To The Batpoles! Batman 1966

In 2009, writers Nunzio DeFillipis and Christina Weir brought King Tut to the DC Universe in three issues of Batman Confidential (issues 26-28), with art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Kevin Nowlan. Tim and Paul discuss the story, and a few '66 Easter eggs embedded therein. (Originally published on Patreon March 19, 2022.)

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As the show hit its first anniversary and the second season neared its end, we see Batman’s characterization of women subtly changing, particularly Lee Meriwether’s strong Lisa Carson character, and some examples of actual (gasp) interaction between women! Why did the “poor, deluded girls” fade away? Was it changing social mores, or just the show trying not to repeat itself? Nancy Northcott joins us once again to discuss women on the show, this time in the final third of Season Two, which includes the preface to the introduction of the most prominent woman of Season Three — Batgirl! PLUS, Colie Brice’s version of the Batman theme, a bat-interview from the movie premiere in Austin, TX, and your mail on episode 195’s discussion of the script for A Piece of the Action! Green Hornet, How Sweet the Sting by Jim Beard and Joel Naprstek Nora Clavicle scripts First draft Revised draft Final Teaser for Penguin's Clean Sweep Discussion on the '66 Batman message board

In early 1966, Batmania was everywhere. This caused a certain (convicted tax evader) concert promoter to ask the question: Can Batman fill Shea Stadium? Adam West and Frank Gorshin were recruited to play their characters as part of a show that also included such musical luminaries as the Young Rascals and the Temptations. However, on June 25, 1966, the answer to the concert promoter's question turned out to be a resounding "No!" The Shea Stadium show has lingered as an oddity on the edges of our podcast's consciousness for some time, and now it's time to do a deep dive on it. Armed with the script for West and Gorshin's borscht-belt skit, and accounts of the show from several different sources, we look at what the show was meant to be, what it ended up being, and whether anyone who attended would have been particularly pleased with the result. Theme version from KLABEC Drummer Read the Script The New York Times looks back on the show Holy Shea Stadium! The Batman, Beatles, and Bob Dylan Connection, by Frank

The 11th issue of the Batman ’66 comics series gives us an unusual full-issue story in which the Joker teams up with a very Newmaresque Catwoman to break from prison and try to crack up all of Gotham! But how do we feel about these modern Batman elements, such as Arkham, showing up in this context? Is the series fan service going in too many different directions? PLUS: The iPhonedo Garage Band version of the Batman theme, more from Adam and Burt on The Merv Griffin Show, mail on the Batman/Star Trek Act-Off, and one of our listeners “draws” a lot of attention! 13 Groovy BATMAN ’66 Villains That Should Have Been — RANKED - by Ken Holtzhouser

It’s time for another script! This time it’s the first draft of the Green Hornet guest shot arc A Piece of the Action/Batman’s Satisfaction, featuring a much more assertive Robin than perhaps we ever saw Burt Ward play, and a greater focus on the secret identities of Batman and the Hornet! Plus, more of Adam and Burt’s Sept 1, 1966, Merv Griffin appearance, the L'Orchestra Cinematique "EPIC" version of the theme, and your mail on our Madge Blake episode! Links from Chris Cavanaugh Detective Comics 356 Madge Blake SEES Superman, or is it Batman and Robin? Climax of I Love Lucy's Superman episode Who was MADGE BLAKE? Larry Mondello's mom from LEAVE IT TO BEAVER.

You know her as Mousey in A Riddle a Day Keeps the Riddler Away, but did you know that Susan Silo has been a sought-after character voice actor for cartoons since the ‘70s? Or that she had a hit single in 1956 ("Dear Diary") and performed on American Bandstand? Or that she’s performed on Broadway? Or that her high school English teacher became a huge TV star in the ‘70s? This time we chat with Susan herself about all this and more! Plus, the Villains’ version of the Batman theme, more of Adam and Burt on Merv Griffin, and Holy Deja Vu visits Stalag 13! NOTE: The production error in this episode has been fixed. Sorry about that!

Two of the most iconic American TV shows of the 1960s are Batman and Star Trek. A surprising number of actors pulled double duty, appearing on both shows, either as regulars, recurring characters, or one-shot roles. This crossover of actors sounds like an interesting topic, but how do we get it into our show? What we settled on was to put these actors in March Madness-type brackets and pit them against each other. On which show did a given actor give the better performance? And how does their performance stack up against one of the other actors’? For part one of this exercise, we compare Stanley Adams (Cyrano Jones on Trek, Captain Courageous on Batman) to Julie Newmar (Eleen on Trek, Catwoman on Batman), and Joan Collins (Edith Keeler on Trek, the Siren on Batman) to Yvonne Craig (Marta on Trek, Batgirl on Batman). We’re joined in this exercise by our childhood friend Kyle, who grew up a Trek fan. PLUS: the Chuck Cirino version of the theme, Adam and Burt on the Merv Griffin Show in 1966, and we read your m

