Adam West passed away on Friday, June 9th at the age of 88 after a brief battle with Leukemia.  His passing came as a shock to many in the fan community and for John and his guests, it was something that hit them harder than they expected.  John decided to bring 13th Dimension's Dan Greenfield, the Batman 66 message board's Ben Bentley, and Gotham City 14 Miles's Jim Beard together to talk about Adam, his life, his role in their lives, their encounters with the man, and their reaction on hearing the news of his passing.

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Any comments or questions on this episode, please post them here or by writing thebatcavepodcast@gmail.com.

"The Big Birthday Caper" & 

"Two Penguins Too Many"

Aired October 19, 1968

It's a team-up extravaganza in our two episodes for this podcast.  First, Penguin and Riddler team-up to determine who Batman really is. There are some tropes one would recognize from the 66 series, including Alfred dressing up as Batman.  The is followed by the Penguin and Joker teaming up, but a pair of pesky penguins get in the way and Penguin refuses to get rid of them despite Joker's protests.

In addition, John and Dan Greenfield, creator and author of the 13th Dimension discuss watching the cartoons in the 1970s on Channel 5 in New York as kids.  This leads to a rabbit hole of discussion on afternoon television in the 70s that including Batman on Channel 11 while dealing with Batman the Movie on the 4:30 movie on Channel 7 during Superhero Week.

Comment on the episode here or write thebatcavepodcast@gmail.com

Reis O'Brien joins John and Dan Greenfield of 13th Dimension to talk about the upcoming release of the first wave of Batman 66 3.75 inch action figures. They discuss what was the thinking in the choices for the first wave releases and what might be seen in a second wave, plus a look at what the thinking is for action figures in general.

Any comments or questions on this episode, please post them here or by writing thebatcavepodcast@gmail.com.

Some fun facts to know about Reis O'Brien:

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• Funko Senior Product Designer

• Design Lead on all Funko Action Figures

• Has worked at Funko for over 5 years

• Collects way too many toys (and other weird stuff)

• Is incredibly handsome

Dan Greenfield has done extensive coverage on the Funko Batman 66 line from initial prototype shots to interviews with the designers.  Click on the links below to find out even more info on this exciting new line.

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The Inside Scoop on Funko’s New Batman ’66 Line -- with CONCEPT ART. Click here.

The Art of Sculpting BATMAN ’66: An Interview With Sculptor Shelley Rappleye -- with CONCEPT ART. Click here.

The Secrets of Funko’s BATMOBILE Revealed! -- with CONCEPT ART. Click here.

INSIDE LOOK: Funko’s CATWOMAN Figure. Click here.

Ordering Info on Funko’s BATMOBILE. Click here.

Ordering Info on Funko’s BATMAN ’66 Wave 1 is Coming in June. Click here.

SCREEN TEST BATMAN Will Be a Chase Figure. Click here

A trio of Korean War vets hatch a plan to bust their sergeant out of prison with a stolen tank.  Will the Hornet be able to stop them in time? John and Jim are back with an episode that they are once again decided on.  They both agree the episode has merit, but one of them is overly enthused by the premise.  Also, they discuss the influences of the Batman series on The Green Hornet and the music of Billy May. 

The Green Hornet: A History of Radio, Motion Pictures, Comics and Television by Martin Grams and Terry Salomonson is a reference work we're consulting as we move through the series.  Pick up your copy by clicking on the link and getting it today. 

Take a listen and then let us know what you think of the episode by writing us here or at thebatcavepodcast@gmail.com.

"How Many Herring in a Wheelbarrow?" &

"In Again, Out Again Penguin"

Aired September 27, 1968

Our series of reviews of the 1968 Filmation series continues as the Joker and Penguin return in solo stories for this episode.  First, the Joker is committing a series of petty thefts from technology firms.  It seems like a joke, but Batman suspects there's more to it than meets the eye.  Plus, the Penguin is committing crimes while still in his jail cell.  How does he do it?

In addition, John and Dan Greenfield, creator and author of the 13th Dimension website clarify the airdates confusion of the previous two podcasts, revel in the joy there must have been at the Saturday morning offerings of superhero shows in 1968, and discuss the Larry Storch/Ted Knight voicing of the Joker in the series.

Comment on the episode here or write thebatcavepodcast@gmail.com.

Dan Greenfield is the editor and co-creator of 13thDimension.com, a website devoted primarily to comics and pop culture, past and present. To him, the basic food groups are Batman, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek (the Original Series), James Bond, the Beatles and the Stones. But if he had to he'd be able to subsist on Batman alone. Channel 11 in New York was his favorite syndicated channel as a kid -- you can guess why -- followed closely by Channel 5. Channel 9 didn't really enter into it unless he was home sick and there wasn't much else on. He's married to his remarkably patient wife Wendy and his best sidekick is his son, Sam. They have two cats,Lex and Zod.

"The Beat of the Bat" is a full-length documentary that tells the story of the music of the 1966 "Batman" Television Series and how composers Neal Hefti, Nelson Riddle & Billy May gave Batman his first real musical identity- and one that has remained inexorably tied to the character for over 50 years!

In fact, if you saw the just released "Lego Batman Movie" you might have noticed the numerous references to the music of the TV series.

And face it, you can go up to anyone, anywhere in the world and sing "Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na!" and they will instantly know what you are talking about!

The music was as important to the show as the bright colors, campy dialogue and tongue-in-cheek performances. Yet, strangely, the story of how it came to be has never been told...

​Until now.

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John is joined by the director of the documentary, The Beat of the Bat, Pat Evans to discuss the importance of the project and the Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds needed to make it a reality.

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Any comments or questions on this episode, please post them here or by writing thebatcavepodcast@gmail.com.

The first album Pat Evans ever owned was Neil Hefti's "Batman Theme & 11 Hefti Bat Songs", which sparked his lifelong love of Bat-Music.  "The Beat of the Bat" is Pat's way of giving back to the talented composers and musicians who created that music.

A talented Graphic Artist, Pat's works has been featured in The Hollywood Reporter and the late, lamented Defamer. Since 2012 Pat has worked as a casting coordinator on many large studio films including "Jason Bourne", "Straight Outta Compton" and "Steve Jobs".

"The Beat of the Bat" marks his directorial debut.

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Websites

Facebook Page

Twitter

The Beat of the Bat

There's an arsonist on the loose in the city and the Hornet takes the case.  But Mike Axford has a former police investigator with a specialty in arson that he'd like to bring in.  He quickly learns that the man has more to prove than just the case.  John and Jim are at odds over the merits of this episode.  Take a listen and see 

​The Green Hornet: A History of Radio, Motion Pictures, Comics and Television by Martin Grams and Terry Salomonson is a reference work we're consulting as we move through the series.  Pick up your copy by clicking on the link and getting it today.

Take a listen and then let us know what you think of the episode by writing us here or at thebatcavepodcast@gmail.com.