Tag: crime-fighting-in-the-mid-sixties

The Green Hornet Greets Batman

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A scene featuring a superhero duo performing a daring rescue on a building ledge, with a mysterious figure observing from a window.
Two masked characters peering out from a window, one wearing a black hat and the other a green hat, with a cityscape visible in the background.
Movie poster for 'The Way of the Dragon' featuring Bruce Lee, showcasing intense martial arts action and dramatic imagery.

August 14,1972 This filmed grossed 130 Million Dollars

Two shirtless men posing in a stylized setting, one in white martial arts pants and the other in black, with a historic background.

Mr. Chuck Norris gets a knee to the groin. Don’t shake hands with Kato…

A vintage movie poster featuring Bruce Lee, displaying the film titles in Italian and Chinese, with a background of a bare-chested Bruce Lee front and center.
A black and white image of a muscular man with short hair, posed in a martial arts stance, showcasing his defined physique.
A handwritten letter titled 'My Definite Chief Aim', featuring blue ink on off-white paper, expressing aspirations of becoming a highly paid actor and achieving world fame.
The Infamous Bruce Lee Manifesto…
A white, two-story residential building with a distinctive architectural style, featuring arched windows, a central entrance, and a tiled roof. The front yard includes greenery and a pathway leading to the entrance.
Upstairs in the 2nd story unit- lived Bruce Lee while playing Kato in the Green Hornet Series. Desilu, now Amazon Studios, is located behind the backyard of this home. I was riding by one afternoon not long ago, when I saw a couple moving in that unit upstairs. I had to stop and ask-“Do you know the history of this place ?” They said “No.” “Bruce Lee lived here in the mid 1960’s” I could barely contain myself as I stood inside in what was his living room. They sat stunned,- imagine your in a sacred zone, imagine worse- that you may have never known that without this Mysterious Minstrel who just happened to be passing by…
A black and white photo of a man holding two smiling children, standing outside a house with a staircase and a large bush in the background.
A narrow alleyway featuring two buildings with a staircase leading to an upper unit, flanked by hedges and a blue trash bin on the right side.

Back unit of this triplex-picture match-Bruce lived in the front building.

A man lying on a mat on the grass gazes up at another man, who is standing and preparing to drop a basketball towards him, in a black and white outdoor setting.

“Study Hard ” was how he greeted kids on their way to school on Van Buren Street in Culver City, where he lived while filming this T.V Series.

A black and white image of a muscular man standing in a garden, holding a stick with both hands. He is shirtless and wearing light-colored pants.
A black and white photo of a man in athletic wear demonstrating a martial arts move towards a woman, who is standing with a surprised expression. The background features a grassy area and wooden fence.
A scene depicting a martial arts duel, with one fighter in a yellow outfit performing a high kick above another fighter who is shirtless and positioned defensively.
“O.K- I’m warmed up- Bring it On ! “ says Lew Alcindor…. Like a Cobra strike, what style and grace.

Push play for Classic T.V – Remember this episode when the masks all met on a Bat Rope ?

When Crime Fighters Unite

The Green Hornet filmed in 1966-67, Produced by William Dozier, who also produced Batman. Van Williams starred as publisher Britt Reid and Bruce Lee as martial arts expert – Kato. A 26 episode ABC Series. This series was canceled after only 1 year. Batman was the craze in the mid -1960’s, this show suffered low ratings and was thought to be to serious compared to the wild, free flowing Batman series.

Batman had star power, big guest stars and many beautiful women. You wanted to be in the Batman craze, and the list of villains was brilliant. Every episode was fresh and colorful. The Green Hornet was dark, like those Batman features made when this series franchised into something bigger than life.

Batman screamed 1960’s- A cultural phenomenon. The reruns take you back to a time when making a hit series was flat out…Too Much Fun. The chemistry between Catwoman-Julie Newmar and Bruce Wayne’s character was very appealing. Call it – Dynamic, “Robin you can go home now, you have homework to do” says the mature crusader.

Born Julia Chalene Newmeyer, she was my favorite villain, a trained dancer of ballet and Spanish dance, you had to wonder if their was romance between these two…

A close-up of a woman dressed as Catwoman and a man dressed as Batman, lying against a building edge, with a view of a busy road below.
A woman dressed as a cat burglar wearing a black mask and shiny outfit, posing with a bag labeled '000' in front of a building.

Save Me -Batman!

Batman Canceled

Ratings started to decline and production cost went upwards. The skits became stale by the 3rd season and Yvonne Craig, BatGirl, was brought in to boost ratings. A very expensive show to produce with cutting edge color technology and high -profile guest villains who commanded large salaries.

Season 4 …Almost

NBC was interested in picking up this series ABC no longer wanted , but before the deal was finalized, in true Hollywood form, the expensive sets – including the BatCave-interior were demolished to clear space on the studio lot at 20th Century Fox. NBC backed out rather than pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to rebuild all of what was needed. This show became wildly successful once again in syndication, and future generations to this day often visit the BatCave exterior for nostalgic reference.

A black and white photograph of a sleek car positioned near a rocky cave entrance, suggesting a remote outdoor location.
Inside a cave looking out towards a bright opening at the end of a rocky tunnel. The ground is uneven and covered with dirt and small stones.

Written and Lived by…Donnie Norden