his voice to the role of Clayface.
- Actress Melendy Britt played the role of Batgirl and Catwoman.
Although the program aired at the same time as the more popular Hanna-Barbera produced, Super Friends, it is a matter of interpretation whether or not the two shows were intended to reflect the same continuity.
One important distinction between the two, is that Ward and West did not provide the voice for Batman and Robin on the SuperFriends at this time. West however, would eventually return to the SuperFriends franchise in 1984 for the 5th Season, SuperFriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show.
Cast[]
V o i c e A c t o r | R o l e |
Adam West | Batman / Bruce Wayne |
Burt Ward | Robin / Dick Grayson |
Melendy Britt | Batgirl / Barbara Gordon |
Lou Scheimer | Bat-Mite Bat-Computer |
Lennie Weinrib | Commissioner Gordon |
Villains | |
Melendy Britt | Catwoman |
Lou Scheimer Lennie Weinrib |
Clayface |
Lennie Weinrib | The Joker The Penguin Mr. Freeze Electro Chameleon Zarbor Moonman Professor Bubbles Sweet Tooth |
DVD Info[]
- In July of 2007, The New Adventures of Batman was released on a two-disk DVD collection containing all sixteen episodes.
Notes[]
- The New Adventures of Batman (1977) was the second Batman animated series produced by Filmation. The first was produced in 1968-1969.
- The character designs for most of the characters (except Commissioner Gordon and Catwoman) were retained from the earlier series, although the more sophisticated animation technique of rotoscoping (tracing the characters' movements over live action footage) was used to give the characters a more fluid movement.
- Each episode also contained a short, moralistic "Bat Message" at the end.
- The villains known as Sweet Tooth and Electro were created exclusively for The New Adventures of Batman animated series. To date, no comic book counterpart to either of these characters has been seen in print.
- The Joker was often accompanied by a laughing hyena, which he affectionately named Giggles. Giggles is a character unique to the animated series and has no mainstream comic book counterpart.
- The Riddler was shown in the opening credits but never appeared in any of the episodes. This was because Hanna-Barbera held the rights to use The Riddler, Scarecrow, and Solomon Grundy for "Challenge of the SuperFriends" (1978).
- The "R" on Robin's costume gets redesigned for this series. The "R" here is a black R on a yellow circle. On "The Batman/Superman Hour" (1968) and various versions of The "SuperFriends" (1973-1985) it was a yellow R on a black circle.
- The anime theme song and ending credits song of this series was done by the J-pop girl group Sue Cream Sue. This version of the theme and ending credits were only seen in Japan.
The episodes from this series were later aired along with other Filmation shows.
Seasons depicted are meant to reflect continuity for fans of The New Adventures of Batman, not actual seasons:
Season 1:[]
The New Adventures of Batman (1977, CBS)
This show only ran one season under the name The New Adventures of Batman (February 5, 1977 - May 21, 1977).
Batman episodes[]
- The Pest
- The Moonman
- Trouble Identity
- A Sweet Joke on Gotham City
- The Bermuda Rectangle
- Bite Sized
- Reading, Writing & Wronging
- The Chameleon
- He Who Laughs Last
- The Deep Freeze
- Dead Ringers
- Curses! Oiled Again!
- Birds Of A Feather Fool Around Together
- Have An Evil Day, Part One
- Have An Evil Day, Part Two
- This Looks Like A Job For Bat-Mite!
Season 2:[]
The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour (1977–1978 CBS)
In the second season, Tarzan was added to the mix. The second season premiered September 10, 1977 and ran for one hour.
It consisted of the second season of Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle and re-runs of The New Adventures of Batman.
Season 3:[]
Tarzan and the Super 7 (1978–1980 CBS)
For the 1978–1980 seasons the series was retitled Tarzan and the Super 7 and expanded to ninety-minutes with additional content. This third season premiered September 9, 1978. The show was an updating of the Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour. That series featured separate half hour episodes for each hero, with each show having its own opening and closing credits.
The seven separate installments were:
1. Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle
- The Tarzan segment featured the Edgar Rice Bourogh character of the same name. It's uncertain if it shared continuity with the Batman episodes but at the time there was a 'Tarzan' series from DC Comics.[1]
2. The New Adventures of Batman
- For this third season, Batman became just one of the elements of Tarzan and the Super Seven. This ran until 1980 when Batman, who was used to having his name in the title of his shows, negotiated out of his contract with CBS and bolted for NBC. Taking Robin, Batgirl, and Batmite with him, he starred in Batman and the Super 7, which aired for one season.
3. The Freedom Force (TV Series)
- Episodes with the Freedom Force — Isis, Super-Samurai, Sinbad, Merlin, and Hercules:
4. Jason of Star Command
- Jason of Star Command was a live-action segment that featured science fiction stories starring Jason, in the far future. Other than the fact that the segment is part of a show that features Batman, it doesn't seem to be part of the Earth-1A universe. But it's difficult to say for sure.
5. Manta and Moray
6. Superstretch and Microwoman
- Superstretch and Microwoman is another superhero segment that may or may not be part of the Earth-1A universe.
7. Web Woman
Season 4:[]
Batman and the Super 7 (1980–1981, NBC);The Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour (1980-1981, CBS).
Season 4A:[]
For the 1980–1981 seasons, NBC ran repeat episodes under the title of Batman and the Super 7. This hour long series featured all of the original ‘Super 7’ segments except Jason of Star Command and Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle.
Season 4B:[]
Tarzan was still airing reruns on CBS as part of The Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour (1980–1981).
Lone Ranger episodes[]
- Hanga, the Night Monster
- The Yellowstone Conspiracy
- The Escape
- The Great Balloon Race
- The President Plot
- Tall Timber
- Blowout
- The Abduction of Tom Sawyer
- The Silver Mine
- The Valley of Gold
- The Wildest Wild West Show
- The Black Mare
- The Renegade
- The Great Land Rush
- The Memory Trap
- The Runaway
Season 5:[]
During the 1981-1982 season, Zorro was added along with Tarzan and the Lone Ranger to the show, and the show became known as The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour.
Zorro episodes[]
- Three is a Crowd
- Flash Flood
- The Blockade
- The Frame
- Turnabout
- The Tyrant
- Terremoto
- The Trap
- Fort Ramon
- The Takeover
- Double Trouble
- The Conspiracy
- The Mysterious Traveler
Lone Ranger episodes[]
- Photo Finish
- Walk a Tight Wire
- High and Dry
- The Ghost Wagons
- The Great Train Treachery
- Blast-Out
- Renegade Roundup
- Front Page Cover-Up
- Unnatural Disaster
- Showdown on the Midnight Queen
- Banning's Raiders
- The Long Drive
References[]
- ↑ Go to The Tarzan Wiki for more information about Tarzan.