''The Batman/Superman Hour'' is a

Filmation Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and ...

animated series An animated series is a set of animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can have eith ...

that was broadcast on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

from 1968 to 1969. Premiering on September 14, 1968, this 60-minute program featured new adventures of the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

superheroes Batman, Robin and Batgirl alongside shorts from ''

The New Adventures of Superman ''The New Adventures of Superman'' is a half-hour series of six-minute animated Superman adventures produced by Filmation that were broadcast Saturday mornings on CBS from September 10, 1966, to September 5, 1970. The 68 segments appeared as part ...

'' and '' The Adventures of Superboy''.

Series overview

This series marked the animation debut of Batman, his supporting cast and some of their classic enemies like Joker, Penguin, Riddler,

Catwoman Catwoman is a fictional character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Debuting as "the Cat" in ''Batman'' #1 (spring 1940), she is ...

Mr. Freeze Mr. Freeze is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Dave Wood, Sheldon Moldoff and Bob Kane, and first appeared in ''Batman'' #121 in February 1959 as the ice-based criminal Mr. Ze ...

Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley ...

Mad Hatter The Hatter is a fictional character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and its 1871 sequel ''Through the Looking-Glass''. He is very often referred to as the Mad Hatter, though this term was never used by Ca ...

, and some villains exclusive to the series. The success of ''

The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure ''The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure'' is a Saturday morning Filmation animated series that aired on CBS from 1967 to 1968. Premiering on September 9, 1967, this 60-minute program included a series of six-minute adventures featuring various DC ...

'' in 1967 had prompted Filmation to produce a

Metamorpho Metamorpho (real name Rex Mason, also called The Element Man) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was created in 1965 by writer Bob Haney and artist Ramona Fradon. Metamorpho is a founding member of the O ...

pilot and begin development on other similar series. These plans were cancelled when CBS secured the animation rights to Batman in the wake of

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's recent success with the '' Batman''

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

television series. Going into production close to the start of the 1968 TV season, what would become ''The Batman/Superman Hour'' required Filmation to pull as many additional animators from other projects as they could spare to ramp up production. This series was the first time

Olan Soule Olan Evart Soule (February 28, 1909 – February 1, 1994) was an American actor, who had professional credits in nearly 7,000 radio shows and commercials, appearances in 200 television series and television films, and in over 60 films. Soul ...

and

Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably ''American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice No ...

performed as the voices of Batman and Robin. When ''

The New Adventures of Batman ''The New Adventures of Batman'' is an animated series that aired on CBS from February 12 to May 28, 1977, featuring the DC Comics superheroes Batman and Robin, and Batgirl. The series was a Filmation and DC Comics production in association with ...

'' was produced in 1977, Adam West and

Burt Ward Burt Ward (born Bert John Gervis Jr. , July 6, 1945) is an American actor, animal welfare activist and businessman. He played Dick Grayson's Robin, the sidekick of Batman (played by Adam West), in the television series ''Batman'' (1966–1968), ...

reprised the roles they had originally played in the live action TV series. Soule and Kasem would return several times to reprise their roles in 1972's '' The New Scooby-Doo Movies'', 1973's ''

Super Friends ''Super Friends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes, which ran from 1973 to 1985 on ABC as part of its Saturday-morning cartoon lineup. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and was based on the Justice League of ...

'', 1977's ''

The All-New Super Friends Hour ''The All-New Super Friends Hour'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 10, 1977, to September 2, 1978, on ABC. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justice Lea ...

'', 1978's ''

Challenge of the Super Friends ''Challenge of the Superfriends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 9, 1978, to December 23, 1978, on ABC. The complete series (16 episodes) was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions an ...

'', 1979's ''

The World's Greatest Super Friends ''The World's Greatest SuperFriends'' is an American animated television series about a team of superheroes which ran from September 22, 1979, to September 27, 1980, on ABC. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and is based on the Justic ...

'', and starting in 1980 Soule voiced the character in the 7 minute shorter episodes that were produced through 1983. These 1980–1983 episodes aired under the generic ''

'' title. Kasem would go on to voice Robin with Adam West as Batman in 1984's '' Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show'' and 1985's '' The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians''. In 1969, the series was repackaged into 30-minute episodes without the Superman segments and renamed '' Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder''. Batman would next appear in ''The New Adventures of Batman'' in 1977. In 1985,

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...

released five selected episodes of the series on VHS as part of the "Super Powers" video collection. These videos were re-released in 1996 and are out of print. In 1996, episodes were included in ''The Superman/Batman Adventures'' on the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

. They later aired on the Cartoon Network and

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

Episodes

The Superman portion of the program consisted of new 6-minute shorts from Filmation's ''

'' and '' The Adventures of Superboy''. The Batman half of ''The Batman/Superman Hour'' consisted of new shorts. One story was presented in two 6 minute segments and one story in a single 6 minute segment. Thirty-four stories were produced.

Cast

as Batman,

Alfred Pennyworth Alfred Thaddeus Crane Pennyworth is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Pennyworth is depicted as Bruce Wayne's loyal and tire ...

as Robin, Chief O'Hara, Mayor of Gotham City, Additional Voices *

Jane Webb Jane Webb Karyl, (August 13, 1925 – March 30, 2010) best known as Jane Webb, was an American film, radio, and voice actress, best known for her work on Filmation's cartoons. Early years Webb's mother was Estelle Sigrid Webb, a Swedish immigran ...

as Batgirl,

Ted Knight Ted Knight (born Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka; December 7, 1923August 26, 1986) was an American actor well known for playing the comedic roles of Ted Baxter in ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', Henry Rush in ''Too Close for Comfort'', and Judge Elihu ...

as Narrator (Batman and Superboy segments), James Gordon, Penguin, Riddler,

Tweedledum and Tweedledee Tweedledum and Tweedledee are characters in an English nursery rhyme and in Lewis Carroll's 1871 book ''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There''. Their names may have originally come from an epigram written by poet John Byrom. The ...

