"Batman, how could you have opened a vault, to which you didn't even know the combnation, in three seconds flat?"
"With my Three Seconds Flat Bat Vault Combination Unscrambler, Commissioner."
At last we come to the final episode and... well, Minerva's first two millionaire victims are one William Dozier and "millionaire television producer" Howie Horwitz, but that's just an in-joke for those in the know. There's otherwise no acknowledgement whatsoever that this is the final episode. Was there still some uncertainty when this was made about whether the show was going to be picked up for another season by NBC?
This is rather good, though, and a decent finale, although it doesn't hit the real heights. Zsa Zsa Gabor is charismatic, sexy and funny as one-off baddie Minerva, and the script has a bit of fun- one of Charles Hoffman's better efforts. The episode may be a little rushed, and Batgirl underused, but that's not so much the fault of the episode as the format for this season.
And... that's it. Batman is gone with neither a bang nor a whimper but a very ordinary episodes. I suppose that's how things were in 1968. But I have every intention of following certain aspects of the series' afterlife.
Fornow, though, I'll continue with Deadwood, and start something else...
Showing posts with label Oscar Rudolph. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oscar Rudolph. Show all posts
Sunday, 16 August 2020
Sunday, 9 August 2020
Batman: The Great Train Robbery
"You cheated! You know we ain't no good in a fair fight!"
Just to recap, before I discuss this splendid episode... I've seen the first season as a young adult, some parts more than once, albeit more than twenty years ago. But, although I've seen many, but by no means all, of the second and third season, we're looking at childhood memories, so watching certain episodes can lead to a completely unexpected wave of nostalgia. That's what happened tonight where Chief Standing Pat, the episode's totally non-problematic Native American character, spoke of a time "when little hand is on eleven, and big hand is on twelve." I remember this line from having seen it once, as a child of about ten, in about 1987. That's weird.
Stanley Ralph Ross has a knack for superb scripts, and this is his best. Shame (and the institution f the two parter) get the best of send-offs here, in a rare second episode that far exceeds the first. Not even the dodgy accent of Hermione Baddesley as (snigger) Frontier Fanny can take away from it.
We have a splendid deconstruction of Western tropes here, with a train robbery and ending with a shootout at High Noon and "a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do". All the characters know full well what genre they're in. The wit of this script is a joy. And Cliff Robertson is superb; Shane hasn't really appeaed that much but there's a reason why the character is so fondly remembered. And, while the third season may (we can now see) perhaps be the least good overall, it can still hit real heights.
Just to recap, before I discuss this splendid episode... I've seen the first season as a young adult, some parts more than once, albeit more than twenty years ago. But, although I've seen many, but by no means all, of the second and third season, we're looking at childhood memories, so watching certain episodes can lead to a completely unexpected wave of nostalgia. That's what happened tonight where Chief Standing Pat, the episode's totally non-problematic Native American character, spoke of a time "when little hand is on eleven, and big hand is on twelve." I remember this line from having seen it once, as a child of about ten, in about 1987. That's weird.
Stanley Ralph Ross has a knack for superb scripts, and this is his best. Shame (and the institution f the two parter) get the best of send-offs here, in a rare second episode that far exceeds the first. Not even the dodgy accent of Hermione Baddesley as (snigger) Frontier Fanny can take away from it.
We have a splendid deconstruction of Western tropes here, with a train robbery and ending with a shootout at High Noon and "a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do". All the characters know full well what genre they're in. The wit of this script is a joy. And Cliff Robertson is superb; Shane hasn't really appeaed that much but there's a reason why the character is so fondly remembered. And, while the third season may (we can now see) perhaps be the least good overall, it can still hit real heights.
Wednesday, 5 August 2020
Batman: The Great Escape
"They've got Batgirl, and we've got Fanny."
There are two things which are probably worh mentioning as I start to blog this episode. The first is that, in this final run of episodes with their many last times, this two parter is both the final appearance of Shame and, well, the last two parter.The other thing, no less importantly, is that Hermione Baddesley- the maid from Mary Poppins- is playing a character called (titter) Frontier Fanny.
This is a hilarious episode for many reasons, not least Shame's sidekicks: a Native American who communicates solely in shorthand smoke signals and a Mexican bandit with a cut glass RP accent, neither of which you would see today, but this kind of playfulness with stereotypes is not, I don't think, mean-spirited.
There's more, though, from the latest variation on the ever entertaining "Commissioner rings the Batphone with Bruce Wayne present" trope to Batman reading the note from Shame in Shame's own vernacular, reminding us that Adam West is a terrific comic actor. I've peraps been remiss, too, in my praise for the penmanship of Stanley Ralph Ross.
Still no cliffhanger, though, and this was the last chance...
There are two things which are probably worh mentioning as I start to blog this episode. The first is that, in this final run of episodes with their many last times, this two parter is both the final appearance of Shame and, well, the last two parter.The other thing, no less importantly, is that Hermione Baddesley- the maid from Mary Poppins- is playing a character called (titter) Frontier Fanny.
This is a hilarious episode for many reasons, not least Shame's sidekicks: a Native American who communicates solely in shorthand smoke signals and a Mexican bandit with a cut glass RP accent, neither of which you would see today, but this kind of playfulness with stereotypes is not, I don't think, mean-spirited.
There's more, though, from the latest variation on the ever entertaining "Commissioner rings the Batphone with Bruce Wayne present" trope to Batman reading the note from Shame in Shame's own vernacular, reminding us that Adam West is a terrific comic actor. I've peraps been remiss, too, in my praise for the penmanship of Stanley Ralph Ross.
Still no cliffhanger, though, and this was the last chance...
Tuesday, 4 August 2020
Batman: Penguin's Clean Sweep
"Don't you see? That's what happens, Pengy-poo, when you send a fly out to do a man's job."
We're getting close to the end now (only six more short episodes after this one- how on Earth did we get here so fast?), so we're going to be saying goodbye to all the villains, one by one. We've already waved adieu to the Riddler. I didn't realise at the time, but we've already bidded to Catwoman after but three short episodes for Eartha Kitt.
This time it's a true milestone: the last appearance of the unsurpassable Burgess Meredith as the Penguin. Let there be much mourning. With the one exception of Frank Gorshin, who has appeared but onceas the Riddler sinceutterly owning the first season, his quacking, conniving baddie is unquestionably the finest villain to grace this programme. And, while I won’t pretend this episode is amongst his best- it’s no Hizonner the Penguin- it’s a splendidly entertaining little episode and a fine send off.
