Gotham City 14 Miles: 14 Essays on Why the 1960s Batman TV Series Matters

You’ll get a kick out of these essays if you were a fan of the Batman 60’s series.

I had to check this out since as a fan of the TV Batman, the first version of the character I ever saw, I always appreciate a chance to see the show placed more in context and to see some revisionism aimed in the direction of those who think some uber-dark interpretation of the character is somehow the true standard. When it's a collection of essays, you do have to brace yourself for the fact that you'll probably like some more than others and this book proves no exception to that which is why I can only give it three stars overall. It's worth having, but for me the good was very good and the not so good was very hard to get through.First, the good. Peter Sanderson's "The 1960s Batman TV Series From Comics To Screen." This is an outstanding five star essay that not only provides important context for what comic stories were used in the show's first season, but also provides important background on the general history of the Batman comic book in the preceding decade that helps make for a strong case that the direction the TV show was going in at the start, reflected more of the improved tone in the comics than people realize. I also was glad to see cleared up the mystery of why two random comic stories from the 50s (the Joker one and the Mr. Freeze one) were adapted for Season 1, and the fact that they had just been reprinted at the same time the other stories used for the series appeared explained things perfectly.I also wanted to say a hearty THANK YOU for James Beard's essay comparing the TV Batman of Season 1 with the character as it originally appeared in the early issues of Detective Comics. His point that the character itself was NOT this dark brooding one, and how that is solely the invention of 1970s writers, is a point I've wanted to see made for a long time ever since I started reading the reprints of early Batman that have been released the last few years. While it's true the mood was darker with more violence Batman himself was a man comfortable in his own skin and prone to making wisecracks everytime he got in a fight. It was all too easy for me to envision Adam West's voice coming out of this early Batman. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks that! This too is a five star winner that along with Sanderson's essay justifies the entire book.Unfortunately after these two, I didn't experience quite the same thrill level except for Will Murray's "The Demise Of Batman" that looks on the problems of Season 3 (though I think "Surf's Up" is easier to take as an episode just because of it's silly "Spock's Brain" quality. There are far worse episodes from that year IMO, and the problems IMO started with the ineffective Batgirl debut episode). Other essays were on topics that don't interest me too much and were more a matter of subjective taste issues. However, I have to take a word to say something about Jennifer Stuller's "The Best Dressed Women In Gotham City". I'll leave aside the fact that she didn't find space to mention the character of the Siren at any time (the only real bright spot of S3 IMO) but she also makes a general comment about women in TV in the 1960s, specifically black women on TV that can not go unchallenged:"Actress Nichelle Nichols co-created her own landmark TV character, Lt. Nyota Uhura, with Gene Roddenberry, for his Star Trek (1966-69), and SHE BECAME THE FIRST BLAK WOMAN ON TV IN A NON-STEREOTYPED ROLE. RACIST AND SEXIST PREJUDICE FROM NETWORK EXECUTIVES DIMINISHED HER SCREEN TIME....." emphasis mine).Okay, time-out. There are two things wrong with this statement and what infuriates me about them, is that it's clear that Stuller is reciting some long-after-the fact cliche and not basing it on any actual knowledge of what TV was like at the time. It's just a nice conveniently pat comment that serves a broader agenda purpose of the article but the problem is neither part of her comment is true.Let's start with the first part, the insistence that Uhura (she was never called Nyota on the show at the time or in any press releases; that's an invention of Trek fandom) was the first "non-stereotyped" black woman on TV in a regular role. That will come as quite a surprise to anyone who saw the 1963-64 drama "East Side, West Side" in which Cicely Tyson, a far more talented performer than Nichelle Nichols was, had a recurring role as social worker Jane Foster. And second, if network executives were such racists about black women on TV, then how did Diahann Carroll get a *starring* role in her own sitcom, "Julia" the following year? If Stuller wants to show some credibility on her broader subject, the least she can do is demonstrate that she knows more about what was on TV in the 60s beyond the usual realm of cult favorite shows. Once I read this nonsense, I had no use for what followed. At the end of it though, I noted the irony in her recalling the 1972 PSA spot of Yvonne Craig, Burt Ward and Dick Gautier on "Equal Pay." The reason that's ironic is because William Dozier's files now reveal that Yvonne Craig in fact got double what Burt Ward was being paid in Season 3 despite the fact that she hadn't been responsible at all for the program's initial success!"Notes On Bat-Camp" didn't do anything for me either and was poorly structured IMO. For the most part, I'm glad that subject didn't dominate the overall tone of the book since too much has been written about it.These were my own subjective reactions overall, and despite the fact I didn't enjoy every essay the book as a whole IMO is worth a purchase. I appreciate the effort of those who put it together.

Jim does a marvelous job of corralling all these cats...err, bats, in a fabulous 14 miles cruise down memory lane. Even the biggest Bat -Fan stands to learn something new from this look at the series. As I mentioned, a must read for any fan of our beloved Batman TV show. Some information is repeated, but through the eyes of different writers with an interesting take on the info. It will earn a spot on your shelve next to West's 'Back to the Batcave' and Ward's 'My Life in Tights.'

My boys (6 and 8) recently discovered the TV show, but I hadn't seen it in years. Suffice to say, we're enjoying the show on different levels: I enjoy the camp and cheese factor, but they take it take it fairly seriously ("But WHY did the Archer put his own picture on the counterfeir moeny, Dad???").This book takes the series seriously as a cultural phenomenon of its time (which it undoubtedly was), while acknowledging the campiness of it all. This is no poorly put-together fanboy book (like some of the Batman books out there), but some well-thought-out essays on the series (and the accompanying movie). Some more pictures would ahve been nice, but ultimately that isn't a problem.And my kids LOVE the chronological episode guide in the appendix.

Jim's books deliver lots of knowledge and provoking analogy of the series .. I find 90% of it very intriguing and he obviously has the passion we all did that loved the series.

While some material gets repeated due to the short run of the series, I found the book interesting. It led me to rewatch the film and episodes of the third season. What more could you want from a collection of essays?

Like any essay collection with various authors, the quality of this collection is hit-or-miss. The enjoyable essays, for me, dealt with the show's impact on visual arts and its struggles to depict the youth movements of the Sixties. Women were given opportunities on the show, despite the uneasiness the show seemed to have with the breakdown in traditional "roles" for women in society (not just in entertainment). But other essays I either skimmed or skipped completely.

This is a very comprehensive and entertaining book, with an amalgam of essays about the William Dozier / Adam West version of Batman. At least 10 of the 14 essays are strong - with intensive research and thoughtful commentary. In combination with one of the episode guides, this makes for a very complete look at the series, its impact, and its times.