Holy Batman Day! Looking Back Into ‘TV Guide Magazine’’s 1966 Archives
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March 26, 1966
Don your cape and hop into your Batmobile! September 17 marks the third annual Batman Day. DC Comics started the celebration in 2014 for the 75th anniversary of the character's creation, but this year also carries a special significance—it's been 50 years since the premiere of ABC's Adam West-starring series.Batman premiered January 12, 1966 and ran for three seasons, through March 14, 1968, and it's been in our hearts ever since. We combed the TV Guide Magazine archives for some of our favorite photos and covers with the Caped Crusader for your enjoyment on this crime-fighting holiday.
Above, West packs a punch on the cover of TV Guide Magazine's March 26, 1966 issue while looking spiffy in his Batsuit. Though the show only lasted two years, West continued to appear as and voice Batman throughout his career.
March 26, 1966
This photo from the cover story in the same issue features director James Sheldon (left) with West and Burt Ward as Robin. The prolific director, who also worked on episodes of The Twilight Zone and The Fugitive, died earlier this year on March 12 at age 95 from cancer complications.
June 25, 1966
Start your engines! This story from the show's premiere year runs through some of the vehicle's gear (like the decoy Start Button and the Bat-Ray Projector) and features a funny tale about car techs George Barris and Lester Tompkins road-testing the Batmobile—and getting pulled over while doing so!
February 11, 1967
Barely a full year into playing Batman, West was enjoying the splendor that came from his high-profile gig. He's pictured here on his 28-foot Swedish sailboat, affectionately called "The West Wind." The feature story, written by by Dwight Whitney, takes an in-depth look at West's rising fame. "Today he is primarily concerned with what time to arrive at Steve McQueen's party, what beautiful girl to take to the premiere of The Bible..." ... you get the point.
November 4, 1967
This spread features the delightful Yvonne Craig, who portrayed Batgirl, the third leg of the "Terrific Trio," in Season 3 of the action-packed series. As producer Howie Horwitz says in the accompanying story, "Girls over 8 need someone, a big girl, to identify with. So we give them Batgirl."
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