The plot is wonderfully silly- contaminating banknotes with "Lygerian Sleeping Sickness" so no one will want money and Penguin can literally vacuum it from the street. The solution is silly, too- alerting the world that Gotham's money is unclean so all Penguin's cash is worthless. This clever conceit of Batman's is foolproof because, as we all know, there's no such thing as money laundering. Right? On a similar note, let us also gloss over the conflation of vaccines and antidotes. This is 1968; they're not living through a plague like we are here in 2020. We can't expect the same level of obsession.
Next week looks interesting, with Shane being back, and one (titter) Frontier Fanny...
We're getting close to the end now (only six more short episodes after this one- how on Earth did we get here so fast?), so we're going to be saying goodbye to all the villains, one by one. We've already waved adieu to the Riddler. I didn't realise at the time, but we've already bidded to Catwoman after but three short episodes for Eartha Kitt.
This time it's a true milestone: the last appearance of the unsurpassable Burgess Meredith as the Penguin. Let there be much mourning. With the one exception of Frank Gorshin, who has appeared but onceas the Riddler sinceutterly owning the first season, his quacking, conniving baddie is unquestionably the finest villain to grace this programme. And, while I won’t pretend this episode is amongst his best- it’s no Hizonner the Penguin- it’s a splendidly entertaining little episode and a fine send off.
The plot is wonderfully silly- contaminating banknotes with "Lygerian Sleeping Sickness" so no one will want money and Penguin can literally vacuum it from the street. The solution is silly, too- alerting the world that Gotham's money is unclean so all Penguin's cash is worthless. This clever conceit of Batman's is foolproof because, as we all know, there's no such thing as money laundering. Right? On a similar note, let us also gloss over the conflation of vaccines and antidotes. This is 1968; they're not living through a plague like we are here in 2020. We can't expect the same level of obsession.
Next week looks interesting, with Shane being back, and one (titter) Frontier Fanny...
Tuesday, 28 July 2020
Batman: Nora Clavicle and the Ladies’ Crime Club
“This is torture... at its most bizarre and terrible.
Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. One must always be careful not to treat television programmes from fifty years ago in the same way as something made today; social mores have changed, and one must make allowances. But, having made said allowances... this is (mostly) unfunny sexist claptrap that is simply jaw-dropping to watch. Batman does second wave feminism. In 1968. And it’s every bit as squirmingly awful as you might fear.
Feminism can be the subject of humour, of course, like anything can. But here we have a feminist activist (later shown to have purely venal motives) who seems to fire all male police officers for no other reason but one-up(wo)manship. And their female replacements turn out to be rubbsh at their jobs because they're too busy doing lipstick, discussing recipes and shopping. Yes, really. And all this only happens because Mayor Linseed's wife forces his hand by refusing to cook or wash his clothes, which all of us real men routinely do for ourselves (and our wives). This is bad, cringeworthy and frankly alienating stuff. And it's a nasty, very lazy, knee jerk stye of "humour", weaponising the patriarchy to mock those who point at its existence.
It's a pity, as there are a couple of gloriously silly moments with the "Siamese human knot" and the slendidly absurd Pied Piper ending. But this doesn't wash away the nasty, punching down, sexism of the episode. Given how few episodes there are left of Batman, I suspect this will end up as my least favourite of the lot.
Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. One must always be careful not to treat television programmes from fifty years ago in the same way as something made today; social mores have changed, and one must make allowances. But, having made said allowances... this is (mostly) unfunny sexist claptrap that is simply jaw-dropping to watch. Batman does second wave feminism. In 1968. And it’s every bit as squirmingly awful as you might fear.
Feminism can be the subject of humour, of course, like anything can. But here we have a feminist activist (later shown to have purely venal motives) who seems to fire all male police officers for no other reason but one-up(wo)manship. And their female replacements turn out to be rubbsh at their jobs because they're too busy doing lipstick, discussing recipes and shopping. Yes, really. And all this only happens because Mayor Linseed's wife forces his hand by refusing to cook or wash his clothes, which all of us real men routinely do for ourselves (and our wives). This is bad, cringeworthy and frankly alienating stuff. And it's a nasty, very lazy, knee jerk stye of "humour", weaponising the patriarchy to mock those who point at its existence.
It's a pity, as there are a couple of gloriously silly moments with the "Siamese human knot" and the slendidly absurd Pied Piper ending. But this doesn't wash away the nasty, punching down, sexism of the episode. Given how few episodes there are left of Batman, I suspect this will end up as my least favourite of the lot.
Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Batman: The Joke’s on Catwoman
“That’s the first time I ever
It’s our first episode of 1968- a less idealistic and more cynical year than ‘67, with rioting and body bags from Vietnam starting to edge out peace and love. And, right on cue, we have a cynical episode on corrupt justice as our heroes capture Catwoman and Joker halfway through and we spend the rest of the episode with a trial in front of a corrupt jury.
It is, of course, absurd to see Batman- not a lawyer- handling the prosecution, but this is Batman. The courtroom antics of Lucky Pierre are delightfully entertaining, and Batman even states at the end that he would have done well in politics. And, of course, on Pierre’s desk in his first scene is a prominent photo of Richard Nixon. A newer, more cynical and conservative age is coming. And perhaps that age will have no place for high camp fun.
And high camp fun aplenty there is here, much as the Joker is again playing second fiddle to Catwoman. There’s more fun flirting between Batgirl and the Caped Crusaders, and a hilariously quick usage of a French dictionary- although a genuine 18th century treasure map certainly wouldn’t be in metres...
Again we get some delightfully eccentric characters, from a pair of lighthouse keepers to a judge who joins in the final fight. This episode, and this two parter, is utterly bonkers. And wonderful.
It’s our first episode of 1968- a less idealistic and more cynical year than ‘67, with rioting and body bags from Vietnam starting to edge out peace and love. And, right on cue, we have a cynical episode on corrupt justice as our heroes capture Catwoman and Joker halfway through and we spend the rest of the episode with a trial in front of a corrupt jury.
It is, of course, absurd to see Batman- not a lawyer- handling the prosecution, but this is Batman. The courtroom antics of Lucky Pierre are delightfully entertaining, and Batman even states at the end that he would have done well in politics. And, of course, on Pierre’s desk in his first scene is a prominent photo of Richard Nixon. A newer, more cynical and conservative age is coming. And perhaps that age will have no place for high camp fun.
And high camp fun aplenty there is here, much as the Joker is again playing second fiddle to Catwoman. There’s more fun flirting between Batgirl and the Caped Crusaders, and a hilariously quick usage of a French dictionary- although a genuine 18th century treasure map certainly wouldn’t be in metres...
Again we get some delightfully eccentric characters, from a pair of lighthouse keepers to a judge who joins in the final fight. This episode, and this two parter, is utterly bonkers. And wonderful.
