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"Batman" (1966-1968), Late-60s Superhero Comic Action-Adventure on ABC for Three Seasons


Al Dente

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Lately I've been catching Batman episodes on IFC. I probably haven't watched since I was 7 or 8.

It's hilarious. Check it out if you get a chance. I didn't realize how many big showbiz names made guest appearances as the villains. Do you remember Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach as Mr. Freeze? Liberace as Chandell? Milton Berle as Louie the Lilac?

Mmmm, Catwoman.   :wub:

(Julie Newmar or Eartha Kitt, doesn't matter)

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Here is some other reference material for your reading and viewing pleasure.  Al Dente, picture #1 in your link - the one with The Riddler - is the episode with the embarrassingly lame dance that's contained in my link. I had *no* idea there were this many villains on Batman, and the cast of stars is a lot like The Twilight Zone's (if I compiled a Twilight Zone list, it would be just about as amazing).

You'll also get a kick out of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot singing the 1967 song, "Comic Strip" (Bardot's only vocals are based on the onomatopoeia in Batman).

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Batman - Season 1

1. "Hi Diddle Riddle" - Jan 12, 1966: screen-capture-5.png

[Notes: I can't get away from that lame dance that we've been poking fun of - it's in Season 1, Episode 1, "Hi Diddle Riddle." Batman's dance partner (and the Riddler's assistant) Molly was indeed Jill St. John, and The Riddler was played by Frank Gorshin who is just perfect in this role. In one scene, the police had to take Batman's keys away from him because he was too impaired to drive (law-abiding citizen that he is, he of course agreed immediately). His orange juice had been drugged, and that's why he collapsed during The Dance. This is part one of a two-part episode, and ends with The Riddler having Robin (Burt Ward) unconscious on a table with his head in a vice. In fact, during Season 1, they're *all* two-part episodes, with the odd-numbered episodes being part one, and the even-numbered episodes being part two. Seasons 2 and 3 don't adhere to this 2-part formula quite so rigidly, but for the most part, this is a series of two- or three-part episodes, with some one-part episodes sprinkled into Season 3.]

2. "Smack In The Middle" - Jan 13, 1966: batman-66-smack-in-the-middle-02.jpg

[Notes: This is (obviously) the first part-two episode. I had forgotten Batman was aired on both Wednesday and Thursday nights (or I'm not sure I ever knew) which explains how they thrived on the cliffhanger, two-part episode format. The series was written by Lorenzo Semple, Jr (writer of the porn suspense-thriller, "Three Days Of The Condom"), and Directed by Robert Butler. Molly makes a death mask of Robin (remember, he's unconscious), and tries to fool Batman, only to get her just desserts in the Batcave. This episode serves as an excellent introduction to the Batmobile and its features, using many of them in Batman's first car-chase scene (hopefully the first of many). By the end of these two episodes, the viewer has been introduced to the campy, almost farcical element of the series (Robin being able to guess and piece together the Riddler's Riddles so quickly, as to move the plot along, surely qualifies as farce, and makes Robin seem like he has almost supernatural abilities - also introduced in this episode was the environmentally irresponsible Bat-Turn Lever. When Molly falls into the drink, Batman's reaction is "accidentally-on-purpose" overdubbed to say, "What a terrible way to go-go." Of note: the Wikipedia entry (linked to in the title above) is exceptionally detailed - if all episodes on Wikipedia are written like this one, it will be an excellent resource.]

3. "Fine Feathered Finks" - Jan 19, 1966: batman-fine-feathered-finks-04.jpg

[Notes: Why do Batman and Robin jump down the Bat-Poles in normal dress, and emerge at the bottom in full costume? Also, why does The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) have an umbrella fetish? The answer is here. Other than Bruce Wayne about to be barbecued at the end of this part-one episode, it isn't quite clear what The Penguin is up to, although he has lots of people using smoking umbrellas throughout the episode. Batman and Robin come upon this giant umbrella in the Batmobile, and Batman turns to Robin and says, "Curious - it looks like an ordinary umbrella except for its unusual size," followed shortly by, "I'll bet my life on it, Robin - this could be a clue to the Penguin's game." Ya think?]

