BATMAN TV EPISODE GUIDE Downloaded from The Original BatCave www.batcave.somewhere.net Last Updated: 01/01/99 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "I'm just reminded I'd promised to take my young ward, Dick Grayson, fishing." - Bruce Wayne #1 HI DIDDLE RIDDLE #2 SMACK IN THE MIDDLE *** 1/12/66,1/13/66. Written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. Directed by Robert Butler. Batman and Robin are sued for one million bucks for false arrest by the Riddler, who seeks to force Batman to unmask in court. Clues hidden in the legal documents bring the Dynamic Duo to a hot and trendy discotheque What A Way To Go-Go, as Batman does the Batusi with the Riddler's moll, played by Jill St. John. "I didn't know that I was going to have to do a dance in a disco before I came in," Adam West has noted. "That was all improvised on the set. The watusi was the dance that was popular then. I said, 'Okay, I'll do the Batusi.' And it just happened." Production values and the pilot's high budget are evident in the creative and original set designs, lighting and excellent use of color, noticeably absent in some underbudgeted third season misfires. Variations between pilot and regular series: opening theme is slightly different, Alfred's rarely used tuxedo is worn throughout #1/2 and the superimposed cliffhanger texts are angled. BatBits: Based on "Remarkable Ruse of the Riddler" from Batman #171 (5/65, written by Gardner Fox. Lyle Waggoner was originally cast as Batman and filmed for a test reel. #3 FINE FEATHERED FINKS #4 THE PENGUIN'S A JINX *** 1/19/66,1/20/66. Written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. Directed by Robert Butler. Fresh out of the slammer, Penguin and his gang create several disturbances, including a giant umbrella which lands in Gotham. Nothing is stolen, so Batman and Robin theorize the antics are a ruse. Batman's origin was never specifically dealt with during the series. Bruce Wayne mentions the murder of his parents in episode #1, refers to an umbrella that belonged to his late father in #3, and recalls "the murder of my parents by dastardly criminals" in #82. The references to Batman's past appear in material worked on by Lorenzo Semple Jr., initially the series head writer and someone who appears to have recieved the most influence from (or paid better attention to) established Batman comics lore. At the end of #4, Semple had Commissioner Gordon explain the origin of the Batcostume. "It's simple. As Batman realized when he set out on his crusade, nothing so strikes terror into the criminal mind as the shape and shadow of a huge bat." Semple felt strongly about using shadow imagery. "I think that's very important, and should be in all scripts from now on," wrote Semple in a November 6,1965 letter to producer Bill Dozier. "The bat-costume and bat-shadows throw terror and dismay into criminals. Indeed, that's the very kernel of the whole costume gimmick and we certainly didn't make that point in the pilot. Tell all toiling Bat-Writers to try to work it in." No such emphasis was ever made. BatBits: Based "Partners in Plunder!" from Batman #169 (2/65), written by France Eddie Herron. Mickey Rooney was considered for the role of the Penguin. #5 THE JOKER IS WILD #6 BATMAN IS RILED **** 1/26/66,1/27/66. Written by Robert Dozier. Directed by Don Weis. The Joker devises a utility belt of his own, and switches it with Batman's. He captures the Dynamic Duo and threatens to unmask them on live TV, a classic bit of Batlore. These episodes avoid the series' typical bizarro deathtrap cliffhanger, an excellent but underutiliezed change of pace. This is the best Joker performance by Cesar Romero. Hubi Kerns and Victor Paul, the stunt doubles for Adam West and Burt Ward respectively, are evident throughout the fight scene at the end of #6. The first season's more expensive optical on-screen POWs and EEYOWs are less obtrusive and obliterative than later version, allowing the action to be more visible. "White was forbidden on the set," said William Dyer, on Adam West's lighting stand-in. "You'd always wear a shirt the color [of the costume] or close to it. And if something was really important, they'd give you a smock to wear [in] the color they wanted. Ironicaly enough, you'll see all the heroines in white and cameraman Howie Schwartz would go bananas. 'Why did you do this to me again? You know I don't like white!' Patricia Barto did the costumes. She'd always do that kind of thing: he'd get furious." BatBits: Both Jose Ferrer and Gig Young were considered for the role of the Joker. "Poor devil. Forced to live in an air-conditioned suit that keeps his body temperature down to 50 degrees below zero. No wonder his mind is warped." -Batman #7 INSTANT FREEZE #8 RATS LIKE CHEESE *** 2/3/66 Written by Max Hodge. Directed by Robert Butler. Batman and Robin attempt to thward Mr. Freeze's plans to steal the Circle of Ice Diamonds, and are frozen in their steps by a deadly ice-gun. "I don't think I did a very good job with George Sanders," lamented director Bob Butler, of the actor who played Mr. Freeze. "I don't know if I didn't direct him enough. He was certainly a lovely guy, kind of a gentle, decent, professional guy. Why it didn't gel with him, I don't know." Sanders was less bombastic than others who followed in the role, including Otto Preminger and Eli Wallach. Sanders is more serious and perhaps more understatedly deadly. Some of this stems from Sanders' calm on-screen indifference as a cultured cad. In keeping with his screen persona, Sanders' 1972 suicide note observed that he was "bored." BatBits: Based on "The Ice Crimes of Mr. Zero" from Batman #121 (2/59) by Dave Wood. Mr. Zero was changed to Mr. Freeze for the TV show, and the comics followed suit (the name Mr. Freeze was also used in the film BATMAN AND ROBIN). Watch for Teri Garr in the bit part of a girl in #7. #9 ZELDA THE GREAT #10 A DEATH WORSE THAN FATE *** 2/9/66,2/10/66. Written by Lorenzo Semple, Jr. Directed by Norman Foster. Master escape artist Zelda the Great steals $100,000 from the First National Bank on April Fool's Day, and, believing the cash to be counterfeit, kidnaps Aunt Harriet, suspending her over a vat of boiling oil for ransom. Though not of supervillain status, Ann Baxter as Zelda and Jack Kruschen as Albanian genius Eivol Ekdol work because Semple's story is well written. Lorenzo Semple's initial outline for these episodes used comics escape artist Carnado. William Dozier wrote, "Let's remember we must work dames into these scripts, both for Batman and Robin, wherever feasible." The comment inspired Semple to modify his work. From a November 11, 1965 letter to Dozier: "Am changing the Great Carnado into Zelda the Great, a super-sexy femme escape-artiste and illusionist!" BatBits: Based on "Batman's Inescapable Doom-Trap!" from Detective Comics #346 by John Broome. These epiosdes were originally entitled "The Inescapable Doom Trap/Zelda Takes the Rap" and scheduled to air 1/26 and 1/27. Frankie Darrow, who plays a newsman, previously was a Dead End Kid. Both Zsa Zsa Gabor and Bette Davis were considered for the role of Zelda. #11 A RIDDLE A DAY KEEPS THE RIDDLER AWAY #12 WHEN THE RAT'S AWAY THE MICE WILL PLAY ***1/2 2/16/66,2/17/66. Written by Fred De Gorter. Directed by Tom Gries. Visiting King Boris is kidnapped by the Riddler, leading Batman and Robin into a trap. Director Tom Gries uses complex camera setups, occasional lengthier fluid takes, deep focus and some unusually dark sets for the series. Gries also directed #33/34, and brought visual excitement to the series. BatBits: At the beginning of #12, look for the blatantly (campy) stuffed dummies of Batman and Robin on the drive shaft. #13 THE THIRTEENTH HAT #14 BATMAN STANDS PAT **1/2 2/23/66,2/24/66. Written by Charles Hoffman. Directed by Norman Foster. Using his Super Instant Mesmerizer, paroled Jervis Tetch (alias the Mad Hatter) attempts to capture every member of the jury which originally convicted him, as well as Batman, who testified against him, burying the Caped Crusader in super-fast hardening plaster. With Hatter's criminal acts more appropriately tied to hats, these episodes are superior to the other Hatter installments (#69/70). David Wayne gives the Hatter a goofball accent (or whatever that is), but fails to make him a major league villain. Diane McBain has a gorgeous voice as Hatter's moll, Lisa. BatBits: Two-Face was originally considered as a first season villain, using the theme of a TV commentator who has a TV tube blow up in his face. This was a variation of a Two-Face story as reprinted in Batman Annual #3 (1962), originally from Detective Comics #230 (4/56), written by Bill Finger, where a klieg light blows up in an actor's face. Ultimately, the character did not appear on the series. #15 THE JOKER GOES TO SCHOOL #16 HE MEETS HIS MATCH, THE GRISLY GHOUL **1/2 3/2/66,3/3/66. Written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. Directed by Murray Golden. Joker plans to undermine student morale and recruit high school dropouts for his gang, the Bad Pennies. The Clown Prince of Crime wires the Dynamic Duo to a slot machine about to generate 50,000 volts. Atypically, Dick Grayson helps solve crimes, infiltrating the Bad Pennies sans Batman. Much of the show revolves around Grayson, his school and classmates. Even though Burt Ward was several years out of high school, he still looked young enough to do justice to the role of a student. "I was 20 years old," Ward has observed regarding his initial involvement with the series, "and became 21 and had to go to court to get my contract approved so that I could work on the show." BatBits: In November 1965, Semple concocted a new villain named The One-Armed Bandit, "whose peculiar kick is gimmicked coin machines of all sorts." The idea ultimately wound up in these episodes with Joker in charge of the One Armed Bandit Novelty Company and vending machines that churned out silver dollars, quarters, answer sheets to exams and knockout