Thursday, 16 July 2020
Batman: The Funny Feline Felonies
"Karate isn't effective unless accompanied by yelling...!"
Now this is a good one and no mistake. And yes, it’s another Catwoman script from Stanley Ralph Ross, invariably a sign of quality. Without impugning Julie’s definitive status Earths Kitt is again superb, and while the Joker is very much playing second fiddle here he gets loads of great set pieces to balance it all out.
The show’s traditional fourth wall baiting humour is very much in evidence, with the first scene being Warden Crichton and Bruce confidently pronouncing the Joker a reformed man and fit for (very) early release. This goes as well as can be expected, with a hilarious “kidnapping” and a winning double act of villainy- Romero and Kitt have superb chemistry.
The plot- an old Seven Years War riddle leaving clues to a load of gunpowder to use for robbing a bank- is silly, of course. So is Batgirl’s rivalry with the Dynamic Duo, just to “outsmart men”. And our two victims here- a twentysomething music cartoon and a fashion designer from “Londinium”- are delightful grotesques. You can’t not love a script in which the Jokeg critiques an old riddle for its iambic pentameter. And, of course, Batgirl is late to the rescue because she’s obeyed the speed limits.
This is wonderful. More please.
Now this is a good one and no mistake. And yes, it’s another Catwoman script from Stanley Ralph Ross, invariably a sign of quality. Without impugning Julie’s definitive status Earths Kitt is again superb, and while the Joker is very much playing second fiddle here he gets loads of great set pieces to balance it all out.
The show’s traditional fourth wall baiting humour is very much in evidence, with the first scene being Warden Crichton and Bruce confidently pronouncing the Joker a reformed man and fit for (very) early release. This goes as well as can be expected, with a hilarious “kidnapping” and a winning double act of villainy- Romero and Kitt have superb chemistry.
The plot- an old Seven Years War riddle leaving clues to a load of gunpowder to use for robbing a bank- is silly, of course. So is Batgirl’s rivalry with the Dynamic Duo, just to “outsmart men”. And our two victims here- a twentysomething music cartoon and a fashion designer from “Londinium”- are delightful grotesques. You can’t not love a script in which the Jokeg critiques an old riddle for its iambic pentameter. And, of course, Batgirl is late to the rescue because she’s obeyed the speed limits.
This is wonderful. More please.
Tuesday, 7 July 2020
Batman: The Ogg Couple
"But this isn't exactly woman's work."
This episode is a very odd beast here, at this point of the season. I suspect it was made at the same time as the earlier two parter; it’s certainly odd to see Egghead with Olga but, by this point, the two of them have outworn their welcome.
It doesn’t help that Egghead, the more established of the two and played by no less a figure than Vincent Price, is so emasculated. He’s reduced to riding a donkey as the Cossacks ride horses, always one step behind, and always playing second fiddle. Worse, it’s one thing playing the coward to ensnare Batgirl into a trap, but the episode ends with him showing real cowardice. And he does nothing cool, has no agency and is nothing but a sidekick for the whole episode. As for Olga, Anne Baxter plays her well, but the character is just a tiresome cipher. I’m glad she won’t be back. It’s just a shame the once cool character of Egghead has been utterly ruined. Such a sad exit.
As for the episode itself, it’s a fairly standard third season single episode. Attempts at high camp are perfunctory and the whole thing feels superfluous after the earlier two parter.
An eminently skippable episode. Was it originally supposed to be a three parter with the other two?
This episode is a very odd beast here, at this point of the season. I suspect it was made at the same time as the earlier two parter; it’s certainly odd to see Egghead with Olga but, by this point, the two of them have outworn their welcome.
It doesn’t help that Egghead, the more established of the two and played by no less a figure than Vincent Price, is so emasculated. He’s reduced to riding a donkey as the Cossacks ride horses, always one step behind, and always playing second fiddle. Worse, it’s one thing playing the coward to ensnare Batgirl into a trap, but the episode ends with him showing real cowardice. And he does nothing cool, has no agency and is nothing but a sidekick for the whole episode. As for Olga, Anne Baxter plays her well, but the character is just a tiresome cipher. I’m glad she won’t be back. It’s just a shame the once cool character of Egghead has been utterly ruined. Such a sad exit.
As for the episode itself, it’s a fairly standard third season single episode. Attempts at high camp are perfunctory and the whole thing feels superfluous after the earlier two parter.
An eminently skippable episode. Was it originally supposed to be a three parter with the other two?
Tuesday, 30 June 2020
Batman: The Bloody Tower
“And don’t forget to drive on the left!”
I liked the previous two episodes- fun, silly and utterly bonkers. But this final part is the most wonderful yet- although we should perhaps first pause to mark the final (brief) appearance by Madge Blake, by now very ill indeed, as Aunt Harriet.
The episode is as laugh-out-loud as any of its predecessors. I love the emphasis on "Londinium"'s supposed fog- in reality dealt with by the Clean Air Act of 1952 but as late as 1967 the old reputation persists. We also have a whiff of suspicion from Batman as he notes that both Alfred and Robin seem to know a lot more about Batgirl than he does- although later, when coming into possession of Batgirl's briefcase, he declines to open it and discover her identity. Honour among crimefighters and that.
This is enormous fun, from Lord Ffogg divulging the plot to steal the Crown Jewels to Batgirl while she’s in a death trap as is traditional to the silly unconvincing bee with an obviously visible thread. It’s also hilarious how Robin survives the deadly sting courtesy of his utility belt, only to face even direr peril- randy teenage girls. And that’s before we even get to Batman escaping the dungeon by means of the Indian rope trick. Better still, the Dynamic Duo surprise the baddies at the Tower by... dressing as Beefeaters. This final episode is the crowning jewel in a fun three parter which really catches fire at the end.
But this is Season Three, and after a phone call from President Johnson (what’s all that about his grandson?) it’s on to the next threat... a new Catwoman!
I liked the previous two episodes- fun, silly and utterly bonkers. But this final part is the most wonderful yet- although we should perhaps first pause to mark the final (brief) appearance by Madge Blake, by now very ill indeed, as Aunt Harriet.
The episode is as laugh-out-loud as any of its predecessors. I love the emphasis on "Londinium"'s supposed fog- in reality dealt with by the Clean Air Act of 1952 but as late as 1967 the old reputation persists. We also have a whiff of suspicion from Batman as he notes that both Alfred and Robin seem to know a lot more about Batgirl than he does- although later, when coming into possession of Batgirl's briefcase, he declines to open it and discover her identity. Honour among crimefighters and that.
