The Adventures of Batman

See also: The Batman/Superman Hour

The Adventures of Batman
Title card from The Batman/Superman Hour
Also known as	Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder
Created by	Bob Kane (characters)
Directed by	Hal Sutherland
Presented by	Filmation Ducovny Productions National Periodical Publications
Voices of	Olan Soule, Casey Kasem
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	34 shorts
Production
Executive producer(s)	Allen Ducovny
Producer(s)	Norm Prescott Lou Scheimer
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Chronology
Followed by	The New Adventures of Batman
Related shows	The Batman/Superman Hour,The New Scooby-Doo Movies

The Adventures of Batman is an animated television series produced by Lou Schiemer's Filmation studios. It showcased the 12-minute Batman segments from The Batman/Superman Hour, sometimes broken up by and surrounding another cartoon from Filmation's fast growing stream of superhero stars. A re-branded 30-minute version premiered on CBS on September 13, 1969 as Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder. This version was repackaged without the Superman and Superboy segments.

Over-the-top characters and catchy dramatic music cues gave this version of Batman a realistic look and feel—by cartoon standards of the day. The colors were vibrant and exciting even if the animation was a little stiff and repetitive in places.

Olan Soule was the voice of Batman and is most likely best remembered for his work on that show, and many others in the Filmation stable. Casey Kasem, the popular radio countdown man in the 1980s, was the voice of Robin the Boy Wonder.

Batman and Robin would next appear in a The New Scooby-Doo Movies crossover, various versions of Super Friends and The New Adventures of Batman in 1977.

Home video

In 1985, Warner Home Video released five selected episodes of the series on VHS in the "Super Powers" video collection along with Aquaman, Superboy and Superman. These videos were rereleased in 1996 and are out of print.

In 1993, in Australia only, Warner Home Video released a 4 volume VHS collection with 4 Stories per volume.

In 2008, episodes were released as digital downloads on iTunes, and streaming on Amazon Instant Video.

Episodes

The Batman half of The Batman/Superman Hour consisted of one story presented in two 6 1/2 minute segments and one story in a single 6 1/2 minute segment. Thirty-four stories were produced:

