Blu-ray Review Batman: The Complete Television Series Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[jayembee]

Still not released nearly 3 years on, sadly!

And now that it's with Fox-Mouse, it's not likely to ever be.

 

[BobO'Link]

I'd forgotten Green Hornet was originally a Fox production in association with Greenway. Sigh... That merger with (OK... acquisition by) DIsney pretty much cements it being in the vault forever. I guess there's a slim chance they could put it on their streaming service but I'd guess it's still caught up in "rights hell" (and is it Greenway's owners heirs or Lee's heirs or both holding things up on this one?)

I'd really thought if Batman did well there was *some* hope for Green Hornet seeing a legit release. At least I purchased one of those "Complete Series" Korean(?) boots (recorded from an off-air/cable signal and look fairly good - better than any streaming version I've seen) before they pretty much disappeared.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Why is it Disney’s fault? Fox had control of the property for years before their ownership changed, and for whatever reason, they declined to release it. The market for physical media and particularly classic television on disc had been in a steep decline long before Disney bought Fox. There were five years from when Batman came out on disc to when Disney bought Fox. I don’t see how it’s Disney’s fault for not releasing something at a time when such releases are having great difficulty in the marketplace, while Fox has done nothing wrong even though they didn’t release it when there was a better market for it. Not everything is Disney’s fault.

 

[DeWilson]

I'd forgotten Green Hornet was originally a Fox production in association with Greenway. Sigh... That merger with (OK... acquisition by) DIsney pretty much cements it being in the vault forever. I guess there's a slim chance they could put it on their streaming service but I'd guess it's still caught up in "rights hell" (and is it Greenway's owners heirs or Lee's heirs or both holding things up on this one?)

I'd really thought if Batman did well there was *some* hope for Green Hornet seeing a legit release. At least I purchased one of those "Complete Series" Korean(?) boots (recorded from an off-air/cable signal and look fairly good - better than any streaming version I've seen) before they pretty much disappeared.

It's one of Dozier's heirs (Rumored to be his Son who was the last hold out on the "Batman" deal) not Lee's estate - they actually don't have a say - Lee's estate is bound by whatever licensing and likeness agreements from 1966.

 

[Matt Hough]

There are certainly HD masters ready to go if Disney wants to offer the series on a streaming platform. I watched them all twice through when Encores was airing them years ago and enjoyed them for the simple adventures they were.

 

[Sam Favate]

When the show didn't get released at the time of that Seth Rogan movie, it seemed unlikely it ever would. It's really sad too, because it was a cool part of TV history.

 

[Harry-N]

 

[B-ROLL]

When the show didn't get released at the time of that Seth Rogan movie, it seemed unlikely it ever would. It's really sad too, because it was a cool part of TV history.

I suppose if someone was smart - they could have released it after references to Green Hornet in a certain Quentin Tarantino movie !

 

[LeoA]

I don't see anyone blaming Disney for it not being out today on optical discs. Just stating the sad truth that if it went overlooked by 20th Century Fox, it obviously has no hope under Disney control.

 

[jayembee]

I don't see anyone blaming Disney for it not being out today on optical discs. Just stating the sad truth that if it went overlooked by 20th Century Fox, it obviously has no hope under Disney control.

That's been my position, having brought up that it's now under Disney's control. If Fox was still its own entity, there would always be the possibility of The Green Hornet being released in some physical format, even if it was through a license to someone like Shout! Factory. (It seems like it would be something right in S!F's wheelhouse, so there must've been some legal obstacle keeping Fox from licensing it out or releasing it themselves.)

With Fox's acquisition by Disney, and their public remarks about physical releases on catalog since then, the prospect of seeing the show on DVD, let alone BD, tends toward zero.

The P.D. releases of the fix-up "movies" are all we'll ever see. And even those seem to have vanished into the æther, so perhaps Fox managed to claw them back from the Public Domain.

Moving over to the actual subject of this thread...I am, to be honest, not a fan of Batman (the TV series). I was, back in the 60s, when I was a tween, but I find it virtually unwatchable now. The only episodes I desire to have in my collection are the two-parter with the Hornet and Kato, and even those I have to grit my teeth to watch.

That said, I succumbed to a degree and bought the blu-ray of the 1996 film when I came across it recently in Best Buy. Partly because it was only $5.99, partly because, as a Fox title, I figured I'd get it while the getting was good.