This is enormous fun, from Lord Ffogg divulging the plot to steal the Crown Jewels to Batgirl while she’s in a death trap as is traditional to the silly unconvincing bee with an obviously visible thread. It’s also hilarious how Robin survives the deadly sting courtesy of his utility belt, only to face even direr peril- randy teenage girls. And that’s before we even get to Batman escaping the dungeon by means of the Indian rope trick. Better still, the Dynamic Duo surprise the baddies at the Tower by... dressing as Beefeaters. This final episode is the crowning jewel in a fun three parter which really catches fire at the end.
But this is Season Three, and after a phone call from President Johnson (what’s all that about his grandson?) it’s on to the next threat... a new Catwoman!
Thursday, 25 June 2020
Batman: The Foggiest Notion
"You ogress! You vixen!"
We get more of the same this week, with everything now established. Again, the plot progresses nary an inch, but we get loads of fun set pieces and fun with stereotypes. Lord Ffog is under suspicion throughout, and Lady Peasoup known to be running a school for lady pilferers, but no one seems to be in much of a hurry to deal with them directly, instead heading of to the pub (I like how young Robin isn't allowed in) to prevent a robbery of miniskirts aimed at "the dominions". Britain here- sorry, Londinium- is a hilarious cross of Olde Worlde stereotypes and the Swinging Sixties.
Groovy, m'lord.
We get a pub brawl. We get Tower Bridge used as a deathrap although, sadly, this season doesn't end episodes with cliffhangers. We get a brief contractual appearance from Chief O'Hara. Rather more interestingly, Batman begins to suspect that Alfred knows things about Batgirl in this episode. Most hilariously of all, Lord Ffog has a device to wipe Batman's memory- but the Londinium Batcave naturally has a "Recollection Cycle Bat Restorer".
The next episode promises to be fun, too. I suspect, being the final episode of the story, it may also actually contain some plot. But frankly, who cares. This may not be clever, it may not be the best story ever, but it's fresh and fun.
We get more of the same this week, with everything now established. Again, the plot progresses nary an inch, but we get loads of fun set pieces and fun with stereotypes. Lord Ffog is under suspicion throughout, and Lady Peasoup known to be running a school for lady pilferers, but no one seems to be in much of a hurry to deal with them directly, instead heading of to the pub (I like how young Robin isn't allowed in) to prevent a robbery of miniskirts aimed at "the dominions". Britain here- sorry, Londinium- is a hilarious cross of Olde Worlde stereotypes and the Swinging Sixties.
Groovy, m'lord.
We get a pub brawl. We get Tower Bridge used as a deathrap although, sadly, this season doesn't end episodes with cliffhangers. We get a brief contractual appearance from Chief O'Hara. Rather more interestingly, Batman begins to suspect that Alfred knows things about Batgirl in this episode. Most hilariously of all, Lord Ffog has a device to wipe Batman's memory- but the Londinium Batcave naturally has a "Recollection Cycle Bat Restorer".
The next episode promises to be fun, too. I suspect, being the final episode of the story, it may also actually contain some plot. But frankly, who cares. This may not be clever, it may not be the best story ever, but it's fresh and fun.
Wednesday, 24 June 2020
Batman: The Londinium Larcenies
“Is Batman up against a sticky wicket?”
Well, this is completely unlike any previous episode. It's utterly, utterly mad, and very silly> No, it's not going to be competing for the title of best ever, but it's a charming bit of fun.
This is, of course, both Batman coming to England and also nothing of the sort. Batman is best when having fun with the fourth wall, and so naturally he visits not London, a real city of mortgages, car insurance and other such mundanities, but Londinium, a city of fog, bobbies and aristocratic baddies in deerstalkers. This is not a representation of England, but of its tropes and stereotypes, and setting the episode in "Londinium" allows that remove from dull reality.
Hence we have "Chuckingham Palace" and "Ireland Yard". We have Superintendent Watson, named afer you-know-who, with the script delightfully nodding to the fact that his office is the same set as Commissioner Gordon's with a couple of stereotypical additions. We have larger than life baddies in the dodgily accented Lord Marmaduke Ffog and the wonderful Lady Penelope Peasoup, who run a finishing school for lady thieves and plot to steal the Crown Jewels. We have a dodgy Cockney butler, and an ersatz ex-dungeon Batcave.
It's all delightful, and I don't care if the plot advances not a jot or, this being Season Three, there's no real cliffhanger: this is fun. I love ho Batman's deductions in the Superintendent's office makes no sense, how one of the three thugs who attack the Dynamic Duo has an accent echoing Dick Van Dyke, and Lord Ffog's monocle. More please.
Well, this is completely unlike any previous episode. It's utterly, utterly mad, and very silly> No, it's not going to be competing for the title of best ever, but it's a charming bit of fun.
This is, of course, both Batman coming to England and also nothing of the sort. Batman is best when having fun with the fourth wall, and so naturally he visits not London, a real city of mortgages, car insurance and other such mundanities, but Londinium, a city of fog, bobbies and aristocratic baddies in deerstalkers. This is not a representation of England, but of its tropes and stereotypes, and setting the episode in "Londinium" allows that remove from dull reality.
Hence we have "Chuckingham Palace" and "Ireland Yard". We have Superintendent Watson, named afer you-know-who, with the script delightfully nodding to the fact that his office is the same set as Commissioner Gordon's with a couple of stereotypical additions. We have larger than life baddies in the dodgily accented Lord Marmaduke Ffog and the wonderful Lady Penelope Peasoup, who run a finishing school for lady thieves and plot to steal the Crown Jewels. We have a dodgy Cockney butler, and an ersatz ex-dungeon Batcave.
It's all delightful, and I don't care if the plot advances not a jot or, this being Season Three, there's no real cliffhanger: this is fun. I love ho Batman's deductions in the Superintendent's office makes no sense, how one of the three thugs who attack the Dynamic Duo has an accent echoing Dick Van Dyke, and Lord Ffog's monocle. More please.
Sunday, 21 June 2020
Batman: Surfs up! Joker's Under!
"Cowabunga!"
This extraordinarily inconsistent season has shown us the full range of high to low and, indeed, high camp to low camp. This episode is strangely in the midde- a ridiculous tale of the Joker plotting to win a surfing championship by using a skill-draining machine which will, er, apparently somehow lead to him having power over Gotham and then the world. The script, perhaps wisely, does not elaborate on how.
There's certainly a lot of fun to be had- I love how the Commissioner and O'Hara parade around the beach in "disguise" as surfers, deriving comedy from being fish out of water ("Most true surfers are known as Duke, Skip, Rabbit or Buzzy", apparently), but the episode seems to exactly skirt the line between playful mocking of its own tropes and just plain Saturday morning cartoon logic. We end with a surfing contest between Batman and the Joker, both of them wearing their "baggies" over their costumes.And Barbara Gordon doesn't even become Batgirl until there are literally two minutes left.
