To The Batpoles! Batman 1966: Recent Episodes
Tim and Paul
Like many who grew up in the '60s and '70s (and perhaps even '80s and later), Tim and Paul had the course of their lives changed by the 1966 Batman TV show, from the types of play they did growing up to their present-day interests. In this series, they discuss the show's allure and its failures, the arc of the show from satire to sitcom, its influences (the '40s serials and the comic books themselves) and the things it, in turn, influenced. SUPPORT "To the Batpoles!" and DeconstructingComics.com via Patreon!
On the latest Bat Bits, we finish our look at the draft of "The Ring of Wax" by Jack Paritz and Bob Rodgers, featuring a nonexistent fountain, a gun that doesn't make it to the final, the return of a familiar building, and more!
Subscribe to our Patreon for $2 a month to see the script and hear our discussion of it in our bi-weekly examination of Batman 66 on BAT BITS, or, for $4 a month, get that AND our monthly discussion of Silver Age Batman comics, as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s. In the latest episode, Tim and Paul discuss "The Ice Crimes of Mr Zero" from Batman 121, which was the basis for the Batman 66 episodes "Instant Freeze" and "Mice like Cheese"! Holy treasure trove of Bat info! Sign up today!
On the latest Bat Bits, we continue walking through the draft of "The Ring of Wax"/"Give 'Em the Axe" by Jack Paritz and Bob Rodgers, featuring the final mention of the Batmobile's security system, a significant change following the deathtrap, a swap of one antifeminist comment for another, and more!
Subscribe to our Patreon for $2 a month to see the script and hear our discussion of it in our bi-weekly examination of Batman 66 on BAT BITS, or, for $4 a month, get that AND our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics, as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s. In the upcoming episode of Silver Age Batman to be published on Patreon July 25, Tim and Paul discuss "The Ice Crimes of Mr Zero" from Batman 121, which was the basis for the Batman 66 episodes "Instant Freeze" and "Mice like Cheese"! Holy treasure trove of Bat info! Sign up today!
It's been quite a while since we've taken a look at "The Ring of Wax"/"Give 'em the Axe", but it's finally this arc's turn for an examination of its first completed draft script. How well did Jack Paritz and Bob Rodgers do at sticking to Semplian ideas of Batman? Where did they not go into enough detail to get their story across? And what do we notice about a certain Gotham City politician? We begin our multi-part look at this script, which you can see for yourself on our Patreon page!
Subscribe to our Patreon for $2 a month for bi-weekly examinations of Batman 66 on BAT BITS, or, for $4 a month, get that AND our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics, as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s — most recently, Tim and Emmet discussed "The Man Behind the Red Hood" from DETECTIVE COMICS 168! So slide down your Batpole and join today!
Here is an audio promo of our latest episode!
Nancy Northcott joins us once again to discuss women on Batman. This time, we're focusing on the Egghead/Olga team-up episodes. Are they as full of sexism as we'd expected from a 1967 TV show? What do we make of the leggy babe technician at the Radium Center? Is crime fighting "better left to the men"? What's implied by Batgirl's "Sixth sense"? And other general observations about "The Ogg and I", "How to Hatch a Dinosaur," and "The Ogg Couple."
Subscribe to our Patreon for $2 a month for bi-weekly examinations of Batman 66 on BAT BITS, or, for $4 a month, get that AND our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics, as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s — most recently, Tim and Patrick discussed "The Vanished Batman" from BATMAN 101! So slide down your Batpole and join today!
It goes without saying that Batman '66 wouldn't be Batman '66 without Adam West. Never mind Keaton and the others; Adam's our Batman! Adam's hometown of Walla Walla, Washington, celebrates Adam's legacy on and around his birthday of September 19, dubbed "Adam West Day". In this e
pisode, Brian Marsmaker from the Adam West Day planning committee and Adam West Day founder Jonathan Grant join us to talk about this year's festivities, the origins of the annual event, Adam's early life in Walla Walla, and their own favorite Batman episodes and villains. Plus, match your Bat-knowledge against our guests' in Tim's Bat-Quiz!
Join our Patreon for $2/month to hear this episode with no ads, and to hear all our past and future episodes!
Recently on BAT BITS we talked about what went into writing the recap we see at the start of part two of many Batman episodes. Then we noticed that the recap of "The Joker Goes to School" is considerably longer than any other Season One recap. This time, we look for clues as to why this recap lasts 2 and a half minutes, when all of the others are less than 2:00!
Subscribe to our Patreon for $2 a month for bi-weekly examinations of Batman 66 on BAT BITS, or, for $4 a month, get that AND our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics, as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s — most recently, Tim and Kumar discussed the origin of Killer Moth from BATMAN issue 63! So slide down your Batpole and join today!
In their years of podcasting about Batman 66, Tim and Paul have covered a number of parodies and ripoffs of the show, from MAD magazine to Batfink. But a listener has informed them of another one, b from the March 1988 issue of Cracked magazine. Even more than a year out from the 1st Michael Keaton Batman movie, interest was running high with still very little known about the film, so cast reunions and flashbacks to the '66 show were numerous. How does this parody stack up with the others we've discussed?
Find out by listening to Bat Bits! Subscribe to our Patreon for at least $2 a month, or, for $4 a month, you'll get that AND our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics, as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s — most recently, Kumar and I discussed the origin of Killer Moth from BATMAN 63! So slide down your Batpole and join today!
Eric Elliot's labor-of-love project to convert the 1960s treatment for the unmade film Batman Meets Godzilla into a comic has finally been completed! Eric scripts and a squad of 10 artists handle the artwork. So how does it look? On the latest Bat Bits, we review issue 3.
Listen to Bat Bits by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! At $4 a month you'll get that AND our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics, as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s — most recently, Paul and I discussed the story "The Challenge of Batwoman" from BATMAN 105. So slide down your Batpole and join today!
At last, we're again joined by novelist Nancy Northcott to discuss the portrayal of women in Batman 66! We pick up near the start of Season Three, with the episodes "The Unkindest Tut of All" and "Louie, the Lilac." Can Tim, Paul, and Nancy survive S3? Have any three people used the word "cringe" more frequently in the space of 45 minutes? How is it that the Bat-season with more female villains and a female hero also seems to be the most sexist? Listen and find out, my dear. (cringe)
Listen to Bat Bits by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! At $4 a month you'll get that AND our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics, as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s — most recently, the establishment of the idea that Bruce Wayne once wore the Robin costume! And coming up, Tim and Paul look at another comics story featuring Batwoman! So slide down your Batpole and join today!
As Tim and Paul have examined first draft Batman scripts, it's become clear that the draft recaps of part one that you hear at the start of part two are often completely rewritten for the final. But why did this rewriting take place? What were the goals of the recaps that Lorenzo Semple and co. thought weren't being served as written by the contributing writers? In the latest Bat Bits, we compare the recap in the draft of "A Riddle A Day Keeps the Riddler Away" to what was broadcast and try to glean the reasons for the changes.
Listen to Bat Bits by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! At $4 a month you'll get that AND our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics, as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s — most recently, the establishment of the idea that Bruce Wayne once wore the Robin costume! So slide down your Batpole and join today at https://www.patreon.com/c/deconcomics !
This time, we conclude our discussion of the draft script for the show's second Riddler story, "A Riddle A Day Keeps the Riddler Away", featuring a VERY different, and surprisingly lethal, climactic scene at the Queen of Freedom Monument! We also see an instance of writer Fred DeGorter not quite getting Batman. The Caped Crusader isn't so much warm and friendly to Commissioner Gordon as a take-charge expert on dealing with criminals! Apparently Batman outranks the police commissioner!
Listen to Bat Bits and see the script we're discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! At $4 a month you'll get that AND our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics, as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s — most recently, an early and significant appearance by the Catwoman! So slide down your Batpole and join today!
This time, we continue our discussion of the draft script for the show's second Riddler story, "A Riddle A Day Keeps the Riddler Away", picking up with the Dynamic Duo's escape from Riddler's spinning deathtrap! Who impersonates Batman, and why does the script try to hide that info? Why did Gordon think that Batman was dead? What country is King Boris from? We'll dig into all of it!
Listen to Bat Bits and see the script we're discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! At $4 a month you'll get that AND our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics, as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s — most recently, an early and significant appearance by the Catwoman! So slide down your Batpole and join today!
This time, we continue our discussion of the draft script for the show's second Riddler story, "A Riddle A Day Keeps the Riddler Away"! We touch on how Fred DeGorter wrote the Riddler vs how the lines were re-written, Robin inadvertently insulting Batman, and more, including a certain establishing shot that we didn't get in the finished episode….
Listen to Bat Bits and see the script we're discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! At $4 a month, you'll get that AND our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics, as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s — most recently, the first appearance of Bat Mite! So slide down your Batpole to join our Patreon today!
This time we begin a new series on the draft script for the show's second Riddler story, "A Riddle A Day Keeps the Riddler Away"! We cover everything from rearranged scenes to a missing answer to a riddle, as well as some obvious cost cutting!
Listen to Bat Bits and see the scropt we're discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s! Slide down your Batpole to join our Patreon today!
We're back with a one-off episode to share several exciting pieces of news!
First, Lorenzo Semple's Batnotes memo (also known as "Bat Poop"), sent to prospective Batman writers, outlines Semple's concept of the show. It was thought by many to be lost, but now it has resurfaced! This time we share the seven most surprising things we found in this 14-page memo. It also inspires Paul to take a long-awaited Camping Trip!
Second, our book is coming along. The plan is for it to cover Batman season one, with future books to cover the other two seasons. It's not finished, and now that we've belatedly hit on a good angle on the show, some parts that were thought to be finished may need a lot more work. We'll fill you in.
Finally, we got some lavish praise from podcaster Frank Santopadre on his Fun For All Ages podcast! Aw, shucks…
Plus the Smooth4Lyfe EDM version of the Batman theme!
Semple's TV Academy interview
Follow us on Bluesky
Batgirl's arrival
This time we wrap up our discussion of Lorenzo Semple Jr's BATNOTES memo for prospective BATMAN 66 writers. These last few pages of the memo cover the show's running characters, including a surprising early take on Aunt Harriet, as well as the now-familiar format of the show and the question of showing supered titles on the screen rather than narration!
Listen to Bat Bits and see the memo we're discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s! Slide down your Batpole to join our Patreon today!
On the latest Bat Bits, we discuss Lorenzo Semple Jr's guidelines regarding Batman's arsenel: The Batmobile, the Batcave, and all his various devices. We discuss reasons to label everything in the Batcave and Batman's general resourcefulness. Whatever he needs is always there when he needs it!
Listen to Bat Bits and see the memo we're discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Slide down your Batpole to join our Patreon today!
Why Batman doesn't carry a gun, and focuses on reforming crooks. How to write Bruce Wayne (square, not stupid!) Keeping the camp incidental to the show; he only goes to the disco because that's where his crime investigation leads him. Our discussion of Lorenzo Semple's 14-page "Batnotes" memo continues!
Listen to Bat Bits and see the memo we're discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Slide down your Batpole to join our Patreon today!
Lorenzo Semple's 14-page "Batnotes" memo to prospective Bat-writers lays out the basic things he wanted a writer to understand before attempting a Batman script. In our second episode digging into this memo, we discuss how the villian's real goal often isn't revealed until the end, some surprising revelations on how Semple imagined the GCPD and possible casualties among the henchmen, how murder isn't an MO for Bat-Villains (except for their attempts to murder the Dynamic Duo), and more. Plus: how YOU can help Tim and Paul assemble a TO THE BATPOLES! episode on this topic!
Listen to Bat Bits and see the memo we're discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Slide down your Batpole to join our Patreon today!
We had heard before that it existed, and we’ve finally found it: Lorenzo Semple’s 14-page “Batnotes” memo to prospective Bat-writers about “a few simple rules and concepts” about what should or should not happen in a Batman script. Tim and Paul want to dig through this carefully, so in this episode they discuss the first few pages, with more to come. In this episode: Qualities of Gotham City, why the show shouldn’t move on to other settings, the mystery of our heroes’ other identities, and qualities of the Bat-foes. Plus: how YOU can help Tim and Paul assemble a TO THE BATPOLES! episode on this topic!
Listen to Bat Bits and see the memo we’re discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Join today!
In 1967, Yvonne Craig was added to the Batman cast as Batgirl, in an effort to boost the ratings. It wouldn’t fly today, but Batman’s producers and the media were pretty up-front, and a bit crude, about the effort to add sex appeal to keep the show afloat. This time on BAT BITS, we discuss a TV GUIDE article on Yvonne that serves as Exhibit A on that front, but also gives us some interesting glimpses of Yvonne’s personality.
Listen to BAT BITS and see the article we’re discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Join today!
Lorenzo Semple, Jr., is the writer entrusted by producer William Dozier with getting the writing side of Batman off the ground. This time, we take a look at a letter from Semple to Dozier, in which he discusses his plans for the script of “Zelda the Great”, a template for Bat-scripts, concerns about Adam West’s acting style, and more.
Listen to Bat Bits and see the letter we’re discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Join today!
On the latest BAT BITS, we conclude our examination of Sheldon Stark’s final script for Fine Finny Fiends, including a scene setting relocated for lack of the right set, what Finella was supposed to be wearing in the final scene, the shifting explanations of who knows where the banquet will be held, and changes in the script to give the audience just enough information…
Listen to BAT BITS and see the script we’re discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s!
On the latest Bat Bits, we begin an examination of Sheldon Stark's final script for Fine Finny Fiends. Somewhat inexplicably, this arc’s theme is fish rather than birds. Maybe because penguins eat fish? Tim and Paul find some additional fish references that got cut, and some of them with good reason. Or maybe not? Also we find some gags that were added after this script, some puzzling stage directions, things that were changed to work better on television, and more.
Listen to Bat Bits and follow along with a PDF of the script by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Come on over to patreon dot com slash decon comics to find out what else is fishy about this script!
On the latest Bat Bits, we wander out into the wider Dozierverse to look at the correspondence between William Dozier, producer of Batman and The Green Hornet, and Bruce Lee, whom Dozier tried several times to find a vehicle for before landing on the role of Kato. We get some of Bruce’s feelings about his 1965 screen test, get some of Bruce’s comments about how “Gong Fu” should be portrayed on the show, and more.
Listen to Bat Bits and see the Dozier and Lee letters by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you also get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Join today!
While Rik Vollaerts’ early draft of The Bookworm Turns was very different from what was broadcast, surely the final script is exactly what we saw? But no, that’s never true; some changes always occur at the hands of the director, and perhaps the actors. A significant scene (and significant henchman) disappeared from this story as broadcast. Was it simply cut for time, or were there questions of taste? In the latest BAT BITS, Tim and Paul discuss the differences and what may account for them.
Listen to Bat Bits and follow along with a PDF of the script by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Come on over to patreon dot com slash decon comics to join the fun!
A lingering question from the Bookworm arc of Batman, as broadcast, is: Why was a Commissioner Gordon impersonator seemingly shot at the opening of the bridge? As we conclude our look at the draft version of the script, we finally get an answer!
Listen to Bat Bits and follow along with a PDF of the script by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Come on over to patreon dot com slash decon comics to join the fun!
On the latest episode of Bat Bits, Paul and I move into the second half of the early draft of Rik Vollaerts’ script “The Bookworm Turns”! We can see the vague outlines of this script in the broadcast version, including the use of the Bat Magnet! But does it make sense for Bookworm to steal “industrial diamonds”? And, if an implement is called a Bat Cutting Torch, wouldn’t it be better for us to actually see it cutting?
We also notice how this version of the script keeps repeating the same themes!
Listen to Bat Bits and follow along with a PDF of the script by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Come on over to patreon dot com slash decon comics to join the fun!
Now live on Patreon - part two of our look at the draft Bookworm script, featuring an overlong, over-complicated deathtrap scene!
Join us on Patreon to hear our discussion and follow along with the script!
On the latest Bat Bits, we begin a multi-part look at an early draft of The Bookworm Turns! It contains some concepts seen in the broadcast version that may ring a bell, but there’s no Big Benjamin bell in this script!
Join us on Patreon to hear about Rik Vollearts’ early shot at Bookworm and follow along with a PDF of the script at patreon dot com slash decon comics. Part one is available now!
At last, we're back! This time we talk about a couple fantastic YouTube comments we received from people with close connections to two Bat-regulars, Stafford Repp and Madge Blake! Join us on Patreon for $2 a month to hear their revelations!
We’re back for a look at the first two draft scripts for The Joker Trumps an Ace/Batman Sets the Pace. As usual, scripts bring to light connections that the filmed episode didn’t quite make, lines we never heard clearly, abandoned bat-turns and wardrobe business, an absent moll, and much more.
PLUS: we experience one of the better “surf rock” versions of the theme, read mail from listeners, and hear Adam West in 2014 discussing the newly-released Batman DVDs and BluRays!
Read the scripts here
Batman shooting dates! Scott Sebring and Ben Bentley have pieced together the best info available
About the J.P. Patches Show
Mick Beaulieu's surf-rock version of the Batman theme
Adam West Previews New York Comic Con
For our final BAT BITS of the year, we return, after a two-year hiatus, to the BATMAN ’66 comics series, digging into issue 12. It’s certainly not the greatest issue of the series, but in its faults, it helps us identify aspects of how the TV show works. Listen for a clip from the show!
The New Adventures of Batman, Filmation’s second Batman cartoon series, premiered February 12, 1977 on CBS. Tim and Paul, then 11 and 8 respectively, were thrilled at the idea of Adam West and Burt Ward voicing the Duo, but not so thrilled at the addition of Bat Mite to the cast. But… were we wrong about Bat Mite? This time we discuss this question, and the whole 16-episode series, with BAT 77 host J.B. Anderton!
Plus, Burt Ward as Robin in 1976, the Japanese theme for this cartoon, and we read your comments on episodes 218 and 219!
Support us on Patreon to hear this show ad free, plus bonus content!
Batman theme played by the LCIS Orchestra
JB shows us his Bat-merch collection
Burt Ward on The Clown Show
Opening and Ending for The New Adventures in Japan
Full version of the opening theme, "BAT MAN ~crescent night story~"
Holy continuation! In the latest edition of Bat Bits, we attempt to come up with some guidelines for what makes a good “holy”. Also: Just because a holy was used on Batman 66, does that make it a “good” one? Join us on Patron for at least $2 a month to hear Bat Bits, as well as ad-free versions of future TO THE BATPOLES episodes! Go to Patreon dot com slash decon comics!
Also in this promo, an announcement concerning TO THE BATPOLES!
Holy exclamation! On Batman 66, Robin used a lot of Holys. We have a sense of what formulations of holys work best, but can we put those formulations into words? Why do some holys from other sources, such as the 1966 album Jan and Dean meet Batman make us say “holy wrong note”? In this first installment of a two-part edition of “Bat Bits”, we analyze some of the holys from that record. Which ones work, and which don’t? Holy idiomatic expression!
Support us on Patreon now!
JOIN US ON PATREON to hear BAT BITS, morsels we find as we research the show for our book!
Why was the world premiere of Batman, the Movie held in Austin, Texas? And just what went on at (and around) this July 30, 1966, event? This time, a deep dive on the movie premiere!
On the latest BAT BITS podcast, we discuss another anti-Batman article from 1966! Is it possible to hate Batman comics, but think they're great compared to the TV show??
A 1966 article by journalist Paul Molloy takes down NY Congressman Frank Horton for praising "Batman" for its heroes "heroic power for good", saying it was inspirational and a good message for kids. Molloy, on the other hand, sees the GCPD's reliance on Batman as swipe at all police. Do either one of these guys really understand the show!? Tim and Paul discuss the article, kindly provided by the Message Board's "Mr. Glee". Available only on Patreon!
Famously, Burt Ward has said that, in the episode BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME, he was placed above a pit of tigers, with meat hanging above him that encouraged the tigers to jump. Meanwhile, in THE OFFICIAL BATMAN BATBOOK, Joel Eisner says there were no live tigers, just a clip from an old movie. Who's right? The answer may surprise you! Scott Sebring has shared his interesting research on this topic with us, and we share it in this episode - available only on Patreon!
The first episode of our book-writing-hiatus Patreon podcast is now live! We discuss memos among the Greenway and Fox teams about Adam West's chronic lateness on the set, and answer the question: How is Bill Clinton separated by three degrees from Batman '66?? Support us for two dollars a month and get BAT BITS every two weeks!
All the supporting players on Batman had many years of acting experience — considerably more than the stars of the show did! That also goes for Stafford Repp, playing stereotypical Irish cop Chief O’Hara. But what was his background? When did he get into acting? What are some of his other roles, pre- and post-Batman? This time we take a closer look at Repp.
Also: Bat-Audio of Adam and Burt on Entertainment Tonight in 1987, your response to several recent episodes, and a special announcement!
Bat-Message Board: #215 Women in Season Three, pt 1
Bat-Message Board: #217 Wil Shriner Show Bat-reunion
All-Soldier Musical Show Here Tuesday, Wednesday (4/11/43)
TV Face, Not Name, Rings Bell (8/24/63)
Character Actor's Big TV Try (10/19/63)
Holy Palpitatin' Policemen: This is Police Chief O'Hara (5/21/66)
Adam West and Burt Ward on Entertainment Tonight, 1987
The Frito Bandito Meets Chief O'Hara
Batman Stop-Motion Intro
Six months after Batman’s final broadcast on ABC, CBS premiered The Adventures of Batman, the character’s first animated show, produced by Filmation. While the look of the show is totally divorced from the Adam West version, relying mainly on the comics, the influence of the live action show can definitely be felt in the writing; just ask “millionaire Bruce Wayne” at “Stately Wayne Manor.”
This is a show we never saw as kids, or really at all until now, so this time we take a look at the cartoon, without any nostalgic rose-colored glasses. And we have a blast doing it!
ALSO: The Dynamic Duo’s version of the theme (who ARE they behind those masks?), the conclusion of the 1989 Bat-reunion on CBS This Morning, and the message board weighs in on the reasons for 1988 Batmania!
There have been many Batman cast reunions on talk shows over the years, particularly as the 1989 Batman movie’s release approached. Previously we talked about the 1988 reunion on The Late Show with Ross Shafer, an overbooked, poorly stage-managed affair. This time we look at another reunion in 1988, on The Wil Shriner show. Shriner’s show kept the number of guests to a manageable number, and Shriner was more knowledgeable about the show than Shafer, making this reunion about the best you could hope for on a talk show for a general audience. This time we discuss this Wil Shriner episode.
Plus, the Silverwood Clarinet Choir plays an interesting arrangement of Hefti’s Batman theme, and we get a look at a particularly sexist take on Batgirl from Detective Comics 371.
Watch the Wil Shriner Batman reunion episode
The Clock King’s Crazy Crimes/The Clock King Gets Crowned is the one Batman ’66 arc written by Bill Finger, now credited as a co-creator of the character, and Charles Sinclair. Unsurprisingly, the first draft of the script reveals a writer not well versed in the rules of Hollywood, such as that an actor who says one word on screen is more expensive than one in a non-speaking role. This time we look at the first draft, final, and revised final scripts of the Clock King story, finding bits that changed significantly as shot, and answer some of our questions about odd parts of the story.
ALSO: The London Music Works version of the Batman theme, Burgess Meredith on the origin of the Penguin’s quack, and your mail!
Message board comments on the scripts
Message board comments on our Mr. Terrific discussion
One of the most striking things — in a good way, for once! — about Batman’s third season is the number of villains who are women. Also, of course, this is the season of Batgirl, who is more aggressively “feminized” than any other woman on the show, perhaps because she’s doing “a man’s job.” This time we begin a look at how the show presents women in season three by looking at the season's first five episodes, and we’re joined again by novelist Nancy Northcott.
PLUS: What if King Crimson performed the Batman theme? A Batman writer turns out to be a war hero! And, Bat Audio from another Batman reunion in 1989.
Read the Clock King scripts we’ll discuss next month:
- First draft
- Final draft
- Revised final
- Comment on the script on the message board
Panel discussions on Nancy's ConTinual channel
If King Crimson performed the Batman theme (from JB Anderton!)
A Marine's-eye View of the Battle of Iwo Jima (yes, it's bat-relevant!)
More about the Iwo Jima video project, including our Bat-writer bravery medal recipient
Frank Cockrell on OldTimeRadioDownloads.com
1989 Batman reunion on CBS This Morning
Mr. Terrific was cancelled after half a season, but… was it really a terrible show? Is star Stephen Strimpell partly to blame? This time, we push back on Thirteen Week Theatre’s take on Strimpell, consider why pill popping was such a common way to get superpowers in the Sixties, and the show’s …. agressive … laugh track. Also, were the network execs commissioning superhero sitcoms really trying to imitate Batman, or just cash in?
Plus, The Music Within’s bass guitar cover of the Batman theme, more from Adam and Burt on Hour Magazine, and e-mail from our listeners!
Excerpt from Outré magazine's Stephen Strimpell interview (ilovegetsmart.com)
This time we look at the other sitcom that tried to cash in on Batman, CBS’s Mr. Terrific. It’s goofier than Captain Nice and not as funny (although the laugh track clearly doesn’t think that!), but with a surprisingly good cast. We discuss the unaired pilot, and the first 8 episodes of the 17-episode series, which is quite different from the pilot, with an utterly different cast and different situation for Mr. T’s alter ego, Stanley Beamish.
Plus: Max Diaz Music’s “punk” version of the theme, Adam and Burt appearing on Hour Magazine in 1984, and your response to our discussion of the Batman cast reunion on Fox’s Late Night with Ross Shafer, in episode 211!