gas. "The opposite of a girl is a boy!" -Robin puzzles out a clue #17 TRUE OR FALSE FACE #18 HOLY RAT RACE **** 3/9/66,3/10/66. Written by Stephen Kandel. Directed by William Graham. False Face steals the Mergenberg Crown, replacing it with a replica, then gasses Gotham Guardians and then epoxies them to subway tracks (with quick setting plastic cement) as a train approaches. In many episodes, the outcomes were either evident or foreshadowed long before the conclusion; not so here. With numerous twists, turns and false leads, this offbeat pair of episodes remains consistently oblique, even to the end, regarding whether Batman and Robin will ever apprehend the tricky False Face. The villain's abhorrence of the word true as well as his use of false clues are other nice touches. Batman at its best, for this writer's taste. "Not even his mother will recognize the actor playing False Face," said producer Howie Horowitz in a February 2 ABC press release. "He's a classically styled actor with a background in New York theater, movies and television." In Joel Eisner's The Official Batman Batbook , actor Malachi Throne lamented a modification to the original concept which called for makeup instead of a mask. Throne's credit appread as "?" in episode #17 and #18. However, curious viewers could simply open TV Guide which listed his credit on both evenings. Batbits: Bill Finger created False Face in Batman #113 (2/58). "I'll be back in three minutes and twenty seconds." -Batman to Robin #19 THE PURR-FECT CRIME #20 BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME ***1/2 3/16/66,3/17/66. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross and Lee Orgel. Directed by James Sheldon. In the series' first Catwoman adventure, the Feline Fury spirits away one of a pair of golden cat statuettes containing the secret to Captain Manx's lost treasure. Catwoman traps Batman to battle a ferocious tiger and balances the Boy Dinner over a pit of hungry tigers and lions. Noted director of photography Howard Schwartz in "American Cinematographer", "We try to use color in an exciting way and for that reason we use a great deal of colored light on the sets. We felt that amber was a 'cat color' we played everything in her office and lair in ambers. We went to the greens for the Riddler because he wears a green outfit, and on the Penguin we used purples. These colors are produced, of course, by placing appropriate gelatins over the lamps. Naturally we keep the colored light off the faces, except for extreme effects where somebody will turn on a red light or a green light or something of the sort." BatBits: Suzanne Pleshette was considered for the role of Catwoman, played by Julie Newmar. Catwoman's alter ego Selina Kyle was never shown on the show. #21 THE PENGUIN GOES STRAIGHT #22 NOT YET, HE AIN'T *** 3/23/66,3/24/66. Written by Lorenzo Semple, Jr. & John Cardwell. Directed by Leslie H. Martinson. Penguin apparently dumps his criminal past when he routs several robberies and establishes the Penguin's Protective Agency to guard society's wealth. One of Penguin's first successes as the sentinel of aristocracy is to nab Batman and Robin while they are switching Sophia Starr's real jewelry for fakes. Marks the series' first use of the Batcycle. Leslie Martinson utilizes a lengthy, 69-second take with Batman, Penguin and Robin in close-up during the first half of #21. It makes for an interesting contrast against the more typical constant cutting. Another 35-second take at the end of that episode utilizes a Hitchcockian traveling camera which begins on Penguin/Gordon/O'Hara and finishes on the Doomed Duo, suspended behind a shooting gallery. The idea of the Penguin going straight has been part of the character's history in comics. It was previously used on numerous occasions, and among them: Batman #41, 70, 76; and Detective Comics #171. In a hilarious sequence, Batman remotely wrestles control of the Batmobile from Penguin after the dastardly bird has hijacked the vehicle. The scene obviously influenced a sequence in the 1992 film BATMAN RETURNS, where Penguin remotely took control of the Batmobile while Batman was driving. BatBits: Hairstylist Kathryn Blondell recalled, "They made a very expensive wig for Burgess, who actually went out the night before and decided to have his hair dyed. He wound up using his own hair." #23 THE RING OF WAX #24 GIVE 'EM THE AXE ** 3/30/66,3/31/66. Written by Jack Paritz and Bob Rodgers. Directed by James B. Clark. Riddler seeks to plunder the Lost Treasure of the Incas. The Caped Crusaders are drugged, tied up and suspended over a vat of boiling wax by the Riddler's Remote Control Enormous Candle Dipper, facing doom at Madam Soliel's Wax Museum. Riddler had only been used in three comic book stories before his appearances on the TV series (Detective Comics #140,142, Batman #171) with the first two occasions way back in 1948. Therefore, it is nearly impossible to contrast a TV version of the villain with that of the comics. In fact, much of Riddler's future print characterization had a foundation in Frank Gorshin's intense interpretation. "The biggest problem with [doubling] Frank," recalled stuntman Eddie Hice, who doubled for Bruce Lee on GREEN HORNET, "was always the green leotards. He kept himself in real good shape. That's how I got the job, incidentally. I'm built like he is. When I showed up, Gorshin just went nuts. He says, 'Well, riddle me this. Look at this.' Every time they'd get a double for Gorshin, the guys didn't look right. They were kind of hanging out. They had a lot of problems [with weight]. Victor Paul called me. I was doing another show on the lot. Green Hornet. I was doubling for Bruce Lee. Anyway, I jumped over there and I got into the green tight outfit and they slicked my hair back. When I showed up, Gorshin just went nuts. He says, 'Well riddle me this. Look at this.' And from then on I started doubling for him. Even if his [costume] tore or something, they could take my coat off and put it on him. [There was always a double outfit.] That's how unique it was." Hice also doubled John Astin in #79/80. BatBits: Based on "A Hairpin, A Hoe, A Hacksaw, A Hole in the Ground!" from Batman #53 (7/49) by Bill Finger. #25 THE JOKER TRUMPS AN ACE #26 BATMAN SETS THE PACE **1/2 4/6/66,4/7/66. Written by Francis and Marian Cockrell. Directed by Richard C. Sarafian. The Joker plans to pilfer the Maharajah of Nimpah's solid gold golf clubs, but instead kidnaps the Maharajah. The Dynamic Duo, in pursuit, are tied up and locked in a chimney filled with lethal gas. Some great ideas are heisted from a Joker comic book story in Batman #53. BatBits: Series guest stars reportedly received $2,500 for their nefarious appearances. Cathy Ferrar said "Gleeps! It's Batman!" in episode #1, gained some notoriety and became known as the "Gleeps Girl." She returned in this episode with an additional five syllables to her role ("Crime is certainly rampant these days.") At the time, she observed, "It's been phenomenal. I've done dozens of dramatic shows...but I never got this kind of reaction before." "How many times must I tell you? Queens consume nectar and ambrosia, not hot dogs." -King Tut to Nefertiti #27 THE CURSE OF TUT #28 THE PHAROAH'S IN A RUT **1/2 4/13/66,4/14/66. Written by Robert C. Dennis and Earl Barret. Directed by Charles R. Rondeau. A student riot endows a Yale professor with a head wound, and the delusion that he is King Tut, Great King of the Nile, setting up an Egyptian Sphinx in Gotham's Central Park as ruler of the city. Captured by Tut, Batman finds himself subjected to the ancient Theban pebble torture which is supposed to render him a mindless slave. Thanks to Victor Buono's delivery as Tut, this episode is good for a few yucks when Buono is on screen. Makeup man Bruce Hutchinson recalled the original ornate makeup job planned for Tut, which made him look like a drag queen. "We both looked in the mirror and fell on the floor. He said, 'I couldn't go out of this trailer looking like this. I'd get arrested.' So we took all the makeup off and just put that funny little gold beard on him. It worked much better." BatBits: These episodes mark the series' first use of an original major antagonist for Batman, one not previously found in the comic books. #29 THE BOOKWORM TURNS #30 WHIlE GOTHAM CITY BURNS **1/2 4/20/66,4/21/66. Written by Rik Vollaerts. Directed by Larry Peerce. Bookworm, the well-educated master of stolen plots, toys with Batman and threatens to blow up the Amerigo Columbus Bridge. However, the blow-up is only a picture enlarged on a warehouse wall. Bookworm traps the Dynamic Duo inside a monstrous recipe book with billowing steam about to turn our heroes into the Cooked Crusaders. These episodes recycle some classically successful Batman plot devices such as a stolen Batmobile, Wayne Manor violated and big props. Comic book writer Bill Finger's decades of classically memorable Batman scripts certainly influenced the content of these installments. Like the Riddler, Bookworm is one more interchangeable antagonist who frequently and intentionally leaves clues and hopes to rub out that Batnuisance. Instead of originating more devices and manic villains, of which there were many in the generally untapped comic books, Batman writers fell into an ultimately lethal Batformula and redundancy eroded the series' success. Roddy McDowall gives the Bookworm a wonderful, edgy quality. The villain had volumes of potential, and was even supplied with a smidgen of origin/motivation: he could only copy, not write/create anything original, not unlike the series' scripters. Unfortunately the character never returned. For the scene of Robin strapped to the clapper of Big Benjamin, the giant bell in the Wayne Memorial Clock Tower, art director Serge Krizman recalled building a belfry well set that was 40-feet high. "I couldn't find a bronze bell that was eight-feet high so it had to be made all out of plastics," said Krizman. Cinematographer Howie Schwartz