I have gunuinely no idea whether this episode is being clever and ironic or not. Given the writer, I suspect the latter. But I can't say it wasn't fun.
This extraordinarily inconsistent season has shown us the full range of high to low and, indeed, high camp to low camp. This episode is strangely in the midde- a ridiculous tale of the Joker plotting to win a surfing championship by using a skill-draining machine which will, er, apparently somehow lead to him having power over Gotham and then the world. The script, perhaps wisely, does not elaborate on how.
There's certainly a lot of fun to be had- I love how the Commissioner and O'Hara parade around the beach in "disguise" as surfers, deriving comedy from being fish out of water ("Most true surfers are known as Duke, Skip, Rabbit or Buzzy", apparently), but the episode seems to exactly skirt the line between playful mocking of its own tropes and just plain Saturday morning cartoon logic. We end with a surfing contest between Batman and the Joker, both of them wearing their "baggies" over their costumes.And Barbara Gordon doesn't even become Batgirl until there are literally two minutes left.
I have gunuinely no idea whether this episode is being clever and ironic or not. Given the writer, I suspect the latter. But I can't say it wasn't fun.
Thursday, 11 June 2020
Batman: How to Hatch a Dinosaur
"Think they can crack it, Commissioner?"
This second episode begins with a threat to undermine Egghead as much as the previous episode did, as we first see him riding that silly donkey all poised to play second fiddle to the increasingly annoying Olga.
Fortunately, this time those fears prove unfounded and Vincent Price gets the chance for a proper outing as the arch-criminal, with Egghead this time taking the lead. And his plan is gloriously bonkers: steal some radium, steal a dinosaur egg, and get the egg to hatch into a live dinosaur which will, for some reason not quite clear, fall under the control of Egghead and Olga and in no way turn agaist them. That it seems to do so is the most predictable and obvious trope ever. This is all very silly.
Except this is the right kind of silly. This is high camp, not low camp and, unlike the previous episode, this instalment has plenty of fun at the expense of its own tropes. So yes, the dinosaur is an unconvincing man in the suit- but this is completely diegetic, and the man in the suit is Batman.
We also have O'Hara noting that poisoning the water supply is a "favourite trick of Gotham City's arch criminals". Meanwhile we have Alfred. holding two phones, giving the same information to Batman and Batgirl in a splendidly silly bit of slapstick. And Robin even gives the fourth wall a knock ("Why didn't we think of this before, Batman?") when the Dynamic Duo find a way of using technobabble to track down the baddies at a moment convenient to the plot.
This is much, much better, and enormous fun- and Barbara is a surfer? I didn't expect that!
This second episode begins with a threat to undermine Egghead as much as the previous episode did, as we first see him riding that silly donkey all poised to play second fiddle to the increasingly annoying Olga.
Fortunately, this time those fears prove unfounded and Vincent Price gets the chance for a proper outing as the arch-criminal, with Egghead this time taking the lead. And his plan is gloriously bonkers: steal some radium, steal a dinosaur egg, and get the egg to hatch into a live dinosaur which will, for some reason not quite clear, fall under the control of Egghead and Olga and in no way turn agaist them. That it seems to do so is the most predictable and obvious trope ever. This is all very silly.
Except this is the right kind of silly. This is high camp, not low camp and, unlike the previous episode, this instalment has plenty of fun at the expense of its own tropes. So yes, the dinosaur is an unconvincing man in the suit- but this is completely diegetic, and the man in the suit is Batman.
We also have O'Hara noting that poisoning the water supply is a "favourite trick of Gotham City's arch criminals". Meanwhile we have Alfred. holding two phones, giving the same information to Batman and Batgirl in a splendidly silly bit of slapstick. And Robin even gives the fourth wall a knock ("Why didn't we think of this before, Batman?") when the Dynamic Duo find a way of using technobabble to track down the baddies at a moment convenient to the plot.
This is much, much better, and enormous fun- and Barbara is a surfer? I didn't expect that!
Wednesday, 10 June 2020
Batman: The Ogg and I
"Yes, the aroma is unmistakeable."
Oh dear. Another episode wth far too much going on to have enough fun, I'm afraid; it's all plot, plot, plot, and although said plot is at times promisingly silly (Egghead wants a "tax" on all eggs eaten in Gotham City, while it's not clear what Olga wants aside from marrying both Egghead and Batman), there's nowhere near enough fun with the fourth wall. And this time we can't, this being the start of a two parter, blame the new format.
No; the problem is that we have two villains struggling for air time. Anne Baxter is superb, having previously played Zelda the Great early in the first season, but the character of Olga is a bit ill-defined. So she's a Cossack queen from some fictional Slavic country, she has an outrageous and broadly Russian accent and... that's it, and while Baxter is superb with the accent and her charisma, the character is far too vague. Worse, the return of the splendid Vincent Price as Egghead is diluted.
There are some good moments- I smiled as Egghead implored Olga to forget any eleborate trap and just kill the Caped Crusaders- but not enough to prevent this overly packed episode feeling like a slowly deflating balloon. And, yet again, there isn't even a cliffhanger.
I hope there's more of Egghead next time.
Oh dear. Another episode wth far too much going on to have enough fun, I'm afraid; it's all plot, plot, plot, and although said plot is at times promisingly silly (Egghead wants a "tax" on all eggs eaten in Gotham City, while it's not clear what Olga wants aside from marrying both Egghead and Batman), there's nowhere near enough fun with the fourth wall. And this time we can't, this being the start of a two parter, blame the new format.
No; the problem is that we have two villains struggling for air time. Anne Baxter is superb, having previously played Zelda the Great early in the first season, but the character of Olga is a bit ill-defined. So she's a Cossack queen from some fictional Slavic country, she has an outrageous and broadly Russian accent and... that's it, and while Baxter is superb with the accent and her charisma, the character is far too vague. Worse, the return of the splendid Vincent Price as Egghead is diluted.
There are some good moments- I smiled as Egghead implored Olga to forget any eleborate trap and just kill the Caped Crusaders- but not enough to prevent this overly packed episode feeling like a slowly deflating balloon. And, yet again, there isn't even a cliffhanger.
I hope there's more of Egghead next time.
Tuesday, 19 May 2020
Batman: Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin
"Just never been proposed to at umbrellapoint before..."
And so begins the short final season for the Autumn of 1967, where a few changes have had to take place . For a start, epsodes are now being broadcast weekly. We no longer necessarily have two-parters with cliffhangers, and twenty-five minutes is not a long time to tell a story- something very much demonstrated by this epidode. Madge Blake is sadly not well, and won't be appearing much. Finally, of course, we have innocent librarian Barbara Gordon, whose spacious apartment contains a secret room and a secret; she's Batgirl, copyright-disregarding crimefighter.