When Batman hit in early 1966, it set a trend of superheroes in pop culture that many rushed to emulate. By the time many of these bat-mimics were ready for public consumption, the trend was on its way out. One such wave-rider was Captain Nice, created by Buck Henry, and repeating some gags from Henry’s hit Get Smart. While Captain Nice brought some really funny moments, it failed to catch on with audiences. Was this simply because the bat-bubble had burst? Or was it that Henry wasn’t the right person to grab the lightning in a bottle that Lorenzo Semple, Jr., had captured? We look at the strengths and weaknesses of the show, the possible reasons for its failure, and whether Captain Nice was meant to be a bat-clone, or a conventional sitcom starring a superhero.
Plus, the Solid Ghost Band theme version, MTV looks at a party commemorating 20 years since the last Batman primetime episode, and ChrisBCritter explains how Dr. Somnambula’s stethescope worked!
Watch Captain Nice on Archive.org
Batman Reunion Party, 1988
Sold Ghost Band theme version
On April 28, 1988, the then-fledgling Fox Network’s The Late Show with Ross Shafer hosted a Batman reunion. However, due to poor time management and a second-rate host, among other problems, the reunion can be a bit of a tough watch - especially the way Alan Napier was shortchanged on airtime at the end as he and Shafer struggled to communicate with each other. Video of the episode, unavailable when we looked for it years ago, surfaced last year, and this time we discuss the problems as well as the interesting bits that we did pick up from the bat-cast.
ALSO: The WDR Big Band version of the theme, and we read your mail on episodes 208 and 209.
WDR Big Band
The Late Show with Ross Shafer's Batman reunion
We conclude our look at Ellis St. Joseph’s original Sandman script with the sleepwalker-filled second part of the arc, originally titled “A Stitch in Time.” We discuss our impressions of the script, the episode we got instead, and which one we might have preferred. We also share more impressions of the script from the denizens of the ’66 Batman message board, and listen to the world’s most enthusiastic kid, “The Colour Boo”, sing a mostly original song about the Caped Crusader.
The Sandman Cometh, First Draft, Final Draft
Joel Eisner talks with Ellis St. Joseph
Message Board thread on this script
Midway through Season Two, Julie Newmar appeared along with Michael Rennie as guest villains Catwoman and Sandman in The Sandman Cometh. But originally, this script by Ellis St. Joseph featured only the Sandman, with Robert Morely picked to play the role. This time, we get into how the teamup came about as we begin a look at St. Joseph’s original draft script.
Also, Below the Staff Music takes a stab at a jazz version of Hefti’s Batman theme, Adam West and Burt Ward cameo on the SImpsons, and we read your mail on the Bat Bible and Buck Henry’s rejection of camp!
The Sandman Cometh, First Draft, Final Draft
Joel Eisner talks with Ellis St. Joseph
Message Board thread on this script | On episode #207 (Bat Bible and Buck Henry)
"1966 Batman Theme - But It's Jazz," by Below the Staff Music
Adam and Burt on The Simpsons
Even after Batman made ABC’s “second season” schedule, to start in January 1966, there was still concern about how audiences would react. Will they get the joke? Should a laugh track be used? In a memo dated January 14, 1966 - the day after the second episode, Smack in the Middle, was first broadcast — Joseph Schrier, Director of Program Development at ABC, reports on audience testing on the pilot. While some adults got the joke, others weren’t quite sure if the show was meant to be funny. Audience reaction to Batman and Robin was mixed, as well, with some noticing that Robin was solving all the Riddler’s riddles while Batman seemed to be flailing. This time, we look at that report, discuss why Batman could be perceived as rather dense in the pilot, and how well the report’s recommendations were followed.
PLUS: Musician Noiselund shows creativity and voluminous Bat-knowledge with his music video “Buttercup”; a 1989 report about Michael Keaton’s casting as Batman, and Adam West’s reaction to it; and we read your mail about our episode on the life of Neil Hamilton.
Read the draft of The Sandman Cometh, and comment on it for our next episode!
What will we cover in our next episode? Also, what will be the topic of the next patrons-only podcast? Listen to hear how you can help to decide the answer to the latter question, and to hear the answer to the former!
In television, a show’s “bible” is a collection of the rules for the world of a particular show, to keep writers on track with their scripts. The makeshift bible that Lorenzo Semple, Jr., wrote for Batman is lost to history, but what might have been in it? What are the rules that we can see the show following? Tim has compiled some and presents them here — and asks for your suggestions.
In a recent Bat Inbox, we discussed some comments writer Buck Henry made about Batman and camp shortly after the show premiered. The comments struck Paul as being off-target and showing a poor understanding of what camp is. Is camp not comedy? Was Henry’s co-creation Get Smart not a campy show? Paul’s given it some more thought and research, and furthers that discussion in this episode.
Plus, the Kydoniai Orchestra version of the theme, the conclusion of Adam West’s Cinefix interview from 2014, and your response to our second Batman/Star Trek act-off.
"Gilligan and Captain Kirk have more in common than you think: 1960s Camp TV as an alternative geneology for cult TV" by W.D. Phillips and Isabel Pinedo
He’s best remembered as the Gotham City Police Department’s Commissioner Gordon, the Dynamic Duo’s #1 cheerleader. But Neil Hamilton had a long Hollywood career decades before Batman, dating back to the silent film era. This time, we talk about the hills and valleys of his decades in film and television, capped off with the Batman role that earned him the funds to retire.
PLUS: More of Adam West’s 2014 appearance on the YouTube channel Cinefix, the Scott Community High School Band version of the theme, and your response to our discussion of the Rembrandt III treatment!
Hamilton as model for a J.C. Leyendecker cover for Saturday Evening Post (scroll about halfway down the page)
Robert S. Ray commentary on Hamilton
Hamilton-related documents (including TV Guide article), courtesy of High C
A clip from Dawn Patrol
The life-size FAB1 car
We’re joined again by our childhood friend Kyle for the second installment of our comparison of actors who appeared on both Batman and Star Trek. On which show did Grace Lee Whitney (King Tut moll Neila vs. Yeoman Janice Rand), Lee Meriwether (Tut kidnapee Lisa Carson vs. planetary security system Losira), Frank Gorshin (the Riddler vs. traitor-tracker Bele), and Sherry Jackson (Riddler moll Pauline vs. improbably sexy android Andrea) turn in the better performance? Then, having pitted two of the same actor’s roles against each other, we compare that actor’s better performance to that of one of the other actors. Just call us “The Gamesters of Gotham”!
Plus, Adam West answers questions from YouTube channel Cinefix in 2014, Bryan Daste’s banjo/upright bass/theramin version of the Batman theme, and your mail on the 1966 snarky Saturday Evening Post bat-article!
Our complete (?) list of every actor who appeared on both Batman and Star Trek TOS
As the broadcast of Batman season one drew to a close, a treatment called Rembrandt the Third Meets his Master was submitted by 31-year-old Yale M. Udoff, who would go on to some success, but was just getting started as a screenwriter. Udoff’s inexperience may account for many of the problems with this treatment: A villain, Rembrandt III, whose crimes and motivations are too creaky for a TV show, and who engages many elements that don’t fit the theme of “painting”; many bat-no-nos, including an armed-to-the-teeth Alfred and a somewhat vain, goofy Batman; and set pieces that were unfilmable in the pre-CGI days, at least on Greenway Productions’ budget. And a lot of elements that just don’t seem that interesting. But here and there, he gets it right. This time, we examine this treatment.
ALSO: The Marcus Hedges Trend Orchestra version of the theme, the final installment of Adam West talking with Conan O’Brien in 1997, and your mail on episode 202’s look at Batman ’66 in the UK.
Tim and Paul in The Comics Lair Episode 46: Comics & Nostalgia
Benny Hill "Batman" sketch
At the height of Batmania in the first half of 1966, nearly every press outlet found it necessary to do a feature story on the phenomenon. But many in the media were not terribly impressed by Batman, so these articles tend to look down their noses at the show. One such example is “Has TV Gone Batty?”, an article by John Skow in the May 7, 1966, issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Aside from the snark, and misinformed discussion of camp, the article gives us some interesting insights into the shooting of the show and the thoughts of Adam West, William Dozier, Lorenzo Semple Jr, and others involved in making it. This time, we dig into this article.
PLUS: the Guy with an Amazing Hat version of the theme, more from Adam West’s July 24, 1997, appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and your mail responding to several of our recent episodes!
#200: "Batman: The Movie": The Novel
#201: Chip Kidd's Book of Bat-Merch
We Americans know that Batman was also popular in the United Kingdom (and many other countries), but there are differences in the level of popularity that was reached and how long it lasted, and also in terms of when “first run” of the show was there. 66 Batman Message Board co-admin Ben Bentley is, in fact, British, so we asked for his assistance in tackling this topic. Our discussion touches on the show’s second wind in the ‘70s, Batman references in The Avengers (as in Steed and Peel) and other British TV shows and commercials (on into the ’80s!), Adam West’s “Kerb Drill” traffic safety PSA, the Carpet King, whether British kids actually jumped from roofs because of Batman, and more.
Plus, the Piano AccoMan version of the theme, more of Adam talking with Conan O’Brien, and your reaction to Episode 199’s discussion of the Nora Clavicle script!
"Batman: The Super-Sell" (The Tatler, July 16, 1966)
Batmobile-adjacent car on Rentaghost (1983)
Adam's "Batman and Robin" single from 1976
Adam's "Kerb Drill" PSA (1967)
Adam on the Danny Baker Show (1994)
What the Pope admitted about meeting Adam West
Fight scene from The Avengers "The Winged Avenger"
Only Fools and Horses Bat-ref
Austin Rover ad (1987)
Cyril Lord carpets commercial (History of Advertising Trust)
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band's "I'm Bored" - reference to Carpet King ad 2 minutes in
When the Batman TV show set off Batmania in 1966, a wide variety of toys and other tie-in items, not all of them licensed, hit the market. Since licensers seldom made style guides in the ‘60s, rights to the actors likenesses weren’t available, and some of the onslaught of Bat-crap came from overseas makers who thought Batman’s costume would look better in orange, the results are highly entertaining. This time we look at Chip Kidd’s 1996 book Batman Collected, a history of Bat-merch from 1938 to 1996. Y’know, we STILL want that Mego Batcave Playset.
Plus, the Sheet Music Boss piano tutorial version of the Batman theme, Adam West’s reaction to the film Batman and Robin, and your response to our “Women in Season Two” wrapup!
The fruitless search for a guest (see page two for Ben Bentley's explanation of why the rights to Adam and Burt's likenesses weren't available)
Former Batman comics writer Winston Lyon, fresh off his novel Batman vs. Three Villains of Doom, a few months later produced the novelization of Batman: The Movie, a book called Batman vs. the Fearsome Foursome. This time, for our 200th episode, we discuss the book: though based on Lorenzo Semple, Jr.’s screenplay, it betrays a different attitude toward Batman than Semple, and the Batman show in general, held.
Plus, one of our favorite versions of the Batman theme, Cesar Romero interviewed by Jean Boone at the premiere of Batman: The Movie, and more of your reaction to our discussion of West and Gorshin's Shea Stadium show!
Screenplay of Batman: The Movie
The three versions of the script for Nora Clavicle and the Ladies’ Crime Club raise some interesting questions about season three. Why did the Duo and Batgirl never have a way to easily contact each other? Why do our heroes’ early suspicions that Nora is crooked all get cut from the script? What are the types of female characters that the show keeps coming back to? Plus we look at lines and events that were cut — or added — at late stages in a very hurried process.
PLUS, Chad Vermillion’s “hey look, cool musical hardware!” version of the Batman theme, Lee Meriwether interviewed at the premiere of Batman the Movie, and we read some of your reaction to our look at the West/Gorshin Shea Stadium show!
Nora Clavicle scripts
- First draft
- Revised draft
- Final
- Teaser for Penguin's Clean Sweep
- Discussion on the '66 Batman message board
It's here! The Internet's most complete list of actors who appeared on both Batman and Star Trek: The Original Series! But... is it totally complete? Look it over and see if there's a relevant actor who isn't listed - then post about him or her in the comments!
Batman Star Trek Stanley Adams Captain Courageous in CATWOMAN GOES TO COLLEGE/BATMAN DISPLAYS HIS KNOWLEDGE Cyrano Jones in THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES Alyce and Rhae Andrece 2nd and 3rd Policewoman in NORA CLAVICLE AND THE LADIES' CRIME CLUB Multiple Alices in I, MUDD Roger C Carmel Colonel Gumm in A PIECE OF THE ACTION/BATMAN’S SATISFACTION Harry Mudd in I, MUDD and MUDD’S WOMEN Ted Cassidy Lurch (window cameo) in THE PENGUIN’S NEST Ruk in WHAT ARE LITTLE GIRLS MADE OF Gorn (voice) in ARENA Balok’s puppet (voice) in THE CARBOMITE MANEUVER Elisha Cook Professor Isaacson in ICE SPY/THE DUO DEFY Samuel T. Cogley in COURT MARTIAL Joan Collins The Siren in RING AROUND THE RIDDLER/THE WAIL OF THE SIREN Edith Keeler in THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER Yvonne Craig Batgirl in season 3 Marta in WHOM GODS DESTROY John Crawford Printer’s Devil in THE BOOKWORM TURNS/WHILE GOTHAM CITY BURNS Commissioner Ferris in THE GALILEO SEVEN Charles Dierkop Dustbag in PENGUIN’S CLEAN SWEEP Morla in WOLF IN THE FOLD Phyllis Douglas Josie Miller in THE JOKER’S LAST LAUGH/THE JOKER’S EPITAPH Yeoman Mears in THE GALILEO SEVEN (shown) Girl #2 in THE WAY TO EDEN Gene Dynarski Benedict in AN EGG GROWS IN GOTHAM/THE YEGG FOES IN GOTHAM Ben in MUDD’S WOMEN Krodak in THE MARK OF GIDEON (shown) Teri Garr Girl outside skating rink in INSTANT FREEZE Roberta Lincoln in ASSIGNMENT: EARTH Frank Gorshin The Riddler in seasons 1 and 3 Commander Belen in LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD Lloyd Haynes Lord Chancellor in KING TUT’S COUP/BATMAN’S WATERLOO Lt. Alden in WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE Marianna Hill Cleo Patrick THE SPELL OF TUT Helen Noel in DAGGER OF THE MIND Sherry Jackson Pauline in DEATH IN SLOW MOTION/THE RIDDLER’S FALSE NOTION Andrea in WHAT ARE LITTLE GIRLS MADE OF? Jon Lormer Professor Dactyl in HOW TO HATCH A DINOSAUR Dr. Theodore Haskins in THE CAGE Tamar in THE RETURN OF THE ARCHONS Old Man in FOR THE WORLD IS HOLLOW AND I HAVE TOUCHED THE SKY (shown) Lee Meriwether Lisa Carson in KING TUT’S COUP/BATMAN’S WATERLOO (shown); Catwoman in BATMAN: THE MOVIE Losira in THAT WHICH SURVIVES Lawrence Montaigne Mr. Glee in THE JOKER’S LAST LAUGH/THE JOKER’S EPITAPH Decius in BALANCE OF TERROR Stonn in AMOK TIME (shown) Julie Newmar Catwoman in seasons one and two Eleen in FRIDAY’S CHILD Leslie Parrish Dawn Robbins in THE PENGUIN’S A JINX Glacia Glaze in ICE SPY/THE DUO DEFY (shown) Lt. Carolyn Palamas in WHO MOURNS FOR ADONIS? Gil Perkins Henchman in THE JOKER IS WILD, Dicer in THE THIRTEENTH HAT/BATMAN STANDS PAT Cauliflower in RING AROUND THE RIDDLER Jury Foreman in THE JOKE’S ON CATWOMAN (shown) Bluebeard in BATMAN THE MOVIE Slave #3 in BREAD AND CIRCUSES Angelique Pettyjohn 1st Model in A PIECE OF THE ACTION Shahna in THE GAMESTERS OF TRISKELION Malachai Throne False Face in TRUE OR FALSE FACE/HOLY RAT RACE Commodore Jose Mendez in THE MENAGERIE voice of The Keeper in THE CAGE Grace Lee Whitney Neila in KING TUT’S COUP/BATMAN’S WATERLOO Janice Rand in eight Season One episodes and in the movies Meg Wyllie Grandma in BLACK WIDOW STRIKES AGAIN The Keeper in THE CAGE/THE MENAGERIE Honorable mention: Jan Shutan DOZIERVERSE: Lizz in the DICK TRACY pilot Lt. Mira Romaine in THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR Stephen Kandel (writer) BATMAN: TRUE OR FALSE FACE/HOLY RAT RACE, ZODIAC CRIMES 3-parter STAR TREK: I, MUDD and MUDD’S WOMEN INANIMATE OBJECTS Feather robe Worn by Victor Buono as King Tut Worn by William Shatner as Kirk in THE PARADISE SYNDROME The Reactor Catwoman's Cat-Car in THE FUNNY FELINE FELONIES The Jupiter 8 in BREAD AND CIRCUSES
In 2009, writers Nunzio DeFillipis and Christina Weir brought King Tut to the DC Universe in three issues of Batman Confidential (issues 26-28), with art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Kevin Nowlan. Tim and Paul discuss the story, and a few '66 Easter eggs embedded therein. (Originally published on Patreon March 19, 2022.)
We're going away for a bit. Here's the scoop on what's going on and when we'll be back!
As the show hit its first anniversary and the second season neared its end, we see Batman’s characterization of women subtly changing, particularly Lee Meriwether’s strong Lisa Carson character, and some examples of actual (gasp) interaction between women! Why did the “poor, deluded girls” fade away? Was it changing social mores, or just the show trying not to repeat itself? Nancy Northcott joins us once again to discuss women on the show, this time in the final third of Season Two, which includes the preface to the introduction of the most prominent woman of Season Three — Batgirl!
PLUS, Colie Brice’s version of the Batman theme, a bat-interview from the movie premiere in Austin, TX, and your mail on episode 195’s discussion of the script for A Piece of the Action!
Green Hornet, How Sweet the Sting by Jim Beard and Joel Naprstek
Nora Clavicle scripts
- First draft
- Revised draft
- Final
- Teaser for Penguin's Clean Sweep
- Discussion on the '66 Batman message board
In early 1966, Batmania was everywhere. This caused a certain (convicted tax evader) concert promoter to ask the question: Can Batman fill Shea Stadium? Adam West and Frank Gorshin were recruited to play their characters as part of a show that also included such musical luminaries as the Young Rascals and the Temptations. However, on June 25, 1966, the answer to the concert promoter's question turned out to be a resounding "No!"
The Shea Stadium show has lingered as an oddity on the edges of our podcast's consciousness for some time, and now it's time to do a deep dive on it. Armed with the script for West and Gorshin's borscht-belt skit, and accounts of the show from several different sources, we look at what the show was meant to be, what it ended up being, and whether anyone who attended would have been particularly pleased with the result.
Theme version from KLABEC Drummer
Read the Script
The New York Times looks back on the show
Holy Shea Stadium! The Batman, Beatles, and Bob Dylan Connection, by Frank Bals (Medium.com)
Batman 66 Shea Stadium, NYC Concert Poster auction (66batman.com message board)
Batmania issue 12 (review of the show starts on page 2)
Adam West sings "Orange Colored Sky" on Hollywood Palace
Mrs. Miller on The Merv Griffin Show
Adam West & Frank Gorshin - Interview with the Vampire
The 11th issue of the Batman ’66 comics series gives us an unusual full-issue story in which the Joker teams up with a very Newmaresque Catwoman to break from prison and try to crack up all of Gotham! But how do we feel about these modern Batman elements, such as Arkham, showing up in this context? Is the series fan service going in too many different directions?
PLUS: The iPhonedo Garage Band version of the Batman theme, more from Adam and Burt on The Merv Griffin Show, mail on the Batman/Star Trek Act-Off, and one of our listeners “draws” a lot of attention!
13 Groovy BATMAN ’66 Villains That Should Have Been — RANKED - by Ken Holtzhouser
It’s time for another script! This time it’s the first draft of the Green Hornet guest shot arc A Piece of the Action/Batman’s Satisfaction, featuring a much more assertive Robin than perhaps we ever saw Burt Ward play, and a greater focus on the secret identities of Batman and the Hornet!
Plus, more of Adam and Burt’s Sept 1, 1966, Merv Griffin appearance, the L'Orchestra Cinematique "EPIC" version of the theme, and your mail on our Madge Blake episode!
Links from Chris Cavanaugh
Detective Comics 356
Madge Blake SEES Superman, or is it Batman and Robin?
Climax of I Love Lucy's Superman episode
Who was MADGE BLAKE? Larry Mondello's mom from LEAVE IT TO BEAVER.
You know her as Mousey in A Riddle a Day Keeps the Riddler Away, but did you know that Susan Silo has been a sought-after character voice actor for cartoons since the ‘70s? Or that she had a hit single in 1956 ("Dear Diary") and performed on American Bandstand? Or that she’s performed on Broadway? Or that her high school English teacher became a huge TV star in the ‘70s? This time we chat with Susan herself about all this and more!
Plus, the Villains’ version of the Batman theme, more of Adam and Burt on Merv Griffin, and Holy Deja Vu visits Stalag 13!
NOTE: The production error in this episode has been fixed. Sorry about that!
You know her as Mousey in A Riddle a Day Keeps the Riddler Away, but did you know that Susan Silo has been a sought-after character voice actor for cartoons since the ‘70s? Or that she had a hit single in 1956 ("Dear Diary") and performed on American Bandstand? Or that she’s performed on Broadway? Or that her high school English teacher became a huge TV star in the ‘70s? This time we chat with Susan herself about all this and more!
Plus, the Villains’ version of the Batman theme, more of Adam and Burt on Merv Griffin, and Holy Deja Vu visits Stalag 13!
NOTE: The production error in this episode has been fixed. Sorry about that!
Two of the most iconic American TV shows of the 1960s are Batman and Star Trek. A surprising number of actors pulled double duty, appearing on both shows, either as regulars, recurring characters, or one-shot roles.
This crossover of actors sounds like an interesting topic, but how do we get it into our show? What we settled on was to put these actors in March Madness-type brackets and pit them against each other. On which show did a given actor give the better performance? And how does their performance stack up against one of the other actors’?
For part one of this exercise, we compare Stanley Adams (Cyrano Jones on Trek, Captain Courageous on Batman) to Julie Newmar (Eleen on Trek, Catwoman on Batman), and Joan Collins (Edith Keeler on Trek, the Siren on Batman) to Yvonne Craig (Marta on Trek, Batgirl on Batman). We’re joined in this exercise by our childhood friend Kyle, who grew up a Trek fan.
PLUS: the Chuck Cirino version of the theme, Adam and Burt on the Merv Griffin Show in 1966, and we read your mail!
In four weeks, we'll talk about the draft script of "A Piece of the Action"!
Comment about the script on the Bat Message Board
Two of the most iconic American TV shows of the 1960s are Batman and Star Trek. A surprising number of actors pulled double duty, appearing on both shows, either as regulars, recurring characters, or one-shot roles.
This crossover of actors sounds like an interesting topic, but how do we get it into our show? What we settled on was to put these actors in March Madness-type brackets and pit them against each other. On which show did a given actor give the better performance? And how does their performance stack up against one of the other actors’?
For part one of this exercise, we compare Stanley Adams (Cyrano Jones on Trek, Captain Courageous on Batman) to Julie Newmar (Eleen on Trek, Catwoman on Batman), and Joan Collins (Edith Keeler on Trek, the Siren on Batman) to Yvonne Craig (Marta on Trek, Batgirl on Batman). We’re joined in this exercise by our childhood friend Kyle, who grew up a Trek fan.
PLUS: the Chuck Cirino version of the theme, Adam and Burt on the Merv Griffin Show in 1966, and we read your mail!
In four weeks, we'll talk about the draft script of "A Piece of the Action"!
Comment about the script on the Bat Message Board
When talking about Batman, discussion tends to focus on Adam West, Burt Ward, and those who played villains who the Dynamic Duo brought to justice. But here we’ve done nearly 200 episodes and mostly missed someone whose name is in the opening credits for the first two seasons: Madge Blake. So this time we’ve dug in to see what we could learn about this woman who started acting late in life, charmed fellow actors but frustrated some directors, and worked with Jack Benny, Vincente Minnelli, Gene Kelly, and more.
We also take a look at her Batman character, Aunt Harriet: her origins in the comics, how the TV and comics versions differed, and what we can tell about the TV version based on her scenes; there’s more to know there than you might think!
ALSO: the Mr. Tabs guitar tutorial version of the Batman theme, Vincent Price and Adam watch themselves in a Batman clip on the Mike Douglas Show, Holy Deja Vu asks “Who was Milton Stark?”, and we once again visit the Bat Inbox.
Madge Blake articles in Today's Health Magazine from March 1960
Madge on the Jack Benny Show
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As season two rolls on, women are still filling familiar roles: OK with crime, but killing the Dynamic Duo is going "too far"; ditzy moll who dreams of diamonds and Hollywood; "team-up" baddie who's completely superfluous to the male partner's plans. We also get a season one throwback of a moll who crushes on Batman, and a Catwoman assistant (and Batman producer's niece) who wants to be a singer. We're once again joined by novelist Nancy Northcott to discuss women in the middle of season two!
Plus, a high school (apparently) orchestral version of the theme, more of Adam West on the Mike Douglas Show, and a look back at High C's one appearance on our podcast.
The cultural impact of Batman '66 was felt for decades after, and still reverberates. This time we discuss a couple more late-20th-century cartoons that showed evidence of that impact: Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, which in 1987 gave us Night of the Bat-Bat, featuring Bat-Bat, a hero with the powers of a bat and a penchant for corny one-liners; and numerous episodes of The Simpsons, including 1992's Mr. Plow, in which Adam West makes a couple of heavily-Bat-referencing appearances; and 1995's Radioactive Man, which gives us the "campy '70s version" of that hero. Holy stand-in!
