The Batman TV show was only on the air for three seasons and one movie, yet its cultural impact is still significantly felt today. This year the show celebrates its 50th birthday with appearances in video games, a Batman ’66 comic, and a new animated film voiced by series regulars.

Batman premiered on January 12, 1966 and ran through March 14, 1968. It aired 120 episodes, running twice weekly during the first two seasons and once a week in the third season.

Based on the DC comic, Batman starred Adam West as Batman-Bruce Wayne and Burt Ward as Robin-Dick Grayson with Alan Napier as Alfred, Neil Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon, Stafford Repp as Chief O’Hara, and Madge Blake as Harriet Cooper rounding out the regular cast.

As the title would indicate the show was focused on Batman, and his partner Robin, though their secret identities of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson were typically shown at least for a little while. The crime fighting duo defended fair Gotham City from the costume-clad nefarious fiends and diabolical villains that preyed on the city. Not only was the Dynamic Duo champions of right and wrong, Batman regularly lectured Robin on the importance of being honest, doing homework, wearing seatbelts, even eating vegetables and drinking milk.

The show featured popular Batman villains like the Joker, Penguin, the Riddler, and Catwoman as well as villains created for the show like Egghead and King Tut. The core group of dastardly villains were played brilliantly by Cesar Romero, Burgess Meredith, and Frank Gorshin among others. Three women took on the mantle of the feisty feline Catwoman starting with Julie Newmar in the first two seasons, then Eartha Kitt in the third, and Lee Meriwether in the movie.

The tone of the show was campy and tongue in cheek, embodying the joyfully silly aspects of comic books. The characters, good and bad alike, took their situations very seriously, which made it even more enjoyable to watch.

Progress toward a Batman TV show began when Ed Graham Productions optioned the TV rights to Batman in the early 1960s. The original plan was to create a show for kids, similar to Adventures of Superman, which would air on Saturday mornings on CBS. Former football player turned actor Mike Henry, who would star in Tarzan movies, was the first actor set to play Batman. He reportedly did publicity photos in costume, but was never signed for the role.

Yale Udoff, an east coast ABC executive, had been a Batman fan since childhood, so he contacted other ABC execs Harve Bennett and Edgar J. Scherick about the show. They were already considering developing a TV show based on a comic strip hero, so Udoff suggested that they do a primetime Batman show, similar in tone to The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

When the deal between CBS and Graham fell through, DC reobtained the rights and made a deal with ABC. 20th Century Fox was tapped to produce the show, who gave it to William Dozier and his Greenway Productions. At this point it was still expected to be a fun, yet serious adventure show. Dozier, who had never read comics, read Batman comics to research the character. He decided that the only way to proceed was to make it a campy comedy. Spy novelist Eric Ambler was hired to write a TV movie that would launch the series, but he left the project after learning of Dozier’s new approach.

Two screen tests were filmed – one of Adam West and Burt Ward and one of Lyle Waggoner and Peter Deyell – with West and Ward clinching the roles. By then ABC was pushing for a debut in January ’66.

Lorenzo Semple, Jr., who had signed on to be the head script writer, wrote the pilot in an adventure, pop-art style. He was joined by script writers Stanley Ralph Ross, Stanford Sherman, and Charles Hoffman. They embraced the camp style of writing, with Ross’ work venturing into outright slapstick and satire.

ABC originally planned for the show to be an hour long, but they only had two early time slots available, so the show was split into two parts as half-hour installments. During the first two seasons each week would feature a two-part story, with a few three-parters. The first episode of each week would typically end with cliffhangers in which one or both heroes were captured by the villains and put in precariously dangerous situations. Often times the traps were timed, giving Batman and Robin mere minutes to free themselves using ingenuity and Batman’s trusty utility belt. The traps were always creative and usually comically absurd, which made the show that much more fun.

Batman had several recurring elements and themes during its run. Dozier added narrator to his list of duties for the show, playing up the 1940s serials style of narrating with urgency, combining that with boisterous vocals similar to Walter Winchell’s narration of The Untouchables. He’d usually close out the cliffhanger episodes with the line “Tune in tomorrow – same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!” Then for the second parts he’d recap the previous episodes with short phrases and brief clips of the action.

One of the most memorable features of the show occurred during each episode’s fistfights. Batman and Robin would take on the villain and his henchmen with their punches and kicks accompanied by onomatopoeic phrases superimposed over the action in a variety of bright colors. This brilliant technique mirrored the way fight scenes were portrayed in comics.

Robin popularized his own catchphrase, or variation, thereof. When a surprising situation occurred or a villain’s plan was revealed, Robin would shout “Holy [subject] Batman!” The phrase flirted with different levels of absurdity, including Robin yelling “Holy barricuda,” “Holy haberdashery,” “Holy hole in the donut,” “Holy sardine,” and many others.

Another fun, repeated gag occurred when Batman and Robin would scale the side of a building using the Batrope. The scenes were filmed by turning the camera to a 90-degree angle and making the studio floor look like the side of a building. Their capes would be pulled back with invisible lines to mimic the pull of gravity. In several of these episodes celebrities would make cameo appearances by popping their heads out the windows and speaking to Batman and Robin as they climbed by. Cameos included Jerry Lewis, Van Williams and Bruce Lee as Green Hornet and Kato, Sammy Davis Jr., and Susie Knickerbocker.

Part of the campiness came through in the design of props and gadgets. Batman would reveal a crime fighting tool, occasionally with silly names, always preceded by the word “Bat.” It was not uncommon for him to use the Bat-Computer, Bat-Knockout Gas, even Shark Repellant Bat-Spray. Many items in Batman’s cave were labeled with block lettering despite the fact that Batman, Robin, and occasionally Alfred, were the only ones to use it.

Beginning the year the show came out, Batman started a wave of tie-in merchandise. Collectibles included trading cards, Batmobile model kits, coloring books, action figures, lots of Batmobile toy cars, and board games, among others. The items from that period have become highly collectible over the years.

Batman was very popular during its run. It has sustained its popularity and achieved new fans through reunions, availability on DVD and Blu-ray, and a Batman ’66 comic book, plus an upcoming animated feature with original cast members West, Ward, and Newmar voicing Batman, Robin, and Catwoman. In 1997, TV Guide ranked the episodes “The Purr-fect Crime” and “Better Luck Next Time” at #86 on the list of the 100 Greatest Episodes. Earlier this year, TV critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz ranked it as #82 on their list of greatest American television shows.

Holy longevity, Batman!