 

[Greg Chenoweth]

Moving over to the actual subject of this thread...I am, to be honest, not a fan of Batman (the TV series). I was, back in the 60s, when I was a tween, but I find it virtually unwatchable now. The only episodes I desire to have in my collection are the two-parter with the Hornet and Kato, and even those I have to grit my teeth to watch.

I have seen this happen with people who enjoyed it as a kid but as they grew up the show lost its appeal. However, I have always enjoyed it and I respect your opinion Jayembee, but I will disagree. I watched the show debut on TV in 1966 and I have been enjoying it ever since. I totally like the fact that when I was a kid I took the show so seriously and then as I grew older I could enjoy the series on a different level with the camp and the little side remarks that were funny. It is still my favorite TV show of all time. I enjoy the first season episodes the best and I wish they had not camped it up so much in the last two seasons. In the first season, there are times when the Joker is truly diabolical and menacing, like when he puts Batman and Robin into a tank where he implies the Dynamic Duo would have to stay afloat by water for one hour. But when they are in the tank, it turns out the Joker is filling up the tank with poisonous gas and he doesn't care that he was dishonest or that two people will die. The Joker relishes in his trickery . . . until Batman and Robin find a way to escape.

 

[BobO'Link]

Yep. Batman still holds great appeal for me, especially S1. I like S2 pretty well and S3 is OK with occasional leanings towards what made S1 so good. Like Greg, I took it seriously during those original airings but appreciate it now for completely different reasons. Like with Superman and the original Adventures of Superman in the 50s, the 60s Batman is the barometer against which I measure all subsequent product. It's still my favorite Batman on film.

 

[Greg Chenoweth]

I did not sleep for a week when the giant clam swallowed Robin. I was 7 years old at the time. I was very distraught and could not talk about anything else. Because it was a three parter, Parts 1 & 2 originally aired Wednesday and Thursday and we had to wait until the following Wednesday for the conclusion.

My dad, the level-headed guy in our family, sat me down and showed me the TV Guide that said Robin was going to be in the next episode with Catwoman and then in the next three-parter with Penguin and Marsha, Queen of Diamonds. He said that Robin would make it out okay from the giant clam. I was skeptical but I watched the episode and, sure enough, Batman pried that clam's mouth open and got Robin out of that creature's mouth. I took my dad's advice and started paying attentiont to TV Guide more often.

 

[Tony Bensley]

Yep. Batman still holds great appeal for me, especially S1. I like S2 pretty well and S3 is OK with occasional leanings towards what made S1 so good. Like Greg, I took it seriously during those original airings but appreciate it now for completely different reasons. Like with Superman and the original Adventures of Superman in the 50s, the 60s Batman is the barometer against which I measure all subsequent product. It's still my favorite Batman on film.

Those were and remain my two favorite Superheroes series! I too, took them seriously as a youth, and now appreciate their campy aspects. It's a shame ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN has never made it to Blu-ray!

CHEERS!

 

[David_B_K]

As a 10 year old when Batman made its TV debut in 1966, I loved it and took it seriously. In the town I lived in at the time in Alabama, we only had two TV channels, and ABC divided time with another channel. We had to wait until Saturday for the conclusion of the the cliffhanger episodes. Years later I watched some reruns when I was college age and thought "this show is hilarious!" The campiness went over my head as a kid. The show still makes me laugh. How can you not when you hear Adam West's overly serious line reading of "Poor, deluded girl!" when Jill St. John dies at the end of episode 2?

I also was a big fan of The Green Hornet at the time. I caught some episodes in recent years on METV or wherever it was being shown. I don't think it holds up as well as Batman because it lacks the campiness of Batman. The plots are fairly routine, and the show does not really hold up to the promise of the opening credit sequence. I'd still buy it if there was a release.

 

[Matt Hough]

To the producers' credit, The Green Hornet did not attempt to mimic the camp aspects of Batman. It was never considered a comedy series whereas Batman was Emmy nominated during its first season as a comedy. As with The Adventures of Superman, it played it straight and went for a comic book level of adventure. No in-depth characterizations or complex sociological exposes. Just simple adventure filmed on soundstages and a backlot.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

My babies have sung their first song...and it’s the Batman theme! Parenting win!

 

[Matt Hough]

My babies have sung their first song...and it’s the Batman theme! Parenting win!

Now THAT is great parenting!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I’ve been playing a bunch of classic TV theme songs for them since they were tiny and they’ve always liked this one the most

 

[ponset]

Too bad they didn't include Adam West dressed as Batman appearance on the Hollywood Palace as a Bonus Feature.