ALSO: Niall Stenson's take on Neal Hefti's Batman theme; Adam on the Mike Douglas Show; your response to our episode on It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman; and we eulogize a committed Bat-fan and regular correspondent to our show, High C.
Batman Movie Themes (1966 - 2016) on Guitar
Mighty Mouse The New Adventures - Night of the Bat-Bat
Night of Bat-Bat - Audio Commentary by John Kricfalusi and Tom Minton
Why does False Face impersonate Chief O’Hara? Where is FF’s hideout? Since when does Aunt Harriet drops censor-tempting puns? Why does Blaze tell the Duo “It’s faster on foot”? These questions and more are up for discussion as we look at the Outline, First Draft, and Revised Draft of True or False Face/Holy Rat Race!
Also, Merv Griffin’s 7-year-old son Tony asks Adam West some burning questions, Mina Pang and her dad jam out with the Batman theme, and we read your mail about our Joker Jury episode.
OUTLINE
First Draft
Revised Draft
Script discussion thread
Mr. Freeze is back - WILD! He’s gone all Steve Jobs and put a device in everyone’s pocket — one that will plunge Gotham City into year-round winter! Can Batman turn the tables? Meanwhile, Batgirl is going up against a “villain” who, well, very nicely offered Bruce “milk and cookies” in the TV series itself. Yup, it’s Lisa Carson! Did anyone ask for this Egyptian heel turn? Tim and Paul discuss the 10th issue of the Batman ’66 comics series.
ALSO: Adam talks with Merv about whether being Batman is going to his head; Holy Deja Vu spotlights actor Dan Tobin; and we read your response to our discussion of Batman ’66 issue 9 in episode 185!
See the False Face scripts and comment on them
BCV performs the Batman theme
The next script we'll be discussing on TO THE BATPOLES is Stephen Kandel's "False Face" script! We have an outline, a draft, and a revised draft, so they're all pretty early in the process. Recording has not been scheduled yet, but it will definitely be after July 11, 2022.
If you read the scripts and comment before we record, we may quote your post on the podcast. Will let you know when the recording date is set!
OUTLINE
First Draft
Revised Draft
Just a couple of months after Batman hit the airwaves in 1966, another superhero emerged from the comics, as Superman arrived at the Alvin Theater on Broadway in It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman. How did the musical's creators approach the same question William Dozier and Lorenzo Semple, Jr., dealt with in 1965: how to make a "children's character" appealing to adults? We compare and contrast the two shows' approaches. After a good start, the musical closed in less than four months; was Batman to blame? And, what's the deal with that late-night 1975 TV version? All this, plus Adam's story of meeting the pope, and your response to our Hizzoner the Penguin script episode!
Concord Theatricals offers two weeks with the musical's libretto at no charge
Broadway cast album on Amazon
"It's a Bird" 1975 TV version
1975 newspaper column confirms date of broadcast
Abraham Riesman's Vulture.com article
Keith DeCandido's Tor.com article
Bob Holiday as Superman in Aqua Velva ad
New York Times on 2013 production
Drew Friedman on the musical (Lots of cool photos)
As we know, many episodes of Batman — especially in the first season — were based on stories from the comics. And additional comics stories were floated as possible episodes but didn’t make the cut. This time, we focus on one such story: The Joker Jury, by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff, originally appearing in Batman 163 (May 1964) and adopted into an unproduced treatment by Max Hodge, writer of the first two Mr. Freeze arcs of the show. What changes did Hodge make to the story and why? Why might this not have been produced?
PLUS: Chris Holland’s rock guitar version of the theme, more Adam West on the Merv Griffin Show, and some of your mail about Episode 183’s bat-costume discussion with Chuck and Lynne Williams.
The Joker Jury comics story
The Joker Jury treatment
13th Dimension: Photos of bat-costumes owned by collector "Alfred"
The cover of Batman '66 #9 includes Zelda the Great hanging above the Duo, and Shame's boots in the foreground. Zelda's in the issue, but where's Shame? Um... in issue #8?! (We discussed that story in episode 182!) Jeff Parker's Zelda story has its moments, but in other ways it's just weird. Meanwhile, Tom Peyer's backup story brings back Alfred's cousin Egbert from The Joker's Provokers, but brings to mind what a version of Alfred in Peyer's The Wrong Earth might have been like! This time, we discuss issue 9.
Also, we give our own answers to some previously posted bat-questions, hear more of Adam on The Merv Griffin Show, read a bit of mail, and listen to Pylon's version of Hefti's Bat-theme.
Stanford Sherman’s Hizzoner the Penguin is a bit hard to reckon with. Satire on Batman is not in line with Lorenzo Semple Jr’s vision for the show, and the 1966 political references date this arc much more than many others. And yet, it has some brilliantly funny moments. This time, we take a look at Sherman’s treatment, first draft, and final script for Hizzoner to learn about the development of the story, possible reasons why Sherman was unhappy with the result, and previously unnoticed moments that suddenly stand out - for good and ill.
Also, Scotty McKay’s Here Comes Batman (a song that’s also related to the show by three degrees of separation), Adam West on The Merv Griffin Show, and your reaction to our episode on Assistant Director Reuben Watt.
"Hizzoner the Penguin" scripts:
Treatment
First draft
Final
Discuss the scripts on the '66 Message Board
Here Comes Batman clip from the movie Creature of Destruction
The full record of Here Comes Batman
A huge aspect of the Batman show is the colorful costumes, overseen by designer Jan Kemp. Sadly, Kemp is no longer with us, and his records, if they exist, are not easily available, so if you want to make a really accurate Batman ’66 replica costume, some detective work is required. Chuck and Lynne Williams have done just that, making patterns from original costumes owned by collectors, tracking down existing supplies of fabrics that are no longer made, and more. This time, we hear from this dynamic duo about their detective work and what they’ve learned about how the costumes were made, what happened when the prop department needed to get involved (for example, the Mad Hatter’s mesmerizer hat), why Batman’s cowl and cape tended to turn purple over time, and more.
Plus, the Alfred Music Marching Band version of the theme, and your mail about the Thirteenth Hat script and more.
Vicki Lawrence talks with Jan Kemp and the Bat-crew
Adam on the Howard Stern Show: An original cowl?
Batgirl Teaches Batman a Lesson about Equal Pay
Comparing the Batman screen tests
Discussion of the Hizzoner the Penguin script on the Bat Message Board
On January 18, 1968 — just two weeks after her final appearance on Batman was broadcast — Eartha Kitt attended a White House ladies’ luncheon held by Lady Bird Johnson. After a brief, unsatisfying conversation with Lyndon Johnson, Kitt, annoyed, stood up and denounced the Vietnam War. This prompted an apparent effort by the President to kill her career in the US. We discuss a recent video from the New Yorker that explores this incident, with clever tie-ins to her Batman appearances.
Also, we dust off our Batman ’66 comics collections and take a look at issue 8, featuring the story King Tut Barges In.
PLUS: A Japanese surf band tackles that Batman theme, we complete our listen to the “Featurette” interview of Adam and Burt from the Batman: The Movie DVD, and read your mail on … various past episodes!
New Yorker documentary: When the Government Tried -- and Failed -- to Silence Catwoman
The Washington Post looks back 50 years later
Eartha Kitt vs. LBJ: Newly Found Audio
Next script: "Hizzoner the Penguin"
Treatment
First draft
Final
Discuss the scripts on the '66 Message Board
A lot of people work behind the scenes on a TV show, and some of them are never named in the credits. One is Assistant Director Reuben Watt, who nonetheless did get some credit in the form of coverage in magazines aimed at African-Americans. (The image shown here is from the cover of Sepia magazine.) The June 1966 issue of Ebony included a photo feature on Watt, which tells us some interesting things about Watt, the status of African-Americans in Hollywood in the ‘60s, and the Batman show itself. This time, we discuss the article.
Also, we’ve been presenting our listeners with “Bat-questions,” but what are our own answers to these questions? We answer the first three questions we presented to you.
PLUS: The Randy Waldman version of the Batman theme, Adam West talks about the famous “bomb” scene, and we read your mail on our Batman and Bill episode.
American Bandstand: "Batman is Coming!"
Batman promo from final episode of Shindig
Long, hard battle to earn creators fame, if not fortune (Cleveland Jewish News)
Robert Kirkman's Secret History of Comics Q&A - Neal Adams (Comic Artist) (AMC.com)
The Prime Time Access Rule (Wikipedia)
The Thirteenth Hat/Batman Stands Pat is Charles Hoffman’s first produced Batman script. But what did earlier versions of the story look like? It turns out that the original plot had the Mad Hatter simply stealing the jurors’ hats! The stakes - and potential profits from Hatter’s crime wave - had to be raised. At the same time, certain too-expensive-to-film gags and distracting subplots were abandoned. Join us as we discuss the five-page “springboard”, 22-page treatment, and full first draft script for this classic episode.
PLUS: Adam West on the many cameos by big stars (and future big stars) on the show, the Joel McNeely/Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Chorus version of the theme, and we read your mail on our look at Stanford Sherman’s Marsha script, and reaching back to our Batman and Robin episode!
The Thirteenth Hat documents:
- Springboard
- Treatment
- First draft
- Annotated first draft
Batman and Star Trek are among the most iconic TV series of the 1960s, and many fans fantasize about a crossover between the two shows. In 2005, amateur film director Christopher Allen didn’t just fantasize: he decided to make a film, Star Trek vs. Batman (released in 2006), where Batman and Robin meet Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise crew. While Chris had imagined just shooting it in a garage with cheap props, the denizens of a certain all-seeing, all-knowing 66 Batman message board (AAAH-ah, AAAH-ah) and other connections helped turn it into a more elaborate and memorable production. This time, Chris joins us to explain how the whole thing came about. Holy crossover!
Plus, the Sandy Nelson version of the Batman theme, and more of your musings in the Bat Inbox!
Star Trek vs. Batman review on FanFilmFactor.com
The Making of Star Trek vs. Batman
Star Trek vs. Batman part 1
(alternate link)
Part 2
Part 3
;
For decades, the creation of Batman, and all the characters and things surrounding him, was credited to Bob Kane. But it turned out that someone else, Bill Finger, was heavily involved in the character’s creation and was the uncredited writer of many of the early stories. Kane actively quashed rumors that the words “Batman by Bob Kane” were less than accurate. Kane became rich and famous; Finger died flat broke.
Batman and Bill is a film about the controversy over Batman’s creation, and the successful crusade by writer Marc Tyler Nobleman to have Finger credited as a creator of Batman, after Finger’s only published Batman credit in his lifetime had been co-authorship of the TV arc The Clock King’s Crazy Crimes. This time we discuss the film.
ALSO: Batman references on 1960s pop music shows, the Saturday Morning Jams version of Hefti’s Batman theme, and your mail about our discussion of Cannan and Cash’s “Marsha” script.
The Hullabaloo Bat-Dancers
The Velvelettes on Swingin' Time
Paul Revere and the Raiders demonstrate Bat-fandom while lip-syncing Steppin' Out on Bandstand
As we showed last time, Cannan and Cash’s Marsha script wasn’t produceable for many reasons. So Greenway handed off the project to Stanford Sherman, fresh off Hizzoner the Penguin, to salvage it, and he quickly realized he had no choice but to start from scratch. The result, of course, is the Marsha two-parter we all know (though perhaps not love). It comes as no surprise, though that some changes were made between the “final” script and what was shot. This time, we take a look at those differences.
PLUS: Holy Deja Vu looks at James Millhollin, Adam and Burt make some jokes we’ve all heard a million times, Al Wood's ukulele version of the theme, and we read your response to episode 174 on women in season two!
Read the Script
We don't know whose idea the character Marsha, Queen of Diamonds, was, but it’s clear that she was created with one woman in mind: Zsa Zsa Gabor. A script for the actress was commissioned by Greenway Productions through a talent agency to two writers, Tom Cannan, Jr, and Jack Cash. The script they produced, Marsha, The Queen of Diamonds (note the extra definite article) is riddled with problems, from requiring special effects way beyond the show's means, to flagrant mischaracterization of the Caped Crusader, to some really lame “holys” from Robin. This time, we pick through the wreckage of one of the more egregious scripts we’ve discussed on this show. Who will buy? Nobody.
PLUS: A punk rock version of the theme by Thirty Going On Thirteen, and your mail about our episode on the development of the show.
William Self interview on the TV Academy site
More than one attempt was made to include Two-Face among the villains of Batman ’66. We’ve already discussed Peter Rabe’s attempt; this time, we discuss a treatment by science fiction legend Harlan Ellison, The Two-Way Crimes of Two-Face. Why didn’t it go to a full script? What would have needed to be changed to fit the rules of the Batman ’66 world? How well does the 2014 comics adaptation, Batman ’66: The Lost Episode, capture both Ellison’s idea and the tone of the show? We touched on these issues in Deconstructing Comics 463 back in 2015, but this time we dig deeper!
ALSO: The Iscamania version of the Batman theme, and your response to episode 172 on Mr. Zero!
Den of Geek on the Ellison Batman treatment
Dozier memo to Semple about meeting in Spain
Unproduced first-draft script “Marsha, THE Queen of Diamonds,” by Tom Cannan, Jr, and Jack Cash
These Batpoles were made for slidin’! This time, we enjoy the holidays and take a break from the Batpoles to present our special look at the 1967 Nancy Sinatra TV special Movin’ With Nancy! It’s a detailed, admiring, but sometimes irreverent look at a program we love.
While Batman season one seemed to have a consistent view of women - incapable of being hardened criminals, attracted to luxury items (and Batman), etc. - season two (as is true in many respects) tends to be less consistent. While some molls are ditzy and childish, others not only have agency, but seem more intelligent than the villain. Ma Parker and Marsha appear as the first two truly villainous women (aside from Catwoman) of the series. Even Aunt Harriet shows herself to be smarter and tougher than we'd previously seen. In this episode, we're once again joined by novelist Nancy Northcott to talk about women on Batman, this time in the first half of season two.
PLUS: a MIDI version of the Batman theme, more from Adam West and Burt Ward about the movie and the series, Holy Deja Vu* focuses on a particular season two moll, and we read your mail about our episode on Adam West Naked***.
What was the cultural environment in the US in 1965, as Batman was being developed? What were the events that led up to the decision that William Dozier would indeed make a Batman show? If TV in the ‘60s was thinking about what it could do better than movies, what’s the answer to that question, and did it show up on Batman? What were some of the rules that Lorenzo Semple Jr made regarding how Batman and Robin should be written? This time, we look at what was going on in 1965 and the discussions that led up to ABC and Greenway’s agreement to make Batman.
PLUS: Marin Drake’s metal version of the Batman theme, Maxwell Smart encounters a very familiar Frenchman in Holy Deja Vu, more from Adam and Burt about the making of Batman the Movie, and your response to our episode 170 discussion about Batman on 1970s Power Records.
Memo from Dozier to Semple 4/20/1965: The topic of the Madrid meeting (thank you Mr. Glee)
Bruce Lee letters (thank you Ben Bentley)
- 8/10/1965: More info on Number One Son?
- 2/16/1966: Green Hornet in the works
Bat Message Board thread - episode 170
Contribute to the Dan E. Kool's Visonic Dome Kickstarter page!
When producer William Dozier and writer Lorenzo Semple, Jr, met up in Madrid in May 1965, Batman wasn’t all they were cooking up; it wasn’t even the main reason they were meeting. Semple had been developing an idea called Mr. Zero, a possible action/adventure TV show that had nothing to do with the character who would come to be called “Mr. Freeze.”
This time, we take a look at a 40-page presentation document Semple wrote to describe the series. What does it tell us about possible casting, changes in thinking or circumstance (as we note the differences between this description and what we saw in the Mr. Zero test scene script in episode 168), and simply whether this show would have been any good?
PLUS: Holy Deja Vu crosses paths with Get Smart, and we read your reaction to our examination of the early script for “Instant Freeze.”
Dr. Patrick Murphy teaches how to play Hefti's Batman theme on the violin
Rebeat.com mentions Bruce Lee and Number One Son
Bruce Lee's screen test for Number One Son
In 2009, Batman wasn’t yet available on home video, with the rights issue still unresolved, and there was no certainty that would ever change. Adam West, 80, feared that it wouldn’t change in his lifetime. So he set out to release a sort of standalone commentary track, setting up cameras at his home in Idaho to capture his memories of each episode of the show. It’s fun to see him talk about Batman, and the package of his reminiscences, Adam West Naked, includes some interesting tidbits. But the production has its frustrating aspects, too. This time, we discuss the interesting and the frustrating aspects of Adam’s commentary - and can’t resist poking some fun at the title.
ALSO: The Ronnie Kole Trio version of the theme, Holy Deja Vu visits Green Acres, and we read your comments on episode 168, The Dozierverse Stumbles.
Mr. Zero 40-page document
Mr. Zero discussion on the '66 Batman Message Board
In the mid-1970s, Power Records (a division of Peter Pan records) released audio stories of a number of popular properties, including Batman. Two volumes were released of four stories each, and some of the stories were then released as 7” “singles” complete with a comics version of the same story. Occasional elements in the stories were echos of the ’66 show.
While the Power Records superhero discography utterly passed Tim and Paul by at the time, JB Anderton was really into them. JB, creator of the BAT 77 podcast, Batpoles listener, and musician, joins Tim and Paul this time to discuss how these Batman records introduced kids (including himself) to concepts such as psychosurgery, low production quality, super gorillas, and … death!?
PLUS: JB’s own “funk version” of the Batman theme, and we read your comments on our Tom Peyer interview in episode 167!
BATMAN volume 1 (1975)
Stacked Cards
The Scarecrow's Mirage
Challenge of the Catwoman
If Music Be the Food of Death
BATMAN volume 2 (1976)
Robin Meets Man-Bat
Mystery of the Scarecrow Corpse
Gorilla City pt 1
Gorilla City pt 2
The Catwoman's Revenge
Mr. Zero? Dr. Schimmel? No, Mr. Freeze! In Max Hodge’s first draft of Instant Freeze, the comics villain Mr. Zero, for reasons we discussed last episode, became Mr. Freeze. But the script contains many more references to his “real” name, Dr. Schimmel, than made it to what was broadcast. Why? Where’d this script's unexplained parade come from? What would the Batman series have been like with more animation effects on the screen, outside of the Batfights? All this and more as we dig into a preliminary plot summary and the full first draft of Mr. Freeze’s first TV appearance.
PLUS: The Derek Paravicini jazz piano version of the Batman theme, Adam West on Victor Buono’s comedy album and on Batman bubble gum cards, and your mail about our discussion of 1997’s Batman and Robin!
Hodge's preliminary plot summary of the arc
Full first-draft script, part one
Full first-draft script, part two
In 1966, William Dozier’s Greenway Productions was riding high, seemingly on the verge of building a TV empire built on superheroes: first Batman, then the Green Hornet. Why not keep going in that direction? An entire pilot episode of Dick Tracy was made, starring Ray MacDonnell, and all signs point to Dozier having confidence that the show would be bought by NBC - but it wasn’t. Meanwhile, Greenway also made a test film for Wonder Woman, starring Ellie Wood Walker, with a script that would have been more more appropriate for a MAD parody.
While Dozier’s Wonder Woman experiment was NOT a success, the question lingers: Why wasn’t Dick Tracy picked up? We suggest some answers as we discuss both films in this episode.
Also, we head down to the Bat Research Lab to try to figure out what Lorenzo Semple Jr.’s Mr. Zero idea was all about; Burt Ward talks about “holys” and ad libs, a dog sings the Batman theme, and we read your mail about our “Mr. Freeze(s)” episode.
Mr. Zero test scene script
Dick Tracy TV Format document
Dick Tracy pilot
Jaime Weinman discuss the pilot in Maclean's
TV Obscurities on the Tracy pilot
Lon Chaney Jr. made up as Pruneface by makeup legend John Chambers (scroll down a bit)
The Dick Tracy TV-tie-in pinball machine
Wonder Woman test scene script
Wonder Woman test scene
Hollywood Reporter on the WW pilot
TV Obscurities on the WW pilot
Rebeat magazine on the Dozierverse
Thanks to Mr. Glee for the following articles (click to enlarge):
July 17, 1966: Signs of a budding Dozierverse, by Dean Gysel
June 9, 1965: NBC already looking into Dick Tracy (Variety)
November 17, 1965: NBC ready with Dick Tracy, whether Batman succeeds or not (Variety)
Batman test screenings: West & Ward vs. Waggoner & Deyell
The Wrong Earth, written by Tom Peyer, is a comics series in which the super-square Dragonflyman and grim & gritty Dragonfly find themselves on each other’s versions of earth. In the second volume, recently concluded, the two meet each other on yet another earth.
Peyer, editor-in-chief at Ahoy Comics, is an industry veteran with many writing credits under his belt, including for the Batman ’66 comics series. This time, Tom joins us to discuss our favorite show and what The Wrong Earth might tell us about it.
PLUS: The Bobby Valentin version of the theme (another bugaloo!), Burt Ward on Batman shooting locations, and your mail about our Curse of Tut script discussion!
Batman v Superman trailer spoof
Batman and Robin (1997) is notorious as one of the worst Batman films, panned by both audiences and critics. But wait a minute. All four of the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman films have their problems. Doesn't B&R's story hold together relatively well? Isn't it kind of .... entertaining? Could it actually be the best of the four? Of course it's far from perfect, and we discuss some of its problems, including a pretty un-Batman-like Batman and a misguided "homage" to Batman '66. We discuss the bad and relatively good of the final '90s Batman film.
ALSO, Burt Ward reminisces about Bruce Lee, and we read your reaction to our episode on The Phantom Pharaoh!
Message Board thread on episode 163 on The Phantom Pharaoh
Arnold Schwarzenegger Complete Japanese Commercial Filmography
As any Batman ’66 fan knows, three different actors played the villain Mr. Freeze on the show: George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach. Any discussion of Mr. Freeze on the show prompts the question: Which Freeze do you like best? And, which Freeze script do you like best? In this episode, we give our answers to those questions, as well as exploring how the show set the course for the character in the comics (at least until Paul Dini changed it in 1992), potential reasons for the lack of Mr. Freeze in season three, and more.
ALSO: A Bat-research lab looking at the recently-recovered Adam West Nick at Night pilot Cartoon Lost and Found, Jose Fajardo’s Batman Boogaloo, and your response to our Lego Batman episode!
Watch a sample of our TV Trivia videos on the Deconstructing Comics YouTube channel!
'66 message board thread about Episode 162 "Lego Batman is Every Batman"
Adam West in Cartoon Lost and Found
Colorforms ad
Lorenzo Semple, Jr. having made his changes to Robert C. Dennis and Earl Barret's first King Tut script, next it was the turn of director Charles R. Rondeau and master ad-libber Victor Buono. How much of the story that made it to the screen was determined by them? This time, we discuss two different versions of the Curse of Tut script, and how much changed after the "final" version.
Also, a Bat Research Lab on Dennis and Barret, your comments about all three versions of the scripts (and on our recent Joker episode), and the Batman theme played on a church organ by Marko Hakanpää!
Robert C. Dennis profile from The Sarnia Observer
"Intermediate" draft, "The Curse of Tut"
"The Curse of Tut" final script
Comments on these scripts on the message board
"A Joker for All Season" episode thread
Tim's GoFundMe campaign
As the early episodes of Batman were being produced, and broadcasts had not yet begun, Executive Script Consultant Lorenzo Semple, Jr., was editing scripts and trying to get across his vision for the show to the other writers. Robert C. Dennis and Earl Barret’s script for "The Phantom Pharaoh" gives us a peek at Semple’s vision for how Batman, Robin, and the other characters should be written. This time, we look at the script, the comments Semple wrote on it, and how it differs from the end product that was broadcast (“The Curse of Tut”/“The Pharaoh’s in a Rut”).
ALSO: The Bennie Music version of Hefti’s “Batman” theme, and more of your response to our “Bat Rankings” and other episodes.
"The Phantom Pharaoh" script
Next draft, "The Curse of Tut"
"The Curse of Tut" final script
Comment on these scripts on the message board
"Bat Rankings" episode thread
Tim's GoFundMe campaign
The Lego Batman Movie (2017) gives us both a unique Batman, and a Batman considered to be in the continuity of every iteration of Batman - in the comics, the ‘40s serials, the films, the animated shows, and even - or, perhaps, especially - Batman ’66. In this episode we take note of a movie about a Batman that is emphatically not the Adam West version, but nonetheless is making dozens of references to the West version.
ALSO: Burt Ward talking about injuries on the set, and a jazzy version of Hefti’s theme performed by Les and Larry Elgart!
A frequent assertion about Cesar Romero’s Joker is that, over the course of the Batman series, he goes from genuinely evil to just silly or bratty. Others disagree with this and maintain that he’s the same all the way through. We thought (as did some listeners on our recent survey) that this was a good focus for a Joker discussion, so we asked noted Bat-fan and cartoonist Ken Holtzhouser to join us in discussing Romero’s take on the Clown Prince of Crime. We also discuss how Romero compares to more recent film takes on the character, and Ken shares with us his spot-on analysis of the shifting goals of the makers of Batman and how Joker’s characterization evolved with them.
Also: Bat Audio of Romero himself, and a Bat-theme take with both of the qualities we’re sick of: The Ventures and guitar tutorials!
Read our next script: The Phantom Pharaoh, an early draft of The Curse of Tut!
Comment on the script on the '66 Batman message board
Noah Berlatsky: The Best Joker is still Cesar Romero in the '66 Batman TV Show, Hands Down
Jason Read - "Batman Theme" The Ventures Guitar Lesson
Gallery of Joker stills (watch the changing colors and widening of the lips)
The Joker's Wild
The Joker Goes to School
The Impractical Joker
The Joker's Hard Times
Pop Goes the Joker
The Joker's Flying Saucer
After more than six years of doing this show and reliving our childhoods, what have we decided is our favorite story of the series? Our favorite piece of bat-equipment? Our favorite villain? This time, we rank all our favorites!
