Gotham City 14 Miles: 14 Essays on Why the 1960s Batman TV Series Matters
by Jim Beard
Sequart Organization
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From 1966 to 1968, both on ABC and in theaters, America embraced Batman as a campy cultural icon. But in the ensuing decades, many vilified the show as an embarrassment that needed to be swept under the rug if Batman -- and super-heroes -- were to be taken seriously. Now, we can return to Adam West's Gotham... to the unapologetic fun of colorful, cackling villains hatching bizarre schemes... to phrases like "Atomic batteries to power!" and "Same bat-time, same bat-channel!"... to deadpan show more heroes climbing walls and defying deathtrap cliffhangers... and find these aspects rich with cultural meanings we may have ignored. GOTHAM CITY 14 MILES offers the series the critical reevaluation it deserves. The book's diverse essays examine Batmania, camp, the role of women, the show and '60s counter-culture, the show's celebrated actors, its lasting cultural effects, and other subjects.From Sequart Research & Literacy Organization. More info at http://Sequart.org show lessTags
Member Reviews
This seems to be the only quasi-academic book on the Batman show in existence and as such, I'm very glad it exists. There's fantastic production information, compiled not only from easily-found memoirs but contemporary media and more obscure sources. The first few essays, especially, are very good. They do get repetitive as they go on, though, and the majority are just describing the show, not actually analyzing it at all. (That may have been more interesting and helpful at the time of the book's release, when the show wasn't available on DVD.) I'm thrilled to own it and to have read it because I adore the show, but I do wish there had been more analysis (or even more behind-the-scenes info) rather than just describing episodes and show more characters. show less
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