This episode, of course, exists to introduce her and has an awful lot to do in a short time, which it manages to do abour as well as it possibly could. So the plot about Penguin marrying Barbara to become the apparently untouchable son-in-law of the Commissioner may be silly, but it has to be, much like the way the Dynamic Duo, those great detectives, can't work out who Batgirl is. It's nice that Alfred gets to know and keep Barbara's secret, but I had to raise an eyebrow at Penguin failing to recognise him.
This is entertaining enough, but has far too much to do for it to stand out as particularly good. The new format seems promising, though. Especially as the cliffhanger seems to have been replaced by a sneak preview of the next episode's villain- and this time it's the Riddler- and Frank Gorshin, the Gods be praised, is back...
And so begins the short final season for the Autumn of 1967, where a few changes have had to take place . For a start, epsodes are now being broadcast weekly. We no longer necessarily have two-parters with cliffhangers, and twenty-five minutes is not a long time to tell a story- something very much demonstrated by this epidode. Madge Blake is sadly not well, and won't be appearing much. Finally, of course, we have innocent librarian Barbara Gordon, whose spacious apartment contains a secret room and a secret; she's Batgirl, copyright-disregarding crimefighter.
This episode, of course, exists to introduce her and has an awful lot to do in a short time, which it manages to do abour as well as it possibly could. So the plot about Penguin marrying Barbara to become the apparently untouchable son-in-law of the Commissioner may be silly, but it has to be, much like the way the Dynamic Duo, those great detectives, can't work out who Batgirl is. It's nice that Alfred gets to know and keep Barbara's secret, but I had to raise an eyebrow at Penguin failing to recognise him.
This is entertaining enough, but has far too much to do for it to stand out as particularly good. The new format seems promising, though. Especially as the cliffhanger seems to have been replaced by a sneak preview of the next episode's villain- and this time it's the Riddler- and Frank Gorshin, the Gods be praised, is back...
Sunday, 3 May 2020
Batman: Ice Spy & The Duo Defy
Ice Spy
"Gosh, Batman. That's sure great wit all right."
Only in Batman would the above quote relate to gentle taking the piss out of Rabelais and his supposed great wit. I suspect some long-held pedagogical grudge on the part of writer Charles Hoffman.
Overall, though, this is a perfectly decent couple of episodes that has more than its share of funny moments but never really stands out. Eli Wallach gives a perfectly good performance but I think the character of Mr Freeze, on his third actor now, has outstayed his welcome somewhat. If they carry on like that they'll be casting some random Austrian bodybuilder next.
The plot is delightfully silly- use a fake iceberg to hijack a cruise ship and hijack an Icelandic professor with some formula or other. There's a glamorous moll, of course. There's a moderately interesting death trap. But the highlight of the episode, and comic highlight from the splendid Adam West, is where Gordon and O'Hara hold two phones together so Batman and Bruce Wayne can hold a conversation. It's not the first time I've said it, but being a comic straight man requires enormous talent, and West has it in spades.
Oh, and what's this window cameo from the "Carpet King"? Who he?
The Duo Defy
"A true crime fighter always carries everything he needs in his utility belt, Robin"
This second episode is just a little by-the-numbers, with a more than usually rubbish cliffhanger resolution and an ending that feels rushed, but we get more dialogue heralding the imminent arrival of Barbara Gordon, and enough wit and fun to make up for the so-so plot and mildly rubbish villain. No wonder we won't see Mr Freeze again.
The stakes, and ransom demands, are absurdly and wonderfully high. There's a nice moment in the Batcopter with the usual piece of stock footage where Robin says he can't track the bugged seal below, and Batman gently reminds him that the seal is in fact a marine mammal. We even get a slight reprise of the same Rabelais quote.
Overall, then, an average and representative story, not inappropriate to end the second season, which has had both highs and lows but notably more of the former.
A quick diversion while I blog something else (something short) over the next few days, then Season Three...
"Gosh, Batman. That's sure great wit all right."
Only in Batman would the above quote relate to gentle taking the piss out of Rabelais and his supposed great wit. I suspect some long-held pedagogical grudge on the part of writer Charles Hoffman.
Overall, though, this is a perfectly decent couple of episodes that has more than its share of funny moments but never really stands out. Eli Wallach gives a perfectly good performance but I think the character of Mr Freeze, on his third actor now, has outstayed his welcome somewhat. If they carry on like that they'll be casting some random Austrian bodybuilder next.
The plot is delightfully silly- use a fake iceberg to hijack a cruise ship and hijack an Icelandic professor with some formula or other. There's a glamorous moll, of course. There's a moderately interesting death trap. But the highlight of the episode, and comic highlight from the splendid Adam West, is where Gordon and O'Hara hold two phones together so Batman and Bruce Wayne can hold a conversation. It's not the first time I've said it, but being a comic straight man requires enormous talent, and West has it in spades.
Oh, and what's this window cameo from the "Carpet King"? Who he?
The Duo Defy
"A true crime fighter always carries everything he needs in his utility belt, Robin"
This second episode is just a little by-the-numbers, with a more than usually rubbish cliffhanger resolution and an ending that feels rushed, but we get more dialogue heralding the imminent arrival of Barbara Gordon, and enough wit and fun to make up for the so-so plot and mildly rubbish villain. No wonder we won't see Mr Freeze again.
The stakes, and ransom demands, are absurdly and wonderfully high. There's a nice moment in the Batcopter with the usual piece of stock footage where Robin says he can't track the bugged seal below, and Batman gently reminds him that the seal is in fact a marine mammal. We even get a slight reprise of the same Rabelais quote.
Overall, then, an average and representative story, not inappropriate to end the second season, which has had both highs and lows but notably more of the former.
A quick diversion while I blog something else (something short) over the next few days, then Season Three...
Tuesday, 28 April 2020
Batman: Black Widow Strikes Again & Caught in the Spider's Den
Black Widow Strikes Again
"Frank and I are both categorically against evil."
"Miss" Tallulah Bankhead (as she is credited) may have been at death's door in this, her final ever role as mind controlling bank robber the Black Widow but, with her sultry voice and considerable charisma, she hugely elevates what would otherwise have been an average couple of episodes in which Batman and Robin are perhaps a little too passive.
Her first appearance establishes her shtick, and the intrigue, as her plan is simply to mind control bank manager after bank manager to give her huge piles of cash- fortunately helping Batman to predict her next move by robbing them in alphabetical order. You'd get that in absolutely no other programme. And I love that the first bank manager is called "Mr Cash".
