The creator of the 1966 Batman series taught college students as a way to give back to the television industry

William Dozier wasn't just an entertainer; he was an educator.

Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution

If you're an optimist in this world, you believe that every good deed deserves another, and if you're fortunate enough to live a comfortable life, you should do your best to make others comfortable too.

William Dozier lived a very fortunate life, indeed. Dozier was a titan in the television industry and is best remembered for having created shows like the 1966 series Batman, starring Adam West.

Dozier also held a teaching position educating college students, which he spoke about during an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

"I felt a great responsibility toward the business that had been very good to me," he said. "I'm corny enough to think you should put something back into a business you've taken a lot out of. And I've taken a lot out of it."

Dozier was also interested in educating students on the television industry because, in his own experience, many young people were entering the entertainment industry woefully unprepared.

"As far back as 1941, when I was executive producer of the dramatic programs and later as vice president in charge of programs in Hollywood for CBS, I had the right to hire and fire in the television field," said Dozier. "I had many young people, fresh out of theater arts departments, fresh out of university classes; perhaps having majored in television, and they thought they were all ready to go into the television business. They thought they knew all about television and I discovered in every case, after talking with them for 15-20 minutes, that they really didn't know anything about television."

"They may have learned how to hold a camera," he continued. "They may have learned how to construct a script or how a script was formed. They may have learned how to direct a one-act show of some sort, but they didn't know anything about the nature of the business they were going into. They didn't know anything about what I call the jungle of television."

Luckily, much like his character, Dozier was a superhero to those in need of some serious assistance and helped pave the way for television in the years that followed.

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1 Comments

Runeshaper 8 days ago
Dozier should be commended for not only giving back, but to also seeing a problem and addressing it by actually doing something to help.
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