Plus, the “bardcore” version of the Batman theme, and your comments on episode 157!
For whatever reason, Batman’s producers decided that they would not do Peter Rabe’s Two-Face script (see last episode) as it was written. Instead, Lorenzo Semple Jr. adapted it into The Joker’s Last Laugh, keeping just enough of the story that Rabe got a “story” credit. This time we look at Semple’s first draft of that episode, which retains some aspects of Rabe that didn’t make it to the broadcast version, and a few other things that we kind of wish had made the final.
Also, the William Cheung piano version of the theme, William Dozier on casting the villains, and your comments on the two scripts we just discussed, as well as our discussion of “Return to the Batcave” in episode 156!
Two-Face never quite made it to Batman ’66 (unless you count William Shatner’s animated turn in 2017, as pictured). But two known attempts were made in the ‘60s: the Harlan Ellison treatment (which later became the comic book Batman ’66: The Lost Episode), and Peter Rabe’s full two-part script, The Two-Faced Counterfeit and The Counterfeit Counterfoiled, which was adapted by Lorenzo Semple, Jr., into a Joker story (as we’ll see next time!). In this episode, we take a look at Rabe’s script. What are its strong and weak points? Why wasn’t it used? Was Two-Face simply too hard to do in live action in the ‘60s?
Also, we discuss highlights of our listener survey, read some of your mail (including about the script Batman Meets his Match), and present a version of the Batman theme from a nameless fourth-grade orchestra!
Martin Noreau's Batman Viewmaster...
... and Jeff Culligan's Cabala minifigure.
Part of Adam West’s renaissance as a performer, once his fans were old enough to cast him in stuff, was voicing various versions of himself in cartoons. One of these was in Nickelodeon show The Fairly OddParents, in which “TV’s Adam West” was the famous actor who had played the hero “Catman” — but thought he really was Catman! This time we take a look at Adam’s appearances on the show.
Also:
- The 7th issue of the Batman ’66 comic book, featuring False Face! Art by past Deconstructing Comics interviewee Christopher Jones.
- One of the weirdest Batman theme versions we’ve found yet: Celio Balona's "Tema de Batman".
- Get your tent and your Coleman stove; we’re going on another camping trip, this time exploring why the implausibilities of Batman ’66, and other shows of its time, may not fly with today's young-adult TV viewers;
- We read your reaction to episode 154’s discussion of Batfink and Waldo Kitty;
- And a few tidbits gleaned so far from our listener survey, which you can still submit here!
In 2003, CBS broadcast the special Return to the Batcave, featuring Adam West and Burt Ward walking through a search for the stolen Batmobile as they reminisced about their time making Batman. The reminiscence was hampered a bit by the show still being tied up in rights issues; only clips from Batman: The Movie were included, not from the TV series itself. This time, we delve into the good and the bat-awful of this special.
Also: J-Flexx's Bat Rap, your response to our interview with Greg Patterson in Episode 153, and the announcement of our listener survey and of the next scripts we’re going to discuss!
Two-Face by Peter Rabe
The Joker's Last Laugh by Lorenzo Semple Jr.
Comment on these scripts on the '66 Batman message board!
When Stanley Ralph Ross sat down to write what would be his final Batman script, which he titled Batman Meets his Match, he built it around a magical character who could turn invisible: Dr. Cabala. It was only in a later draft that, for whatever reason, he made Cabala the second banana to his alchemist wife, Dr. Cassandra. This time, we examine both versions of the script to see how much of this story was intact from the beginning and which aspects evolved later. Also, why do pseudosciences like alchemy and astrology tend to get lumped together?
Also, Batman for 8 Cellos, Holy Deja Vu looks at Angelique Pettyjohn, and we read your mail about our episode 152 Riddler talk with Wally Wingert!
Help Tim move away from his cough-inducing apartment
SCRIPTS
Batman Meets his Match
The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra
1966 Batmania didn’t just put a lot of Batman toys on the shelves; it inspired twists and parodies on the show itself. One of these was Hal Seeger’s Batfink, which was not exactly a parody but appropriated a fair number of elements of the show. Batfink came on the heels of Batman, but years into the ’66 show’s syndication, The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty included Catman, a hero who was clearly a takeoff from the Caped Crusader. This time, we dig into these cartoons, their shared DNA with the ’66 show, and whether or not they’re still worth watching today.
Also, a Holy Deja Vu featuring Bryan O’Byrne (Principal Schoolfield), Counterpoint’s combination of the Hefti Batman theme with the Surfaris’ “Wipeout”, and your mail about episode 151, with an acknowledgement of Tim’s misspelling of the title of the article we discussed!
Help Tim move away from his cough-inducing apartment
Burgess Meredith put glee and humor into his portrayal of the Penguin. Who knew it could be just as fun to play Meredith playing the Penguin? Greg Patterson, and attorney by trade, has also acted in some one-man shows at Mount Vernon Chautauqua in Ohio, playing historical figures including Meredith. He talks to us this time about his Bat-fandom and his portrayals of Meredith and Pengy.
Also: your mail about episode 150 on the "Astrologer" script, and we look (only as briefly as is warranted) at a 1966 Peter Pan record, Children's Treasury of Batman Musical Stories, by the Merriettes.
SCRIPTS
Batman Meets his Match
The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra
Thread to discuss scripts
We need help procuring an interview with John Astin - we have some questions about his "substitution" as Riddler that we'd like to ask him! But he doesn't do interviews for free, and we're not exactly a major media outlet. Listen for details and, if you've got a few bucks for the cause, donate them here by THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2021, at 7 a.m. Eastern Time.
The Riddler, a one-off villain in a Bill Finger/Dick Sprang comic book story in 1948, languished for nearly two decades until, in 1965, Gardner Fox and Sheldon Moldoff happened to bring him back… just as a certain TV producer, William Dozier, was researching the idea of making a Batman TV show. Riddler ended up in the premiere episode, played by Frank Gorshin, and Gorshin was nominated for an Emmy for the role. Thus was the Riddler cemented as one of Batman’s greatest foes.
So the ’66 show is responsible for The Riddler’s prominence, but didn’t it also determine some specifics of the character? How he acts? How he dresses? How he talks? The show’s influence over how the Riddler was played lasted decades. In this episode, we’re joined by a voice actor who met Gorshin and has played several versions of the Riddler himself, Wally Wingert, to discuss these aspects of the Riddler, and explore the approach of his alter-ego, Frank Gorshin.
Plus, your mail about our discussion in episode 149 of Alan Napier’s memoir!
Brian Cronin article on the Riddle - find the inaccuracies!
Frank Gorshin performs "The Riddler" on Dean Martin's show
Frank Gorshin on American Bandstand, 1975
Evolution of the Riddler in cartoons in 11 minutes
Burt Ward on Conan O'Brien
1966 Batman Golden Records comic book + LP boxed set (submitted by Chris Cavanaugh)
Bat-Van submitted by Martin Noreau
Help Tim move away from his cough-inducing apartment
We've looked at Batman: The Movie from a director’s standpoint; this time, we look at it from a cinematographer’s. Howard Schwartz, Director of Photography on that film, published an article in American Cinematographer magazine’s June 1966 issue called Bat-motography, or Capturing Batman *on Film, which not only tells us some of the issues that came up in terms of lighting the film, but also certain scenes in the first season, and plenty of other interesting tidbits. This time, we discuss the article, and also the sixth issue of the Batman ’66 comic book, featuring a (nearly) spot-on take on the Bookworm by Tom Peyer*.
Also: the Batman theme as played in 2008 by Chicchi, a (then) young girl playing surf guitar; and your mail about our talk with the principals of Batman at Washburn!
Help Tim move away from his cough-inducing apartment
Chicchi playing "The Cruel Sea"
One of our favorite Batman arcs growing up was the three-parter “The Zodiac Crimes” featuring the mind-blowing combination of Joker and Penguin! But when Stephen Kandel wrote it, it was a two-parter introducing a new villain: The Astrologer. Why might it have been switched to a three-parter starring established villains? How much in the script did Stanford Sherman change when he was asked to rewrite it into what was broadcast? And, can a huge meteorite falling on you cause you to be… burned to death?? We’ll see as we walk through the script!
Read the script
Also, guitarist Marcos Kaiser performs the Batman themes of 1966 and 1989, and your mail about our discussion of Sherman’s letters prompts us to drill into the probable causes of the gradual “slide” in bat-script quality.
Akron newspaper article about Stanford Sherman (click to enlarge)
Alan Napier was the third-billed star of Batman, and is, somewhat remarkably, the only series regular who has a memoir currently in print. The book, Not Just Batman’s Butler, was written by Napier around 1970, and writer James Bigwood has edited and annotated it. At some points, Bigwood has filled in some quite large gaps that Napier left concerning his acting career, as the actor tended to focus more on his personal life. Batman does get a chapter, but it’s among the shortest in the book. So, is it worth the bat-fan’s time to pick up this 356-page tome? We’ve read the book and we try to answer that question in this episode.
ALSO: The Golden Orchestra’s version of Hefti’s Batman theme, and your mail about episode 146, in which we revealed the Batman at Washburn fan film!
Alan Napier on becoming Alfred
Batman and Robin: A Mission to Fight Crime, within the Comic Book Heroes Collection playlist
The Alfee “Mary Ann”
You know about the 1966 Batman at Washburn fan film, made by students at Minneapolis' Washburn High School. (If you missed it, listen to episode 146!) But questions remained unanswered. How did the students get the school to let them shoot the film at school? How did they come up with the idea, and determine the casting? Why did they go with original villains? Why is there no Batcave? And...what's with that funky orange wash on some of the shots?
In this episode, we meet some of the stars of the film -- Tim Olson (Batman), Mike Smith (Professor Sin), and Ross Olson (the narrator) -- who fill us in on the answers to these and other questions. Tim even found a trove of documentation of the planning of the film and news reports about its making! And we get to hear about the world premiere of the film on June 3, 1966, and more details on what happened to the film between then and its finding its way to collector Mitch Kaba!
(EDIT: Ross sent us one more document - a handwritten plan for the narration and music cues! See it here.)
ALSO: Jan and Dean's Batman theme (and some other details of Jan and Dean Meet Batman that we missed back in episode 28), and your mail about episode 145, our discussion of director Leslie Martinson's input on Batman: The Movie!
Batman at Washburn
Jan and Dean Meet Batman discussed on Bizarre Albums
Batman theme by Jan and Dean
Jan and Dean Meet Batman on YouTube, including unused skits
66 Batman Message Board thread on cut or missing scenes from the show, including Therin of Andor's posting of a still of Sterling Holloway as Major Terry, left on the cutting room floor of Batman: The Movie
Most TV writers don’t become stars. If we’re fans of a show they wrote for, we probably know their names, but nowhere online can we find most writers’ photos or dates of birth, let alone anything about their inner thoughts. Especially not writers who did their work decades ago.
Collector Mitch Kaba has come along to help us get some insight into one of the more prolific Bat-writers: Stanford Sherman. Courtesy of Mitch, we have some letters that Sherman wrote to his girlfriend in 1965-66, which include references to some of his early Batman work; in particular, Hizzoner the Penguin. Sherman visited the Bat-set during the shooting of that two-parter, and his account of the visit gives us an amazing look behind the curtain.
Also in this episode, we discuss the fifth issue of the Batman ’66 comic book, featuring appearances by the Sandman and Catwoman (Eartha Kitt version)! Do you want to be evil?
ALSO: The Tito Iglesias version of the Batman theme (holy catfight!) and your response to our Leslie Martinson discussion in episode 144!
"Bat-motography, or Capturing Batman on Film" - American Cinematographer, June 1966
Eartha Kitt: "I Want to be Evil"
Breaking bat-news! The earliest-known Batman ’66 fan film has been revealed! It was made by students at Washburn High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the spring of 1966. As Batmania raged nationally, these kids decided to celebrate their school by making a Batman film in and around their school, with the cooperation of the school, including screen appearances by the principal, Carl W. Anderson, and two teachers! In this episode, we meet collector Mitchell Kaba, who found the film on Goodwill’s auction site and was able to track down many of the students involved in the film - including John Powers, who also joins us. We discuss how the film was made, where it’s been all these years, and the historical significance.
ALSO: “Holy Deja Vu” takes us to Dallas, Colie Brice rocks out with “Batman Blues in G Major", and your response to episode 143’s talk with Jeff Bond blows us away!
Watch the film
Director Leslie Martinson, in his TV Academy interview that we explored last time, kept coming back to the question “What is the director’s input” in a TV show or movie? When he pointed out his input to the famous “bomb” scene in Batman: The Movie, we became curious to see what other aspects of the film might show signs of “the director’s input.” So this time, we dig into the script of the Batman ’66 film to see where else Martinson’s fingerprints might turn up.
ALSO: The Nostalgia Choir (?) version of the Batman theme, your input on episode 142, and D’oh prizes galore for “Impish Humor Batman” sightings in the series!
Leslie Martinson was the director of “The Penguin Goes Straight”/“Not Yet He Ain’t” and “Batman: The Movie.” He was a good friend of Adam West’s (but thought Burt Ward was “adequate”). As a director, how much impact did he have on the Batman legacy? For one thing, he played a big role in shaping the “bomb” scene into a signature scene of Adam West Batman!
The TV Academy’s 2003 interview with Martinson reveals this (especially when we take a look at the movie’s script), as well as some of Martinson’s experiences in making various movies and TV shows - sometimes in front of a stress-inducing live audience. We discuss the interview, dig into Acey Hudkins’ accident on the set of the movie, and ask the question: Is the “bomb” scene camp? (Get your sleeping bag!)
Also, the Steelism version of the theme, a Deja Vu encounter with one Steve Franken, and your mail on … various topics.
For reasons that will be clear when you listen to our next TO THE BATPOLES episode this Thursday, the episode after it will be a discussion of the script to the '66 Batman movie! Paul and I are planning to record it on the morning of Oct 20 U.S. time, so you've got a week to look it over and give us your comments!
Read the script
Nelson Riddle’s score for Batman, including the 1966 film Batman: The Motion Picture, features energetic, swing-influenced cues that adhere to the action like a Carl Stalling Looney Tunes score, and opera-esque motifs for each villain and each Bat-vehicle. As incidental music tends to be, it’s probably the most underappreciated aspect of the series.
In this episode, film music commentator Jeff Bond, who wrote the liner notes for Film Score Monthly’s CD release of the Batman film’s music in 2000, joins us to talk about what Nelson Riddle brought to the Bat-table.
Also, your response to our Julie Newmar/Eartha Kitt comparison in episode 140!
When you see a script marked “FINAL,” you probably assume that it’s word-for-word the same as what was shot. In the case of “The Penguin Goes Straight”/“Not Yet He Ain’t”, it’s not even the final script! It was followed by a “revised final” script, which still varies significantly from what was shot. Many lines are changed, scenes are tightened up, unnecessary scenes are cut. This time we take a look at both scripts in comparison with what made it to film, and contemplate the reasons for the changes.
Plus, the Finality (drumstep) version of the theme, and your mail about episode 139, "Batman Meets Godzilla" #2 and the Battle Over the Batmobile!
Final Script
Revised Final Script
Discussion of these scripts on the '66 message board
Discussion of episode 139 on the '66 message board
This time we resume reviewing the Batman '66 comic book series, with issues 3 and 4, featuring Joker, the Red Hood (huh? Isn't that Joker?), Egghead, the Mad Hatter, and Clock King. We discuss why Robin had two "holys" in a row, the mysterious floating egg-hat, Londinium suddenly becoming London, an unexpected kinship between villains, and more.
Plus, Hefti's "Batman" theme performed by Eddie Vedder and daughter Harper, and your reaction to episode 138's "Batman Forever" discussion!
Late next week we're going to be recording an episode about the script for The Penguin Goes Straight. We have a "final" and "revised final" script. As is traditional, we'd like to let you guys take a look at them first and send us your comments by September 2, 2020, and we'll read some on TO THE BATPOLES.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/w5xf1x50um3z4u0/THE%20PENGUIN%20GOES%20STRAIGHT%20final.pdf?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h485dqzzlrpc9an/THE%20PENGUIN%20GOES%20STRAIGHT%20rev%20final.pdf?dl=0
Julie Newmar appeared as Catwoman in six two-parters during the first two seasons of Batman. During that time, the show and her character evolved, and while some might not agree with the direction they took, it’s hard to deny that Julie did both the evil, whip-snapping Catwoman and the Batman-besotted, comic Catwoman-of-a-thousand-disguises very well.
Then in season three, she was gone and Eartha Kitt took her place. Do many of us find ourselves dissatisfied with Kitt’s very satisfactory version of Catwoman, just because Kitt wasn’t the first to play the role? What different characteristics do we see in the two versions - some of them due to the actors’ choices, and others being beyond their control?
Our friend Kyle joins us once again, bringing the power of the “word cloud” to our discussion, discussing our bias toward the first version we see (any who preferrrrr Eartha?), and helping us generally compare and contrast the two takes on the character.
Plus a marching-band take on two different Batman themes, and your response to episode 137’s discussion of Yvonne Craig’s memoir!
Julie as Catwoman word cloud:
Eartha as Catwoman word cloud:
Eartha Kitt talks about playing Catwoman in TV Academy interview
2012 TJHS Marching Band - Batman
Batman Meets Godzilla issue 2 is out! You may recall we previously reviewed issue 1 of Eric Elliot’s labor-of-love project, with contributions from numerous artists (including Ian Miller, who drew the above panel), to bring life to a movie pitch from the ‘60s. Issue 2 manages to noticeably top issue 1 in numerous ways. In this episode, our review.
As 20th Century Fox and Greenway Productions were putting together the pilot two-parter of Batman, some problems arose with George Barris and his car customizing shop, Barris Kustom City. Barris seemed intent on keeping possession of the car when it wasn’t in front of the cameras; Fox’s Charles Fitzsimons suspected that Barris wanted to hold the car for ransom. Some documents, from the American Heritage Center in Laramie via Ben Bentley, tell the story … or, at least, some of it. We examine these documents.
Also, a Holy Deja Vu! (or two) from the Dick Van Dyke Show, a French-language record that’s both about and credited to Batman, and your mail about episode 136, “Freeze/Penguin teamup and Dozier’s ten rules”!
The Batmobile Documents:
Barris' proposal for the Batmobile deal
Features the Batmobile needed for the pilot
The Batmobile falls apart on the set
Two years later, the saga continues
Who are the Red Bamboo?
Burt Ward announcing an appearance in Georgia in 1977
Batman - L'Invicible Batman + Un mauvais farceur
Is Batman Forever a comedy? Or is it an action movie with a few funny parts? Is it a throwback to the ’66 series, or a blend of every iteration of Batman? Is it camp? And the cut scenes regarding Bruce’s memories of his father’s diary prompt us to consider: is it better to have a lame payoff, or no payoff at all?
Meanwhile, “Holy Deja Vu!” is back, and Paul fills us in on character actor of Karnaby Katz fame, Robert Long!
Plus, your mail about episode #135 Batman ’66 Comics, the Gray Ghost, and Nostalgia.
Deleted scenes
Robert Long plugging Sunsweet Pitted Prunes
Adam plugging kids' traffic safety in the UK
Yvonne Craig’s memoir, From Ballet to the Batcave and Beyond, poses quite a contrast to those by Adam West and Burt Ward. Batman takes up much less space in it, and recountings of sexual adventures take up no space at all. What emerges is a very practical woman who sees herself as a geek, is surprised to find herself typecast as “sexy” as she approaches 40, has plenty of amusing anecdotes (Hollywood-related and otherwise), and would be a joy to sit down to coffee with. We’ve read the book and we review it in this episode.
Also, we present audio of ten minutes of Yvonne’s 1967 appearance on the Joey Bishop Show, John Zorn’s non-Hefti tune “Batman”, and your mail about episode 134, “What’s my Crime? Bob Dozier’s Joker Drafts.”
YvonneCraig.com
Adam West talks about being on Batman, including the "breast-touching incident"
Penguins live where it’s cold, but somehow the pairing of the Penguin and Mr. Freeze never came about on the TV show. But Jeff Parker made it happen in the second issue of the Batman ’66 comic book! In the same issue, he gave us another logical pairing, Chandell and the Siren. This time, we review the issue.
Also, we take a closer look at the 1966 memo from William Dozier to Howie Horwitz, which laid out ten rules of thumb for the making of the show. Were all the points good ideas, and were they adhered to over the run of the show?
PLUS: The Beatbox Saboteurs’ version of the Batman theme, winners of the “Joker’s Utility Belt” D’oh Prize, and your response to our discussion with Scott Sebring in episode 133 - including a closer look at that astonishing bridge scene at the start of the Bookworm arc!
Paul and Tim talk about the origins of Moon Knight on Deconstructing Comics
Rally Wax commercial
The glass matte painting shot in Charlie Chaplain's Modern Times: How it was done (from TheKidShouldSeeThis.com)
This episode: BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT! We discuss two topics often suggested by listeners:
In 2013, not long before Batman finally came to home video, DC Comics began the Batman '66 comic book series with Jeff Parker and Jonathan Case's "The Riddler's Ruse." In a comic whose main reason for existence is nostalgia, is it forgivable to take advantage of the comics medium to do things the TV show never could have? Does the art invoke nostalgia - and if so, is it the right kind?
Then we consider the 1992 episode from the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, "Beware the Gray Ghost", featuring the voice of Adam West. What does it say about our nostalgia for childhood heroes? The power of the casting choice is clear, but would it mean anything to the show's ostensible target audience?
PLUS: The Death Cab for Cutie version of the Batman theme, and your reaction to Episode 132, "Women of Season One: Not Just "Poor, Deluded Girls"!
Scripts are back! After many months resting our script-research muscles, we're back to tackle the first two drafts of Robert Dozier's The Joker is Wild — originally called The Joker's Utility Belt, after the comics story the script is based on. Oddly, this first draft seems to also have scenes that are based on Lorenzo Semple's Hi Diddle Riddle! Holy carbon copy!
As usual, draft first-season batscripts tell us much about the show finding and defining itself, and also help us notice some imperfections in the broadcast episode that we hadn't realized were there. They also lead us to a mini Bat Research Lab on a topic very relevant to this script — news anchors!
Also, Snoop Dogg's Batman and Robin, and your mail about episode 131 "1970: Batman Goes Solo and Gets Spooky"! Also: The D'oh Prize is back!
SCRIPTS
- The Joker's Utility Belt (draft)
- The Joker is Wild (revised draft)
- Discussion on the '66 Batman message board!
1/27/66 memo from Bill Dozier to Howie Horwitz: More sexy dames!
Allan Burns explains the origin of Ted Baxter
Batman Lava soap commercial
Snoop Dogg: Batman and Robin
Hey Batfans! Want details on what kept the show out of home video for so long? Want to know where the building called Gotham Plaza was, and what other shows that same structure was used for? Wondering about the background on the missing narration at the start of Hi Diddle Riddle? Have questions about the history of the all-seeing, all-knowing 66 Batman message board? There's only ONE MAN (OK, maybe two men) we can call: Scott Sebring! He joins us this time to discuss all this and more. "We do know when we need him… and we need him now!"
Then Tim presents a Bat Research Lab study that reveals a Joker episode that Lorenzo Semple Jr. rewrote to feature the Penguin! Which script was it, and which version was used on the show?
Also, Scott's 2004 Queen parody Batman Rhapsody (a musical retelling of why, up to that point, Batman wasn't on home video), and your mail about episode 130 "Reading Fan Letters in the Wayne Living Room" (mostly from the message board thread!)
Lorenzo Semple's memo about replacing Joker with Penguin
The rewritten script
Fact Toothpaste ad featuring Alan Napier
When the Justice League Essentially Added Edd "Kookie" Byrnes to the Team
Byrnes also had a hit song with Connie Stevens
Photographic proof that Snapper Carr's name was misspelled in Bill Adler's Funniest Fan Letters to Batman
TV in the '60s was, of course, dominated by male characters. It'd be tough to find a series that would pass the "Bechdel Test." How does Batman fare from a woman's point of view in the year 2020? To help us investigate this question, we invited novelist Nancy Northcott to join us this time and screen selected episodes from the first season. Plus, Tim and Paul have identified five "rules" for how women (molls in particular) are portrayed on the show.
Also, "Bat Attack '89" (a Keaton-cash-in-cover of Hefti's Batman theme), and your mail on episode 129 "The Show's Ratings, and Rating 'Godzilla'!" (message board thread)
The archive of the "bat-documents" site
"Bat Attack '89" official music video
"Bat Attack '89" by the Crime Fighters, Inc (showing cover art)
SCRIPTS
- The Joker's Utility Belt (draft)
- The Joker is Wild (revised draft)
- Discuss on the '66 Batman message board!
The 1964 "New Look" facelift and, of course, our beloved 1966 TV show created a boom in Batman comics... briefly. The sales numbers dropped to their lowest point yet after the show was cancelled. Meanwhile, diehard fans of the comics, whose vision of Batman couldn't have been farther from how he was portrayed on the show, were fed up and demanding a darker version of the character, a return to his roots.
These fans, many of whom read, and wrote for, the Batmania fanzine, were cheering for the darker look that new artist Neal Adams was giving the Caped Crusader in The Brave and the Bold. Editor Julius Schwartz found that a drastic change was the only way forward. That drastic change came in Batman 217 (above), in which Robin went off to college, and Batman and Alfred left the Batcave and Stately Wayne Manor behind.
In this episode, we're joined by author Ian Gordon to discuss the changes that were made to the comics between 1968 and 1970 and the forces that drove those changes.
