Two years ago today

Eartha Kitt, who played Catwoman on Batman in late 1967 and early 1968, died on Christmas Day 2008 in Westport, Connecticut.  Known for her song "Santa Baby" from 1953, Ms. Kitt did a fantastic job as the Feline Fatale, and was clearly the inspiration for the Catwoman that Millicent Sherman did for my fan film Batman 1969!


And Ms. Kitt's passing matters even more when I work with one of her blood relatives, Beverly Moore of Vestal, NY.  Her sister, D. Alexis Moore, made the piece of jewelry that became the Moldavian Star, which figures into the plot of Batman 1969.


Godspeed, Ms. Kitt!!  And God Bless on this day!!

The times are definitely changing!

Recently, I spoke out on the 1966 Batman Message Board concerning a blog that discussed Gotham City 14 Miles, a series of essays concerning the 1966 Batman series.  The series is getting a lot of deserved attention, in part because the 45th anniversary of the show is already upon us.


But there is more than that.


The dark Batman of the 1980s and 1990s seemed to reflect the times it was in.  One could clearly see that with Frank Miller's tomes, The Dark Knight Returns and The Dark Knight Strikes Again, which oddly enough, featured references to the politics of the day.


One could well understand the reaction at the time to the silliness and goofiness of the 1960s Caped Crusader.  But as the political times are changing fast, so is the world of Gotham City and the world we live in.  No longer do we live in a world symbolised by the cornucopia of prosperity.  The United States narrowly avoided another Great Depression, but faces a prolonged period of economic hardship.


And the dark Batman suddenly no longer seems so appealing.


When I discussed with my mother about two years ago about approaching people in the Town of Corinth, NY about the Web series, she said the locals would not appreciate something grisly, but rather something whimsical.  The appeal of Batman: The Brave And The Bold has proved my point about the appeal of a lighter Gotham City series.  And these days, people would rather watch lighter fare.  With all due respect to 2008's The Dark Knight, I found it a bit of a downer, far removed from some of the coolness of the 1966 series, especially its first season.


Two thousand eleven is shaping up to be a most significant year.  I anticipate relocation out of the Binghamton area, and to an area where I can produce Carrie's World.  One of the Web series' influences, The FBI, is scheduled to be released around next year or so.  Whatever the case, this is not the Reagan era anymore.  We are firmly in the 21st Century.


And that may not be such a bad thing.

Forty five years ago this month

Jill St. John and Adam West at work on "Hi Diddle Riddle," October 1965.

The 1966 Batman series began production this month 45 years ago.  The pilot episode, "Hi Diddle Riddle"/"Smack In The Middle," began production on 11 October 1965, and finished on the 25th.  The series was originally slated to begin airing the following September, but ABC was going through a disastrous season that fall.  Not only did several new shows not catch on, but at least one show that was revamped—Burke's Law—failed miserably as well.


Hence, The Second Season was born.  And Batman was its showcase.


As a six-year-old that autumn, I would watch television on a black-and-white set.  It seemed my parents liked their shows on CBS, whereas I was more partial to ABC and, additionally, NBC.  Friday nights were especially cool, as I got to see The Flintstones, Tammy and The Addams Family.  I also liked Gidget, as well as The Patty Duke Show.  I never got to see Honey West or The FBI, both of which debuted that fall, until much later, but they were superb shows as well!!


That fall of 1965 and winter/spring of 1966 was a truly memorable time for me, full of pleasant memories.


And those memories matter!


When Batman aired in 2002 on TV Land, it awakened memories of that wonderful time.  I was going through difficulties during that time.  That led me to join the 1966 Batman Message Board, and then led to Web site work and then to video.


Batman 1969, which is most assuredly in post-production, is a derivative of the 1966 series.  And Carrie's World, the upcoming fan series, uses many elements from the Sixties' show as well; thank Batman: The Brave And The Bold, in part, for that!


But consider this: That Jill St. John, who played Molly, is a MAJOR inspiration for the lead character of the fan series.  And Catwoman will also play an important role.  When I saw Batman again in 2002, that led me to the comics, and I began getting the Catwoman comic.


And to think all this happened because of a television pilot filmed 45 years ago this month! Amazing!!  To paraphrase William Dozier, the best is yet to come!

Jill St. John and Adam West in New York, fall 1966.

Trying for self employment in the Albany area, and more ...

My recent vacation in the Adirondack/Albany area was an eye-opener.


When dining with a classmate of mine, I inquired about self employment, since she has worked for herself since the 1980s. The concept made so much sense, given my independent streak.  Ideally, I want to have my own video studio, so that I can freelance and rent it out to other video companies as well.


In any event, I am intent on relocation there.  And I am told more jobs are going to be created there!


In other news, I got feedback from Rick Craig concerning editing my fan film.  Yes, there may need to be one final shoot, but as long as we can finish everything off, that is good!  I dislike the time it has taken, but there have been so many things that have worked against the entire production from the start.  Oy! **rolls eyes upward**


And for the fan series, we need to get Carrie Kelley and Catwoman/Selina Kyle cast.  Anyone care to step up to the plate?!?  C'mon, don't be shy!

The "rough cut" is done!

Great news: The "rough cut" of Batman 1969 was finished nine days ago, and DVDs of the film should be arriving at the homes of my Canadian producers any time!  After a ton of difficulties, the film managed more or less to come together easily.


That said, there is not a lot needed to be done.  Oh, there is titling, as well as the end credits and possible narration.  And we are debating whether or not a "bat spin" is needed.  But it is there!


One unwelcome development was the fact that, earlier this month, I was badly flamed by a certain unnamed individual who used YouTube to attack me personally.  This was totally uncalled for.  My reaction is that we DID complete the film; many projects of this nature never make it to the light of day!

Schenectady, one planned locale for the fan series!

On another note, I am scheduled to leave for the Adirondacks on Sunday, 26 September, for a needed vacation.  I still need a Jill St. John clone to play the lead role, the Carrie Kelley Robin, for Carrie's World, as well as Catwoman.  And we can use other characters, especially villains! More to follow …

RIP Gloria Winters

Gloria Winters, who played Penny King in the 1950s television series, Sky King, died two weeks ago at age 78 or so.  Oddly, when I was a kid, I barely paid heed to this series, since it aired on early Saturday afternoon, and was already dated by 1965 or so.  No new episodes had debuted since early 1959, and other episodes dated from as early as 1951.


But a funny thing happened last year.


I discovered a young girl named Jill Oppenheim had a guest role in the fall of 1952, in an episode named "Two Gun Penny."  John Hart, who would replace Clayton Moore in The Lone Ranger, had a role as a villain.  But this little girl was special, because she would go on to much bigger things.


And as Jill St. John!  She would help launch the 1966 Batman series, and then would play the female lead in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, five years later.


I had thought it would be novel to see them reunite at some comic con but I guess this will not happen now.  But I will say that, if I was not interested in the show back in the Sixties, I am now in 2010.  I would not mind seeing Encore Westerns showing this series, just as they did with Bat Masterson not too long ago.


RIP, Ms. Winters!

Back from the Capital District

Green Island, New York, 18 August 2010

I got back from the Capital District yesterday, and it was a semi-stressful trip.  Driving down Central Avenue in Albany was the worst, as I nearly got into an accident.  But I got some clarity in things, and saw two laptops I want to obtain for future film making.


One thing the trip gave me was a new appreciation for such underappreciated towns such as Green Island, Mechanicville and Stillwater.  One pet dream I have is to get a video studio set up, and given the properties that exist in such places, that dream might actually be obtainable.


We might—might—have our lead character cast.  Stay tuned for more details!