4. "The Penguin's A Jinx" - Jan 20, 1966: 17h41m34s193.png

[Notes: Oh my goodness, how do they go from Robin saying an umbrella has colors "like a beautiful dawn," to Batman figuring out The Penguin is going to kidnap movie star Dawn Robbins for ransom in a matter of two seconds?! Okay, it goes without saying this is is farce-farce-farce, but will this type of nonsense carry me through three seasons? And, yes, the episode ends with an umbrella duel, with the Dynamic Duo of course besting The Penguin and his Fine Feathered Finks, and all ends happily ever after, with Dawn Robbins falling hopelessly in love with Batman in the process. You have to take these episodes for what they are: comic-book fun with TV stars over-acting to the point of WTF. The beauty of these episodes is that they've *very* short, seemingly shorter than the half-hour air time because they're comprised of non-stop action - escapism and comic relief to end a long work day. It's interesting that the roller coaster at Six Flags America is called "Joker's Jinx" (it's a fun, quick linear induction ride designed not to take up much real estate), and not "Penguin's Jinx." Remember that Invision has a bug that prevents linking to Wikipedia for anything with an apostrophe in the name, so you'll have to do the search manually.]

5. "The Joker Is Wild" - Jan 26, 1966: ep5-Prison.jpg

[Notes: It was amusing to see The Joker (Cesar Romero) pitching softball (of all things). This was the first episode where Batman's Utility Belt came into prominence (in previous episodes, he'd grab something from it (a rope and a hook, for example)), but it actually rescued him in "The Joker Is Wild." Every dirty trick in the book is used during this series, including sneezing powder at the very end which puts the potential public unmasking of Batman and Robin on center stage. For some reason, I find Romero's taunting laugh even more annoying than Gorshin's, despite Gorshin's being more over-the-top - perhaps Gorshin was just made for this type of thing, whereas with Romero it's more forced. It's pretty pathetic that The Joker nailed Batman with a haymaker in a straight-on fist fight.]

6. "Batman Is Riled" - Jan 27, 1966: kxgzgqy8evor10eeel7z.png

[Notes: I find the closing statements of Part Two narrations, "The worst ... is yet to come!" to be amusing. Also, I've noticed the obvious: the titles of Part Two episodes rhyme with the titles of Part One episodes (yes, I'm easily entertained). Of further amusement: The Joker attempts to drop a heavy weight on Batman from up above, and states, "I hope this doesn't depress you." When Batman throws his Bat Hook up above, then shimmies up, he is downright Olympian in his climbing abilities. How can you not love Alfred (Alan Napier)? He is so perfectly suited (no pun intended) for this part, and eminently likable to boot. Batman christens the S.S. Gotham with a bottle of *1949* Champagne (even in 1966, this is 17 years old) ... and Batman was such an astute oenophile that he recognized it was not discolored with age - that's pretty hardcore.]

7. "Instant Freeze" - Feb 2, 1966: Instant_Freeze.png

[Notes: Mr. Freeze (George Sanders) melts the ice rink with a flame thrower (even though he was only wearing a standard-issue fire extinguisher on his back). I want to know how Mr. Freeze (who *must* live in an environment 50 degrees below zero) doesn't, well, freeze - there was no backstory to Mr. Freeze in this episode, other than that Batman spilled some freeze solution onto him (which caused this condition) while he was doing something diabolical, and now he's back for revenge. Mr. Freeze fabricated five Batman replicas in this episode - the first time you see them all together, you can tell that some are a wee bit chunky compared to Adam West. To any 1970s Orioles fans out there: Does Mr. Freeze remind you at all of Ralph Salvon? At the end of the episode, Batman and Robin have been shot with freeze spray, and are frozen solid - I wonder when they're going to switch from "Same time, same channel," to "Same Bat time, same Bat channel?]

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As with a lot of 60s television, I find "Batman" pretty well unwatchable today. Among others (all shows I enjoyed at the time, as a kid): "The Avengers", "The Man from Uncle", "The Rogues", "Secret Agent" (known in the UK as "Danger Man"). There were other shows that I found unwatchable at the time, such as "Star Trek", which I still find unwatchable. I've never understood the appeal of that one. Same with "The Prisoner".

It's not at all the case that I find television from that era unwatchable as a rule. I still love "Perry Mason" (my favorite U.S. television series of all time), most episodes of "The Twilight Zone" (it was pretty uneven, but mostly between good and superb) "Dick van Dyke", "Andy Griffith". "Gunsmoke", the best TV western. "Maverick" -- pretty much unwatchable. "Green Acres" -- surprisingly funny. Any of Lucille Ball's post Lucy Ricardo shows--hideously unwatchable if not downright revolting. Some shows I loved at the time I haven't seen in decades, such as "The Defenders" and "Judd, for the Defense". I actually thought I wanted to be a lawyer because of shows like that. Glad I got over it.

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