Plus, Bobby Valentin's two different versions of the Batman theme (1966 and 1989 varieties), and your mail about the Roast Godzilla episode.
Collectors Call TV: Ralph Garman's Batman collection
The Age of TV Heroes, by Jason Hofius and George Khoury
- See the opening pages of each chapter
- Buy on Amazon while supporting this podcast!
Bibliography of past episodes that informed this one:
- The Batmania newsletters: Episodes 91 and 92
- Glen Weldon's The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture: Episode 83
- Batman's 1964 "New Look," and how the TV show affected the comics: Episode 34
- The "bat-coffee table book," Batman: A Celebration of the Classic TV Series: Episode 55
- Batman (1989): Episode 85
Bobby Valentin "Batman" (1989)
Bobby Valentin "Batman" (1966)
This episode's Mego ad
In 1966, one sure way to make money was to tie your product to the Batman TV show in some way. Bill Adler was an expert at riding the latest wave, and in that year he released Bill Adler's Funniest Fan Letters to Batman, a collection of real (?) fan letters sent by fans (mostly kids) of the Caped Crusader's TV show and comic books. In this episode, we discuss this book and read some of our favorite letters from it.
Then Ben Bentley of 66batman.com (AAA-aa, AAA-aa) stops by to fill us in further on last episode's question regarding the similarities of various "living room" sets from the show, and more. Ben and co-moderator of the board Scott Sebring have been enjoying tracking the reappearances of various bat-sets, and the living room question sent Ben down other set-related rabbit holes, including figuring out which set was used for the library in the Batgirl/Killer Moth presentation reel!
Plus, the Kitsch and Camp version of the theme, and your mail about our discussion of Legends of the Superheroes: The Challenge!
The gallery...
...is the bank...
...is the Batgirl-presentation-reel library.
The Wayne Manor entryway arch...
...reappears in season three's library.
At last, we're back!
Week-to-week Neilsen ratings info isn't easy to come by, but some research on the ratings has been shared on the all-seeing, all-knowing 66 Batman message board by Bob Furmanek. This time we examine Bob's research and how it puts another nail in the bat-coffin of the pervasive fourth season myth.
2015 4th season myth thread
2018 4th season myth thread
2018 4th season smoking gun?
Also in this episode:
- A prince getting weighed? Holy Deja Vu!
- A review of the first issue of Batman Meets Godzilla
-
Your mail reacting to our season three wrapup episode
- Scenes in the '66 movie where Penguin said "Faugh!"
- Detective Comics 475, facsimile edition
- Englehart/Rogers BATMAN hardcover
- Steve Englehart's uncredited work on the '89 Batman movie
- Detective Comics 375 (first Barbara Gordon/Batgirl), facsimile edition
- Gold Key's Captain Nice comic
-
Stills of Bruce Wayne, Karnaby Katz, and Lord Ffogg's living rooms - are they all the same set? (Sure looks like it! Wayne living room has wider doorway, though.) (Click for larger images!)
-
It ain't really the Hefti theme, but one Reza Koeswoyo sang a song about Batman on Indonesian TV
The lyrics, in English:
You are my hero - Batman
You are my idol - Batman
I like you - Batman
You're a crime suppressor
Defender of justice
Gallant - Batman
Gallant - Batman
I envy him
Want to be like you
Batman, Batman
Unfortunately I'm still small
But your manliness
Made me want to grow up fast
I want to study hard
Later, after I graduate from school
I want to be Batman
(repeat first verse)
Tim and Paul explain why the next episode will be delayed a bit.
Also, how you can put yourself in a drawing to win a Batman meets Godzilla T-shirt!
This time, a double-header!
First, we finish what we started by discussing Legends of the Superheroes: The Roast. Was it a great achievement by West and Ward? (Um…) Was Frank Gorshin probably better off for having skipped it? Was the inclusion of Ghetto Man racist? Is it really a roast at all? Is it, you know, funny at any point? We discuss all these questions, the big and small names that appeared in the credits, and more.
Then, we talk to Eric Elliott, who's in charge of a project to turn a 1960s treatment for an unrealized Batman Meets Godzilla movie into an online comic!
Plus Toma Lazarov's dubstep version of the Batman theme, and your response to our discussion of Minerva, Mayhem, and Millionaires!
Mark Evanier on how Legends came to be
Jim Beard writes on Tor.com about Legends and the origin of that awful cowl
Marc Nobleman begins his search for Legends cast members in 2011
Nobleman finds Barbara Joyce (Huntress) - but too late
Nobleman finds - and talks to - Howard Murphy (Green Lantern)
(Thanks to JB Anderton for the Noblemania links - misattributed on the show! Sorry about that...)
Minerva "episode episode" discussion on the '66 message board
Hanna-Barbera's Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This? on Daily Motion
Here's the cover of that Rexall Alice comic book we owned way back when
Mark Evanier on Howard Morris (Dr. Sivana) and why he quit working for Hanna-Barbera in the '60s
In January 1979, Adam West, Burt Ward, and Frank Gorshin reprised their '66 roles in two specials that barely registered in the Nielsen ratings. The first was "Legends of the Superheroes: The Challenge," in which Batman, Robin, and other DC Comics heroes went up against a group of villains (including the Riddler) who, for no clear reason, were plotting to destroy the world. Adam looked sub-par in his "gila cowl," and all three struggled with a script that only the laugh track found funny. In this episode, we take one for the team to explore this highly unmemorable program.
Also, we go all the way to Mars for some "deja vu," listen to Greg De Luca's guitar tutorial of Hefti's Batman theme, and read your response to our "Penguinalysis" episode!
MeTV on "Legends"
LEGENDS site on archive.org
Batmobilehistory.com
Rare Sketches and Paintings for the Batman '66 Opening Credits
We've finished season three (and the series), so it's time to examine the final year of Batman. It's not a task we relish; so much of season three is a disappointment, from the writing to the production values, the head-scratching cliffhanger-free episode tag scenes to the phoned-in acting. And then there's the introduction of Batgirl. While Yvonne Craig was always a delight, the execution of introducing Barbara Gordon/Batgirl into a show that had just been cut back to once a week, and sometimes one-part stories, left a lot to be desired. Where did the show go wrong in its approach to Batgirl, and how could she have been better utilized?
Also, we listen to the Scaffold's "Goodbat Nightman" (NOTE: some may find this video rather controversial), say "Holy Deja Vu!" while watching Get Smart, and dig into your mail about our Dr. Cassandra episode!
Did Sonny and Cher almost appear on Batman?
"The Dress" in Catwoman's Dressed to Kill
And so we arrive at the last episode of Batman. Of course, the show didn't get a spectacular sendoff; they didn't even give us any of the major villains. Instead, Zsa Zsa Gabor, who had twice almost appeared on the show, finally gets her turn, as (relatively?) evil spa owner Minerva. ("How could she be evil? She's so beautiful!") What's perhaps more notable is the amount of self-parody in the episode, including appearances by executive producer William Dozier and producer Howie Horwitz! Join us as we wrap up the TV series - but not the podcast series!
Also, Richard Bakalyan inspires "deja vu", the Bat Research Lab uncovers when Batman was merely one of the world's greatest detectives, and we read your mail about the parade of bat-parodies!
Zsa Zsa Gabor's 1966 letter to Dozier
Sounds Incorporated's Batman theme
The 1974 "Equal Pay" PSA
How might a longtime Batman comics reader in 1966 have reacted to Burgess Meredith's portrayal of the Penguin? That's the question our friend Kyle hit on a few months ago, and in this episode he joins us to read pre-'66 Batman comics to compare how similar Meredith's Penguin was to the character in stories by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff, France Herron, and the like. How similar are the two versions, and where are they different?
Plus, your mail about our discussion of The Joker's Flying Saucer!
Four and Twenty Penguins: from Batman 43 (1947) and Batman 155 (1963)
A Comic History of the Penguin on theneitherworld.com
The Penguin on ComicVine
Burgess Meredith's single: The Capture and The Escape
Batman by Garotos Podres
The Joker I've Thrilled Many a Woman T-shirt on 80stees.com
Discussion of BATPOLES episode 121 "Send Off the Clown" on 66batman.com
Batman for U.S. Savings Bonds
As Batman neared the end of its run, the budget situation got worse (occasioning the need for an invisible fight), and the writers threw caution to the wind: witness at least half a dozen double entendres in "The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra" — this at a time when most viewers who were old enough to get these naughty jokes had already bailed. In this episode, we examine this, this final episode written by Stanley Ralph Ross.
PLUS: Lily Munster has a deja vu episode, John Burgess sends us his own take on Hefti's Batman theme, and we read your mail about our discussion of the Dynamic Duo on The Adventures of Superman radio show!
The 1966 LP More Official Adventures of Batman and Robin, on Discogs.com
"When Batman Became a Coward" from that same 1966 LP
Ronald Liss bio on superman.fandom.com
Down These Mean Streets discusses "The Case of the Drowning Seal"
John Burgess plays a Batman Theme-like tune in one of his guitar rebuild videos
The other appearances of The Purple Top
Leslie Perkins, as Octavia, is the first to wear it, in The Minstrel's Shakedown/Barbecued Batman?
Then Phyllis Douglas, as Josie, takes her turn in The Joker's Last Laugh/The Joker's Epitaph.
When Batman was the hottest show on TV, it naturally became a major target of humor and parody as well. In episode 115 we looked at a couple of contemporaneous Bat-parodies from 1966-67, and this episode we examine three more:
- The Adventures of Jerry Lewis no. 97, featuring the actual Batman and Robin, who are both dealing with the effects of West/Ward Batman on their own lives, and acting in ways that parody their TV counterparts;
- the CRACKED magazine parody "Batzman meets the Green Horned Bee"; and
- "Ratman and Bobbin In The Clipper Caper", an audio parody by folk-music outfit The Brothers Four!
Plus the CPCC Band version of the theme, deja vu from the Petrie household, and your mail about our "I'll Be a Mummy's Uncle" discussion!
Victor Buono: "Fat Man's Prayer"
In Cesar Romero's final appearance as the Joker, he seems hamstrung, and not only by the lousy plot and the single episode in which to tell it. Ken Holtzhouser, who grew up rating Batman episodes based on their Romeroian content, joins us to identify the problem, separate out the chaff from the episode, and see if there's any Bat-wheat left.
Plus, the Andrew and Hudson version of the theme, and listener mail in response to our episode on Flash Gordon and Lorenzo Semple!
Ken's comic The Quick and the Dad
Ken's podcast No Guilty Pleasures: A pop culture podcast
While Batman and Robin never had their own show back in the "Golden Age of Radio," they did appear from time to time on The Adventures of Superman. Sometimes it was because Superman actor Bud Collyer was taking the day off, but in the case of "Batman's Great Mystery", he appears in all eleven episodes as Batman (Stacy Harris) has disappeared, and Superman helps Robin (Ronald Liss) try to locate him. WHAT WILL HAPPEN? Tune in to this podcast, fellas and girls, for the intriguing answer!
Plus, the Superhero Suite version of the theme, and your mail about Ross's final Shame!
Hear the entire story (without the contest winners etc) on YouTube
Access nearly every Adventures of Superman episode on zootradio.com
Jessica Plummer's writeup of the AoF series (and racism therein) on bookriot.com
Wikipedia on The Adventures of Superman
"Batman's Great Mystery" discussed on the Classic Horror Film Board at tapatalk.com
Victor Buono's final appearance as King Tut is, while hardly the Semplian ideal, plenty enjoyable on its own merits - for Buono, for the unusual situation the Dynamic Duo find themselves in, for some well-thought-out camera work. But what's up with Adam West's line delivery? We've never heard him sound so grouchy and cynical before. Also, how does this episode seemingly fit together with The Unkindest Tut of All, early in season three — seeing as how these two episodes were originally written as a two-parter?
Plus, a new feature, "Holy Deja Vu!"; the Black Market and Dub Robot version of the theme, and your mail about our King Tut script mega-episode!
What does the movie Flash Gordon (1980) have to do with Batman '66? Simple: a guiding force for both was screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr.! What can we learn about Semple's approach to Batman by comparing it to his work on Flash Gordon 15 years later? What was his approach, and what other factors skewed the results?
There's no walkthrough of the plot of the film in this episode, but we do talk about the music (Queen!) and design choices, Italian cinema special effects employed in the film, and of course camp in Flash Gordon.
Plus, your mail about our MAD/Not Brand Ecch! episode!
Wikipedia: the Schüfftan process
Wikipedia: Flash Gordon movie
Starlog: interview with Semple on the007dossier.com
Maxim: Sam Jones interview
Whathappensingaming.com: Sam Jones interview
Roger Ebert's review of Flash Gordon
The Dissolve: After Star Wars, science fiction tried to reconnect with the past
Television Academy: Lorenzo Semple interview
Buy Flash Gordon on Amazon.com
CBR: Was Not Brand Echh originally a reference to EC Comics?
Queen: Flash Gordon Theme on YouTube
"Come back, Shame!" In season three, come back he does, and seemingly stupider than ever! And yet, Shame's plotting for his caper seems oddly smart. Meanwhile, Stanley Ralph Ross goes all-in on gags that are gleefully at odds with the template set by Lorenzo Semple, Jr. in season one. In this episode, we examine the final two-parter of the Batman series: what works, what doesn't, who's in it, and more.
Plus, Peter Seymour's remix of the Batman theme, and your mail about our Penguin's Clean Sweep episode!
One question on our minds almost since the beginning of To the Batpoles! has been: Just how much did Victor Buono, as King Tut, ad lib on the show? In this episode, we answer that question by comparing the final script to King Tut's Coup/Batman's Waterloo to what was broadcast, helping us to see the difference between Buono's sense of humor and Stanley Ralph Ross's, and to gain a keen appreciation of the considerable comedic contributions of Lee Meriweather to this arc. The script also reveals the producer's instruction to insert a late-season-two reference to Barbara Gordon.
We also compare Ross's version to the original version of the story that he rewrote, Tut Tut Tut by Leo and Pauline Townsend, and discover how Ross inserted Ross family members' names into the script, how much the Townsend's story (especially the opening teaser) resembled that of season one's The Curse of Tut, the Catwoman reference Ross wanted to insert, and more.
Also, the Damian Bacci guitar tutorial version of the theme, that Adam West/Burt Ward radio station contest clip you may have heard about, and your voluminous mail on our Nora Clavicle episode!
The scripts:
- Tut Tut Tut, treatment by Pauline and Leo Townsend
- Tut Tut Tut, by Pauline and Leo Townsend
- King Tut's Coup, Stanley Ralph Ross' draft rewrite of Tut Tut Tut
- King Tut's Coup, final, by Stanley Ralph Ross
- Thread about these scripts on the 66 Batman Message Board
Tim's "Buono's on fire" script page (click to enlarge)
When something becomes popular, it's likely to get parodied somewhere. In the 1960s, the parodier-in-chief was MAD Magazine. Meanwhile, at Marvel Comics, a new parody comic series began in 1967, Not Brand ECHH, which followed the lead of MAD's 1950s incarnation as a comic book. In 1966, MAD published "BATS-MAN", followed about a year later by ECHH'S "The Aging Spidey-Man! Peter Pooper vs. Gnatman and Rotten." In this episode, we examine both parodies: What are they trying to say about Batman the character, or Batman the TV show? We also take a look at myth that doesn't just apply to Batman '66: that those TV actors are raking in the residuals!
Plus, the Megaraptor version of the Batman theme, and your mail about the "Court BAT-tles" episode!
SAG-AFTRA: History of Residuals
Adam and Burt on Ross Schafer
Tim's 1978 Hatman comics
- part 1
- part 2
In The Penguin's Clean Sweep, Burgess Meredith's final appearance on "Batman" (but not the last time as the Penguin!), Stanford Sherman's script has its moments, and so does Meredith, but… if you look closely, something just isn't up to snuff. And if you scratch the surface, there are way more inconsistencies and goofiness in the script than meets the eye. We're joined again by our childhood friend Kyle to discuss this feathered farewell: Is there a theme of barbecue implements? Did Penguin really expect that his infecting money at the mint would cause people to throw their cash in the street?
And, we dig into the archives for another one of our Batman Radio Shows from the late '70s… also featuring Kyle!
Plus, the Harry James version of the theme, a discussion of justifications for villains NOT unmasking our heroes when they have the chance, and your mail about The Wrong Earth and our Batman Radio Show debut!
Without a doubt, one of the most maligned Batman episodes is Nora Clavicle and the Ladies' Crime Club. The episode's sexist portrayal of women obviously wouldn't fly today, but do the men in this episode fare any better? It seems to have been another of Stanford Sherman's satirical Batman episodes, arguably a failed one.
But every episode has its fans, and this time we review Nora with a fan of this one: Fred, a.k.a. "twof," the former proprietor of the defunct Batgirl Bat-Trap web site. Fred has the script and tells us of changes and cut scenes that could have helped the episode had they stayed.
Also, the Singaia version of the theme, and your response to the "Impossible Crimes" episode!
Dig into the next set of scripts up for discussion!
- Tut Tut Tut, treatment by Pauline and Leo Townsend
- Tut Tut Tut, by Pauline and Leo Townsend
- King Tut's Coup, Stanley Ralph Ross' draft rewrite of Tut Tut Tut
- King Tut's Coup, final, by Stanley Ralph Ross
- Thread about these scripts on the 66 Batman Message Board
Batman and Robin are "duly deputized agents of the law." Law comes up on the '66 show on a number of occasions, including two courtroom scenes. The very first episode features the Riddler filing a lawsuit against Batman. But, you might ask, how accurately is the law portrayed on Batman?
In this episode, lawyer Jim Dedman is here to fill us in. How good of a prosecutor is Batman? Does he behave properly as an agent of the law? How would Alfred's method of breaking up the Batman - Marsha nuptials go over in real life? Would Gordon and O'Hara face any charges for unknowingly shooting the Duo in Penguin's shooting gallery? All this and more!
Plus, the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies Concertino Orchestra's version of the theme, and your mail about our Louie's Lethal Lilac Time review!
Batman and the law: Links provided by Jim Dedman:
- Is Batman a State Actor? The Dark Knight's relationship with the Gotham City Police Department and the Fourth Amendment implications, by Joshuah Lisk
- Is Batman a State Actor? - ABA Journal podcast
- Is Batman a State Actor? by James Daily
- Rule 3.7: Lawyer as a Witness - American Bar Association
- Double Jeopardy and the Fraudulantly Attained Aquittal by David S. Rustein
What's this? An episode of To the Batpoles that isn't about Batman? Well…on the surface, no, it isn't. But in Ahoy Comics' series The Wrong Earth, Dragonflyman and Stinger act an awful lot like the '66 versions of Batman and Robin, and the Dragonfly seems very similar to Frank Miller's Dark Knight! Liberated of the copyright owner's limitations on how Batman and Robin can be used, what are writer Tom Peyer and artist Jamal Igle saying about Batman with this series?
Also in this episode, back from the mists of time, an installment of the Batman Radio Show, starring Tim (age 10) and Paul (age 7)!
Plus, Pablo Beltran Ruiz y su orquesta's version of the Batman theme, and your response to our talk with Oscar, the William Dozier fanboy!
In 1965, as production of Batman was starting to get rolling, Lorenzo Semple was having some difficulties in getting across to writers his vision for the show. Leonard Stadd's "The Secret of the Impossible Crimes," a script that Semple rejected, shows Stadd's take on Semple's vision after reading the script for "Hi Diddle Riddle." The result is a funhouse-mirror version of Batman '66: it's recognizably the show, but bizarrely distorted in some ways. Once again, an unused script helps us understand what Batman '66 is, and what it isn't.
Also, David Miller's trumpet version of the Batman theme, and your response to the Archie/Batman team-up!
"The Secret of the Impossible Crimes," full script
Semple's two-page memo about the script
Discussion of the script on the all-seeing, all-knowing '66 Batman message board
One of the reasons often given for the quality dropoff in Batman season three has been that, in one-part episodes with so many characters, time is tight. So how to account for Louie's Lethal Lilac Time, a one-parter that seems not to even have enough story for 22 minutes!? And yet, we seem to be missing things, as scenes are cut off before they appear to be over. Meanwhile, should Yvonne Craig be reporting Neil Hamilton to HR for #metoo-related reasons?
Also, Tim reports on the Bowling Green State University "Batman in Popular Culture" conference, and gives highlights of the '66-related material presented there. Plus, the Beat Torrent version of the Batman theme, and your responses to the Catwoman/Joker script episode!
All six radio ads for the 1966 Batman movie
Japanese TV ad for "Mandom" cologne, starring Charles Bronson and featuring Percy Helton (1970)
BGSU "Batman in Popular Culture" conference - list of panels
Frank Zappa & Burt Ward -- "The Boy Wonder Sessions" 1966
Lee Hazlewood, The Woodchucks, and the Cruisin' for Surf Bunnies album - popmatters.com
Photos from the BGSU Bat-conference - click to enlarge
Troy R. Kinunen from MEARS Online Pop Culture Auctions speaks while displaying the costumes from the 1965 Batman screen test
Bill Schurk (left) speaks about Batman-related music
A Bat-display case in the lounge area leading to the BGSU pop culture holdings
Hey, that's not Batman! #notmybatman
We all have our favorite characters and actors from Batman, but how many of us are fanboys for Executive Producer William Dozier? Well, for one, there's Oscar Lilley, proxy researcher at the American Heritage Center in Laramie, Wyoming. In the process of working with Dozier's papers, Oscar has grown intrigued with Dozier's backstory and impressed by how he did his job. In this episode, he tells us about his selflessness, his business sense, and how the trajectory of Dozier's 1965 series The Loner tracks with that of Batman. Also, more circumstantial evidence that seem to disprove the Fourth Season Myth!
Plus, the Amosdoll Music version of the theme, and your response to our discussion of the Funny Feline Felonies!
Semple to Dozier - Hi Diddle Riddle
Doizer response to Semple
Dozier to ABC - cliffhangers
Dozier to Rod Serling
Dozier to Adam West about Lyle Waggoner screen test
Semple to Dozier - Frank Gorshin etc
ABC's notes on Hi Diddle Riddle - caviar etc.
Dozier response to ABC
Semple notes Max Hodge's Mr. Freeze script
Semple to Dozier -- "Doom Trap" (which became "Zelda the Great")
More letters from Semple
More Semple reaction to Hodge script: "Worse than I thought"
Bob Kane writes to Dozier with suggestions
Docket from Dozier's 1943 trial
Dozier pardoned by Harry Truman
Dozier's "Glossary" of Hollywood stars
Next script: "The Secret of the Impossible Crimes"
Discuss this script on the 66 Batman message board!
A double-header for our 4th anniversary (and, we forgot to mention, Batman's 80th!). First, we review the recent six-issue series Archie Meets Batman '66. How does the Caped Crusader end up joining forces with America's favorite teenager?
Then, listener Chris Cavanaugh joins us to talk about his Bat-fandom growing up, fueled as much by Silver Age DC comics as it was by Batman on TV!
Plus, the Remix Maniacs version of the theme, and your mail about our Batman Returns episode!
16 things you didn't know about Poison Ivy
American Heritage Center travel grants
BGSU Batman Conference
Stanley Ralph Ross's treatment, draft, and final scripts for The Funny Feline Felonies two-parter reveal a number of surprises: inconsistent concern for not doing the same gags twice, the death of the budding Batman-Batgirl romance, Ross errors that sometimes made it to the screen, a Ross gag that was, er, stubbed out like a cigar, and much more. The Batcave Podcast's John S. Drew joins us once again in the Bat Research Lab.
Plus, Adam West's Batman and Robin and conversation with our listeners about Batman, camp, and Pop!
The Funny Feline Felonies - treatment
The Funny Feline Felonies - draft
The Funny Feline Felonies - final
The Funny Feline Felonies - shooting schedule
Thread on The Funny Feline Felonies scripts on the '66 Batman Message Board
(We'll have more scripts in the future, but... not quite yet.)
Thread on the Sasha Torres camp/Pop essay on the '66 Batman Message Board
American Heritage Center travel grants
BGSU Batman Conference
In the Funny Feline Felonies, Joker fakes getting kidnapped by Catwoman, only to then let her lead him around by the nose. He seems more childish than evil. What's wrong with season three Joker? That's one issue on our minds as we go through this two-parter. We also explore the provenance of the "Kitty Car," the ways in which this arc displays both male chauvinism and feminism, and the numerous extra characters and cameos that Stanley Ralph Ross included in this script — and an important cameo that all the other bat-commentators have missed!
Also, a close look at Warden Crichton's office, the Los Straitjackets version of the Batman theme, and your mail!
The Washington Post on Eartha Kitt's ill-fated 1968 visit to the White House
Warden Crichton's evolving office: A comparison
In 1992, Batman returned to movie theater screens, more Tim Burton-y than ever! His faceoff with Penguin and Catwoman contains numerous hallmarks of a Burton film, from the themes to the camerawork.
Childhood friend Kyle joins Tim and Paul to (once we've wallowed in reminiscences quite enough) give Batman Returns the To the Batpoles treatment, including the lack of Robin, various cats and penguins, the relevance to Batman '66, and the Returns video game tie-ins. Also, what is the Wilhelm Scream?
Plus, the Teddy Harpo harmonica version of the '66 theme, and your mail!
Paul, Kyle, and Tim, joined by Tim and Paul's dog Tippy in front of their house, Centerville, Iowa, 1976
Bring your Coleman stove! Grab your sleeping bag! "Go to the creek and brush your teeth!" It's time for a serious "Camping Trip"!
Back in episode 12, we took time to examine the idea of "camp" and why Batman '66 is often described as "campy." Producer William Dozier and others involved with the show rejected that label because of its "gay" associations, and instead maintained that it was an example of Pop art.