There's also an amusing, and very 1967 scene, in which Aunt Harriet decides to go "mod" and almost bought a miniskirt, leading Alfred to comment that "Carnaby Street has come to Wayne Manor, ma'am". This one story after Bruce is called "one of the hippies".
The cliffhanger, with silly plastic black widow spiders, is silly, predictable but I suppose inevitable..
Caught in the Spider's Den
"You sophisticated but evil woman!"
Escape by utility belt yet again, and then Black Widow, er, reverses the polarity to mind control Batman for the entire episode, both sidelining him and having Gordon and O'Hara suspect him of crime for a while. This is somewhat annoying and makes for a somewhat less entertaining second episode, but at least we get to laugh at how Black Widow's disguise as Robin is so perfect she's played by Burt Ward.
I also love how Black Wdow, in prison at the end, demands "the wine list", and seems to get it. She's a fine villain, and it's a shame we didn't get to see her in a better story.
"Frank and I are both categorically against evil."
"Miss" Tallulah Bankhead (as she is credited) may have been at death's door in this, her final ever role as mind controlling bank robber the Black Widow but, with her sultry voice and considerable charisma, she hugely elevates what would otherwise have been an average couple of episodes in which Batman and Robin are perhaps a little too passive.
Her first appearance establishes her shtick, and the intrigue, as her plan is simply to mind control bank manager after bank manager to give her huge piles of cash- fortunately helping Batman to predict her next move by robbing them in alphabetical order. You'd get that in absolutely no other programme. And I love that the first bank manager is called "Mr Cash".
There's also an amusing, and very 1967 scene, in which Aunt Harriet decides to go "mod" and almost bought a miniskirt, leading Alfred to comment that "Carnaby Street has come to Wayne Manor, ma'am". This one story after Bruce is called "one of the hippies".
The cliffhanger, with silly plastic black widow spiders, is silly, predictable but I suppose inevitable..
Caught in the Spider's Den
"You sophisticated but evil woman!"
Escape by utility belt yet again, and then Black Widow, er, reverses the polarity to mind control Batman for the entire episode, both sidelining him and having Gordon and O'Hara suspect him of crime for a while. This is somewhat annoying and makes for a somewhat less entertaining second episode, but at least we get to laugh at how Black Widow's disguise as Robin is so perfect she's played by Burt Ward.
I also love how Black Wdow, in prison at the end, demands "the wine list", and seems to get it. She's a fine villain, and it's a shame we didn't get to see her in a better story.
Thursday, 23 April 2020
Batman: A Piece of the Action & Batman’s Satisfaction
A Piece of the Action
“Look busy- and honest!"
Sigh. It's been a good solid run of stories for a while. I suppose we were due a dud. I'll admit I know very little about the Green Hornet and Kato beyond what I've just read on Wikipedia- standard 1930s pulp protagonists, it seems, and most pertinently appearing on a contemporary TV series on the same channel- but not even Bruce Lee can save this dross, not even getting any decent fight scenes. Roger C. Carmel is splendid as the villainous Colonel Gumm, but the character he plays is rubbish. And what's this silly plot about stamp collecting? This is literally the first Batman episode I've struggled to follow. poor storytelling, then, and very little to be amused by.
Even the cliffhanger is absurd and rubbish, with the Duo not even under any serious threat. Dire.
Batman’s Satisfaction
“It's sure good you brought that empty alphabet soup Bat-container!"
Things don't improve in the second episode: the best thing in this is the window cameo by Edward G. Robinson. Even the silly secret identity farce at the end, admittedly quite funny, isn't enough to amuse me after sitting through this aimless, plotless dross with its two "visiting heroes" acting with a touch of plywood and poor Roger C. Carmel not even getting "special guest villain status.
We even get an odd sequence where Aunt Harriet's hairdryer stops the Batcomputer working and Robin has to encourage Batman not to give up. This is truly awful.Can we not have any more rubbish cliffhangers ever again please?
“Look busy- and honest!"
Sigh. It's been a good solid run of stories for a while. I suppose we were due a dud. I'll admit I know very little about the Green Hornet and Kato beyond what I've just read on Wikipedia- standard 1930s pulp protagonists, it seems, and most pertinently appearing on a contemporary TV series on the same channel- but not even Bruce Lee can save this dross, not even getting any decent fight scenes. Roger C. Carmel is splendid as the villainous Colonel Gumm, but the character he plays is rubbish. And what's this silly plot about stamp collecting? This is literally the first Batman episode I've struggled to follow. poor storytelling, then, and very little to be amused by.
Even the cliffhanger is absurd and rubbish, with the Duo not even under any serious threat. Dire.
Batman’s Satisfaction
“It's sure good you brought that empty alphabet soup Bat-container!"
Things don't improve in the second episode: the best thing in this is the window cameo by Edward G. Robinson. Even the silly secret identity farce at the end, admittedly quite funny, isn't enough to amuse me after sitting through this aimless, plotless dross with its two "visiting heroes" acting with a touch of plywood and poor Roger C. Carmel not even getting "special guest villain status.
We even get an odd sequence where Aunt Harriet's hairdryer stops the Batcomputer working and Robin has to encourage Batman not to give up. This is truly awful.Can we not have any more rubbish cliffhangers ever again please?
Sunday, 19 April 2020
Batman: The Joker's Last Laugh & The Joker's Epitaph
The Joker's Last Laugh
"We're dealing with a perfectly normal robot."
You know what? I've never exactly dissed Cesar Romero's Joker, but for me this version of the character is no Riddler, Catwoman or Penguin, but with this splendidly witty two parter penned by the always superb Lorenzo Semple Jr I'm certainly warming to him. After all, at this point Batman hadn't been a dark character since his long forgotten earlier months, and the tone of this TV series is quite faithful to the comics as they were in 1967 and had been for years. I ought to remember that the same applies to the Joker, at this point a crook, not a psychopath.
And I'm certainly enjoying his two parters more and more- particularly when, as here, the character is allowed to be genuinely witty. And the script is hilarious- the Joker manages, onscreen, to "slip" a massive recording antenna into the Commissioner's trousers. Plenty of humour is wrung out of the science fiction robots- rumbled because they fail to laugh at a crap joke. The dialogue sings.The plot is just leisurely set piece after leisurely set piece while the script winks at us, but I for one have no problem with that. And Adam West is a comic genius yet again as a "desperate" Bruce Wayne.
The Joker's Epitaph
"Alert your anti-lunatic squad!"