When talking about Batman, discussion tends to focus on Adam West, Burt Ward, and those who played villains who the Dynamic Duo brought to justice. But here we’ve done nearly 200 episodes and mostly missed someone whose name is in the opening credits for the first two seasons: Madge Blake. So this time we’ve dug in to see what we could learn about this woman who started acting late in life, charmed fellow actors but frustrated some directors, and worked with Jack Benny, Vincente Minnelli, Gene Kelly, and more. We also take a look at her Batman character, Aunt Harriet: her origins in the comics, how the TV and comics versions differed, and what we can tell about the TV version based on her scenes; there’s more to know there than you might think! ALSO: the Mr. Tabs guitar tutorial version of the Batman theme, Vincent Price and Adam watch themselves in a Batman clip on the Mike Douglas Show, Holy Deja Vu asks “Who was Milton Stark?”, and we once again visit the Bat Inbox. Madge Blake articles in Today's Health

As season two rolls on, women are still filling familiar roles: OK with crime, but killing the Dynamic Duo is going "too far"; ditzy moll who dreams of diamonds and Hollywood; "team-up" baddie who's completely superfluous to the male partner's plans. We also get a season one throwback of a moll who crushes on Batman, and a Catwoman assistant (and Batman producer's niece) who wants to be a singer. We're once again joined by novelist Nancy Northcott to discuss women in the middle of season two! Plus, a high school (apparently) orchestral version of the theme, more of Adam West on the Mike Douglas Show, and a look back at High C's one appearance on our podcast.

The cultural impact of Batman '66 was felt for decades after, and still reverberates. This time we discuss a couple more late-20th-century cartoons that showed evidence of that impact: Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, which in 1987 gave us Night of the Bat-Bat, featuring Bat-Bat, a hero with the powers of a bat and a penchant for corny one-liners; and numerous episodes of The Simpsons, including 1992's Mr. Plow, in which Adam West makes a couple of heavily-Bat-referencing appearances; and 1995's Radioactive Man, which gives us the "campy '70s version" of that hero. Holy stand-in! ALSO: Niall Stenson's take on Neal Hefti's Batman theme; Adam on the Mike Douglas Show; your response to our episode on It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman; and we eulogize a committed Bat-fan and regular correspondent to our show, High C. Batman Movie Themes (1966 - 2016) on Guitar Mighty Mouse The New Adventures - Night of the Bat-Bat Night of Bat-Bat - Audio Commentary by John Kricfalusi and Tom Minton

Why does False Face impersonate Chief O’Hara? Where is FF’s hideout? Since when does Aunt Harriet drops censor-tempting puns? Why does Blaze tell the Duo “It’s faster on foot”? These questions and more are up for discussion as we look at the Outline, First Draft, and Revised Draft of True or False Face/Holy Rat Race! Also, Merv Griffin’s 7-year-old son Tony asks Adam West some burning questions, Mina Pang and her dad jam out with the Batman theme, and we read your mail about our Joker Jury episode. OUTLINE First Draft Revised Draft Script discussion thread

Mr. Freeze is back - WILD! He’s gone all Steve Jobs and put a device in everyone’s pocket — one that will plunge Gotham City into year-round winter! Can Batman turn the tables? Meanwhile, Batgirl is going up against a “villain” who, well, very nicely offered Bruce “milk and cookies” in the TV series itself. Yup, it’s Lisa Carson! Did anyone ask for this Egyptian heel turn? Tim and Paul discuss the 10th issue of the Batman ’66 comics series. ALSO: Adam talks with Merv about whether being Batman is going to his head; Holy Deja Vu spotlights actor Dan Tobin; and we read your response to our discussion of Batman ’66 issue 9 in episode 185! See the False Face scripts and comment on them BCV performs the Batman theme

Just a couple of months after Batman hit the airwaves in 1966, another superhero emerged from the comics, as Superman arrived at the Alvin Theater on Broadway in It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman. How did the musical's creators approach the same question William Dozier and Lorenzo Semple, Jr., dealt with in 1965: how to make a "children's character" appealing to adults? We compare and contrast the two shows' approaches. After a good start, the musical closed in less than four months; was Batman to blame? And, what's the deal with that late-night 1975 TV version? All this, plus Adam's story of meeting the pope, and your response to our Hizzoner the Penguin script episode! Concord Theatricals offers two weeks with the musical's libretto at no charge