Listener Dan E. Kool pointed us recently to an essay by Sasha Torres, a professor at the University of Western Ontario. The essay is called The Caped Crusader of Camp: Pop, Camp, and the "Batman" Television Series, and it has inspired us to record this episode, on the idea of camp and Pop art as defining aesthetics for Batman '66. Is Batman camp or Pop? What tradeoffs do you make by designating it as either one?
Also, now that we're in season three, do we still agree with our idea in episode 12 that Batman is a "sitcamp"? Has it totally become a sitcom by this point? Has the level of camp since season one become lower, or higher?
Also, the Johnny's Jackey Yoshikawa and his Blue Comets version of the Batman theme, and your mail!
In what we promise will be our last Egghead and Olga episode (maybe), we dig into the script for the original three-part version of their third-season story featuring Vincent Price and Anne Baxter. Because of an apparent aversion to running a three-part story (besides Londinium, that is), Batman's producers chopped part one, The Ogg Couple, and ran it six weeks AFTER broadcasting the second and third parts. As this decision was made AFTER shooting was completed, the decision necessitated not only script changes, but re-shooting of some scenes, and a lot of mucking with the ending tag scenes of a couple of other episodes. It also scuttled some much-needed part-one exposition and what was supposed to be a running gag through the three parts. We uncover some surprising details!
Plus, the Bruce Lindquist guitar-tutorial version of the Batman theme, and your voluminous mail!
The Ogg Couple (original three-part version), "final script" by Stanford Sherman
The Ogg Couple shooting schedule
Thread on The Ogg Couple on the '66 Batman Message Board
The Funny Feline Felonies - treatment
The Funny Feline Felonies - draft
The Funny Feline Felonies - final
Thread on The Funny Feline Felonies scripts on the '66 Batman Message Board
Turns out, the original cast recording of It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman is available here!
From Steve Knowles' e-mail:
Vudu's odd subtitling:
Alfred's poncho also appeared in Louie, the Lilac:
The many belts of Batman:
Notice any elements that these shots have in common? (from tag scenes of Louie, the Lilac and Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin)
Back again for the first time, Egghead and Olga, in The Ogg Couple, originally meant to be the first of three parts. Did the producers do a good job of changing direction in midstream, or are the seams showing?
In addition to containing a raunchy joke the censors seemingly overlooked, this Batman episode inspires several musical ruminations, related to the source of the name of the Silver Scimitar of Taras Bul Bul, Batgirl's sabre dance, and after a session in the Bat Research Lab, Eureka! Egghead's theme is identified!
Also, the Lemon version of the Batman theme, and your mail!
Lemon version of theme
MGM cartoon Abdul the Bulbul Ameer (1941)
Abdul Abulbul Amir, sung by Frank Crumit (1927)
Sabre Dance, by Aram Khachaturian, performed by Classic FM Orchestra, conductor: Maxim Eshkenazy
Warner Brothers cartoon Swooner Crooner (1944)
Chicken Reel by Joseph Daly (piano roll)
Turkey in the Straw, as performed by The Original Schnickelfritz Band with Freddie Fisher (1942)
Call your friends! Help us get to 50 iTunes reviews by the end of 2018 - it's your duty as a citizen of Gotham!
What better topic for our 100th episode than the star of our favorite show? We watched the Television Academy's 2006 interview with Adam West, which does overlap somewhat with Adam's Back to the Batcave, of course, but still gives us some new insights.
Then we realized that there's someone else we haven't given enough credit for the good things in Batman '66: Executive Producer William Dozier. While we rail against his penny-pinching ways as the series went on, if it hadn't been for him, our beloved show might not exist! A bit of research turned up a 1966 episode of the CBC program Telescope which not only featured a Dozier interview that provides an interesting comparison with West's, but also some fascinating on-the-set footage.
Plus, the Pleasantville 6th grade band's version of the Batman theme, and your mail!
Adam West interview
CBC's "Telescope" featuring William Dozier
Hollywood Reporter on Adam's art
Holy Precursor! William Dozier and the First Organized Wave of Comic-Based TV Shows (rebeatmag.com)
William Dozier (66batmania.com)
Pleasantville 6th grade band pounds through Hefti's "Batman" theme
With Julie Newmar off (reportedly) filming Mackenna's Gold, Eartha Kitt was recruited to play Catwoman in season three. In this episode, we dig into her first appearance, Catwoman's Dressed to Kill, an episode that seems to exhibit a lot of misogyny — but is that primarily on the part of writer Stanley Ralph Ross, or on the part of Batman himself?
Meanwhile, of course, the casting of an African-American Catwoman apparently led to the end of the Catwoman - Batman romantic tension, and in the Bat Research Lab, we take a look at an interracial kiss that was broadcast on American TV just three days before this episode, as well as a 1967 sitcom that clearly made a reference to Batman '66. Plus, the Boss Martians' version of the Batman theme, another Camping Trip, and your mail!
Nancy Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. share an interracial smooch
Spot the analogue to a certain actor we all know and love
In 1966, Signet released the novel Batman vs. Three Villains of Doom by Winston Lyon. Like most Batman '66 tie-in merch, it was released very early in the show's run, which means that its ability to ape the show is limited. Lyon sometimes borrows from the comics to augment what he doesn't know about the show, and sometimes simply has to make stuff up.
The novel deals with a contest between Penguin, Joker, and Catwoman to defeat Batman and earn the coveted Tommy Award. But wait — where's Riddler? And just who is this Winston Lyon, anyway? In this episode we look into those questions, discuss what is and isn't in line with the '66 show in this novel, and somehow even find time to go on a camping trip.
Plus, the Nashville Five version of the Batman theme, and your mail!
Signet Batman Paperbacks explained at TVobscurities.com
Dick Carr's first draft of The Silent Film Capers — which Bat-fans know as Death in Slow Motion — was submitted in November 1965. It went through numerous revisions before becoming the story we know and love. In this episode, we go through the first three drafts of the script and find the original form of the giant book, a cut subplot about chocolate cake, the reason Mr. Van Jones doesn't seem to mind that Riddler ruined his party, and much more.
Plus, the Skeletal Family version of the Batman theme, and your mail!
The Silent Film Capers by Dick Carr:
- First draft
- Second draft
- Polished version
The Ogg Couple (original three-part version), "final script" by Stanford Sherman
Thread on The Ogg Couple on the '66 Batman Message Board
Captain Action information link from Chris Cavanaugh
In spite of having three whole episodes to tell the story of the Terrific Trio's visit to Londinium, the show nonetheless leaves plenty of plot threads hanging, important moments unshown, and basic villain motivations unexplained. As Batman and Robin don "beefeater" uniforms, a certain old Wendy's fast food tagline comes to mind…
There might not be much beef, but there is at least a bee. Of sorts. Also a rope trick that's both intentionally and unintentionally funny. With a hat-tip to a certain listener, we explore whether, by this point in the series, the show is still "camping" or straight-out, unintentional camp. Also, how does Batman's poor sense of logistics lead to at least three major points of this episode?
Plus, the PelleK version of the Batman theme, and an extra helping of your mail!
We remain in Londinium, where Batman seems oddly bored by a bomb scare, and Lord Ffogg proves able to be in two places at the same time. Also, in spite of having three whole parts to work with, this story still seems to be running short of time and leaving important story points to the imagination of the viewer.
Our own imaginations were stoked by hours of play as kids with the Mego World's Greatest Superheroes action figures of the '70s, and in this episode we also take a look back at some of their adventures and the playsets we built for them — and also, the unexpected return of Mego in 2018!
Plus, a Bat-Recycling Quiz, the Sharp Five's version of the Batman theme, and proof that the Hang Five dancing scene from Surf's Up, Joker's Under was broadcast by some cable TV channels with different backing music!
Treatment for The Transatlantic Terror (the basis for the Londinium trilogy) by Elkan Allan
Comic Book Central podcast episode 244: Mego Roundtable with Marty Abrams, Paul Clarke, and Brian Heiler
Comparison of bars. Note the carved trim across the top of the backing in both photos. Click to enlarge.
Come Back, Shame
The Foggiest Notion
The World's Greatest Superheroes!
The Dynamic Duo rushes to stop a prison break!
Double-header episode! First, we tackle The Londinium Larcenies — yes, only part one — including the original treatment by Elkan Allan (two parts, no Batgirl, no Penelope Peasoup), the sets, the music, the appeals to the Dirty Old Man Market, and more.
Treatment for The Transatlantic Terror (the basis for the Londinium trilogy) by Elkan Allan
Then, at last, we examine Paul's video taken at the Batman '66 exhibit at the Hollywood Museum last July, and answer the burning questions: Why did Batman's costume keep turning purple? What item caused Paul to totally fanboy out? Are there any prospective TO THE BATPOLES topics lurking in the display cases?
PLUS: The recent Dr. Demento album that features both a performance by Adam West, and this episode's version of the Batman theme, performed by the Hamburglars; and your mail!
David Maska's screen grabs of Bruce's study in Death in Slow Motion (top) and Surf's Up, Joker's Under (click to enlarge):
As we saw a few episodes back, in 1965 Peggy Shaw turned in a script called Fashions in Crime, based on the 1948 comics story of the same name, and beset by script elements that would work in a comic but would be tough to film.
Shaw's script was apparently handed to writer Stephen Kandel to rework. The resulting 1966 work, The Cat's Tale, solves many of the problems of Shaw's script, in part by totally abandoning it halfway through. Still, it ultimately wasn't used. In this episode, Tim & Paul compare the two scripts & consider whether Kandel's script also had fatal flaws.
PLUS: the Ettore Cenci version of Hefti's theme, a correction regarding 8 mm film, a look back on a Batman-branded building that once existed in the Tokyo suburbs as a tie-in to the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton films, another nail in the coffin of the 4th-season myth, and your mail!
"The Cat's Tale," unfilmed script by Stephen Kandel, PDF
"The Silent Film Capers" by Dick Carr:
- First draft
- Second draft
- Polished version
- Thread on '66 Batman Message Board
Photos of the Batman Building in Hachioji, Tokyo, taken September 22, 1989 by Tim Young. Click to enlarge!
The top of the Batman Building is in the very center of this photo!
This was the grand opening -- note the bouquets out front.
Floor guide
That other "It's Getting Harder" song from 1967 (from the film To Sir With Love). Nope, no double-entendre here!
This episode's version of Hefti's theme:
The appearance of Biljo White's fanzine BATMANIA was well timed. Not only did it contain coverage of, and fan reaction to, the New Look Batman of the comics, but also covered the mid-sixties resurgence of the 1940s Batman serials, and meteoric rise and fall of the '66 TV show. While some Batmanians accepted that Hollywood was never going to give them a better filmed Batman than this, others railed against the show "making fun of" the Dynamic Duo, and placed much of the blame squarely on Lorenzo Semple's shoulders.
Still, Batmania turns out to be not only a source of Batman '66 reviews and criticism, but first-hand reporting on events and people directly related to the show, and some surprising bits of information. Tim and Paul try to dig through to some of these interesting nuggets.
PLUS: the Little Britain School Band version of Neal Hefti's Batman theme, and your mail!
Batmania archive
BATMANIA was a well-made fanzine that was started by Columbia, MO, fireman Biljo White in 1964, concurrent with the introduction of New Look Batman by DC. Reading it revealed so many interesting things about the Batman fandom of the sixties that we can't cram it all into one episode!
So this time, in part one of our examination of BATMANIA, we (gasp!) set the TV show aside and focus on explaining just what was in this publication, who the now-famous (among comics fans) names were that appeared among its membership, how these deadly earnest fans reacted to the New Look, and how the zine chronicles the gradual realization that Bob Kane had had considerably less to do with the creation of Batman in 1939, and with the subsequent writing and drawing of the strip, than everyone had thought.
PLUS: Music from two versions of an '80s Batman video game, the Little Old Lady from Pasedena in an unexpected place, some iTunes reviews that are going straight to our heads, and your mail!
Batmania archive
Bill Schelly's article from Comic Book Artist #3, detailing the Bob Kane kerfuffle
Bob Kane's letter to Batmania
Surf's Up, Joker's Under is perhaps the most polarizing episode of Batman. Some call it their favorite of season three, or even of the whole series, while Joel Eisner has called it "by far, one of the worst Joker episodes," and even '66 Joker himself Cesar Romero didn't like it. Why is this episode so divisive? Why do the villains in season three keep thinking that taking over one small segment of society (surfing, boxing, flower children) will lead to world domination, without ever explaining Step Two?
And who else but us (joined by Horrophelia/"Married With Children" Podcast host Al Edwards) would go to the beach for a "Camping Trip"?
Plus, the Bjoern Angermann version of the theme, the awarding of the "D'o(ugh) Prize" for the best alternate lyrics to the Batgirl theme, and your mail!
dogtalktv.com, featuring former Catwoman kitten Pat Becker!
Here are the entries in the "Batgirl theme alternate lyrics" contest. Which one won? Listen to find out?
Ken Holtzhouser
Batgiiirrrl BATGIRL
Batgiiiirrrl BATGIRL
A last ditch attempt
To secure a season three...
A high-kicking heroine
For BAT equality
Batgiiiirrrl BATGIRL
Batgiiiirrrl BATGIRL
A hero for girls
All of Gotham can attest
With an outfit so tight
We can all watch her digest
Yeaaaaaaahhhh
Who is the audience for
Batgiiiirrrl BATGIRL
Batgiiiirrrl BATGIRL
what is the deal with
Batgiiiiiiiirrrrrlllllll
Keith Mayo
Batgirrrl, Batgirl!
Batgirrrl, Batgirl!
What if Yvonne hadn't been 'dozier's choice?
What if he picked some chick with a man's voice?
Batgirrrl, Batgirl!
Batgirrrl, Batgirl!
High kickin', fast spinnin', trampin' the boards
4th season you'd have replaced Mr. Ward
Guy Incognito
That girl, that twirl!
Torture Tim 'n' Paul!
Cosplay librarian, anything to show
With your degree, maybe? The answer's clearly no.
That girl, that twirl!
Torture Tim 'n' Paul!
Was I kicked in my head before writing these lyrics?
Should I wait 'til I'm healed to write a tune that sticks?
Naaah, who's taking me to
Hospital, Hospital!
Waaah, who's gonna take me?
That girl!
CLAVIERANKH
Batgirl Batgirl, Batgirl Batgirl
A third season gimmick to bring the ratings up
Forced to wear a bra that's made of sno-cone cups.
Batgirl Batgirl, Batgirl Batgirl
Only allowed to fight like your in a ballet
Then slip out and let Batman think he saved the day
You get no respect
Batgirl Batgirl, Batgirl Batgirl
You get no respect
Batgirl Batgirl, Batgirl Batgirl
Batman says crime fighting isn't women's work.
You do the job while Batman is a jerk
Batgirl Batgirl, Batgirl Batgirl
In season three you're the one with all the smarts
Then you give the credit to tea leaves and Tarot cards
No respect for you
Batgirl Batgirl, Batgirl Batgirl
No respect for you.
In late in 1965, writer Peggy Shaw (a.k.a. Peggy O'Shea) submitted a Batman script called Fashions in Crime. It was based on a story of the same title from Batman 47 (1948), but naturally much expanded, and it shows signs that Shaw must have been reading Lorenzo Semple Jr.'s early Batman scripts (e.g. Hi Diddle Riddle and The Joker Goes to School). While parts of the script fit the tone of Batman '66, others would have been better suited to a Mickey Spillane novel. In this episode, Tim and Paul go through the script, and reveal a surprise ending — not to the story contained in the script, but to the story of the script itself!
PLUS: The Washington Dead Cats version of the theme, and your mail!
"Fashions in Crime", unfilmed script by Peggy Shaw, PDF
"Fashions in Crime" thread on the '66 Batman message board
"The Cat's Tale," unfilmed script by Stephen Kandel, PDF
"The Cat's Tale," thread on the '66 Batman message board
Below, a couple of pages from the 1948 "Fashions in Crime" from Batman 47
Burt Ward's 1995 memoir Boy Wonder: My Life in Tights, while it does give us some insight into what it was like to go from nothing to superfame to typecast purgatory, is indisuputabily full of inaccuracies and hyperbole -- not to mention much more (in terms of both quantity and cringe-inducing detail) about his sexual conquests and misadventures than there is material of use to Batman '66 scholars. Why? Is this what the majority of fans want? Is this simply to be expected from a Hollywood memoir? And, what are Ward's true feelings about Adam West?
While this episode's topic is a naughty, naughty book, Tim and Paul try to keep it, er, relatively clean. Don't miss Paul's examination of how this fits into the pattern of books written by stars, and Tim's suggested alternate titles for the book!
PLUS: The Theee Bat version of the theme, and your mail!
The season three episodes The Ogg and I and How to Hatch a Dinosaur are a two-parter in which the parts have virtually no common story elements, only the same villains: Egghead, and Olga, Queen of the Cossacks. Both actors, Vincent Price and Anne Baxter, do a great job but ultimately aren't given much to work with.
In this episode, we discuss the original arrangement of the three Egghead/Olga episodes; the theme of eating that runs through both of these; the disappointing characterizations of both Egghead and Batman; and is Batgirl, or any kind of good-guy competition to Batman, getting to be annoying? Also, did you get the joke about the Russian folk song The Volga Boatmen?
Plus, the Gallants' version of the Batman theme, the announcement of a CONTEST, and your mail!
BatgirlBat-trap.com on "The Egghead & Olga Trilogy"
Louie, The Lilac is a surprising episode for how un-Uncle Milty-like Milton Berle's performance is. It's also uneven, with some nice camera shots, but also many poorly-presented plot points — and some that aren't presented at all! We do get a few scenes of Gotham City's flower children — and just what is the show's take on that movement? How much social commentary might there be hiding among the lilacs?
In this episode we compare this season three Batman episode to its ancestor, Dwight Taylor's script Please Omit Tomatoes, which has the outlines of the same death trap as the filmed episode, but nothing else in common with it.
ALSO: We confess our Bat-sins, for we have blasphemed Batman '66! What was the appeal of the '66 show to fans of Marvel Comics? Plus, the Orchester Friedel Berlipp version of the theme, and your mail!
"Louie the Lilac" draft script (entitled "Please Omit Tomatoes") PDF script
"Please Omit Tomatoes" thread on the '66 Batman message board
"Fashions in Crime", unfilmed script by Peggy Shaw, PDF
"Fashions in Crime" thread on the '66 Batman message board
The February 19, 1966 Bob Hope special has been removed from YouTube! If you find another posting of it, please let us know and we'll link to it from here!
The 1989 Batman movie was the result of a decade of pitching, rewriting, and personnel changes. It made a Batcave full of money, but is it a good Batman film?
Tim and Paul revisit Tim Burton's first try at Batman, starring Jack Nicholson and Michael Keaton, after not watching it since it was first run in theaters. Does it look any different now? Does it look any better than it did? How were the film and its development affected by the Adam West iteration of live-action Batman?
PLUS: The Piano Guys' "Batman Evolution" and your mail!
November 1989 Cinefantastique articles on Batman '89
In 1966, after being the writer and script editor who got the '66 series off the ground, Lorenzo Semple Jr. yielded his chair to Charles Hoffman. What would a look at the draft of a season two Semple script reveal about how Hoffman edited Semple?
That was the question Ben Bentley, a moderator of the '66 Batman Message Board (bow like Ewoks, everybody!), wondered, so when Tim was asking for suggestions of which Bat-scripts to scan in Laramie, Ben suggested The Penguin's Nest. In this episode, he joins Tim and Paul to discuss the draft, which reveals several Semple errors (most of which were caught) which reveal that Semple was (gasp) human, not a god walking among us! It also includes a surprising number of pies.
Also discussed: the great Batcave detective-work scenes on display here that are largely missing from season three; the problem of unkillable factual inaccuracies in fan discussion of the show; and Ben's attempts at research into Semple's papers.
PLUS: The Les Hou-Lops version of the theme, and your mail!
"The Penguin's Nest" PDF script
"The Penguin's Nest" thread on the '66 Batman message board
"Louie the Lilac" draft script (entitled "Please Omit Tomatoes") PDF script
"Please Omit Tomatoes" thread on the '66 Batman message board
Cast interviews at the '66 movie premiere
The debut of Batman '66 caused a backlash among Batman nerds, who subsequently demanded Batman comics that reverted to the dark, sullen loner version of the character. But why did the nerds (and Bob Kane himself!) expect a version of Batman who really hadn't been seen since Robin came on the scene in 1940? While Batman as played by Adam West is funny in spite of himself, does this mean the show was saying heroism itself was ridiculous?
In this episode, Tim and Paul examine these questions and more as they review Glen Weldon's "The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture."
ALSO: Tim enlists American Heritage Center proxy researcher Oscar to dig into a couple of pervasive but questionable ideas about the show, and gets a few unrelated interesting facts about William Dozier; the Batman theme as performed by the Hi-Fives (who?!), and your mail!
Why on earth does "The Unkindest Tut of All" feature a King Tut claiming to have precognitive abilities? Could it be because Stanley Ralph Ross wanted to use a certain jokey title for the episode? Why is Batgirl such an afterthought here? In this episode, we take a look at this season three episode alongside Ross' ten-page treatment for the story (originally titled "Swami, How I Love Ya"), which gives us some insight into the thought process behind this somewhat puzzling (but also amusing) bat-installment.
ALSO: we go camping with Victor Buono; we visit the lab to review the 66 Message Board's discussion of the Fourth Season Myth; we boogie to the Flying Horse Big Band's take on the theme; and we read your mail!
Will the real Patti Gilbert please stand up? On That Girl (left) and Batman.
In 1965, Lorenzo Semple Jr. wrote the first scripts for the Batman series. Any Bat-fan knows that the Hi Diddle Riddle and Fine Feathered Finks arcs were the first to be written and first to be broadcast. What many of us didn't know was that The Joker Goes to School was also part of that set, received by Howie Horwitz just 20 days after Finks. In this episode, Tim and Paul look over that first draft for more hints to decisions made behind the scenes.
Starring in that arc as Susie the Cheerleader was Donna Loren, perhaps best known for Beach Blanket Bingo, but also for singing on Shindig, advertising Dr. Pepper, and appearing on various other '60s shows. In this episode, Tim interviews her for her memories of shooting the School episodes, playing a bad girl for once, whether she actually liked Dr. Pepper, and more!
Plus, the Bruce and the Robin Rockers version of the theme, and your mail on the Pop Goes the Joker script!
"The Joker Goes to School" PDF script
"The Joker Goes to School" thread on the '66 Batman message board
"The Penguin's Nest" PDF script
"The Penguin's Nest" thread on the '66 Batman message board
We're back!
In the thick of the 1966 Batman boom, Ledger Syndicate and DC debuted a new Batman comic strip. Written by Whitney Ellsworth and drawn by Sheldon Moldoff (and, in turn, by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella), the early strips seem to want to simultaneously imitate the 66 TV show, and differentiate itself from it. In this episode, we talk about IDW's collection of the early strips in Batman with Robin: The Silver Age Newspaper Comics Volume 1 (1966-1967), including the schizophrenic quality of the strip, where the strip succeeds, and where it falls short.
Plus, the mahalo.com guitar tutorial version of the theme, and your mail on the Stanley Ralph Ross interview (and the infamous Gemini 8/Catwoman incident!).
TO THE BATPOLES! returns this Thursday, March 15, with our long-promised discussion of the 1966 Batman comic strip!
Next up, a look at the draft script for THE JOKER GOES TO SCHOOL! Still time to look it over and give your comments before we record that episode -- follow the links below!
"The Joker Goes to School" PDF script
"The Joker Goes to School" thread on the '66 Batman message board
In the first two-parter of season three, Penguin and Lola Lasagne horse around with the Wayne Foundation's charity horse race. Before getting in the saddle, Tim and Paul first look at some background on season three: shooting order of episodes, the reasons for multi-part season three stories, etc.
The Sport of Penguins and A Horse of Another Color are a rather strange pair of episodes. In spite of having two whole episodes, the producers still skip important scenes, as was typical of the one-part Batman stories. Besides the problem of "checking in" with all the characters, what else might have been making them short of time? And why are these (supposedly) Billy May-scored episodes so full of of recycled Nelson Riddle music?
Were Burgess Meredith and Ethel Merman "comedy gold" together? With a Charles Hoffman script?! How should we think about those "next week's villain" scenes that don't fit into the continuity of the episodes they promote?
Also, the Bob Kuban and the In-Men version of the theme, and your mail!
Is Billy Mac, writer of the Batgirl Theme lyrics, an alias for William Dozier? Yes, and Jim Akin found proof!
At first glance, Stanford Sherman's draft script of Pop Goes the Joker doesn't seem to vary much from the final. A few minor oversights of Sherman's were fixed (Oh, there are signs on the Batpoles?), and there were the usual cuts to lines to keep within the allotted time. But look a little deeper, and there are places where decisions by director George Waggner hurt or helped the arc, some interesting removed bits that we would've liked to see (and a stage direction we're glad wasn't taken literally!), and some subtle but important changes in how Baby Jane Towser was portrayed. Tim and Paul explore the development of this surprisingly good late season two episode.
PLUS: A possible reason for why Stanley Ralph Ross "hated" Dr. Cassandra, the Garry Tallent version of the theme, and a heaping helping of your mail!
"Pop Goes the Joker" PDF script
"Pop Goes the Joker" thread on the '66 Batman message board
"The Joker Goes to School" PDF script
"The Joker Goes to School" thread on the '66 Batman message board
Bat-fans with any awareness of which writer wrote which Bat-script have long had a love-hate relationship with Stanley Ralph Ross, one of the most prolific of the show's scribes. In season one, he co-wrote one of the most acclaimed arcs of the series, "The Purrfect Crime"/"Better Luck Next Time". On the other hand, he's also responsible for such disasters as the Archer story, and played a large role in the show's shift from Semplian play-it-straight humor to gags that would have been at home on Milton Berle's show.