had to resort to a 9.5mm wide-angle lens to get it all in. Victor Paul, who was Burt Ward's stunt double and, along with Hubie Kerns, the series' stunt coordinator added, "I was hanging upside down in this giant bell tower. I'm always the guy hollering for Batman. I'm tied on this six-foot gong inside a bell that's 12 feet in diameter. They're swinging me back and forth. Then I told them, 'The blood is starting to go to my head. I can't hang upside down forever.'" BatBits: Jerry Lewis was the first cameo Gothamite during a Batclimb. Aired in 1966, these epsiodes appeared during National Library Week. #31 DEATH IN SLOW MOTION #32 THE RIDDLER'S FALSE NOTION * 4/27/66,4/28/66. Written by Dick Carr. Directed by Charles R. Rondeau. The Riddler turns moviemaker, capturing his criminal escapades on film. Robin is strapped on a conveyor belt in a lumberyard, about to be sawed in two as Riddler records the event. Batman comes to the rescue, but liberates a dressed dummy. Meanwhile, the Riddler is about to drop Robin from the ledge of a high building, similar to a well-known Harold Lloyd stunt. This teleplay's story originated in the comic books as a Joker adventure, and was insufficiently modified to a Riddler-oriented vehicle. Batman comic book villains are not so easily interchangeable. The ultimate demise of the Batman series could very well be traced to episodes #29-32, the series' first low spots. BatBits: Based on "The Joker's Comedy Capers!" from Detective Comics #341 (7/65) by John Broome. Francis X. Bushman, who played Mr. Van Jones, a well-known film collector, was a silent film star who was voted most popular leading man in American films from 1914-1917. He died August 23, 1966, just months after his BATMAN appearance, at age 83. #33 FINE FINNY FIENDS #34 BATMAN MAKES THE SCENES ** 5/4/66, 5/5/66. Written by Sheldon Stark. Directed by Tom Gries. Penguin and his fiends capture and brainwash Alfred, forcing him to reveal secrets about Bruce Wayne's upcoming Multimillionaire's Annual Award Dinner. Batman and Robin are caught in the Penguin's umbrella field, gassed and then locked inside a vacuum tank. Similar to many third season episodes, Alfred plays a pivotal role. In 1966, Adam West commented on the series' hectic schedule, noting, "The demands are so inordinate that I must get away from it all every weekend at the beach. It's hard work. On a shooting day (we shoot every day, except weekends), I work from 7 in the morning to as late as 10 and 12 at night." Noted Willaim Dyer, West's stand-in, "When we finished the first season, we went right into the feature. Then we went to New York to promote it." BatBits: An average of nine pages of script were shot each day during the first and second seasons. Scripts ran about 67 pages in length for two episodes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SECOND SEASON ---------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "You dipped your dipthong. People from Philidelphia are known for that." -Batman to Dick Clark #35 SHOOT A CROOKED ARROW #36 WALK THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW * 9/7/66, 9/88/66. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by Sherman Marks. The Archer pillages stately Wayne Manor and distributes his loot to the destitue. Batman and Robin bag Archer, but impecunious Gothamites manage to raise bail with $50,000 in milk bottle deposit money. The Archer then commandeers an armored truck containing $10,000,000 in cash earmarked by the Wayne Foundation for distribution to Gotham's poor. Archer and Minstrel are probably the two most ill-conceived villains in the series. Both stories show a lack of understanding about Batman's history, about supervillains and at times, even about camp. Both are handicapped by modest origins, but Archer, a Robin Hood retread complete with merry men henchmen, simply seems too anachronistic. Dialog coach Milton Stark remembered that Art Carney "was very sad," during his stint as The Archer. "Something was happening in his personal life then. I went to a dressing room to help him. He said, 'Gee, kid, I hope you don't mind, but I don't feel up to it at the moment. I'm comfortable, I know my lines. I'll call you when I'm ready.' But the moment he got in front of the camera, he turned it on. That's like a racehorse when they hear the bell, off they go. It's amazing." BatBits: Watch for a Batclimb cameo by Dick Clark in #35. A villain named "The Archer" first appeared in Superman #13 (November-December 1941). The criminal wore a green archer's costume and worked alone, extorting money from wealthy victims whom he would murder if they refused to pay. "I'm not just pussyfooting around this time, Batman!" -Catwoman #37 HOT OFF THE GRIDDLE #38 THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE ***1/2 9/14/66, 9/15/66. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by Dan Weis. Catwoman hits the Gotham Guardians with her paralyzing Catatonic cat-darts and tosses them out of a 12th story window. At the Pink Sand Box club the Duo is surprised when their table suddenly spins around, throwing them into a metal chamber with super-heating floor. BatBits: Watch for James Brolin as driver Ralph Staphylococcus in #38. Brolin was roomate to the show's casting director, Michael McLean, which accounts for his appearance in several episodes. #39 THE MINSTREL'S SHAKEDOWN #40 BARBECUED BATMAN? 1/2* 9/21/66,9/22/66. Written by Francis and Marian Cockrell. Directed by Murray Golden. The Minstrel, a lute-playing electronics genius, threatens to sabotage the computerized Gotham City Stock Exchange. The Dynamic Duo is captured and hoisted onto a rotating spit over an electronic radar grill. A weak episode: Van Johnson's Minstrel is just too dumb a villain, with extremely awkward motivations and origins. BatBits: Watch for Phyllis Diller as Scrubwoman in #39. #41 THE SPELL OF TUT #42 TUT'S CASE IS SHUT *** 9/28/66, 9/29/66. Written by Robert C. Dennis and Earl Barret. Directed by Larry Peerce. From ancient scarabs, King Tut plots to distill Abu Raubu Simbu Tu, a deadly potion capable of paralyzing the will, enough to debilitate Gotham City. Tut has Robin walk a receding plank overlooking a crocodile pit, and Chief O'Hara high on a window ledge performing acrobatics. Probably the best Tut episodes, with #117 ranking very close. From Victor Buono's delivery to O'Hara's flagpole flips, there is a steady stream of nutty events, more comedy than camp, largely due to Buono. BatBits: Watch for the Batclimb cameo by Van Williams as The Green Hornet and Bruce Lee as Kato. #43 THE GREATEST MOTHER OF THEM ALL #44 MA PARKER ** 10/5/88,10/6/66. Written by Henry Slesar. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Batman incarcerates Ma Parker, but she takes over the prison, capturing the warden. The Dynamic Duo are captured and strapped into electric chairs. Shelley Winters as Ma Parker is a stronger series villain than Minstrel or Archer, in a spoof on gangster movies and TV shows. A 1966 issue of New Zealand TV Weekly quoted Shelley Winters as saying, "We didn't even get to read the script or rehearse before shooting. No wonder that Adam West and Burt Ward look about dead. You hardly have time to eat lunch." She also complained about unsafe conditions on the set. BatBits: Watch for Julie Newmar's cameo as Catwoman, a fellow prison inmate. During a prison Batclimb, Milton Berle makes a cameo as Lefty. #45 THE CLOCK KING'S CRAZY CRIMES #46 THE CLOCK KING GETS CROWNED *** 10/12/66,10/13/66. Written by Bill Finger and Charles Sinclair. Directed by James Neilson. Disguised as a pop artist, Clock King tries to rob a gallery of a time-related surrealist painting. The Dynamic Duo are stuffed into the bottom of an oversize hourglass and left to be drowned in sand as Clock King plots to filch Bruce Wayne's collection of antique pocket watches. Clock King existed in comics books as a Green Arrow villain but works well here as a foil for the Dynamic Duo. The giant clock in #46 is a classic Batman story-telling element. Scripter Bill Finger was the co-creater of Batman with cartoonist Bob Kane, and wrote Batman's first appearance in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939.) In "Batmania", Mark Hanerfeld reported Finger's comments in 1966 about writing for the show. Finger noted how "the story had to conform to the established format," and how he had to accent the input of producers Bill Dozier and Howie Horwitz and their story editors, plus the approval of ABC. "Every one of them contributes something, a piece of paper, saying he doesn't like this or he doesn't like thakat. By the time the writer gets it, he goes absolutely out of his mind trying to please everybody! This happened to me." BatBits: Watch for the Batclimb cameo in #45 of Sammy Davis Jr. #47 AN EGG GROWS IN GOTHAM #48 THE YEGG FOES IN GOTHAM *** 10/19/66, 10/20/66. Story by Ed Self, teleplay by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by George Waggner. Egghead attempts to wrest ownership (and therefore control) of Gotham City from lease holder Chief Screaming Chicken, the last of the Mohicans. Egghead attaches Bruce Wayne to an Electro-Thought Transferrer which will not only egg-stract Wayne's knowledge but leave him "an empty- headed fop." One of the best episodes in the series, with outstanding work by Vincent Price. BatBits: Watch for Bill Dana's cameo as Jose Jimenez in #48's Batclimb. #49 THE DEVIL'S FINGERS #50 THE DEAD RINGERS ***1/2 10/26/66,10/27/66. Written by Lorenzo Semple, Jr. Directed by Larry Peerce. Famed pianist Chandell, also known as Fingers, puts the make on Aunt Harriet, hoping to marry her, bump off Bruce and Dick and thereby have access to the Wayne fortunes. Batman and Robin are plopped onto a conveyor belt, about to be perforacted into human piano rolls. Liberace accomodatingly overacts as Fingers. "Liberace was so kind," said Milton Stark. "At lunch periods he'd sit at the piano and say, 'What do you want me to play?' He'd play anything for them. He was