BATMAN (T.V. Theme)
The Batman television series was telecast between January 12, 1966 and March 14, 1968 on ABC. Serialized over Wednesday and Thursday nights, it became the only show in prime-time history to hold down two season ending positions in the top ten. Batman starred Adam West as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Burt Ward as Dick Grayson/Robin. The ultimate camp show of the sixties, Batman featured guest villains such as Burgess Meredith (The Penguin), Cesar Romero (The Joker), John Astin (The Riddler), and Eartha Kitt (Catwoman).
This disc features a world premiere orchestral arrangement (by David Slonaker, one of the premier orchestrators working in Hollywood today) of the show's main title theme. The music itself was composed by Neil Hefti, a big band musician and arranger for artists such as Harry James and Count Basie. Born in Hastings, Nebraska, in 1922, Hefti at one time enjoyed a career as a film composer, writing original scores for pictures such as Sex and the Single Girl (1964), How to Murder Your Wife (1965), Boeing Boeing (1965), Duel at Diablo (1966), Barefoot in the Park (1967), The Odd Couple (1968), and Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972).
Kevin Mulhall