In this episode, we analyze a 1998 interview with Ross: what it tells us about him as a person and a writer, and the various holes it fills in our understanding of Batman and Ross' contributions to it.
Plus, Francesco Alcozer's version of the theme, and your mail!
When you want analysis of Joan Collins' appearance as the Siren, there's only one man to call: High C! He's a mainstay of the all-seeing, all-knowing 66 Batman message board, and has made "The Wail of the Siren" a focus of much research. In this episode, we have him on the show to discuss the various versions of the script, at least one scene that was filmed and not used, the provenance of the Batgirl theme lyrics (which made their facepalm-inducing debut in this episode), what Collins and Adam West wrote about each other in their respective memoirs, and much more.
Plus, the Guana Batz' version of the theme, and your mail!
Stanley Ralph Ross' original treatment for The Wail of the Siren
The Wail of the Siren, first draft
The Wail of the Siren, final draft
The "omake" section of Batgirlbat-trap.com, including numerous articles on Siren/Joan Collins by High C!
Joan in the 1969 movie "Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?"
From the cut scene. Perhaps right after the Lorelei Circe concert. Note the non-Siren dress, likely from Joan's own collection....
.... especially in light of the fact that she's wearing it in this non-Batman shot, taken at the Los Angeles disco she co-owned with then-husband Anthony Newley and several others.
It's time to dig into another draft script, and another by Stanley Ralph Ross: That Darned Catwoman! We find many things that were left out of the broadcast version—some to our regret, others to our relief!
In place of Pussycat, we have Poison Ivy. Is this the Ivy of the comics? Why might the character have been changed to Pussycat?
We additionally see how Ross' attempts at cinematic set-pieces, and to keep promises made in the season two promo to display the new bat-vehicles, were foiled by the budgetary axe.
Also: What does this draft tell us about the story of Ross intentionally cutting Burt Ward's lines? Why does this script have so many 1920s-1930s crime fiction references (many of which didn't make it to the screen)?
Plus, the V-Rangers version of the theme, the announcement of our next bat-script, and your mail!
"That Darned Catwoman" PDF script
"That Darned Catwoman" thread on the '66 Batman message board
"Pop Goes the Joker" PDF script
"Pop Goes the Joker" thread on the '66 Batman message board
At last, Batman '66 faces Two-Face! Adam West's final turn as Batman pits him against his classic-TV contemporary, William Shatner, in the animated release Batman vs. Two-Face! Producer James Tucker has said that last year's Return of the Caped Crusaders imitated the feel of seasons 2 and 3 of the original TV show, while this one has a season-one tone... but Tim and Paul beg to differ.
The film again prompts us to wonder: would Two-Face have worked as a '66 villain? Why did they choose this particular villain for the second movie?
Meanwhile, in the Bat-Research Lab, a breakthrough in the search for answers on the Legends of the Superheroes cowl! And your mail inspires more conversation about whether Batman '66 was a sitcom, and just what qualifies to be called that.
Adam West confesses: "I have some gear!"
Frank Gorshin returns for one more round as the Riddler. Is he as good as ever, or down for the count? Does Joan Collins' appearance as Siren steal Gorshin's screen time? Is Riddler's alias Mushi Nebuchadnezzar meant as a Muhammad Ali reference? Is Batgirl way smarter than the Dynamic Duo, or is she just written that way?
In our Camping Trip, Paul notes how the brisk pace of season three episodes has abbreviated the camp moments as well.
Also, in the Bat Research Lab, we look at a late-'70s take on the '66 show from Gary Gerani's book "Fantastic Television." Plus, a metal version of Hefti's Bat-theme from 331 Erock, and your mail!
Read the draft script of Ring Around the Riddler
Batman 1966 Meets Metal
Bat-Lava Soap Commercial
It's time to dig into another script: Stanley Ralph Ross's first draft of Shoot a Crooked Arrow/Walk the Straight and Narrow (take a look at the script here!). Most bat-fans agree, this is a less-than-satisfying arc for a number of reasons, from the casting of the villain to some seemingly nonsensical plotting late in part one. Reading the script helps us understand what was supposed to happen there: Why did Batman say he was going to cut open the net that he and Robin were trapped in, and then not do it? What was the point of Archer pretending to decapitate Alfred?
It also raises some questions: How should Archer have been played? Totally British and debonair? Or maybe as a Jerseyite trying to speak with a British accent? Is Alan A. Dale meant as a wink to the gay audience, or the homophobe's caricature of a gay man?
And, it answers the question: If I'm making a TV show, what happens if the screenwriter and/or director lets jokes and important story points go underemphasized? Answer: This arc!
ALSO: The Labert Ellis version of the theme, and your mail!
Read 1999 interview with Stanley Ralph Ross about his Man from UNCLE work
The next script we'll look at (three podcast episodes hence) will be That Darned Catwoman -- featuring not Pussycat, but Poison Ivy!
In 1949, six years after the wartime Batman serial, Columbia Pictures tried again with New Adventures of Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder, with a completely new cast and somewhat changed bat-tableau. Typical of that era's serials, the production values are cheap, the script is full of illogical behavior and red-herring "clues", and the acting is something well short of Olivier. But it's instructive in how 1940s entertainment was made for an audience of nine-year-olds with no access to a "rewind" button.
But was the '49 serial a major source of inspiration for the '66 TV series? We examine the evidence, in as much context as we can muster, and then we read your mail!
Delmar Sherrill's "Stardust" column on movie serials (in Statesville (NC) Daily Record, 5/31/49)
Old Batman Serials Win Praise as Single Movie (AP report in High Point (NC) Express, 12/11/65)
Will Batman revive Saturday serial? (by Bob Thomas in The Evening News (Sault Sainte Marie, MI), 3/3/66)
HONK article mentioning William Fawcett's aborted appearance in "The Duo is Slumming" (Puzzler pt 2)
He's Producing Batman Movie (by Bob Thomas in Daytona Beach Morning Journal, 3/16/66)
It's Batgirl! She's in Gotham City, and she's here to save the Batman TV show! (Did it work? Spoiler alert: Not so much.) We look at the process that brought the Barbara Gordon iteration of Batgirl to the comics and to the screen, and give our impressions of the unbroadcast pilot and the first Season Three episode, Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin!
Then, Tim at last describes his visit to the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming in Laramie (see photos below), including what's involved in getting there and getting access to their huge stash of Batman scripts; which scripts he now has scans of; and... just how did William Dozier's papers end up in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains?
Also, the Batman theme as performed by Screaming Urge with Don Bovee, and your mail!
Neil Hamilton and Yvonne Craig in "Perry Mason: The Case of the Lazy Lover"
Perry Mason S01e35 The Case Of The Lazy Lover Posted by dmdm228
The Recycled Newspaper From "Batman is Riled", broadcast January 27, 1966.
From "Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin", broadcast September 14, 1967. It's the same newspaper front page! Not just the headline, but every detail is the same. A bit hard to see, even in the magnified screen shot below -- if you're not convinced, get out your discs and watch it for yourself!
The American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming, Laramie The American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Made to look like a mountain, not a teepee!
Meticulous labeling -- just like on Batman!
Above, the center area of the building. Below, two shots are of the AHC's reading room....
...where the boxes containing the scripts I wanted to scan had been pulled from the stacks and were on a shelf, ready to go!
Woo-hoo!
Scanning and scanning.... a page at a time
Some interesting finds from within the boxes. This note came up in my interview with...
Molly Marcusse, reference archivist at the AHC. We still don't know who "Shirley" is.
Oscar Lilley, proxy researcher, saved the day -- he already had scans of many of the scripts I wanted!
Since I finished early, I had time for a tour of the stacks with Molly...
The actual violin is in one of these boxes!
More of the Dozier archives! I didn't need to look in any of these boxes... this time.
In the wake of Adam West's not-so-recent passing, we felt compelled to do a "thanks for the memories, Adam" episode. But, well, every episode functions as that, so this time, we present the memories of many other bat-fans who grew up watching Adam & co. in syndication (and, in two cases, on Wednesday and Thursday nights in the '60s!). Not coincidentally, our guests are now working in comics themselves....
With one exception: our mom, Joann! Tim interviewed her while visiting home last month, to hear her memories of our Bat-fandom, and how her sewing skills helped to augment that fandom!
| 11:43 | Ken Holtzhouser | | 14:16 | Dale Lazarov, writer and art director of Sticky Graphic Novels Chicago, IL | | 19:54 | Dylan Maconis, Outfoxed Karl Kesel, writer and inker of various Marvel and DC comics Helioscope Studio, Portland, OR | | 30:50 | Cat Farris, The Last Diplomat Helioscope Studio, Portland, OR | | 37:00 | Christopher Jones, artist on many titles including The Batman Strikes, Batman '66 #7 (False Face), Dr. Who Minneapolis, MN | | 47:07 | Stephen Bissette, Swamp Thing, Tyrant, instructor at the Center for Cartoon Studies, White River Junction, VT Craig Fischer, professor at Appalacian State University, Boone, NC occasional writer for The Comics Journal Interviewed at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, Columbus, OH | | 1:26:28 | Joann Young (our mom!) Cedar Rapids, IA | | 1:48:24 | Bat-mailbag |
Read the first draft of Shoot a Crooked Arrow/Walk the Straight and Narrow and send us your comments by September 18, 2017!
This time we convene in the place where the batmania started (for us): Centerville, Iowa! This is the town where we lived when we first fell in love with the show. We happen to be here just as we’ve finished watching season two, and we take the opportunity to compare the first two seasons. (Few would argue that there wasn’t a dropoff in quality as the series progressed, notably in the writing and the type of humor presented...or, does it just seem that way because the Lorenzo Semple take on the concept is our favorite?)
Taking the slide in quality as a given, we have to ask: Was this slide inevitable, or could it have been avoided? What were the reasons for the slide? What’s the best attitude to take as we advance, trepidatiously, into season three?
Also, Ric Napoli’s very interesting take on the Batman theme (and on our podcast!); a look back at our 1977 auto show meetup with Adam West (which cowl was he wearing??); and a Bat-mailbag overflowing with your thought-provoking missives!
Paul in blue shirt. Sister Debra in front. Tim hiding behind Paul. Seated next to Adam West: Mr. '70s Guy.
BELOW: Flocking-covered Batmobile.
Comparison of the cowls (CLICK TO ENLARGE): Adam West was clearly wearing the "Legends of the Superheroes" cowl in 1977 -- but how could this be, if it didn't exist until 1979??
Though it's not the fault of Eli Wallach, his turn as Mr. Freeze ends the second season on a weak note. Of course, there are a few strong points, such as Batman's phone chat with Bruce Wayne, and yet another perfect Gotham City Police slogan from Commissioner Gordon. We discuss how Wallach ended up in the role, the reasons this arc doesn't pass the English Major test (including the reference to Rabelais), the over-dependence on stock footage, Robin's difficulties this time around, and more.
Plus: The Tallulah Bankhead/George Raft connection, and your mail!
If you thought our Black Widow episode was a total camping trip, our take on season two’s final Joker appearance may be even more so! Intentionally or not, Caesar Romero’s take this time has plenty of gay overtones. At the same time, the Joker is somehow more emotional and human this time. But has he become less intelligent?
But the arc’s stated subject is pop art, and its opinion is: it sucks. But Stanford Sherman’s don’t-know-don’t-care attitude about pop art (and sniggering at critics’ reception toward it) is part of what makes this arc so hilarious.
Also, what does this episode say about the real mission of Batman and Robin?
Plus, in the Bat Research Lab, the Legends of the Superheroes cowl mystery continues; the surprising answer to the question “Just who is Mother Machree, anyway?”; and Tim’s upcoming visit to the William Dozier archives (scroll down the left-side menu for the link to "Scripts Television", and send us your wish list by August 2!)
Also, the Voivod version of the Batman theme, and your mail!
Tallulah Bankhead, nearing the end of her career, appeared on Batman as the Black Widow in March 1967, in an episode that seems to be running on the theme of “bad judgement”. Did writer Robert Mintz have the bad judgement to pun on Bankhead’s name? (Probably not.) How was Bankhead’s judgement in life? What does Tim judge to have been his favorite part of the usual formula for each arc? We also touch on some ways in which this late season two arc differs from early season one — but characters talking to the camera isn’t one of them.
ALSO: Further findings on the Legends of the Superheroes cowl, the De Maskers’ version of the Batman theme, and your mail!
Tell us which scripts you'd be interested in from the Dozier Archive Holdings! (Scroll down the left-side menu to "Scripts Television")
In 1966, the Batman TV show was big in numerous countries, including Tim’s adopted home of Japan, where it led to the licensed creation of a series of Japanese Batman comics. While the purpose of the comics (written and drawn by Jiro Kuwata) was to cash in on the show’s popularity, the stories are based on Batman comics of the early ‘60s and before, though often greatly decompressed, with added elements, and sometimes just freeform weirdness.
In this episode, manga translator Kumar Sivasubramanian joins Tim and Paul to dig into the series — its influences, how it compares to the show and to the source-material comics, and a comparison of the 2008 Chip Kidd art book on the topic vs. the subsequent full publication of the ‘60s series in English — which is more worth your time?
ALSO: The Sheena and the Rokkets version of the theme, a plot glitch in “Batman’s Satisfaction” that we somehow missed, and your mail!
Which Batman scripts should we get to talk about?
This episode, we first must tip our hats to our favorite caped crusader, Adam West, who passed away June 9 at 88. What was that magic touch he had as an actor? Would the show even have been the show without him?
Then it’s onward with King Tut’s Coup and Batman’s Waterloo. Do these two episodes make up the best King Tut arc so far? If so, in what ways? Was Robin’s part in this arc intentionally minimized? Is the cheapening of the production starting to show through that much more?
PLUS: The Flaming Lips’ version of the theme, and your mail!
GIVING PROPS TO RECYCLED PROPS
The cage as it appeared in Fine Finny Fiends...
...and in Batman's Waterloo (sans umbrella)
The "Mardi Gras faces" in The Joker is Wild...
... and in the Royal Oil Boiling Room (in particular, the one at the top of the shot)
The costume change lever in its natural habitat (left) and at the Pyramid Club (below)
It’s the showdown of the century… Bruce Lee vs Burt Ward! Or at least, that seems to have been how some young viewers — and Lee himself — saw this arc! As the Green Hornet and Kato visit Gotham, we dig into Lee’s seeming obsession with Ward.
So why did the Hornet appear on Batman? Does the Hornet bring his own tone, or get his tone changed for him by Batman? Paul notes how different the Hornet looks with Batman cinematography. Meanwhile, Roger C. Carmel’s character Colonel Gumm, dismissed by most juvenile viewers, turns out to have plenty to offer us as adults.
PLUS: an update on that Adam West appearance on The Floppy Show (and the weird cowl he wore there), the versions of femininity on view in Batman, and your mail!
A History of the Notorious Purple Top
Minstrel's Moll, Octavia (Leslie Perkins)
Joker's moll, Josie Miller (Phyllis Douglas)
Dr. Cassandra (Ida Lupino)
Edward G Robinson's Planet of the Apes makeup test
Adam West (and AJ Drew) on The Floppy Show -- November 4, 1977!
In September 1966, William Dozier’s Greenway Productions debuted its new series The Green Hornet. Originally a radio series beginning in 1936, the Green Hornet has also appeared in movie serials and comic books, and a 2011 movie.
In this episode, we look at the character’s history, how the TV series came to be and the mark it left on the property (particularly on how the Hornet’s assistant Kato is portrayed), and the two principals, Van Williams and Bruce Lee. How did the show affect the trajectory of the Batman series? Why did the show only last one season?
Also, the history of the theme music and Billy May’s jazzy score, and guest commentator Ken Holtzhouser tells us about the time he interviewed Van Williams!
1966 Batman movie cast interviews
Green Hornet test episode
Catwoman goes to college, but says she can’t go straight without “the love of a good man.” And yet, she keeps trying to kill that good man! Even so, the sexual tension between bat and cat gives us a surprisingly long, natural-seeming conversation between the two to close out Julie Newmar’s final bat-appearance.
In this episode, we also discuss the broadcast order of the Catwoman episodes, vs how they might actually fit together; the seemingly endless reduplication of Batman (and Bruce Wayne, and even Alfred) in various ways, and self-referential humor about “people in strange costumes”; more Borscht Belt humor from Stanley Ralph Ross; sloppy forensic science in Gotham City; Batman’s attempts to encourage Robin; and much more.
Plus, the Link Wray version of the Batman theme, and your mail on The Impurrrfect Script!
“The Joker’s Last Laugh” arc is Lorenzo Semple Jr.’s last writing for “Batman”, a teleplay from a story written by crime novelist Peter Rabe. But that story originally featured Two-Face! (Read the treatment here. Thanks to High C for providing!) The Joker version contains at least one vestige of the Twofaceiness of the original story, and also shows Semple seeming to comment on the sitcom that the series had become.
Other topics include: how we, too, were driven crazy by laugh tracks; the history of the Jokemobile; the Iggy Pop version of the Batman theme (NOTE: has a few f-bombs in it); and of course, your mail!
Analyzing draft scripts has proven to be a fascinating way to watch the Batman ’66 creative process happening, so this time we’re digging into Stanley Ralph Ross and Lee Orgel’s first draft of The Purrfect Crime/Better Luck Next Time. Among the questions explored:
- Why does Batman never say “Boy Wonder”?
- Why can Gordon not say “Batman” when he’s on the Batphone with Bruce not in costume?
- How did Lorenzo Semple help Ross clarify points in the story?
- What is the importance of making Robin smarter?
- What character assumptions of season one are abandoned in season two?
And as last time, we include some comments received from listeners about the draft.
Also: An Adam West TV appearance on a show that dominated our early childhoods, even before Batman did!
Hear our discussion of "Batman '66: The Lost Episode"
We’re celebrating two years! Batman is celebrating… well, we’re not sure how many. But there’s a new Riddler in town, and he’s got a mustache!
The question mark on the Riddler’s costume is appropriate, given how many questions are raised by this arc:
- John Astin isn’t necessarily inferior to Frank Gorshin, but how do their performances differ? How might Gorshin have handled this script?
- Why didn’t Gorshin appear in the 2nd season?
- How do three intersecting cuts of a pie give one seven pieces?
- Why was the charity money for Batman’s anniversary put in, of all things, a golden calf?
- Is sodium dichloride really used to seed clouds?
Also, we look at a couple of new contributions by Nelson Riddle in this arc, the uncredited cast member who had bit parts in several all-time classic films, and much more.
Plus, the Well Paid Scientists' version of the Batman theme, and a bagful of Batmail, including yet another burning question: Why is the character of Batman such a good fit for humorous takes?
(Scroll down for stills and videos)
Batman's trophy case (click to enlarge)
Where is this street?
From "Zelda the Great"; notice the area above the sliding bookcase -- compare the far shot and the closeup
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"Batman Meets the Riddler" from College Humor
On this week’s episode of “Bewitched”… wait, this is “Batman”?? What has become of our beloved played-serious-for-humor show? The tone now feels like a full-on sitcom, and the Dynamic Duo have been reduced to Penguin’s playthings, on the excuse that they have to “keep an eye on him” but can’t arrest him JUST YET… Oh, and by the way, there’s a hand puppet in this arc.
Still, there’s plenty of interest to talk about in the Penguin-Marsha three-parter: Its reflexivity in presenting the making of a film in a film; how the people on screen can’t see anything we can’t see, even that film crew that’s just ten feet away from them; the way this arc is simultaneously moving ever more aggressively away from the normal formula, and giving us things we haven’t seen since Hi Diddle Riddle!
We also get into the background of the Dance of Seven Veils and the “Scene 12” milk bath, and ask the question: if the show is becoming more like a sitcom, does that mean it's MORE or LESS campy?
Plus, another overflowing Bat-Mailbag, and the Sam Chalpin version of the Batman theme!
Shots of the film crews shown in this arc (click to enlarge)
Ever since the ’66 series was finally released on home video, the bat-gods have continued to favor us with cool new stuff featuring Adam West as Batman. Now here comes the big, colorful, and informative Batman: A Celebration of the Classic TV Series, by Bob Garcia and Joe Desris, filled not just with production stills and backstage shots, but a great writeup built on interviews with cast and crew - many of them done for Cinefantastique 25 years ago with folks who are no longer with us.
In this episode, Tim and Paul dig into this book, asking questions like, what does this book tell us about how the show was conceived and made? Does the writeup seem to spin a bit positive? Does all the backstage info augment our bat-dreams, or spoil them?
PLUS: Bat-mail on the nature of camp and on a certain cameo appearance in Batman '43, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra's version of the Batman theme!
Bob Kane, newsboy!
Lesley Gore assists Catwoman, and does a show-stopping performance — as in, bringing the story to a screeching halt — with her “California Nights.” She also administers “cataphrenic” to local-police-respecting Robin, making him into a cop-shoving, cliche-spouting hood!
We talk about how Julie Newmar's portrayal (and Stanley Ralph Ross's writing) of Catwoman has changed since her season one appearance, Burt Ward’s punishment for complaining about his workload, more Gotham City Police incompetence, the show’s mucking with the formula (this podcast’s name is never spoken in this arc!) and more.
PLUS: The Maxwell Davis version of the Batman theme, and a sampling of your voluminous bat-mail!
AND! Help us discuss this draft of The Purr-fect Crime in a future episode! Write up your comments (or record them as an MP3 file up to one minute long) and send them to us (batpoles at deconstructingcomics dot com) by March 15, 2017!
In 1943, Columbia released a 15-episode Batman serial to movie theaters. This was during a time when the government was asking Hollywood to tailor its movies to the message the government wanted to send to the public about the war effort, which often resulted in racist images of the Axis Powers, especially Japan. In this episode, Tim and Paul look at all aspects of the serials, and compare and contrast them with the 1966 series.
- 14:00 the cast
- 34:18 the serial format
- 45:44 the story
- 1:01:29 the (often racist) portrayal of Japan, and the government's request for Hollywood's support in wartime messaging to the public
- 1:20:04 cinematography & techniques (and, why does the action in silent movies always run too fast?)
- 1:30:30 how the serial added to the Batman mythos
- 1:34:46 issues with the film quality that cause some confusion
- 1:37:25 changes in the English language since then
- 1:45:12 the music
- 1:47:50 the serial’s influence on the ’66 series
- 1:58:45 did this serial meet the government’s expectations?
- 2:00:22 differences between '43 and '66 approaches to Batman
- 2:12:46 Bat-Mailbag
Comic Book Central interview with Stephen Kandel
Watch starting at 18:30 for Marilyn Monroe impression
“The Zodiac Crimes” -- that three-parter with Joker AND Penguin! -- is a favorite arc from our childhood that seared itself into our memories — maybe more than we realized! In this episode we look at why this arc stuck with us, and whether it still stands up.
What we didn’t appreciate about Zodiac as kids was the campiness, from Penguin using “cologne” to Venus acting as a “sexually-available woman.” Why does Venus seem to contain several characters, and is that good or bad?
Also, Paul psychoanalyzes the giant clam, and we look at who and what is flaming in this episode — including, perhaps, Batman’s cape!
Plus, the Sensational Bat-Boys version of the Hefti theme, the first installment of “Bat-Research Lab” and your mail!
When Mad Hatter’s foppishness is now complete with lisp; when Batman is wearing a pink cowl; when Bruce and Dick are afraid Alfred is going to reveal their “secret” to Aunt Harriet, you know it’s the campiest Batman arc ever! Perhaps too campy; David Wayne’s portrayal of the Hatter is now so over-the-top, the character seems to be in on the joke. We ask: at this point, has Batman killed camp?
Other burning bat-questions: How much does plausibility matter in comedy? With this mid-season two arc pushing every possibly boundary, how far is too far? Are those bat-skeletons being signified by a marimba, or a xylophone? Why can’t Batman remove radioactive headwear even in the privacy of his own Batcave?
We also beg to differ with other commentators’ complaints about this arc, and find some surprising skeletons in the supporting cast’s closets!
This episode's theme:
The Jean Hale role that caught the Bat-producers' eyes!
We've reached our 50th episode, and reached the point the series was at exactly 50 years ago! So we take a pause this episode, first to discuss the series itself and how it's progressed (or deteriorated!) by this point.
Then, at last, we discuss that script we obtained several months ago: Hickery Dickery Doc, by Jay Thompson, extensively revised by Charles Hoffman to become the Impractical Joker arc. This script was written when only the pilot Riddler arc had been filmed; what does it tell us about the choices that were made in defining this version of Batman? Is it better or worse than what was filmed? Why was it severely revised, rather than discarded?
Plus, Kazombie's Wurlitzer 145B Band Organ version of Neal Hefti's Batman theme, and your mail!
Shooting Schedules:
- Ring Around the Riddler
- The Wail of the Siren
The notorious European criminal Sandman is in town - and he’s teamed up with Catwoman! But that’s not how writer Ellis St. Joseph had envisioned this episode, which he based on the classic film “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.” He had written a Catwoman-free script, and Michael Rennie wasn’t in it, either! Tim and Paul are joined by cartoonist and podcaster Joe Dator to discuss the crumbling of St. Joseph’s vision; how Batman’s inability to envision switching costumes anywhere other than along the Batpoles creates logistical nightmares — and is also perfect for this iteration of the character; J. Pauline Spaghetti, Getty Images, and a certain Bat-related video in their library; and some Bat-gossip!
ALSO: The Kinks’ version of the Batman theme, and your mail!