, Simon the Pieman, Dollman, Judge *

Bud Collyer Bud Collyer (born Clayton Johnson Heermance Jr., June 18, 1908 – September 8, 1969) was an American radio actor and announcer and game show host who became one of the nation's first major television game show stars. He is best remembered for ...

as Superman * Bob Hastings as Superboy / Young Clark Kent * Jackson Beck as

Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: April ...

, Narrator (Superman segments) * Jack Grimes as

Jimmy Olsen Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has ...

Joan Alexander Joan Alexander (born Louise Abrass; April 16, 1915 – May 21, 2009)
''

Julie Bennett Julie Bennett (January 24, 1932 – March 31, 2020) was an American actress and later talent agent and realtor. Early years Bennett was born in Manhattan, New York, on January 24, 1932. Acting career A native of Hollywood, Bennett worked as a ...

Lois Lane Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...

Production credits

* Directed by

Hal Sutherland Harold H. "Hal" Sutherland (July 1, 1929 – January 16, 2014) was an American animator and painter who began his career as a Disney animator in 1954 working on ''Sleeping Beauty'', ''Lady and the Tramp'', ''Peter Pan'' and the last theatrical s ...

* Associate Directors: Rudy Larriva,

Amby Paliwoda Ambrozi "Amby" Paliwoda (December 20, 1909 – June 9, 1999) was an American animator. Early life and education An American of Ukrainian descent, Paliwoda grew up in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Paliwoda graduated with honors from ...

, Don Towsley, Lou Zukor * Art Director: Don Christensen * Storyboard:

Sherman Labby Sherman Labby (November 30, 1929, Hollywood, California – May 31, 1998, Los Angeles, California) was an American storyboard artist and production illustrator. After many years as a magazine illustrator, and like many in his craft, his first moti ...

, Oscar Dufau, Mike O'Connor, Jan Green, Gary Lund * Layout: Dan Noonan, Ray Vinella, Herb Hazelton, C.L. Hartman, Jacques Rupp, Ray Jacobs, Kay Wright, Louise Sandoval, Takashi Masunaga, Mike Ploog, Bill Lignante, Marilee Heyer, Alberto DeMello, Dick Preisen, Frank Gonzales, Mel Keefer, Sylvia Mattinson, Kay Wright * Background Director: Erv Kaplan * Background Artists: Paul Xander, Bill Geach, Martin Forte, Jack Healey, Ted Littlefield, Art Lozzi, Jim Jones, Maurice Harvey, Venetia Epler, Bill McArdle, Lorraine Marue, Ann Guenther, Barbara Smith * Animation: Bill Hajee, Ralph Somerville, Len Rogers, Murray McClellan, Len Redman, James Brummett, Bob Carr, Russ Von Neida, Bob Bransford, Joan Orbison, Bill Pratt, Marshall Lamore, Robert Bentley, Jack Foster, Norm McCabe, George Grandpre, Judy Drake, Bill Reed, Chic Otterstrom, Les Kaluza, Xenia, Bill Hutten, Otto Feuer, Ken Southworth, Jack Ozark, Reuben Timmins, Ed Friedman, Butch Davis, Virgil Raddatz, Bob Trochim, Virgil Ross, Tom McDonald, Dave Tendlar, Bob Matz, Paul Krukowski, Dick Hall * Camera Supervision: Roger Brown * Camera: Ray Lee, Ron LaPeer, Gary Milton, Sergio Antonio Alcazar, Roger Sims * Editorial: Joseph Simon * Negative Cutting: June Gilham * Sound Effects: Enfeld Mahana Corp. * Prints by

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

* Production Coordinator: Rock Benedict * Checking Supervisor: Marion Turk * Ink and Paint Supervision: Martha Buckley * Voices:

( Clark Kent/ Superman); Bob Hastings (

Superboy Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...

);

(Narrator/all Batman villains);

Joan Alexander Joan Alexander (born Louise Abrass; April 16, 1915 – May 21, 2009)
''

);

(

Dick Grayson Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman and Teen Titans. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in ''Detective Comics ...

/ Robin); Jackson Beck (

);

(

Bruce Wayne Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

/ Batman); Jack Grimes ( James "Jimmy" Olsen);

( Barbara Gordon/ Batgirl; all villainesses); Cliff Owens * Background Music: John Gart * Executive Producer: Allen Ducovny * Produced by

Norm Prescott Norman Prescott (January 31, 1927 – July 2, 2005) was co-founder and executive producer at Filmation Associates, an animation studio he created with veteran animator Lou Scheimer. Life and career Born in the Dorchester neighborhood of Bosto ...

Lou Scheimer Louis Scheimer (October 19, 1928 – October 17, 2013) was an American producer and voice actor who was one of the original founders of Filmation. He was also credited as an executive producer of many of its cartoons. Early life and education ...

References

External links

Batman Superman Hour
at

Big Cartoon DataBase The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) is an online database of information about animated cartoons, Feature film, animated feature films, Animated television series, animated television shows, and cartoon Short film, shorts. The BCDB proj ...

*
Batman: Yesterday, Today and Beyond - The Batman Homepage - ''The Adventures of Batman''

The Big Cartoon Database - ''Batman Cartoon Info''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Batman Superman Hour 1968 American television series debuts 1969 American television series endings 1960s American animated television series American children's animated action television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated science fiction television series American children's animated superhero television series Animated Superman television series CBS original programming English-language television shows Animated television shows based on DC Comics Batman television series by Filmation Superman television series by Filmation Television shows directed by Hal Sutherland