very congenial, very nice and a real professional." BatBits: Work on the second season became so hectic that Adam West began to use cue cards. "We were there 15 hours most every day, five days a week," recalled makeup man Bruce Hutchinson. "[If on a] Friday night we had four-and-a-half pages to do and everyone was dead tired, they'd just start writing cue cards. Adam had pages of technical dialog to try to memorize." "Plenty of girls and bands and slogans and lots of hoopla, but remember, no politics. Issues confuse people." -Penguin to his election crew #51 HIZZONNER THE PENGUIN #52 DIZZONNER THE PENGUIN *** 11/2/66,11/3/66. Written by Stanford Sherman. Directed by Oscar Randolph. The polls show overwhelming support for Penguin in his run for mayor, thanks to his rescue of a baby from a runaway carriage, a contribution of $100,000 to the Gotham City Charity Fund and other equally outstanding efforts. Since the only alternative to Penguin for Mayor is Batman for Mayor, the Caped Crusader enters the race, but cannot match Penguin's flair, snappy jingles and willingness to kiss babies. Batman and Robin are waylaid and strung up over a vat of acid. Noted stuntman Victor Paul, who doubled for Robin, "Batman was fighting a bunch of guys in derbies. I said instead of bringng in six guys, bring in five. I've never been photographed without a mask on so I'll put on one of these black outfits with a black turtleneck and a derby and I'll do a fight. Bing! I got nailed from Batman. My friend Hubie Kerns nailed me right in the schnoz. It rocked me, laid me back. The producer was standing there. He said, 'That's it! Victor, you never again fight in a scene unless you're doing Robin. I can't afford to get you hurt and then you can't work.' The only guy that hits me is my own partner." BatBits: Watch for cameoes in #51 by Little Egypt and Paul Revere and the Raiders. #53 GREEN ICE #54 DEEP FREEZE *1/2 11/9/66,11/10/66. Written by Max Hodge. Directed by George Waggner. Mr. Freeze kidnaps Miss Iceland, freezes Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara and discredits Batman and Robin by routing wimpy doubles of the Dynamic Duo. The genuine crimefighters find Mr. Freeze in a seemingly abandoned Cold Storage Plant but are jumped and then placed in giant frozen popsicle containers, soon to be turned into Famous Frosty Freezies. "When we ran over time, the director would decide what [to cut]," recalled dialog coach Milton Stark. "I told him [Preminger] we have to cut some of his speeches. 'You're taking out my best lines!' he said. I started to laugh. He asked 'What [are] you laughing about?' I said, 'How many times have actors said that to you?' He laughed and said, 'By God, it's true, you know.'" "Otto Preminger: you can have him," noted makeup man Lee Harman. "They were smart. They hired a director [George Waggner] that was older than Otto, that had done a lot of things. Otto didn't like anybody being touched up and this guy just said, 'Hey, you're just acting in this. I'm directing it.' He told him who was the boss; we all loved that." Otto Preminger was too-far-over-the-top in his portrayal of Mr. Freeze. For camp to work best, all roles had to be played perfectly straight, as Neil Hamilton did Commissioner Gordon so successfully throughout the series. Anything else and the show began to stall. BatBits: Preminger had a problem to solve before appearing on the show: he owed $11,000 in back dues to the Screen Actor's Guild. #55 THE IMPRACTICAL JOKER #56 THE JOKER'S PROVOKERS 1/2* 11/16/66,11/17/66. Written by Jay Thompson and Charles Hoffman. Directed by James B. Clark. Joker is on a crime spree involving keys and manages to incapacitate Batman and Robin with a mysterious little box; in reality, the Duped Duo had been hypnotized. They discover Joker in an old key factory, and are captured. Robin is placed in a maching that will spray wax him to death while Batman is strung out on a giant human key duplicator. Jay Thompson's original script, "Hickery Dicery Doc," was substantially more fascinating and entertaining than what ended up being broadcast. Charles Hoffman's rewriting contributed to a confusing episode, probably the worst pair of Joker episodes in the series. "Charlie Hoffman was probably 70 when we were going the show," recalled regular series scripter Stanley Ralph Ross. "He had been a great friend of Howie Horwitz. They used to do 77 SUNSET STRIP over at Warner Bros. Charlie was made the story editor when Lorenzo [Semple] left." BatBits: Watch for Howard Duff in a Batclimb cameo. Kathy Kersh, Burt Ward's second wife, plays the Joker's moll, Cornelia. "Batman's never rude to a lady. But you're no lady." -Robin to Marsha #57 MARSHA, QUEEN OF DIAMONS #58 MASHA'S SCHEME OF DIAMONDS * 11/23/66, 11/24/66. Written by Stanford Sherman. Directed by James B. Clark. Marsha wants the Batdiamond, a monstrous gem which provides power to the Batcomputer. In the process, she manages to leave Chief O'Hara, Commissioner Gordon and a roomful of lovesick men behind her. Batman resists her charms but Robin is hit with one of Marsha's love darts and orders Batman to surrender. Batman demands the Boy Wonder's freedom, but it can only be had by marrying Marsha. And so the Caped Crusader proceeds to join Marha at the altar... Carolyn Jones plays Marsha, a thief who must force men to love her and thrives on jealousy. Although a good change from the bank robbing, riddle dropping, costumed male capitalists who covet world domination, Marsha is perhaps more deserving of psychoanalysis than a Batman script, especically one so flawed in consistency and logic. BatBits: For the 1966 Emmys, BATMAN was nominated as Oustanding Comedy Series while Frank Gorshin was nominated for Outstanding Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Comedy ("Hi Diddle Riddle"). A third nomination was made for editing. Robin: "But he knows that we know about his hideout there!" Batman: "Correct! However, knowing that, he'd think that we'd think he would not return there, therefore he did and so will we." #59 COME BACK, SHAME #60 IT'S HOW YOU PLAY THE GAME * 11/30/66,12/1/66. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by Oscar Randolph. Shame and his cohorts are stealing car parts in order to soup up their truck so it can outrun the Batmobile. Batman and Robin track the car rustlers to their hideout, but the Duped Duo end up staked to the ground with stampeding cattle bearing down on them. Cliff Robertson as Shame, a western parody, fails to be much of a supervillain. A pity the show didn't turn more often to the comics for inspiration, rather than concoct its own menaces. According to an ABC press release, Cliff Robertson arragned to take his seven-year-old daughter to visit the Batman set. On the way home, she said, "Daddy, I never knew you knew such important people," noted Robertson. Robertson called producer Bill Dozier and told him his daughter wanted to know why he wasn't on the show. Recalled Robertson, "He just laughed and said, 'I'll send you a script.'" BatBits: Watch for Werner Klemperer's cameo as Colonel Klink in a Batclimb in #60. #61 THE PENGUIN'S NEST #62 THE BIRD'S LAST JEST **1/2 12/7/66,12/8/66. Written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. Directed by Murray Golden. Once again, Penguin appears to go straight (also see #51/52 and #73), opening Then Penguin's Nest, a restaurant catering to the wealthy, a ruse to collect handwriting samples for forger Ballpoint Baxter. Batman and Robin come to the aid of Chief O'Hara, locked in a trunk and tumbling into a pool which Penguin is about to electrify. This teleplay has its foundation in a good comic book story, Batman #36 (9/46), with the same title as episodes #61, written by Alvin Schwartz. The published version moves along more quickly, unencumbered with the baggage of a cliffhanger. After many requests of Bill Dozier for an acting role in the series, writer Stanley Ralph Ross finally managed to capture the highly coveted, non-speaking role of Ballpoint Baxter in #61. "If you're real funny, you're going to get laughs without lines," Ross recalled Dozier telling him. "I tripped and I was wearing these thick bottle glasses," said Ross. "From that point on, the crew called me Ballpoint." Ralph Ross was the most frequent series writer with his name appearing on 27 episodes. Batbits: Watch for Ted Cassidy's Batclimb cameo in #61 as Lurch. "Why, you're no dance teacher! You're Catwoman!" -Dick Grayson to Miss Klutz Boff! Z-zwap! Uggh! Cr-r-a-a-ck! Ooooff! -fight scene from #63 #63 THE CAT'S MEOW #64 THE BAT'S KOW TOW *** 12/14/66,12/15/66. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by James B. Clark. Catwoman plots to appropriate the voices of Chad and Jeremy with a Voice Eraser when the singing duo stop over at Wayne Manor. She locks the Dynamic Duo inside a huge echo chamber where the sound of a dripping faucet is magnified ten million times. Chad and Jeremy were good friends of casting director Michael McLean, who asked that they be worked into a script. Jay Sebring portrayed the operator of Mr. Oceanbring's Salon for Men. "He was a famous hairdresser," recalled Charles FitzSimons. "He had his own salon and was very expensive. And he was a friend of Bruce Lee's." Among the stylist's star clients were Bill Dozier, Stanley Ralph Ross, Milton Berle, Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra. At the time, a Sebring original ran $50 with subsequent trims at $26. Along with Sharon Tate, he was one of the victims of Charles Manson and friends in 1969. BatBits: Watch for Steve Allen's cameo as TV host Allen Stevens, and Don Ho's reverse Batclimb cameo, both in #64. #65 THE PUZZLES ARE COMING #66 THE DUO IS SLUMMING *1/2 12/21/66,12/22/66. Written by Fred De Gorter. Directed by Jeffrey Hayden. Shakespeare-spouting Puzzler gasses guests at the christening of a new supersonic plane and relieves them of their jewelry. At the Puzzler's balloon factory the Dynamic Duo are sent skyward, unconcious in an aerial balloon, the basket holding our heroes set to fall back to earth when the balloon reaches 20,000 feet. Fred De Gorter's script actually began as a Riddler vehicle entitled "A Penny For Your Riddles/They're Worth A Lot More!" probably intended as an early second season episode. Frank Gorshin was unavailable, so De Gorter rewrote the script for a new villain, Mr. Conumdrum, titled "The Conumdrums are Coming/The Duo is Slumming," changed to the Puzzler (actually a Superman villain in the comic books). As a result, the Puzzler is merely a lightweight Riddler copycat. Robin's stuntman Victor Paul remembered filming the fight on the Lear Jet in #65. "The owner is standing there watching us. They're trying to shove me into the engine. The fat henchmen got on the wing and the plane titled down. It actually leaned way over, and touched the ground. The owner ran out and said, 'What are you doing? This is a two-and-a-half- million-dollar-plane and you guys are going to ruin it!'" BatBits: Watch for Andy Devine's cameo as Santa in a Batclimb in #66. #67 THE SANDMAN COMETH #68 THE CATWOMAN GOETH *1/2 12/18/66,12/29/66. Story by Ellis St. Joseph. Teleplay by Ellis St. Joseph and Charles Hoffman. Directed by George Wagner. Catwoman and Euro-crook Sandmakna, disguised as Dr. Somnambula, plot to relieve billionaire noodle queen J. Pauline Spaghetti of some of her wealth. Sandman puts Robin into a trance, pushing a button that brings the needle of a giant button stitching machine down on Batman, tied to a mattress. Michael Rennie as Sandman makes for another weak willain, even with the help of Julie Newmar's Catwoman. BatBits: Watch for former stripper Gypsy Rose Lee as a newscaster. William Dyer, Adam West's lighting stand-in got screen credit as a policeman, and often played cops on the show without credit. #69 THE CONTAMINATED COWL #70 THE MAD HATTER RUNS AFOUL * 1/4/67,1/5/67. Written by Charles Hoffman. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Posing as the Three-Tailed Pasha of Panchagorum, Jervis Tetch, The Mad Hatter, heists Hattie Hatfield's valuable ruby. The Hatter's radioactive fumes turn Batman's cowl a contaminated pink. The Dynamic duo are locked inside an X-Ray Accelerator Tube and Fluoroscopic Cabinet, facing obliteratyion. Charles Hoffman's script makes little use of the Hatter's hat motif. Hoffman based his material on a comic book story, "The Mad Hatter of Gotham City" from Detective Comics #230 (4/56), but did little to develop the material. BatBits: Hoffman, the series story editor, wrote 22 scripts for the series, second only to Stanley Ralph Ross. #71 THE ZODIAC CRIMES #72 THE JOKER'S HARD TIMES #73 THE PENGUIN DECLINES ** 1/11/67,1/12/67,1/18/67. Story by Stephen Kandel, teleplay by Stephen Kandel and Stanford Sherman. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Joker and Penguin collaborate in a series of crimes inspired by signs inspired by signs of the Zodiac. The Joker's moll, Venus, turns from her evil ways to assist Batman and Robin, but all three are chained in a shallow pool, about to be eaten by a giant clam. With the Penguin apprehended in Part One, this makes for a pretty weak collaboration. Howard Hughes' former girlfriend Terry Moore plays Venus. BatBits: These episodes were the series' first three-parter, simultaneously, simultaneously celebrating the show's one-year anniversary and helping to open ABC's second season. "You know I'm violently opposed to police brutality." -Commissioner Gordon #74 THAT DARN CATWOMAN #75 SCAT! DARN CATWOMAN ***1/2 1/19/67,1/25/67. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Catwoman's aide, Pussycat, attacks Robin with cataphrenic, turning him to the Feline Fury's side of the law in a plot to buy plans for the Gotham City Mint. Batman tracks Catwoman to her hideout but is bound to a mousetrap with Robin cutting the rope... One of the series' highlights, with Leslie Gore as Pussycat and interesting twists including a captured and brainwashed Robin. Writer Stanley Ralph Ross's numerous wonderful wordplays alone warrant a close listen. BatBits: The test reel for the series used Burt Ward in several situations. Recalled Ward, "I did Dick Grayson in the civvies outfit, Robin doing a scene, and, because I'm a blackbelt in karate (they wanted a very athletic type of person), I broke a brick with my hand and broke a board over my head." #76 PENGUIN IS A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND #77 PENGUIN SETS A TREND #78 PENGUIN'S DISASTROUS END ** 1/26/67,2/1/67,2/2/67. Written by Stanford Sherman. Directed by James B. Clark. Batman and Robin are coerced by Penguin to appear in a movie with Batman forced to do 100 takes of kissing scene with Marsha, Queen of Diamonds. The Dynamic Duo is tied to a giant catapult and readied to be launched across Gotham City. But Batman remotely commandeers the Batmobile to eject a safety net. Rejoining the production, they are dressed in chain mail armor and are about to be pulverized as scrap metal in a high-pressure hydraulic crusher. Another multi-part show that would be improved if condensed. Robin stuntman Victor Paul recalled shooting the huge trash chutes in #77. Said Paul, "This magnetic crane picks up Batman and Robin [in armor] and takes them over this giant trough and drops them in, and [they] go through a giant funnel into a trash bin. We're up about 20 feet, when the director tells them to let go. I said, 'Let us go, bull. You can't let us go in the funnel with all this junk and metal? You can't do that.' He said, 'Gee, you're stuntmen.' And I said, 'Yeah, but we're not idiots.'" Ultimately, dummies were sent through the tunnel. BatBits: Carolyn Jones returned as Marsha. Several shots of the Batman set and crew can be found sprinkled throughout #76. "Only the Riddler and his ilk would have such a flagrant disregard for private property. This door will have to be repaired." -Batman to Robin #79 BATMAN'S ANNIVERSARY #80 A RIDDLING CONTROVERSY *1/2 2/8/67,2/9/67. Written by William P. D'Angelo. Directed by James B. Clark. Riddler robs Batman's charity dinner and the Gotham City Bank to raise funds to purchase a destructive De-Molecularizer. Batman and Robin, thinking they are posing for life-size marshmallow figures of themselves, discover they are sinking into quicksand atop a giant cake, a classic comics riff. John Astin takes over the Riddler role, but is not as nutty and over the edge as the Prince of Puzzlers demands (or at least as Frank Gorshin has accustomed us to). "The reason John Astin played the Riddler," recalled Gorshin, "was because I had a night club commitment which I couldn't cancel. They wouldn't let me out and the studio wanted to do that episode at the same time. So, instead of waiting for me to be available, they figured I wasn't indispensible; they put my clothes on somebody else. I was really offended that they did. Of course, I understood the logistics and everything. There was nothing they could do. They had a schedule and so forth. BatBits: During 1966, Thursday installments of the series were rated the fifth most popular TV show while Wednesday segments were tenth. BONANZA was the series at #1. "Robin, warm up the Bat-spot analyzer while I take a sample of this affected cloth." -Batman #81 THE JOKER'S LAST LAUGH #82 THE JOKER'S EPITAPH **1/2 2/15/67,2/16/67. Story by Peter Rabe, teleplay by Lorenzo Semple, Jr. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. On the trail of phony phunds, Batman discovers that the chief teller at Gotham National Bank is a Joker-controlled robot raising funds for the Joker's Penthouse Publisher comic book company. Robin is captured and about to be pressed flat into a comic book. BatBits: Oscar Rudolph directed 36 episodes, and 30 of the final 52, the most of any of the 19 directors credited on the series. Producer Charles FitzSimons recalled that Rudolph directed the entire Ann Sothern series, PRIVATE SECRETARY. "He was very proficient, very responsible and a very good friend of mine." "The way we get into these scrapes and get out of them, it's almost as though someone was dreaming up these situations; guiding our destiny." -Robin to Batman #83 CATWOMAN GOES TO COLLEGE #84 BATMAN DISPLAYS HIS KNOWLEDGE ** 2/22/67,2/23/67. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by Robert Sparr. Catwoman steals a life-size statue of Batman to design a Batcostume and robs a supermarket. The real Batman is arrested, but escapes with Alfred's help. Catwoman then lures the Dynamic Duo to the top of a building where they are dumped into a giant coffee cup. A huge percolator filled with sulfuric acid is about to pour liquid death over our subdued heroes. Another fantastic deathtrap from the mind of Stanley Ralph Ross, sandwiched between more modest material. Noted makeup man Lee Harman about Batman and Robin's costumes, "Those tights were so tight that they'd get sweaty. You'd have to use a hairdryer to keep them dry so that wouldn't show through." Added supervisor Bruce Hutchinson, "When they cut the scene and went onto something else, the cowl, the cape and the belt would come off; it got too hot. Every take. The cowl would just lift off. Adam perspired a lot. Burt's mask would come off and he had to have his hair combed over the mask every time." A segment with Batman in prison (second half of #83) shows exactly how Batman's cape and cowl were removed. BatBits: Watch for Art Linkletter in a Batclimb cameo in #83. #85 A PIECE OF THE ACTION #86 BATMAN'S SATISFACTION **1/2 3/1/67,3/2/67. Written by Charles Hoffman. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Batman and Robin team up with Green Hornet and Kato to stamp out counterfeiting at the Pink Chip Stamps Factory. Batman and Robin end up stuck to a glue table, while the Hornet and Kato are fed into a machine, about to be pressed into stamps. With four major heroes, several crooks and a handful of secondary characters to write for, little room was left for strong plot and character development. BATMAN and THE GREEN HORNET were filmed on the same Culver City lot, and shared the same network and producer. THE GREEN HORNET did poorly during its single season, often ranking in the bottom 20 of the Nielsen ratings. "It may be because we turned Batman into a camp character," observed Bill Dozier in 1967, "that people refuse to buy Green Hornet, or anyone else in a mask, who isn't treated in the same way." Robin stuntman Victor Paul remembered filming the climactic fight between the two Dynamic Duos. "We had quite an incident, because Batman and Robin didn't want to lose the fight. Bruce Lee didn't want to lose the fight. They had a big to-do about that. Bruce Lee said, 'Nobody beats me.' Finally, we had to get the producer to come down and straighten out the whole deal. We just sat there and waited. He said, 'Look, it's a Mexican standoff. Nobody wins. You have this big fight. At the end of it, you just stop it and stare at each other; that's the end of the fight.' So that's how we did it. "I talked to Bruce Lee," added Paul. "Bruce, whatever you do, don't nail me because I'll come back with a chair on you.' He was fast; if he hit you, he'd knock your head off and he was used to making contact. I said, 'Don't make any contact with me because that's not right.'" BatBits: Watch for Edward G Robinson's Batclimb cameo in #86. "If the Caped Crumb is here, the cowled creep can't be far behind." -King Tut #87 KING TUT'S COUP #88 BATMAN'S WATERLOO ** 3/8/67,3/9/67. Story by Leo and Pauline Townsend. Teleplay by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by James B. Clark. Tut and his Tutlings cop a sarcophagus from the Gotham City museum and plot to kidnap Lisa Carson (Lee Meriwether), dressed as Cleopatra for the upcoming Egyptian Costume Ball. Batman is sealed in the royal sarcophagus and dropped into a large vat of water. Robin's fate: to be boiled in oil. Includes a Tut origin segment at the beginning of #87. Highlight: Carson inviting Bruce Wayne into her hotel room for milk and cookies, one of the few times Wayne kisses anyone on the show. Heavyweight Victor Buono was in his late 20's. "I was about 300 pounds at that point, also," observed scripter Stanley Ralph Ross. "So we looked like Tweedledum and Tweedledee. I was about 30. We palled around together. I really liked Victor. He could make me laugh by saying hello. The guy was a genius. He wrote poetry and he did an album called 'Heavy'." Buono died January 2, 1983. Of course, Lee Meriwether had also appeared as Catwoman in the full- length feature film BATMAN... her alter-ego, Miss Kitka, was a romantic interest for Bruce Wayne in the film. BatBits: For the first time in the series, Commissioner Gordon discusses his daughter Barbara Gordon with Batman (#88), a precursor to her debut third season as Batgirl. "I never touch spirits. Have you some milk?" -Batman to Black Widow #89 BLACK WIDOW STRIKES AGAIN #90 CAUGHT IN THE SPIDER'S DEN *1/2 3/15/67,3/16/67. Written by Robert Mintz. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. After Black Widow robs the American National, Beneficial, Commercial, Diversified, Empire and Federal State Banks, Batman concludes she is robbing in alphabetical order. The Gotham Guardian are caught in a giant web as two huge black widow spiders crawl towards them. As with Shame and Sandman, Black Widow does not rank among the classic Batman villains. Tallulah Bankhead's Popeye-esque mumbling in the role is all but inaudible. "She was a riot," said hairstylist Katheryn Blondell about Bankhead. "In the morning we spent two-and-a-half hours getting her ready and never stopped laughing the entire time. Wonderful stories, [a] funny person; charming and quite a character. She was the first person [who made me] realize that an actor is an actor no matter how old. This woman would be hunched over and kind of look like a little old lady sitting on the side of the set, but when they said 'action', she straightened up and she was sensational. BatBits: Watch for George Raft's cameo in #89. Batman sings in #90. In real life, Adam West cut a single, "Miranda," for 20th Century-Fox Records. Additionally, in 1966, The Marketts' version of the series' theme charted at #17 in Billboard's top 60, while an arrangement by Neal Hefti and his Orchestra made it to #35. #91 POP GOES THE JOKER #92 FLOP GOES THE JOKER ***1/2 3/22/67,3/23/67. Written by Stanford Sherman. Directed by George Waggner. Joker joins the world of pop art when he disfigures paintings in a gallery with twin guns of spray paint, leading to a plot to steal the Renaissance art collections of imprisoned millionaires, including Bruce Wayne. Robin attempts a rescue but ends up in a giant rotating mobile of deadly palette knives that will slice apart the Boy Wonder-bread. A fantastic pair of episodes that shows the staff's creativity at colorful lighting and design at its best. Some knowledge of art history will enhance and enjoyment and understanding of some of the less-obvious gags such as Jackson Potluck and Vincent Van Gauche. What knocks a piece of the ear off these episodes is perky overacting by Diana Ivarson as Baby Jane Towser, whose art contest helps launch the winning Joker on a new career as art instructor to the millionaires. The Joker would later disfigure artwork again -- with a musical flair provided by Prince -- in the Tim Burton film BATMAN. This time, Jack Nicholson portrayed the Clown Prince of Crime in one of the best scenes in the film. BatBits: Dialog coach Milton Stark played several small roles in the series including the second browser in #92, as well as the second zoologist (#72), Mr. Tamber (#76) and Irving Bracken (#89). "I'll call Batman on the red phone, you get Mr. Wayne on the other." -Commissioner Gordon to Chief O'Hara #93 ICE SPY #94 THE DUO DEFY ** 3/29/67,3/30/67. Written by Charles Hoffman. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Mr. Freeze kidnaps Professor Isaccson hoping to obtain an instant ice formula. Meanwhile, Batman discovers the connection between Freeze and ice-skating star Glacia Glaze (Leslie Parrish). The Dynamic Duo get shoved into a Sub-Zero Temperature Vaporizing Cabinet, shortly to become part of the Bruce Wayne Ice Arena. Though the story is up to bat-par, Eli Wallach as Freeze (continuing the character's Geman accent) doesn't match George Sanders' substantially cooler characterization (#7/8). Wallach was influenced by (or directed to emulate) Otto Preminger's previous silliness (#53/54). BatBits: The series' final Batclimb featured Carpet King, a cameo earned supposedly for selling producer Bill Dozier some Persian rugs. These sequences usually were written on a short deadline. "I would have to come up with stuff that ran 22 seconds or so," recalled scripter Stanley Ralph Ross. "They would call me up and say, 'Stanley, we've got so-and-so coming in tomorrow.' Sometimes I wrote it on the set. More often than not, I had a day. That was all decided by [producer] Bill Dozier and Howie Horwitz and it was all personal friends. People were waiting in line to do it. Everyone wanted to be on the show." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THIRD SEASON ----------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "It's Alfred's emergency belt buckle Batcall signal. He's in trouble." - Batman #95 ENTER BATGIRL, EXIT PENGUIN *** 9/14/67. Written by Stanford Sherman. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Commissioner Gordon discovers that his daughter, Barbara, has been kidnapped by that well-known entrepreneur, Penguin. The cagey bird shows Barbara a wedding dress he selected and describes his plans to marry her. As the Commissioner's son-in-law, Penguin would become immune from prosecution. Barbara consents to marriage only after Penguin threatens to kill her father. Barbara secretly changes to Batgirl and is joined by the Dynamic Duo. With only half of the previous timeslot available, editing is crisper on most one episode third season shows, including this one. Noted Yvonne Craig, who played Batgirl, about modifications to her costumes, "They cut the eyeholes bigger in all the masks, because any time Adam took a step forward, it was an act of faith, you know; he absolutely couldn't see in his cowl." BatBits: In this episode, Barbara Gordon has recently returned from four years of college and Dick Grayson has just passed his driver's license exam, allowing him to drive the Batmobile at last. #96 RING AROUND THE RIDDLER *1/2 9/21/67. Written by Charles Hoffman. Directed by Sam Strangis. Riddler attempts to take control of prize fighting in Gotham, posing as boxing champion Mushy Nebuchadnezzer, calling on Siren (Joan Collins) for assistance. Batgirl comes to the rescue but is tossed in a steam room. Gorshin's enjoyably goofball Riddler returns after John Astin's low-key portrayal (#79/80), but too much stuff is jammed into a tiny timeslot. "[Boxer] Jerry Quarry was in his bathrobe," recalled Yvonne Craig, of an event between takes. "I asked him if he was a heavyweight, because I hadn't seen him box. He said, 'Yes,' and I said 'You don't look big enough.' I walked away and decided not to pursue it." BatBits: The Riddler's real name, Edward Nigma, was never used in the TV series, but it was used in the film BATMAN FOREVER. #97 THE WAIL OF THE SIREN *** 9/28/67. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by George Waggner. With Commissioner Gordon under her spell, Siren initiates a plan to discover Batman's secret identity. Siren hypnotizes Bruce Wayne to turn over all the Wayne family jewels and cash and orders him to jump off the top of a tall building. Siren seemingly gets a promotion form supporting villainy (#96), though this episode was actually written and filmed first. The solo stint offers Joan Collins a bit more opportunity for character development. Siren/Circe/Lorelei is powerful but only modestly ambitious in her villainy. "When they told me they had Joan Collins," noted scripter Stanley Ralph Ross, "they said create a character for her. I thought Siren was perfect for Joan. She was married to a guy that I later went into partnership with, Anthony Newley. I wrote a musical with him." BatBits: "It's was Adam's birthday [9/19]." recalled Bruce Hutchinson. ""I went into his dressing room to make him up and he handed me a beautifully wrapped present. He said, 'It's my birthday and I want to give you a present.' It was a beautiful bathrobe Magnin that he had purchased himself. It was the nicest thing an actor has ever done for me. That's the kind of man he was. I was always very fond of him for those kinds of reason. He did a lot of things for a lot of people." #98 THE SPORT OF PENGUINS #99 A HORSE OF ANOTHER COLOR *1/2 10/5/67,10/12/67. Written by Charles Hoffman. Directed by Sam Strangis. Lola Lasagne (Ethel Merman) links up with Penguin in hopes of fixing a horse race. Batman, Robin and Batgirl try to break up the potential horse- nappers, but Penguin diverts the Gotham Guardians by gluing the Batmobile in place and our heroes to their seats. The Penguin's linkup with Lola Lasagne is obviously a product of the third season's budgetary constraints. Less money meant simpler sets and special effects and resulted in simpler plotting. BatBits: Although not used in the TV series, Penguin's real name was Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, first revealed in the Sunday, February 17, 1946 Batman and Robin newspaper strip, written by Alvin Schwartz. The name resurfaces in the Tim Burton film BATMAN RETURNS. #100 THE UNKINDEST TUT OF ALL ** 10/19/67. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by Sam Strangis. The Nabob of the Nile returns to Tut-nes after being hit on the head with a brick during a love-in. Tut phones Bruce Wayne and accuses him of being Batman, leading Wayne to appear in public with the Caped Crusader. Batgirl and Batman foil Tut's plot to pilfer a priceless collection of ancient Egyptian scrolls. The third season's smaller budgets are obvious here, as Tut is reduced to working out of a tent that is bigger on the inside than the outside. BatBits: According to publicity, comedienne Patti Gilbert as Tut's moll ended up konking Yvonne Craig on the head three times in order to get a good take for the bit with the break-away vase. #101 LOUIE, THE LILAC ***1/2 10/26/67. Written by Dwight Taylor. Directed by George Waggner. Louie plots to control the minds of Gotham's flower children. Robin is subdued after sniffing Louie's alba vulgaria-poison lilac and Batman is put away by a vase to the face. The Caped Crimefighters are then left in Louie's Hot House to be devoured by a giant Brazilian man-eating lilac. A showcase for the series' fantastic use of color. With hippies, flower children and pop music, this is a time capsule of the period. Milton Berle plays Louie, a perfect touch. BatBits: At the end of this episode, lyrics accompany Batgirl's typically instrumental theme. #102 THE OGG AND I #103 HOW TO HATCH A DINOSAUR ** 11/2/67,11/9/67. Written by Stanford Sherman. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Egghead joins with Olga, Queen of the Bessarovian Cossaks to kidnap Commissioner Gordon. The ransom: a 10 cent tax on every egg eaten in Gotham. Olga plans to marry Batman. Batgirl arrives to save the day, but the crimefighters are blinded with tear gas. Egghead seems to work better on his own rather than as Olga's second banana and does not seem as dangerous as before. Anne Baxter as Olga is not of supervillain status and their plans are more silly than outrageous, reaching too far for camp. Vincent Price was Yvonne Craig's favorite series guest. "Any day that I worked with Vincent Price was especially wonderful," she recalled. "He was bright and witty and erudite. I always looked forward to the day he was to be in." BatBits: The Neosaurus creature in #103 was also used in an episode of LOST IN SPACE. Since Twentieth Century Fox was involved with both productions, many of the sound effects heard on Batman are the same as Irwin Allen's science fiction adventure. #104 SURF'S UP! JOKER'S UNDER! **** 11/16/67. Written by Charles Hoffman. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Joker and his men shanghai surf champ Skip Parker from the Hang Five, a surfers' hangout. His beach bunny, Barbara Gordon, sees the Jokermobile driving away and phones the Commissioner. Chief O'Hara and Commissioner Gordon, disguised as surfin' dudes Buzzy and Duke, visit the Hang Five, joined by Batman and Robin. Joker uses his Surfing Experience and Ability Transferometer and Vigor Reverser, to acquire Skip's surfing abilities. Batman and Robin are poisoned and turned into human surfboards. The series' gradual trend away from camp to self-parody erupts into an out-and-out parody of the show itself, which heretofore had been forbidden. The sets appear inexpensively designed with cheap props due to tighter budgets, actually working to this episode's benefit. This episode is one of the best-known in the series. BatBits: Rumor: Frank Sinatra was upset because Cesar Romero beat him out for the role of the Joker. #105 THE LONDINIUM LARCENIES #106 THE FOGGIEST NOTION #107 THE BLOODY TOWER ** 11/23/67,11/30/67,12/7/67. Story by Elkan Allan. Teleplay by Elkan Allen Charles Hoffman. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Lord Marmaduke Ffogg (Rudy Vallee) and Lady Penelope Peasoup (Glynnis Johns) steal a collection of snuffboxes from a Londinium museum. Batman, Robin and Barbara Gordon travel by ship to Londinium, the Batmobile and Batcomputer secretly stowed away. The Gotham Guardians meet with Ireland Yard Superintendent Watson to discuss the man-made fogs masking the thieves' escapes. Robin is taken on a tour of Ffogg's estate, supposedly a posh girl's finishing school, and learns the students receive shoplifting lessons. As Batman and Robin return to a country manor house dungeon-turned-Batcave, a deathly fog bomb attached to the Batmobile explodes. Ffogg is equipped with a memory erasing device, but a ridiculously convenient Recollection- Cycle Batrestorer quickly solves the problem, an example of the series' overabundant Batgizmos. Budgetary problems adversely affected this trio of episodes, the overall mood suffering from too obvious sets. Recalled Yvonne Craig, who played Batgirl, "Rudy Vallee was without a doubt one of the worst people I've ever worked with. I had so looked forward to working with him. He'd been in the business for two hundred years. And he came on the set and he was an absolute churl. He was the meanest man, just awful. It was a three-parter, we thought we'd never get rid of him. His cohort, Glynnis Johns, was just a dream." BatBits: In total, 32 writers recieved screen credits for working on the series. "You better leave the crime fighting to men." -Batman to Barbara Gordon #108 CATWOMAN'S DRESSED TO KILL ** 12/14/67. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directied by Sam Strangis. Catwoman bursts into a luncheon honoring Gotham's ten best-dressed women, setting off a Hair-Raising Bomb which destroys the others' hair-dos. The Feline Fury ties Batgirl to a pattern cutting machine to keep Batman busy while she steals the Golden Fleece, $1 million in woven gold. "We felt it was a very provocative idea," recalled producer Charles FitzSimons about executive producer Bill Dozier's selection of Eartha Kitt as Catwoman. "She was a cat woman before we ever cast her as Catwoman. She had a cat-like style. Her eyes were cat-like and her singing was like a meow. This came as a wonderful off-beat idea to do it with a black woman." Noted Yvonne Craig, "I thought Eartha was perfect because she was very catlike anyway. And I liked that she was my size. I could beat her up. I come up to Julie [Newmar]'s bellybutton. Not good in a fight." But Kitt lacked Julie Newmar's statuesque sexiness -- the public reaction to the substitution of Kitt was less than enthusiastic, and she was a less talented actress. The usual romance between Catwoman and Batman was missing in Kitt's episodes, in part, probably due to Kitt's race. Director Sam Starngis goes for a number of his longer takes, including one in Catwoman's lair that lasts a full minute. And not to be missed: Alfred's bit as the oldest living hippie. BatBits: Envisioning Catwoman as black was unique to the television series, an experiment that hasn't been repeated. "You are a heartless, hairless man. I am liking you more and more." - Olga to Egghead #109 THE OGG COUPLE *1/2 12/21/67. Written by Stanford Sharman. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Olga, Queen of the Bessarovian Cossacks (Anne Baxter) again teams with Egghead to steal the Sword of Bulbul and the Egg of Ogg. Egghead plans to steal 500 pounds of condensed caviar (at $200 per ounce), stored at the Gotham City Bank. Batgirl gets Egghead to turn stool pigeon and lead her to Olga. "I knew Anne for a long time," recalled Vincent Price. "I had done a couple of movies with her [THE EVE OF ST. MARK (1944), A ROYAL SCANDAL (1945).] I knew her very well, but she had retired from the movies and gone to live in Australia. She had a couple of babies when she lived in the Outback and had a terrible time." BatBits: Originally planned as a third installment for episodes #102/#103, all were shot together over nine days. "No thank you. I never use tobacco in any form." - Bruce Wayne refuses Joker's cigar #110 THE FUNNY FELINE FELONIES #111 THE JOKE'S ON CATWOMAN *1/2 12/28/67,1/4/68. