Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jan 9, 2026 | 5 comments

FOUR COLOR RADIO meets BATMAN ’66 WEEK!

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Welcome to BATMAN ’66 WEEK, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the beloved TV show starring Adam West! All week, we’ll be presenting daily tributes and features, leading up to Jan. 12 — the premiere date itself — when we’ll roll out a brand-new TOP 13 BATMAN ’66 EPISODE COUNTDOWN, voted upon by a panel of the most knowledgeable Bat-experts around. Click here for the COMPLETE INDEX. — Dan

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By PETER BOSCH

Hey, everybody, since we’re celebrating BATMAN ’66 WEEK here at 13th Dimension, I thought it would be fun to discuss the first time the Dynamic Duo made it through the airwaves into your home — 21 years earlier, on the radio program The Adventures of Superman.

The Caped Crusader listens in.

The February 28 to March 15, 1945, storyline “The Mystery of the Waxmen” had Superman meeting Robin first and then Batman. Highly regrettable is that only two episodes of that radio serial survive:

In 1981, however, Roy Thomas incorporated a condensed version of the story (pencilled by Rich Buckler and inked by Frank McLaughlin) into World’s Finest Comics #271, a special anniversary issue (cover by George Perez):

Don’t despair, though, about those missing episodes. There were at least 15 other shared radio adventures before the Caped Crusader and Man of Steel first teamed up in the comics, in 1952’s Superman #76. You can find links to those old-time radio shows below.

Sometimes, though, Batman and Robin took center stage, with their own adventures on the program. Why? Remarkably, because of Kryptonite, which was invented for the series. The prevailing belief is that the radioactive rock was created to give Superman a vulnerability. Perhaps, but it was also devised to give Clayton “Bud” Collyer (Superman and Clark Kent’s voice actor) a chance to have some vacation time. Kryptonite appears, Superman collapses, unable to speak, and Bud is off. Batman and Robin take over.

Batman was portrayed by three different actors from 1945 to the last appearance of the Dynamic Duo in 1948. They were Stacy (Stacey) Harris, Matt Crowley, and Gary Merrill, who went on to appear in a number of noteworthy Hollywood movies, including the 1950 Bette Davis classic, All About Eve, playing her fiancé in the film. (He was also that in real life, marrying Davis that same year.) The role of Robin was played in all adventures by the capable radio actor Ronald Liss.

Gary Merrill and Ronald Liss

Now — on to the 15 other storylines!

(NOTE: A number of the following are complete, storywise, but occasionally edited to avoid repeated openings and some commercials.)

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“Dr. Bly’s Confidence Gang,” the complete adventure (aired Sept. 4 to 21, 1945):

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“Looking for Kryptonite,” in which Clark reveals his secret identity to Batman. (No deep detective investigation by Batman in discovering it — Clark just tells him.) Here are the first four chapters (you can find other chapters online). The serial aired from December 4, 1945, to January 8, 1946:

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“Is There Another Superman?”, complete (aired Jan. 29 to Feb. 14, 1946):

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“Story of the Century,” another complete adventure (aired Mar. 29 to Apr. 15, 1946):

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“The Super Sleuth,” complete (aired July 22 to July 31, 1946):

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“The Dead Voice,” complete (Sept. 26 to Oct. 16, 1946):

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“The Secret Letter,” complete (aired Nov. 25 to Dec. 3, 1946):

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“The Phony Song Publishing Company,” complete (aired Dec. 4 to Dec. 13, 1946):

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“The Monkey Burglar,” complete (aired Feb. 12 to Feb.25, 1947):

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“Superman vs. Kryptonite,” complete (aired May 14 to June 27, 1947):

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“Pennies for Plunder,” missing one episode but otherwise complete (aired Nov. 27 to Dec. 26, 1947):

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“Batman’s Great Mystery,” complete (aired Feb. 3 to Feb. 17, 1948):

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“The Mystery of the Stolen Costume,” complete (Mar. 10 to Apr. 1, 1948):

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“The Secret of Meteor Island,” complete (June 14 to July 6, 1948):

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“The Voice of Doom,” complete (July 7 to July 30, 1948):

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In 1950, there was a pilot show made for a radio series starring Gotham’s guardian — The Batman Mystery Club, starring Richard Devon as Bruce Wayne/Batman:

For many years, there has been a rumor of another audition show, back in 1943 (two years before Batman first appeared on The Adventures of Superman), but no one has been able to find any recording of it.

Happy BATMAN ’66 WEEK! I’ll see you soon with more FOUR COLOR RADIO, our look at old-time radio programs — and their comics connections.

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MORE

— The Complete BATMAN ’66 WEEK INDEX of Features. Click here.

— FOUR COLOR RADIO Presents: 13 THINGS You Might Not Know About THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN Radio Show. Click here.

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13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. (You can buy it here.) A sequel, American Movie Comic Books: 1930s-1970s — From the Silver Screen to the Printed Page, is out now. (Buy it here.) Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in Hollywood.