As we know, many episodes of Batman — especially in the first season — were based on stories from the comics. And additional comics stories were floated as possible episodes but didn’t make the cut. This time, we focus on one such story: The Joker Jury, by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff, originally appearing in Batman 163 (May 1964) and adopted into an unproduced treatment by Max Hodge, writer of the first two Mr. Freeze arcs of the show. What changes did Hodge make to the story and why? Why might this not have been produced? PLUS: Chris Holland’s rock guitar version of the theme, more Adam West on the Merv Griffin Show, and some of your mail about Episode 183’s bat-costume discussion with Chuck and Lynne Williams. The Joker Jury comics story The Joker Jury treatment 13th Dimension: Photos of bat-costumes owned by collector "Alfred"

The cover of Batman '66 #9 includes Zelda the Great hanging above the Duo, and Shame's boots in the foreground. Zelda's in the issue, but where's Shame? Um... in issue #8?! (We discussed that story in episode 182!) Jeff Parker's Zelda story has its moments, but in other ways it's just weird. Meanwhile, Tom Peyer's backup story brings back Alfred's cousin Egbert from The Joker's Provokers, but brings to mind what a version of Alfred in Peyer's The Wrong Earth might have been like! This time, we discuss issue 9. Also, we give our own answers to some previously posted bat-questions, hear more of Adam on The Merv Griffin Show, read a bit of mail, and listen to Pylon's version of Hefti's Bat-theme.  

Stanford Sherman’s Hizzoner the Penguin is a bit hard to reckon with. Satire on Batman is not in line with Lorenzo Semple Jr’s vision for the show, and the 1966 political references date this arc much more than many others. And yet, it has some brilliantly funny moments. This time, we take a look at Sherman’s treatment, first draft, and final script for Hizzoner to learn about the development of the story, possible reasons why Sherman was unhappy with the result, and previously unnoticed moments that suddenly stand out - for good and ill. Also, Scotty McKay’s Here Comes Batman (a song that’s also related to the show by three degrees of separation), Adam West on The Merv Griffin Show, and your reaction to our episode on Assistant Director Reuben Watt. "Hizzoner the Penguin" scripts: Treatment First draft Final Discuss the scripts on the '66 Message Board Here Comes Batman clip from the movie Creature of Destruction The full record of Here Comes Batman

A huge aspect of the Batman show is the colorful costumes, overseen by designer Jan Kemp. Sadly, Kemp is no longer with us, and his records, if they exist, are not easily available, so if you want to make a really accurate Batman ’66 replica costume, some detective work is required. Chuck and Lynne Williams have done just that, making patterns from original costumes owned by collectors, tracking down existing supplies of fabrics that are no longer made, and more. This time, we hear from this dynamic duo about their detective work and what they’ve learned about how the costumes were made, what happened when the prop department needed to get involved (for example, the Mad Hatter’s mesmerizer hat), why Batman’s cowl and cape tended to turn purple over time, and more. Plus, the Alfred Music Marching Band version of the theme, and your mail about the Thirteenth Hat script and more. Vicki Lawrence talks with Jan Kemp and the Bat-crew Adam on the Howard Stern Show: An original cowl? Batgirl Teaches Batman a Less

On January 18, 1968 — just two weeks after her final appearance on Batman was broadcast — Eartha Kitt attended a White House ladies’ luncheon held by Lady Bird Johnson. After a brief, unsatisfying conversation with Lyndon Johnson, Kitt, annoyed, stood up and denounced the Vietnam War. This prompted an apparent effort by the President to kill her career in the US. We discuss a recent video from the New Yorker that explores this incident, with clever tie-ins to her Batman appearances. Also, we dust off our Batman ’66 comics collections and take a look at issue 8, featuring the story King Tut Barges In. PLUS: A Japanese surf band tackles that Batman theme, we complete our listen to the “Featurette” interview of Adam and Burt from the Batman: The Movie DVD, and read your mail on … various past episodes! New Yorker documentary: When the Government Tried -- and Failed -- to Silence Catwoman The Washington Post looks back 50 years later Eartha Kitt vs. LBJ: Newly Found Audio Next script: "Hizzoner the Penguin" T

A lot of people work behind the scenes on a TV show, and some of them are never named in the credits. One is Assistant Director Reuben Watt, who nonetheless did get some credit in the form of coverage in magazines aimed at African-Americans. (The image shown here is from the cover of Sepia magazine.) The June 1966 issue of Ebony included a photo feature on Watt, which tells us some interesting things about Watt, the status of African-Americans in Hollywood in the ‘60s, and the Batman show itself. This time, we discuss the article. Also, we’ve been presenting our listeners with “Bat-questions,” but what are our own answers to these questions? We answer the first three questions we presented to you. PLUS: The Randy Waldman version of the Batman theme, Adam West talks about the famous “bomb” scene, and we read your mail on our Batman and Bill episode. American Bandstand: "Batman is Coming!" Batman promo from final episode of Shindig Long, hard battle to earn creators fame, if not fortune (Cleveland Jewish Ne