Two-segment stories
Episode	Title	Original Airdate	Summary
01	My Crime Is Your Crime	9/14/1968	Batman and Robin are thrown for a loop when they arrest Joker and Penguin for crimes they didn't commit. But Batman suspects they are up to their old tricks as usual and reveals to Robin how they were tricked by their mortal enemies. Then, the Dynamic Duo sets out to prove that Penguin and Joker are behind those crimes. They baffle the villains into fighting against each other and they capture them and bring them to the police.
02	The Cool, Cruel Mr. Freeze	9/21/1968	Mr. Freeze causes havoc in his quest to ransom $1 billion from the city and he uses a captured whale for his caper.
03	How Many Herring in a Wheelbarrow?	9/28/1968	Joker raids technology firms to build a powerful solar mirror he can use as a laser weapon.
04	The Nine Lives of Batman	10/5/1968	Catwoman traps Batman and exposes him to a radioactive gas that will allow her to identify him in his secret identity.
05	Bubi, Bubi, Who's Got the Ruby?	10/12/1968	Bruce Wayne is captured by Penguin in the robbery of a valuable ruby. Unfortunately for Penguin, Catwoman is also after the ruby.
06	The Big Birthday Caper	10/19/1968	Riddler and Penguin try to expose Batman by staging a mammoth birthday party for him and wealthy businessman Bruce Wayne.
07	Partners in Peril	10/26/1968	A deadly contest is staged by Joker, Penguin, and Riddler to one up each other and gain control of Gotham City's criminal empire. When Batman and Robin get wise to this, the villains end up assisted by Catwoman in a plot to take over Gotham City. With the help of Batgirl, the Dynamic Duo foils the villains' vile plot to take over the city.
08	Hizzoner the Joker	11/2/1968	Joker runs for Gotham mayor and is able to win.
09	The Crime Computer	11/9/1968	Penguin seizes a mammoth computer to use to outwit Batman.
10	A Game of Cat and Mouse	11/16/1968	Catwoman steals crown jewels for a part of her criminal scheme. But Joker doesn't give up without a fight. He steals the jewels for himself and Batman and Robin must reclaim the jewels from Catwoman and Joker.
11	Will the Real Robin Please Stand Up?	11/23/1968	A youth who bears a stunning resemblance to Robin is used by Catwoman.
12	Simon the Pieman	11/30/1968	A flamboyant criminal pastry chef named Simon the Pieman and his gang steal valuables under the cover of a carnival after they had disposed of Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, and Mr. Freeze.
13	From Catwoman with Love	12/7/1968	Catwoman sends Batman a cat for Valentine's Day, a cat whose fur gives off radio waves.
14	A Perfidious Pieman Is Simon	12/14/1968	Simon the Pieman steals four million Turkish coins.
15	The Fiendishly Frigid Fraud	12/21/1968	A freak bombardment of meteors made of pure ice allows Mr. Freeze to stage a mammoth hoax.
16	The Jigsaw Jeopardy	12/28/1968	Riddler plans to blow up Gotham's art gallery.
17	It Takes Two to Make a Team	1/4/1969	Joker, Penguin, and Riddler are after an Incan Treasure Map. They plan to break up the Dynamic Duo by making Robin jealous of Batgirl.
One-segment stories
Episode	Title	Original Airdate	Summary
18	A Bird Out of Hand	9/14/1968	Penguin unexpectedly goes straight.
19	The Joke's on Robin	9/21/1968	Robin seems to lose his skills after he rescues a man from drowning thanks to the Joker.
20	In Again, Out Again Penguin	9/28/1968	Penguin commits crimes and frames them on Batman even though he's supposedly incarcerated.
21	Long John Joker	10/5/1968	Joker makes a movie about pirates - cover to find the haul from a long-forgotten armored car theft.
22	1001 Faces of the Riddler	10/12/1968	Riddler becomes an expert at disguises.
23	Two Penguins Too Many	10/19/1968	Real penguins wind up helping Penguin and Joker.
24	The Underworld Underground Caper	10/26/1968	Riddler and Catwoman use an underground drill to commit robberies.
25	Freeze's Frozen Vikings	11/2/1968	Mr. Freeze uses a Viking hoax to commit robberies.
26	The Great Scarecrow Scare	11/9/1968	Scarecrow steals a painting and captures Batgirl as part of his plot to dispose of the Dynamic Duo.
27	Beware of Living Dolls	11/16/1968	Dollman uses his dolls to pull off a crime spree.
28	He Who Swipes the Ice, Goes to the Cooler	11/23/1968	Mr. Freeze's diamond heist goes wrong.
29	A Mad, Mad Tea Party	11/30/1968	Mad Hatter starts an Alice in Wonderland-based gang in a plot to steal a priceless antique teapot to use as part of his mad tea party.
30	Perilous Playthings	12/7/1968	Catwoman and her henchman crash the production of "Tom Thumb in Toyland" and use toy-based plots to defeat the Dynamic Duo.
31	Cool, Cruel Christmas Caper	12/14/1968	Mr. Freeze disguises himself as Santa Claus.
32	Enter the Judge	12/21/1968	An international criminal who is incarcerated on the island prison Satan Island ends up escaping disguised as a judge when his pardon is denied. Now he is going around crashing criminal trials gaining the Cosgrove Gang and other low-level crooks as his jury henchmen in a plot to eliminate all crimefighters.
33	Wrath of the Riddler	12/28/1968	Riddler uses a construction site as his hideout.
34	Opera Buffa	1/4/1969	Joker seemingly traps Batman, but is haunted by his apparent ghost when he tries to steal a valuable necklace at an opera.

External links

• The Adventures of Batman at the Internet Movie Database
• Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder at Marks Cartoon Collections
• The Adventures of Batman at Batman Yesterday, Today, and Beyond
• The Adventures of Batman on The Big Cartoon Database.