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Joker is paroled and immediately links up with Catwoman (Eartha Kitt), plotting to break into the Federal Depository. With help from Batgirl, the Dynamic Duo locate and subdue the villains. While querying Joker regarding his return to crime, they shake hands with the Grim Jester and are zapped by Joker's buzzer which slowly numbs their senses. Goofy courtroom scenes in #111 and Catwoman's KittyCar is a bizarre, fun vehicle. Pierre Salinger, formerly JFK's press secretary and a senator from California played underworld lawyer Lucky Pierre, the result of meeting Bill Dozier at a cocktail party. BatBits: Catwoman and Joker are among Batman's earliest comic book adversaries, initially appearing in Batman #1 (Spring 1940), and became the best-known and most frequently seen Batman anatagonists. #112 LOUIE'S LETHAL LILAC TIME *1/2 1/11/68. Written by Charles Hoffman. Directed by Sam Strangis. Two of Louie's gang members kidnap Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson for a million-dollar ransom. Batgirl is dumped into a vat which Louie orders filled with hot oil. Milton Berle reprises his stern interpretation of Louie in another Batman parody. "That was a difficult shoot," observed director Strangis. "We were out in Fox's Rancho Park and almost a thousand kids and adults came crowding around to see Batman and Uncle Miltie. Miltie is quite a ham. He went out and told jokes and signed autographs. We lost a day of shooting." BatBits: The Instant Unfolding Batcostumes With Utility Belts (just add warm water) are unveiled -- by this time in the third season, the scripts had declined as far as the show's budget. #113 NORA CLAVICLE AND THE LADIES' CRIME CLUB 1/2* 1/18/68. Written by Stanford Sherman. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Mayor Linseed arrives at a testimonial banquet for Commissioner Gordon and, under pressure from his wife, promptly replaces Gordon with Nora Clavicle (Barbara Rush), a women's rights advocate. Clavicle dumps chief O'Hara, as well as Batman and turns the department into a women-only force. But Nora is up to no good as her girls later heist the Gotham City National Bank. Batman, Robin and Batgirl are tied into a Siamese human knot; the slightest move and they crush each other. Nora and her henchwomen unleash crates of explosive mechanical mice on Gotham. The lack of major villains (against whom Batman is at his best) make this episode close to unbearable. "We had a horrible time getting into it," said Yvonne Craig about the Siamese human knot, "because Burt is inflexible. They would say, get closer, get closer guys. We had to stay that way for rather a long time and he was complaining that it hurt. I said, 'It's supposed to hurt.'" BatBits: The Ideal toy company released a Batgirl doll in 1967. #114 PENGUIN'S CLEAN SWEEP **1/2 1/25/68. Written by Stanford Sherman. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. The Penguin infects a bin of bucks at the U.S. Mint with Lygerian Sleeping Sickness germs and destroys the only available vaccine (after inoculating himself and his gang.) Citizens begin tossing their currency into the street and Penguin promptly vacuums up the cash-laden boulevards. Penguin is rich, but cannot do anything with his ill-gotten gains. Penguin helps a modest story in material reminiscent of the first or second season, a change of pace (back to camp) during a season of parody. "I became extremely frustrated and unhappy, and wanted out," said Adam West in a 1987 "Starlog" interview. "There was nothing I could do to convince the producers or the studio to make improvements. I was just a hired hand. Eventually I lost all interest because I felt the series was being neglected. They weren't spending the money they should have and we weren't getting the scripts we deserved. I didn't want any part of that kind of situation. But I still hated to leave the character because Batman had been good to me." BatBits: This episode's in-joke was to cast John Beradino as a doctor. At the time, Beradino had protrayed Dr. Steve Hardy on General Hospital for five years. #115 THE GREAT ESCAPE #116 THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY **1/2 2/1/68,2/8/68. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Shame escapes from jail with the help of his girl friend Calamity Jan, her mother, Frontier Fanny and a Sherman tank, planning to steal a diamond and some cash from the Gotham City Opera House. Batman, Robin and Batgirl are sprayed with fear gas, Shame taking a fraidy-Batgirl with him to his stable. Cliff Robertson reprised his role as Shame, one of Batman's weaker villains, but an improvement over #59/60. Barry Dennen as Fernando Ricardo Enrique Dominquez, or Fred, a Mexican character with a British accent, is hilarious. One of the best episodes in an otherwise weak third season. Scripter Stanley Ralph Ross, who also developed Egghead, Siren, Archer and King Tut, created Shame. "They said we have other guys who can do the comic characters," Ross recalled. "We need you for originals. So that's why I kept coming up with originals. My favorite original after the Archer, was Shame." BatBits: Shame's moll, Calamity Jan, was played by Dina Merrill, Robertson's wife. Watch for Jerry "The Beaver" Mathers in #115 as Pup, the doorman. "Turkey legs! My favorite fruit." -King Tut #117 I'LL BE A MUMMY'S UNCLE 2/22/68. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by Sam Strangis. Tut escapes from Mount Ararat Hospital and purchases a piece of land adajecent to Wayne Manor to mine a vein of the world's hardest metal, Nilanium. After checking with the Batcomputer, Batman learns that Tut's slanting mine shaft is aimed at the Batcave. Batman and Robin give chase in a mine car, but arrive too late; the pharoah's crew is already in the Batcave. Next to #41/42, one of the best Tut adventures. "I worked on HUSH...HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE [1965] and WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? [1962]," recalled director Sam Starngis, "and I knew Victor from way back then. He was always terrific. Victor was family. He would always come on the show and have a great time." BatBits: Watch for comedian Henny Yongman as Manny the Mesopotamian. #118 THE JOKER'S FLYING SAUCER ***1/2 2/29/68. Written by Charles Hoffman. Directed by Sam Strangis. Abetted by a mad scientist cellmate, Joker's plans for a flying saucer (to help take control of the world) are underway. The Dynamic Duo are trapped in the Batcave from an explosion by a time bomb placed in the Batmobile by one of Joker's henchmen. Another episode so crazy it must be considered satire- a parody of the show itself. Alfred the butler is forced to build a flying saucer so Joker and his gang can take off for outer space. BatBits: The comic book version of Bat-Girl was teen-ager Betty Kane, niece of heiress Kathy Kane (secretly Batwoman). This hyphenated Bat-Girl first appeared in Batman #139 (April 1961) and lasted just under three years. #119 THE ENTRANCING DR. CASSANDRA * 3/7/68. Written by Stanley Ralph Ross. Directed by Sam Strangis. Criminal Dr. Cassandra (Ida Lupino) and her accomplice, Cabala (Howard Duff), are capable of camouflaging themselves so they appear invisible. Batman, Robin and Batgirl attempt to stop them from stealing the Mope Diamond at Spiffany's Jewelry Salon, but the doctor's Alvino-ray gun flattens the heroes paper-thin. The evil duo slips the flat trio under Commissioner Gordon's office door. At Gotham State Prison, Dr. Cassandra announces she is releaseing Catwoman, Egghead, Penguin, Riddler, Joker, and King Tut. Scripter Stanley Ralph Ross wanted to call Cassandra's weapon a Ronald ray-gun. "This was the only time they really censored me," recalled Ross. "The weapon took the third dimension out of them and made them into cardboard cutouts. At the time Reagan was our governor. Alvino Rey was an old-time band leader from the '40s." BatBits: Lupino and Duff both appeared in a situation comedy, MR. ADAMS AND EVE, from 1957-1958. Not only did they portray married movie stars, but they actually were married. At this time, Duff was starring as Det. Sgt. Sam Stone on FELONY SQUAD, also for ABC. Although she does not recall him being filmed, Yvonne Craig usually brought her dog, Sebastian, to work, just as Alan Napier brought his dog, Tippy. "Sebastian was a Yorkshire terrier," she recalled, "and he and Tippy used to play. They were set-trained dogs. they would run around and chase one another and never made any noise." "Persimmon pressurizer? Holy astringent plum-like fruit!" -Robin #120 MINERVA, MAYHEM AND MILLIONAIRES ** 3/14/68. Written by Charles Hoffman. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Minerva's Mineral Spa caters to millionaires, Bruce Wayne among them. Minerva's Deepest Secret Extractor obtains the combination to the Wayne Foundation wault. Minerva (Zsa Zsa Gabor) pops the Dynamic Duo into a giant pressure cooker. This final parody includes one-liners (Minerva: "I feel like a new man."), too-bad-to-be-true-props, inside jokes (appearances by producers William Dozier and Howie Horwitz) and dumb humor (Batman and Robin getting a massage while in costume?) -- not great material, but still a fun show. When the series was cancelled in January 1968, executive producer William Dozier remarked, "Well, we had a good three-year run. That's not bad for what was essentially a novelty show. You've got to be realistic about such series. They can't last too long. In fact, I was surprised that it went a third season." Although the show still led its time slot in the ratings, Dozier noted, adults had wearied of it, and the audience had become kids who were just as happy watching the old shows; they don't care if it's a repeat. So why go on spending $487,000 for new ones? Dozier and producer Howie Horzitz appear as themselves at the beginning of this episode. We learn that Dozier keeps his securities in a grandfather clock while "millionaire producer" Horwitz keeps his cash in a TV set. BatBits: "You have to take it seriously," said Adam West in 1966 about his work on the series. "I want to do it well enough that Batman buffs will watch reruns in a few years and way, 'Watch the bit he does here; isn't that great?'" West's speculations about the future came true since the show has aired almost continuously since entering syndication. "I've never had more fun doing any role than Batman," West said later, "It was a fortuitous, lucky marraige of a lot of talents, and, as a result, it became a classic. It's going to be playing forever." Amen.