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BATMAN REGIONAL TV NEWS GUIDE |
Updated: December 04, 2007
Immediately following the rush premiere in January of 1966,
the global fad of Batmania in 1966 caused by the ABC TV show
that starred Adam West, Burt Ward and, arguably, the fantastic
George Barris styled Batmobile was overwhelming. Here was one
of the most significant fads of the 1960's and Bat-memorabilia
was everywhere. Collectors should not forget what caused all
the fervor - it was the run-away popularity of that now
classic TV show. Finding memorabilia dedicated to the TV show
is quite difficult for few items actually carried images or
graphics taken from the series. Most believe that was because
of the multiple layers of licensing involved, what with NPP
(National Periodical Publications), ABC, Greenway Productions
and then the actors themselves all deserving of a cut from the
licensing fees.
But, there is one often overlooked area devoted exclusively to
the TV series and that is the TV listing guides. Everyone is
familiar with that digest sized weekly publication distributed
nationally, but in many cases, the coolest guides were the
local or regionally published books, most often inserted into
the Sunday newspapers. Many times these guides used rarely
seen photos and nearly always have a very distinct nostalgic
appeal. This was an significant area of concentration within
this collection and we bring you a hefty chunk of these
vintage TV guidebooks this week. Be sure to see ALL the other
auctions, for there are more than TWENTY different digests
listed here, with more to follow. Some of these you may not
even know existed! Naturally, most contain feature articles on
the Batman show, with all these magazines also containing
articles and photos of the various cool shows available back
then. For the sake of economy, though, we will concentrate
only on the covers, as truthfully that is where the interest
really lies with these old 'zines.
Here is a classic regional insert guide, the TV News from the
week of August 5-12, 1966. This digest sized book is 5 5/16" X
8 5/16" with listings for the Chicago, IL local area. On the
front is a unique, full color illustration of Batman, Robin
and the majoe villains from the show, Cesar Romero as the
Joker, Burgess Maerdith as the Penguin, Frank Gorshin as the
Riddler and the curvaceous Julie Newmar as the Catwoman. There
is light age toning, particularly along the bottom edge, even
though the cover is made from a better grade of paper, with
just essentially no other flaws save for a small surface
abrasion at the top back cover. This copy was only available
as an insert in the Chicago Daily newspaper and is one of the
most desirable guides to find because of the villains on the
cover.
Value: $80.
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