More Batman 1966 Trivia

Did You Know?

S- Y'all, Bruce Lee is back! For some more interesting facts about his visit to Gotham City.

B.L- Ni hao, Sammy. 

S- Ni hao, Bruce! Boy, you sure are good at Chinese stuff.

B.L- It all comes, I suppose, from spending a lot of my lifetime in Hong Kong.

S- Wow! Hong Kong! Now, tell us about your appearance on Batman. The actual episode, not the window cameo.

B.L- *laughs* I appear as Kato, the Green Hornet's sidekick, just like in the window cameo. 

S- Yeah, tell me a little about that before we move on. How did the Green Hornet and Kato get a crossover episode with Batman?

B.L- Well, the executive producer of Batman, William Dozier, wanted to bring the Green Hornet to the small screen. He had already made us our own series, but he made us a Batman crossover just to introduce us.

S- Oh, it was an introductory thing. Clever. 

B.L- Yes, so Van Williams and I clashed with Adam and Burt. But Adam and Burt did not know we were crimefighters. They thought we were criminals, but they did find out we weren't in the end.

S- It's a good thing Adam and Burt were on your side. Even though they didn't know it.

B.L- *laughs* Yes.

S- Oh, wow! And before we move on, Bruce, I wanted to ask you. You and Burt lived in the same apartment building. You were sparring partners, huh?

B.L- That's right.

S- What was it like sparring with him on television?

B.L- First of all, Sammy, people don't know this about me, but sparring with Burt on television was my first onscreen appearance. 

S- Ever?

B.L- Ever. 

S- Wow! 

B.L- I did go to a little bit of trouble into doing it though. The original script idea was to have Batman and Robin win the final battle. 

S- But it was a tie in the final.

B.L- Exactly. It was a tie because I told the producers I did not want to lose to Burt. 

S- Because losing to the Boy Wonder would be bad for Kato's reputation?

B.L- Very close. I was afraid that it would be bad for my reputation as a martial arts celebrity. So they made it a tie, so it wouldn't ruin mine or Burt's reputation.

S- Awesome! Stay tuned, y'all!