Bruce Lee co-starred in the television series The Green Hornet which aired 26 episodes from September 9, 1966 to March 24, 1967. Van Williams played a newspaper publisher and Lee played a valet named Kato. The two teamed up to fight crime and Kato handled much of the fighting. William Dozier produced both The Green Hornet and Batman which led to Lee doing several crossover episodes on Batman (IMDB, Letters, page 68-70, 77).
The first time they appeared together was on September 16, 1966 on the Milton Berle Show. Adam West appeared as Batman, Van Williams as the Green Hornet, and Bruce Lee as Kato. They teamed up to defeat a villain played by Milton Berle. 52m (IMDB).
The second time they appeared together was on the Batman episode, The Spell of Tut which aired on September 28, 1966. Van Williams and Lee appear in a short cameo popping out of a window to see Batman and Robin climbing up a building (IMDB).
The third time they appeared together was on the Batman episode, A Piece of the Action which aired on March 1, 1966. In the episode The Green Hornet and Kato visited Gotham City but through a misunderstanding end up fighting Batman and Robin. 25m (IMDB).
The final crossover was on the Batman episode, Batman’s Satisfaction. This involved another conflict between Batman and The Green Hornet at a stamp exhibition. 25m (IMDB).
Interestingly the Batman series was not available for purchase for the longest time because the ownership was split between William Dozier, Warner Brothers, and 20th Century Fox. According to William Dozier’s daughter Deborah Dozier Potter:
“My father produced it, owned it along with Fox, the characters were owned by DC, and Warner eventually owned DC. [My father] didn’t think it would amount to anything. It wasn’t even in his will.” (Wired).
Eventually 20th Century Fox was able to secure ownership and this led to a remastered release on DVD and Blu Ray in 2014. One has to wonder if the same legal issues are stopping the release of The Green Hornet (Wired). Batman has been remastered for the first time since airing and looks much improved (Hypable).
Resources:
Letters of the Dragon: The Original 1958-1973 Correspondence, John Little, Editor, Tuttle Publishing, 1998, 2016. Volume 5 of the Bruce Lee Library, commissioned by the Bruce Lee Estate. Letters to friends, family, and business associates. Put together by John Little, Bruce Lee historian.
Bruce Lee as Kato Image, Wikimedia image.
The Milton Berle Show; Season 1, Episode 2, played Kato. Adam West as Batman and Bruce Lee as Kato goes up against Milton Berle as the villain. 52m (IMDB).
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Batman, The Spell of Tut; Season 2, Episode 7, aired September 28, played Kato (uncredited). The villian King Tut returns with Egyptian scarabs (IMDB).
The Green Hornet Season 1, Episodes 1 – 26, aired September 9, 1966 – March 24, 1967. A series where Bruce Lee plays a newspaper publisher’s valet and crime fighting sidekick. Bruce Lee gained much attention with his realistic martial arts (IMDB).
Batman, A Piece of the Action; Season 2, Episode 51, aired March 1, played Kato. The Green Hornet and Kato visit Gotham City but through a misunderstanding under up fighting Batman and Robin. 25m (IMDB).
Batman, Batman’s Satisfaction; Season 2, Episode 52, aired March 2, played Kato. Another conflict between Batman and The Green Hornet at a stamp exhibition. 25m (IMDB).
Batman: The Complete Television Series DVD, available on Amazon.
Hypable, ‘Batman: The Complete Television Series’ DVD/Blu Ray review. Retrieved 6/6/2024.
Wired, Why We’re Just Now Getting the 1960s Batman TV Show on DVD. Retrieved 6/6/2024.
Cinemablend, Watch How Incredible The Batman TV Series Looks in High Definition. Retrieved 6/6/2024.
Milton Berle Picture from Movie Market.com.
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