Another twenty-five minutes of hilarious fun here as the cliffhanger is averted by Alfred pretending again to be Batman- and climbing up the side of a building with a Bat-rope. And then we have Joker, installed as deputy chairman of the Gotham National Bank for plot reasons, trying to blackmail Bruce Wayne in amusing schemes. But absolutely nothing is funnier than Chief O'Hara seizing a supposedly insane Bruce Wayne with his "anti-lunatic squad". I'm sure mental health facilities in '60s Gotham City were perfectly fine. Especially with this comedy German quack.
This is a perfectly formed pair of episodes that have given Cesar Romero something cool to do. I'm actually hoping to see the character again.
"We're dealing with a perfectly normal robot."
You know what? I've never exactly dissed Cesar Romero's Joker, but for me this version of the character is no Riddler, Catwoman or Penguin, but with this splendidly witty two parter penned by the always superb Lorenzo Semple Jr I'm certainly warming to him. After all, at this point Batman hadn't been a dark character since his long forgotten earlier months, and the tone of this TV series is quite faithful to the comics as they were in 1967 and had been for years. I ought to remember that the same applies to the Joker, at this point a crook, not a psychopath.
And I'm certainly enjoying his two parters more and more- particularly when, as here, the character is allowed to be genuinely witty. And the script is hilarious- the Joker manages, onscreen, to "slip" a massive recording antenna into the Commissioner's trousers. Plenty of humour is wrung out of the science fiction robots- rumbled because they fail to laugh at a crap joke. The dialogue sings.The plot is just leisurely set piece after leisurely set piece while the script winks at us, but I for one have no problem with that. And Adam West is a comic genius yet again as a "desperate" Bruce Wayne.
The Joker's Epitaph
"Alert your anti-lunatic squad!"
Another twenty-five minutes of hilarious fun here as the cliffhanger is averted by Alfred pretending again to be Batman- and climbing up the side of a building with a Bat-rope. And then we have Joker, installed as deputy chairman of the Gotham National Bank for plot reasons, trying to blackmail Bruce Wayne in amusing schemes. But absolutely nothing is funnier than Chief O'Hara seizing a supposedly insane Bruce Wayne with his "anti-lunatic squad". I'm sure mental health facilities in '60s Gotham City were perfectly fine. Especially with this comedy German quack.
This is a perfectly formed pair of episodes that have given Cesar Romero something cool to do. I'm actually hoping to see the character again.
Monday, 13 April 2020
Batman: That Darn Catwoman & Scat, Darn Catwoman
That Darn Catwoman
"Chief O'Hara, had you ever seen this Titian-haired wench before?"
Every single episode we've had which featured both Julie Newmar as Catwoman and Stanley Ralph Ross as scriptwriter- a marriage made in Heaven- has been utterly terrific thus far. But with this two parter Batman hits heights it seldom reaches. I'm not one of those who likes to make lists f putative favourite episodes but, if I were, this two-parter would be very much in contention.
Curious, then, that this story is far from following the standard pattern. Not only is Catwoman’s accomplice Pussycat played by contemporary singer Lesley Gore, who even gets to perform pretty much two whole songs, crudely crowbarred in over both episodes, and deliberately so, but Robin is brainwashed in the very first scene and spends almost the whole story behaving like a juvenile delinquent from central casting. It’s not hard to see fear of the younger generation here, very prevalent in 1967, as previously goodie-goodie adolescents would suddenly start growing their hair, taking drugs, dropping out or, worse, questioning things like Jim Crow or the Vietnam War, which was really hitting up by this point. We therefore have a gloriously silly brace of episodes which nevertheless address some very real anxieties.
All this plus some truly excellent silly dialogue throughout the episode gives us something very special. So what if Catwoman is suddenly appearing a lot? At this point she’s the best name in Batman’s rogues gallery. It’s fun seeing a bridge to “New Guernsey” or the blatantly signposted Catlair.
Scat, Darn Catwoman
"One should always keep abreast of foreign tongues, Robin."
Even the cliffhanger is more interesting than usual- Batman must surrender or die, and seemingly surrenders. But I love how we’re allowed to see Batman taking a Batpill on a hilarious pretext shortly before he’s drugged- at no point are we expected to actually believe he’s under Catwoman’s spell; that’s part of the fun. And Adam West’s performance is at once fun, extraordinary and opens the door for some delightfully tense flirting.
Not that Burt Ward isn’t being excellent, of course, although Robin is soon captured and turned. And the final car chase and chase on foot between Catwoman and Batman is at once exciting and believably romantic, yet with tongue never being removed from cheek. And her apparent death at the end is both satisfyingly inconclusive (she will be back) and reassuring in that this is one car who should never be caged. Absolutely wonderful stuff.
"Chief O'Hara, had you ever seen this Titian-haired wench before?"
Every single episode we've had which featured both Julie Newmar as Catwoman and Stanley Ralph Ross as scriptwriter- a marriage made in Heaven- has been utterly terrific thus far. But with this two parter Batman hits heights it seldom reaches. I'm not one of those who likes to make lists f putative favourite episodes but, if I were, this two-parter would be very much in contention.
Curious, then, that this story is far from following the standard pattern. Not only is Catwoman’s accomplice Pussycat played by contemporary singer Lesley Gore, who even gets to perform pretty much two whole songs, crudely crowbarred in over both episodes, and deliberately so, but Robin is brainwashed in the very first scene and spends almost the whole story behaving like a juvenile delinquent from central casting. It’s not hard to see fear of the younger generation here, very prevalent in 1967, as previously goodie-goodie adolescents would suddenly start growing their hair, taking drugs, dropping out or, worse, questioning things like Jim Crow or the Vietnam War, which was really hitting up by this point. We therefore have a gloriously silly brace of episodes which nevertheless address some very real anxieties.
All this plus some truly excellent silly dialogue throughout the episode gives us something very special. So what if Catwoman is suddenly appearing a lot? At this point she’s the best name in Batman’s rogues gallery. It’s fun seeing a bridge to “New Guernsey” or the blatantly signposted Catlair.
Scat, Darn Catwoman
"One should always keep abreast of foreign tongues, Robin."
Even the cliffhanger is more interesting than usual- Batman must surrender or die, and seemingly surrenders. But I love how we’re allowed to see Batman taking a Batpill on a hilarious pretext shortly before he’s drugged- at no point are we expected to actually believe he’s under Catwoman’s spell; that’s part of the fun. And Adam West’s performance is at once fun, extraordinary and opens the door for some delightfully tense flirting.
Not that Burt Ward isn’t being excellent, of course, although Robin is soon captured and turned. And the final car chase and chase on foot between Catwoman and Batman is at once exciting and believably romantic, yet with tongue never being removed from cheek. And her apparent death at the end is both satisfyingly inconclusive (she will be back) and reassuring in that this is one car who should never be caged. Absolutely wonderful stuff.
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