6
votes
Screen tests for 'Batman' TV series (1966)
Adam West & Burt Ward - Batman - Screen Tests (RARE) (1 of 3)
Lyle Waggoner & Peter Deyell vs Adam West & Burt Ward - Batman Screen Tests (RARE) (2 of 3)
Yvonne Craig - Batman / Batgirl - Network Presentation (RARE) (3 of 3)
I never would have thought Burt Ward was old enough to be married and selling real estate. I really like that silly cave backdrop in the Bat Cave. West and Ward gave much better deliveries in my opinion.
https://imgur.com/a/H1MS3Pm
Finally got to watching these and they were great! I can't believe my childhood Robin was married and selling real estate! Yvonne is even more amazing knowing she got them to let her do her own stunts. The modern portrayals of Batgirl has her as a ballerina. I wonder if Yvonne drove that. And watching the comparisons, I can't even imagine a non West Batman.
I really enjoyed these. Thanks for sharing.
They created the Barbara Gordon character specifically for the 1960s television show. Ratings were falling during the second season, so they decided to bring in a new character. To give the character some legitimacy, they introduced her in the comics first, but she was always intended to be part of the TV show. In that context, this was Yvonne Craig's character to mould and shape. It wouldn't surprise me if her personal traits ended up influencing the character.
A similar thing happened with Wonder Woman. The first time she twirled to change from her civilian costume to her superhero costume was in the 1970s TV show. Lynda Carter invented the move while they were all discussing how to handle the costume change on-screen. Soon after, the comic-based character started twirling, too.
The comic books provided the basis for these television shows, but there was also a flow of information back from the TV shows to the comics.
I love watching screen tests and old ones like this are fascinating.
I was fascinated by Lyle Waggoner's screen test for Batman. He gave a much more serious reading of the role, which just didn't seem to fit.
I also thought it was ironic that, a decade later, Waggoner would end up co-starring in another high-profile DC Comics property: 'Wonder Woman'.