Holy Exclamations, Batman!
BOFF! THWACK! KAPOW!
Those are just a few of the exclamations you were likely to witness if you tuned in to the ‘60s TV series Batman.
They appeared during the multiple fight scenes that punctuated most episodes of this campy iteration of the enduring superhero. As each major punch or kick was being delivered, an over-the-top exclamation would dramatically fill the screen (in a tacky starburst, to add emphasis).
This was an early-era TV attempt to replicate the mood of the original comic book series (thankfully, subsequent Hollywood variations haven’t chosen a similarly cheesy, literal interpretation).
Perhaps the exclamations also were intended to shield unsuspecting viewers from needless violence deemed unsuitable for daytime television in the ‘60s. Maybe they even saved on the cost of stunt doubles for wimpy actors Adam West (Batman) and Burt Ward (Robin).
Regardless, the visual outbursts quickly turned into the highlight of the show for me (far more entertaining than Robin’s endless string of annoying ‘holy’ sayings…)
It wasn't long before I tuned in to Batman primarily for its ridiculous exclamations.
Which meant the story was merely the filler that connected the exclamation-laced fight scenes, instead of the other way around.
A similar phenomenon continues to happen all the time, as businesses jockey to get noticed in a jam-packed online world.
Rather than making an emotional connection through a compelling, well-crafted story, it’s much easier to clobber someone over the head with hyperbole.
Sometimes, it works – at least temporarily. But inevitably, folks grow irritated or bored from the lazy, over-the-top approach.
It's the online equivalent of an obnoxious kid throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of a grocery store. It usually elicits attention. May even cause his embarrassed mom to cave in to his immediate demands. But the little hellion definitely doesn't endear himself to the surrounding shoppers.
