Gotham City R & D: Gadgetry in Batman and Theatre of the Absurd: The 1966 Batman Movie

Gotham City R&D: Gadgetry in Batman by Michael Johnson

               All in all, this was a fun essay to read.  Michael Johnson explores the various bat-gadgets and how, surprisingly, they have become realities today.

               Johnson points out that the 1960s were a time of technological revolution with the Cold War an ongoing concern and the space race at the forefront of everyone’s minds; the TV show took this idea and ran with it.  Batman and Robin had a gadget that could serve any purpose depending upon their situation.  At the time, these seemed to be out of science fiction novels with the prefix bat- added to the beginning.  But over time, many of these devices became common place in modern society.  In one episode, the Dynamic Duo used a device that sent an electrical charge to escape the Black Widow’s web.  Today we call this a stun gun.  To escape a man-eating shark, they sprayed bat-shark repellant.  Such things do exist today, much to my surprise.  But instead of an aerosol concoction, it employs chemicals or electricity.

               The TV show made the utility belt famous which at times seems a little odd that Batman would carry so many things around in his belt.  But as Johnson points out, when we leave the house we grab our phones, wallets, keys, mp3 players and any other sundry items we may need.

               The main message that I was able to gather from this essay was that no matter how far-fetched something may be, we need to keep dreaming.  Someday, it may be a common household item.

Theatre of the Absurd: The 1966 Batman Movie by Robert G. Weiner

               Had I not watched the movie repeatedly as a child, I would have been quite upset with Robert Weiner’s essay.  Without so much as a warning, the first half is a spoiler filled synopsis of the movie with the second half being a critical view of the movie and its importance in pop culture today.

               As has been stated throughout this blog, the film, like the tv show, is still in the conscious and referenced throughout tv, movies and cartoons.  What was fascinating to me was how this movie was a reflection of society at the time.  In 1966 the United States was formally acknowledging their involvement in Vietnam and the Cold War began escalating to greater heights.  To combat the fear that most viewers lived with day in and day out, Batman became a symbol of a true American; thwarting evil and contributing to society at every turn.  This was also a time when James Bond’s popularity began to spread and like the rest of America, Batman was interested in gadgets, action, and beautiful women.

               Though intriguing and academically appealing to learn about the layers and intentions behind some of my favorite childhood TV shows and characters, sometimes ignorance is bliss.  Sometimes Batman should just be Batman.