- Joel Eisner on Ellis St. Joseph & Sandman
- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (with English title cards)
- Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (in the original German)
- The Devil's Hand, starring Neil Hamilton and Robert Alda
- The Day the Earth Stood Still, starring Michael Rennie (clip)
- Sextette, starring Mae West (trailer)
- Joe Dator interviewed by Tim on Deconstructing Comics
- Tim and Joe discuss Mr. Roboto on Songs You're Sick Of
Howie Horwitz
Howie Horwitz in the final Batman episode
Howie Horwitz? You decide!
Carl Christie
Carl Christie? You decide! (compare the noses!)
With Batman ’66’s most popular Special Guest Villain still holding out for more money as the show was cutting its budget, it was decided that Fred De Gorter’s Riddler script “A Penny for your Riddles” should be rewritten to instead feature a new villain: The Puzzler, played by occasional Shakespearean Maurice Evans. A kind listener sent us a PDF of the original Riddler script, so in this episode we take the opportunity to compare the Riddler version to the Puzzler arc that was broadcast, Santa and all, right before Christmas 1966. Besides the change in villains, the changes also show plenty of evidence of making the script cheaper to shoot!
Honk's article about the Riddler script
This episode's featured take on Hefti's Batman theme:
What does a Lorenzo Semple Jr. Batman script look like? What does it tell us about the contributions he made to the series? His influences in setting the tone for the series? The things he tried to set up that didn’t make it to the screen? In this episode, The Batcave Podcast’s John S. Drew joins Tim and Paul to look over Semple’s Scripts for Hi Diddle Riddle/Smack in the Middle and Fine Feathered Finks/The Penguin’s a Jinx and examine the evidence regarding Semple’s huge contributions to the series.
ALSO: The “Homemade” version of the Hefti “Batman” theme, and your mail!
Read the scripts at Knowitalljoe.com
Holy timeslip! West, Ward, and Newmar are back in their 1966 roles in Rick Morales’ Return of the Caped Crusaders! In this episode, we dig in (in other words, SPOILERS) on the new movie. Does Catwoman’s “batnip” really make Batman “evil”? Or change him in some other way? How did we process hearing the voices of the three surviving principles 50 years later? Did the animation style fit the feel of the film? Also, scenes that serve multiple purposes in Michael Jelenic and James Tucker’s well-written script, searching for “easter eggs”, and more.
PLUS: our greatest haul of Bat-mail yet, as you fill us in on "Red Ameche", why Catwoman was at Mr. Oceanbring's salon, clues to the location of Penguin's electrified pool, and more!
- Description of The Cat's Meow/The Bat's Kowtow 1st draft (scroll down to Reply #13)
- "Pat the Batman Fan" poses with Chad and Jeremy (scroll down)
As Catwoman and Batman get in touch with their feelings over each other (and for some reason, Robin is a factor), our heroes’ Dynamic Duo-ness is challenged by out-of-towners Chad and Jeremy. And Stanley Ralph Ross turns in such a jokey script that the rhyming question must be asked: is this the arc that jumps the shark?
Then, our friend Wally Wingert is back! He voiced The Riddler in the new animated movie “The Return of the Caped Crusaders”, and he’s here to talk about it.
Finally, a bushel of Bat-mail, on the relationship between Shame and hot rods, Roy Gleason/Grimaldi Smith, alternative Marsha hypnosis methods, and Adam West’s veracity on the bats-in-the-cave story. ALSO: The Batman theme as performed by The Dynamic Batmen!
In December 1966, the “Penguin’s Nest” arc was finally broadcast. But it was the first season two arc to be shot; why the delay? We also discuss the 1946 comic book version of this story; Lorenzo Semple’s gift for making humor from situations, rather than the goofy jokes added by some other Bat-writers; the majesty of Burgess Meredith as the Penguin; and a swaggering Batman who gets taken down a peg. This arc marks the show’s being bestowed a high honor in sixties TV: The Vito Scotti seal of approval!
Also, the Who’s version of the Batman theme, and updates on our collection of Bat-theme covers and… hey, look, it’s Jay Thompson’s first-draft script that eventually became “The Impractical Joker”!
Batman faces a showdown when Shame arrives in Gotham City! This swaggering cowboy is after… hot rod parts? This somewhat odd arc by Stanley Ralph Ross is full of references to both the old west and drag racing; what’s going on here? Looking at Cliff Robertson’s first Batman appearance, we also touch on the mysterious Roy Gleason, several ways that times have changed since this one was shot, the problem of the cowboy being a bad guy, and THE one and only Little Old Lady from Pasedena!
Plus: a country-fried cover of the Batman theme, Batman/Room 222 links, and… is Batman “bigger than Jesus” now?
Various other Bat-commentaries paint this arc in drab tones. What Carolyn Jones (apparently replacing Zsa Zsa Gabor at something close to the last moment) brings to the role of Marsha, Queen of Diamonds, is basically Morticia Addams with a different look, says conventional wisdom. The arc is full of filler scenes that don’t advance the story, say commentators. In this episode of To the Batpoles, Paul presents a much different view of Marsha, which sees these “filler” scenes as absolutely necessary to the theme of this arc. And what is that theme? Listen to find out — and pack your Coleman stove, because there WILL be camping!
PLUS: The Jam’s version of the theme; an intertextual reference in Marsha that you might have missed; Tim investigates the “bat-cave scene” from spaghetti western The Relentless Four that Adam West described in Back to the Batcave, and works to track down the original Jay Thompson script that was rewritten into The Impractical Joker; and your mail!
“The Impractical Joker”/“The Joker’s Provokers” is Charles Hoffman’s rewrite of a draft by Jay Thompson, and it’s a bit of a kludgefest: interesting ideas are introduced and abandoned; Joker’s strategy and goals (related to keys — sometimes) are a muddled mess; they even botch a chemistry reference. But, as always, there ARE enjoyable nuggets to be found, and Tim and Paul list some of them. Also, admiring a Robin dummy, the problem with a gasoline-sharing Dynamic Duo, and the luscious, distracting Kathy Kersh.
PLUS: David McCallum’s version of the Batman theme, another Adam West memoir assertion disproved, and your mail about the Otto Preminger Mr. Freeze!
In his 1994 book Back to the Batcave, Adam West tells… some. Yes, there are recollections of funny things that happened on the set of Batman, a discussion of the development of how the character Batman would be played on the ’66 show, and answers to some lingering questions that have come up on this podcast. On the other hand, his love life recollections tend to be shrouded in anonymity, and mentions of Burt Ward are surprisingly few and neutral. Also, a disturbing number of his assertions are provably false!
Having read Batcave, Tim and Paul try to clean up the record, parse West's negative reaction to Batman being referred to as “camp”, and consider the question: What if Batman had used a laugh track?
PLUS: The Ventures' version of the Batman theme!
It's Otto Preminger's turn to be Mr. Freeze! Why does his version keep saying "wild"? What aspects of this version are better than the George Sanders version, and which are worse (aside from his demeanor on the set)? The script itself has more than its share of head-scratchers, as well as some bits of comedy (and camp) gold. And, wait... are there references in this arc to the 1940 film His Girl Friday? This episode, we go up against an in-office blizzard, an arm-injuring explosion, and worst of all... a little boy's "boo".
PLUS: the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra's version of the theme, and a new iTunes review (have you written yours yet?)!
Batman battles it out with the Penguin — at the polls! Who will be voted mayor of Gotham City? In Hizzoner the Penguin and Dizzoner the Penguin, writer Stanford Sherman and director Oscar Rudolph deliver biting political satire (complete with Barry Goldwater references!) — but does the arc’s ending invalidate some of their points? Were Paul Revere and the Raiders, with their appearance here, really the first rock band on a sitcom? Is it a coincidence that so many game show hosts make cameos in this arc? (We think not!)
PLUS: Sun Ra’s version of the Batman theme, the series’ ratings trajectory, and revisiting some Batman soundtrack questions.
As we continue through the series, we notice more and more awesomeness in the Nelson Riddle incidental music- and we also have some questions about it. Pat Evans is working on getting answers to those questions as he does a series of interviews for his documentary film “The Beat of the Bat”! We discuss how Riddle’s scoring for the show is more like that of a Warner Brothers cartoon than most live-action shows; how Riddle and Neal Hefti both recycled bits of past music into “new” music that’s more familiar to us; Billy May’s cringey lyrics to the Batgirl theme; and the burning question: should Hefti’s iconic Batman theme be sung as “Nana nana” or “Dada dada”?
And in the Bat Mailbag, a collage of ‘60s Sears-catalog Bat-crap! (Click image to zoom in) (Collages by Aaron Lange)
It may be tough to appreciate for us 50 years later, but having Liberace on your show was a big deal in 1966. When he appeared on Batman, it reportedly led to the show’s best ratings ever. Of interest to Tim and Paul is how the show dealt with his alleged homosexuality, writer Lorenzo Semple Jr’s references to Liberace’s real-life backstory, and what his attempts at acting remind us of.
His Bat-appearance was such a big deal that the Dynamic Duo themselves were shoved aside for the first 15 minutes, leading to the funniest Gotham City Police joke ever. Also in this arc: another reference to James Cagney’s The Public Enemy, weaponized music, a current events reference, Madge Blake’s moment of badass glory, and a trifecta of SCTV references!
PLUS: We pay a visit to The Marketts, look into director Larry Peerce’s back catalog, and get some Bat-mail that clears up questions about where the show got the ideas for batpoles and Cat-Bat attraction!
Vincent Price makes his Bat-debut as Egghead! Price is generally associated with the horror genre, although he could also be considered a camp icon. And so could someone else in this arc! Is the character of Chief Screaming Chicken satire or racism? Well… yes. Also, a window cameo by Jose Jimenez. Who? We explore this and several other cameos and familiar faces (or voices) in this arc, with detours through Get Smart, The Brady Bunch, F Troop and more! Holy intertextuality!
ZAP! POW! The Batman TV show became famous for its “comic book” fight sound effects. Odd, though… before the show began, punches in Batman comics were silent! So where’d the show get the idea for noisy punches? We ponder this question after reading many ‘60s Batman comics, and also explore the changes of “New Look Batman” in 1964; determine what the show borrowed from the comics —and what the comics borrowed from the show; discuss whether the TV show is what saved the character (our verdict: nope!); and more.
Selected sources:
- Showcase Presents: Batman, Vol. 1
- Comics Alliance: The Evolution of Catwoman
- Fred Hembeck on Detective Comics 327
- DCcomicsartists.com: New Look Batman
- Baby Boomer Comics: The Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Comic Books of the 1960s
Our expounding on the coolness of the Clock King arc concludes with a look at “The Clock King Gets Crowned”! Did Madge Blake need help with her lines from the film editors? Is Millie Clock King’s “beard”? Might the first draft of this episode have called for a climactic fight at Wayne Manor? (And, if so, why was it scrapped?) Plus, this episode’s cluster of “meanwhile” cross-cuts and its operatic fight music, and a couple of international Bat-records!
- “That Man, Batman” - Mike & Bernie Winters
- “Batman” - Los Monjes
Where some see a disappointing script from Bill Finger, we see a camp masterpiece! We're talking about The Clock King's Crazy Crimes, which features an amazing riff on pop art (well, and quite a bit of art that isn't actually of the "pop" variety); a Daliesque painting of the Dynamic Duo (who painted it?); another great (but rather subtle) villain theme from Nelson Riddle;Batman and Robin doing some actual detective work;scenes that happen simultaneously and then intersect; and the campiest, flashiest hourglass you ever saw!
All this fun also occasions a dig into how comics and the pop art movement fed off each other in the '60s, a Camping Trip into old Hollywood codes for homosexuality (back when you couldn't just admit it!), and much more. Dress up like an "Artist" and join us!
Perhaps more than most Batman arcs so far, the Ma Parker storyline has many points that don't stand up to scrutiny? How could she have just arrived in Gotham City, already have a house just outside of town, and have also established herself at the local old folks' home? Never mind! Shelley Winters plays a cartoony and ultra-campy villain, so Tim and Paul just go with it and let plausibility slide, while also examining the mysterious "bumper sticker" scene (have we uncovered an in-joke there?), considering whether Warden Crichton could have been better utilized, sifting through this story's multiple jabs at gender roles, and considering how vastly different this arc might have been if Bette Davis had played Ma Parker, as planned!
King Tut's back -- and not only does he have the best gang since Bookworm, but Victor Buono has totally dialed into the character, and ramped the camp up to 11! Thus, Paul can't resist marking the occasion by introducing a new podcast feature on camp! Also, how the "Spell of Tut" arc really shows the challenge of filling exactly the amount of time allotted for one TV episode -- necessitating cutting scenes sometimes, and adding relatively useless ones in other cases! Plus, this arc's Lorenzo Semple vibe, and more Bat-records reaction!
It's a new villain -- even new to the Duo themselves: The Minstrel (Van Johnson)! But his crimes don't involve robbing music stores and the like: he's out to shake down the stock market, though by using methods that Batman and Robin are at pains to tie back to the malfeasant musician's tuneful guise. And finance-related crimes seem to be a specialty of writers Francis and Marian Cockrell.
By the way, who was Van Johnson? And how does the Minstrel arc measure up? We also look at the references that are baked into the tunes Minstrel puts his lyrics to. Does Commissioner Gordon need to watch his language? Why did Minstrel show up at the stock exchange in disguise? And, doesn't it seem that the bat-drone plane has abilities even beyond those of a normal drone -- or car radio?
When Batman hit the airwaves in January 1966, its instant popularity led to an explosion of all kinds of Bat-merchandise -- including records! Singles and albums by musicians (Nelson Riddle, Neal Hefti) and actors (Adam West, Burt Ward, and some Bat-villains too!) associated with the show, as well as some with no connection who just wanted to ride the Bat-wave (for example, Dickie Goodman).
In this episode, Tim and Paul count down their favorite Bat-records, a crazy journey in which we cross paths with Frank Zappa, Jan & Dean, the Allman brothers, and other actual professional musicians. With a nod to the late, great Casey Kasem, we present -- B-A-T 40!
In "Hot off the Griddle" and "The Cat and the Fiddle", Julie Newmar's Catwoman takes on new dimensions, including sex kitten and little old lady. In discussing whether this arc has too many un-Semple-like zingers, Tim and Paul make a digression into the definition of “high camp.” Are people using this expression to describe Batman without quite understanding what it means?
Also: the advantages to having the same writer, Stanley Ralph Ross, continue to write Catwoman. And, is the character of Jack O’Shea a reference to any specific gossip columnist, real or fictional? He's certainly another manifestation of Ross's “hidden accomplice” plot device.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon keeps talking to the camera, Nelson Riddle turns out more great music, Aunt Harriet has her finest moment, Batman highland dances (or does he?), and...wait, our blog has comments?!
Season two begins! We dig into what ELSE was being broadcast the week of Batman’s season two premiere on still-struggling ABC-TV and its two muscular competitors.
Then, why did the season start with Archer? Why Art Carney? Why do all these bizarre, puzzling things happen in part one? Why isn't Spike Jones band member Doodles Weaver funny in this? It's a headscratching arc, but not without its highpoints, such as Alfred's first turn as a Caped Crusader and the flaaaaaming performance of Robert Cornthwaite.
The summer of 1966 brought “Batman: The Movie"! Now, in the winter of 2016, Tim and Paul, joined by “Batman at 45” author Chris Gould, look at the film from many directions: the fantastic music, the new elements not seen in season one (Compressed Steam Batpole Lift!), the references to Lyndon Baines Johnson (both the man and his policies!), the dangers on the Batman set, the dynamic among the four villains, and much more.
Having finished Season One, this episode we take a breather and consider what we've learned. Firstly, just because a show is successful doesn't mean it has money to throw around. We explore such aspects as Joker's laugh, the lack of continuity in '60s TV shows, and the interesting camera work sometimes employed on the series -- deep shots such as Penguin watching the Duo from afar.
We do all this through the lens of a 2008 interview of show co-creator Lorenzo Semple Jr. - what it tells us about his approach to the series, and why the show burnt itself out.
Also, what we're looking forward to in Season Two, and a look in the Bat-Mailbag!
The Penguin is back, but this time his hideout and henchman names are on the theme of fish, rather than birds! And he’s aiming to steal all the money donated by millionaires to smokin’ hot babes (each girl representing a charity, of course). Yes, the final arc of Season One is also its most sexist — and that’ s not even considering the rather suggestive bellows scene!
Tim and Paul discuss this arc’s Playboy Mansion feel, the staggering count of plot holes, the subtle joke at the expense of the show’s top two execs, and a clinic in why the writers had Batman and Bruce Wayne communicate through Commissioner Gordon, rather than by looking in a mirror!
In Frank Gorshin's last Bat-appearance till Season Three, the Riddler's making a movie. Silent-film-scholar Paul is digging this arc! But why does the Prince of Puzzlers bother filming Batman and Robin when he's got luscious, leggy Sherry Jackson on his team? More to ponder: This arc is based on a comics story in which the Joker, not the Riddler, impersonated Charlie Chaplin. Does this work as a Riddler story?
Also: Francis X. Bushman reunites with a silent-era costar; why the "Aunt Harriet's birthday" scene might have some real utility beyond giving Madge Blake a reason to show up for work; who the heck is Y. Y. Flurtch? And more.
And at last we reach the Bookworm arc, perhaps one of the greatest of the series. I mean, it's got a giant cookbook in it! And it's got a shocking first scene, the great Roddy McDowell, one of the best supporting gangs we've seen, the first bat-climb cameo... oh, and did we mention the giant cookbook?
True, it also contains the seeds of some of Season Two's excesses. But overall, you can't go wrong letting a writer write about a villain who's... a bad writer. Tim and Paul discuss some of the arc's triumphs.
Victor Buono as King Tut is perhaps the most divisive villain among Bat-fans: some call him a genius, others roll their eyes whenever he appears. What is it that makes him more/less fun than the Joker or the Penguin? In this episode, having just watched "The Curse of Tut" and "The Pharaoh's in a Rut", we discuss this question and others: Why are there so many dummies in this episode? (Bruce certainly acts like one in the museum scene...) What happened to the Batmobile's security functions? Who the freak are “old Mo” and “the Hot Squad”?? And of course we discuss sexism, police ineptitude, and Nelson Riddle's score, including the return of... the Batusi!
Joker's latest crime is a hit on a fur store, in which he steals -- a hairpin? The story in "The Joker Trumps an Ace" and "Batman Sets the Pace" is loosely based on a comic-book story ("A Hairpin, a Hoe, a Hacksaw, and a Hole in the Ground") from Batman 53 (1949) — a bit too loosely, so that it doesn't quite make sense. This episode, Tim and Paul discuss the source material penned by Bill Finger, and how Francis and Marian Cockrell's script removes the Hoe, the Hacksaw, and the logic.
Also: Doesn’t Joker seem especially gay in this arc? Another Batman casting connection to Casablanca, and one to North by Northwest! Is Joker actually doing a rap, 13 years before “Rapper’s Delight”? And, what’s the basis for the “Batman running for California governor” gag?
In Frank Gorshin’s third turn as the Riddler, the Prince of Puzzlers follows a very clear plan toward his goal of finding the Lost Treasure of the Incas, while taking credit for stuff Shakespeare wrote. Company man Batman, meanwhile, lauds the Incas' culinary achievements. Tim and Paul watch this arc and muse on its theme of preservation, the developments in Nelson Riddle’s music for death traps, and note that the Gotham City Museum building looks strangely familiar.
Penguin’s back! And he’s -- gone straight? Meanwhile, the Duo commit a series of crimes in the name of bringing the waddling old avian to justice -- because surely he’s up to no good -- right? Tim & Paul analyze what could be seen as a rather dark arc -- if it weren't so funny!
What's your Bat-dream job? For Mark Racop it's making replica Batmobiles -- which has been his sole source of income at Fiberglass Freaks in Logansport, Indiana, since 2003. This episode we talk with Mark about the car's history, what it was really capable of doing vs. what was just special effects, how he got into the game and became the sole authorized maker of replica Batmobiles, and why the black, bubble-windshielded beauty still means so much to so many.
At last, it's time to talk Catwoman! Lovely Julie Newmar's first appearance on the show finally gives us a strong female character -- but what exactly do we mean by "strong female"?
Also, how lines that strike adults as "what a square Batman is" jokes also worked to impart serious messages to kids, Nelson Riddle's beautiful musical narration, another raunchy joke that got past the censors, and more.
| About that cat in Zelda's workshop: Way too big to be one of the statues Catwoman stole! |
Malachi Throne's turn as False Face was one of the oddest villain appearances in the history of the show. Throne was only credited as "?" until the closing credits of part two -- why? Throne gave at least two different stories about this; which should we believe? While William Dozier thought the arc was a failure, and False Face never appeared again, some now regard this one as their favorite. Why?
We discuss this question, as well as the mysterious cameo by two people on a subway, how TV False Face differed from False Face in the comics, reflections of '60s America in "Batman", and much more.
But first, our somewhat belated farewell to Yvonne Craig...
This time we feature "Joker Goes to School" and "He Meets His Match, the Grisly Ghoul," a fun arc that deviates from the formula that the series had established up to this point. Tim and Paul discuss these two episodes well-written scenes and weird errors, and the surprising susceptibility of Gotham’s teenagers to the lure of crime. Plus, a quick look at the career of Donna Loren, who plays Joker’s cheerleader moll, Susie.
You've heard it said millions of times that Adam West Batman is "campy". But... what exactly does that mean?
This episode, Tim and Paul explore camp. What is it? Where did the term come from? What's the difference between "camp" and "camping"? What does Batman have in common with drag queens? Also: Was Batman '66 a "sitcom"?
Susan Sontag's "Notes On Camp"
"Camp" on Wikipedia
It's David Wayne's first appearance as the foppish Mad Hatter! Tim and Paul discuss other highlights of Wayne's career besides his two faceoffs with that other Wayne, Bruce! Doesn't Robin seem underemployed in this episode? Why is this arc's writer, Charles Hoffman, often dissed by Bat-fans? What's his connection to Diane McBain, who plays Lisa?
Plus, the super-cool Super Instant Mesmerizer, why Tim found the plaster-dumping cliffhanger frightening when he was 9, and the surprising number of actors from this arc who later appeared on Dallas!
The Riddler's back! And he's... focused. Less giggly, more speechy. This time he kidnaps a king (Reginald Denny), then threatens to blow up the (invisible?) Queen of Freedom monument.
By the way, who IS Reginald Denny? A homing device again? That trick never works! Well... almost never. Also, Museum of Fame? Campiest. Museum. EVER. Tim and Paul discuss "A Riddle A Day Keeps the Riddler Away" and "When the Rat's Away the Mice Will Play"!
We reach the first female villain in the series, Zelda the Great (Anne Baxter) -- but she's not so much a villain as a passenger to her benefactor's schemes. This occasions much discussion between Tim and Paul about not only the show's attitude toward women, but on what makes the show "campy" and what the appeal of camp was.
Also, the comic book story on which this arc was based, in which Zelda's role was male. Why make the magician female? Did that change have unintended consequences? What comics did William Dozier read when researching Batman? And much more!
It's George Sanders as Mr. Freeze! Unless you're a movie buff, you might not know much else that George Sanders did in film -- or why, in comparison, his Batman performance is a bit disappointing. Tim and Paul discuss.
Also: Why did the writers make Batman responsible for Mr. Freeze’s condition? Where else did Shelby Grant and Robert Hogan appear? And the usual plausibility concerns — but maybe logical plotting just wasn't a priority on ‘60s TV?
Delicious! The Joker's TV debut! His inclusion in the Comedians' Hall of Fame! Tim and Paul discuss the various absurdities of this arc, its commentary on the power of the media, the series' portrayal of "deluded" women swayed into a life of crime, and more -- including a few gags that could get us voted into the Hall, too! Everybody stuff those ballot boxes!
This time Tim and Paul take a break from the episode-by-episode analysis to touch on some stray points that have come up.
- Why did the show drop us into the middle of Batman's career, skipping an origin story except for a couple of expository comments?
- What's Batman’s motivation as a character in the show, and how has that changed over time in the comics?
- Are we all misremembering a famous line from episode 2?
- Is Batman a bumbler?
- Finally, some Bat-trivia — what’s spinning before the opening sequence? And, the original “Super Friends” narrator — revealed!
Can you imagine anyone else than Burgess Meredith as the Penguin? Neither can we, but he wasn't William Dozier's first choice! We dig into the first Penguin arc, "Fine Feathered Finks" and "The Penguin's a Jinx". Who are those cameo stars (the jewelry store manager!) that nobody recognizes now? Answers, right here! Same Bat-RSS feed!
If you were a "Dr. Demento" listener back in 1989, you undoubtedly heard the song we use as our opening theme, "Adam West" by the Caped Club. The man behind this record, Wally Wingert, has much more Bat-cred to his name than that; his detailed knowledge of Batman's costume isn't even the most of it. This week, Tim talks with Wally about Batman cosplay, "Adam West", and -- Adam West!
Wally's first Bat-suit
Wally's fifth birthday, 1966
Batkid and Robin!
This week, discussion of the Riddler pilot arc concludes with discussion of the series tropes already on display at this early stage (and a few that aren't); the impracticality of cliffhangers; Burt Ward's versitility; is the Batmobile alive, or just really cool? We've even got some music! Shall we dance the Batusi?
Also, a few other series influenced by, or ripoffs of (what's the distinction?), Batman; and, did the Batman TV show save the character from obscurity?
Now that we've set the stage, it's time to get down to business and really look at the Batman show -- and where else to start but the beginning? We talk about how the series made its way to the air, and the pilot story arc Hi Diddle Riddle and Smack in the Middle, starring Frank Gorshin as the Riddler, and Jill St. John as Molly.
Like many who grew up in the '60s and '70s (and perhaps even '80s and later), Tim and Paul had the course of their lives changed by the 1966 Batman TV show, from the types of play they did growing up to their present-day interests.
In our premiere episode, we discuss the allure of the show and its effects on us -- and invite you to share your own stories!