This time we wrap up our discussion of Lorenzo Semple Jr's  BATNOTES memo for prospective BATMAN 66 writers. These last few pages of the memo cover the show's running characters, including a surprising early take on Aunt Harriet, as well as the now-familiar format of the show and the question of showing supered titles on the screen rather than narration!

Listen to Bat Bits and see the memo we're discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and '60s! Slide down your Batpole to join our Patreon today!

On the latest Bat Bits, we discuss Lorenzo Semple Jr's guidelines regarding Batman's arsenel: The Batmobile, the Batcave, and all his various devices. We discuss reasons to label everything in the Batcave and Batman's general resourcefulness. Whatever he needs is always there when he needs it!

Listen to Bat Bits and see the memo we're discussing by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins Tim to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Slide down your Batpole to join our Patreon today!

While Rik Vollaerts' early draft of The Bookworm Turns was very different from what was broadcast, surely the final script is exactly what we saw? But no, that's never true; some changes always occur at the hands of the director, and perhaps the actors. A significant scene (and significant henchman) disappeared from this story as broadcast. Was it simply cut for time, or were there questions of taste? In the latest BAT BITS, Tim and Paul discuss the differences and what may account for them.

Listen to Bat Bits and follow along with a PDF of the script by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Come on over to patreon dot com slash decon comics to join the fun!

The Riddler, a one-off villain in a Bill Finger/Dick Sprang comic book story in 1948, languished for nearly two decades until, in 1965, Gardner Fox and Sheldon Moldoff happened to bring him back… just as a certain TV producer, William Dozier, was researching the idea of making a Batman TV show. Riddler ended up in the premiere episode, played by Frank Gorshin, and Gorshin was nominated for an Emmy for the role. Thus was the Riddler cemented as one of Batman's greatest foes.

So the '66 show is responsible for The Riddler's prominence, but didn't it also determine some specifics of the character? How he acts? How he dresses? How he talks? The show's influence over how the Riddler was played lasted decades. In this episode, we're joined by a voice actor who met Gorshin and has played several versions of the Riddler himself, Wally Wingert, to discuss these aspects of the Riddler, and explore the approach of his alter-ego, Frank Gorshin.

Plus, your mail about our discussion in episode 149 of Alan Napier's memoir!

Brian Cronin article on the Riddle - find the inaccuracies!

Frank Gorshin performs "The Riddler" on Dean Martin's show

Frank Gorshin on American Bandstand, 1975

Evolution of the Riddler in cartoons in 11 minutes

Burt Ward on Conan O'Brien

1966 Batman Golden Records comic book + LP boxed set (submitted by Chris Cavanaugh)

Bat-Van submitted by Martin Noreau

Help Tim move away from his cough-inducing apartment

We've looked at Batman: The Movie from a director's standpoint; this time, we look at it from a cinematographer's. Howard Schwartz, Director of Photography on that film, published an article in American Cinematographer magazine's June 1966 issue called Bat-motography, or Capturing Batman on Film, which not only tells us some of the issues that came up in terms of lighting the film, but also certain scenes in the first season, and plenty of other interesting tidbits. This time, we discuss the article, and also the sixth issue of the Batman '66 comic book, featuring a (nearly) spot-on take on the Bookworm by Tom Peyer.

Also: the Batman theme as played in 2008 by Chicchi, a (then) young girl playing surf guitar; and your mail about our talk with the principals of Batman at Washburn!

Help Tim move away from his cough-inducing apartment

Chicchi playing "The Cruel Sea"

One of our favorite Batman arcs growing up was the three-parter "The Zodiac Crimes" featuring the mind-blowing combination of Joker and Penguin! But when Stephen Kandel wrote it, it was a two-parter introducing a new villain: The Astrologer. Why might it have been switched to a three-parter starring established villains? How much in the script did Stanford Sherman change when he was asked to rewrite it into what was broadcast? And, can a huge meteorite falling on you cause you to be… burned to death?? We'll see as we walk through the script!

Read the script

Also, guitarist Marcos Kaiser performs the Batman themes of 1966 and 1989, and your mail about our discussion of Sherman's letters prompts us to drill into the probable causes of the gradual "slide" in bat-script quality.

Akron newspaper article about Stanford Sherman (click to enlarge)

Alan Napier was the third-billed star of Batman, and is, somewhat remarkably, the only series regular who has a memoir currently in print. The book, Not Just Batman's Butler, was written by Napier around 1970, and writer James Bigwood has edited and annotated it. At some points, Bigwood has filled in some quite large gaps that Napier left concerning his acting career, as the actor tended to focus more on his personal life. Batman does get a chapter, but it's among the shortest in the book. So, is it worth the bat-fan's time to pick up this 356-page tome? We've read the book and we try to answer that question in this episode.

ALSO: The Golden Orchestra's version of Hefti's Batman theme, and your mail about episode 146, in which we revealed the Batman at Washburn fan film!

Alan Napier on becoming Alfred

Batman and Robin: A Mission to Fight Crime, within the Comic Book Heroes Collection playlist

The Alfee "Mary Ann"

You know about the 1966 Batman at Washburn fan film, made by students at Minneapolis' Washburn High School. (If you missed it, listen to episode 146!) But questions remained unanswered. How did the students get the school to let them shoot the film at school? How did they come up with the idea, and determine the casting? Why did they go with original villains? Why is there no Batcave? And...what's with that funky orange wash on some of the shots?

In this episode, we meet some of the stars of the film -- Tim Olson (Batman), Mike Smith (Professor Sin), and Ross Olson (the narrator) -- who fill us in on the answers to these and other questions. Tim even found a trove of documentation of the planning of the film and news reports about its making! And we get to hear about the world premiere of the film on June 3, 1966, and more details on what happened to the film between then and its finding its way to collector Mitch Kaba!

(EDIT: Ross sent us one more document - a handwritten plan for the narration and music cues! See it here.)

ALSO: Jan and Dean's Batman theme (and some other details of Jan and Dean Meet Batman that we missed back in episode 28), and your mail about episode 145, our discussion of director Leslie Martinson's input on Batman: The Movie!

Batman at Washburn

Jan and Dean Meet Batman discussed on Bizarre Albums

Batman theme by Jan and Dean

Jan and Dean Meet Batman on YouTube, including unused skits

66 Batman Message Board thread on cut or missing scenes from the show, including Therin of Andor's posting of a still of Sterling Holloway as Major Terry, left on the cutting room floor of Batman: The Movie

Most TV writers don't become stars. If we're fans of a show they wrote for, we probably know their names, but nowhere online can we find most writers' photos or dates of birth, let alone anything about their inner thoughts. Especially not writers who did their work decades ago.

Collector Mitch Kaba has come along to help us get some insight into one of the more prolific Bat-writers: Stanford Sherman. Courtesy of Mitch, we have some letters that Sherman wrote to his girlfriend in 1965-66, which include references to some of his early Batman work; in particular, Hizzoner the Penguin. Sherman visited the Bat-set during the shooting of that two-parter, and his account of the visit gives us an amazing look behind the curtain.

Also in this episode, we discuss the fifth issue of the Batman '66 comic book, featuring appearances by the Sandman and Catwoman (Eartha Kitt version)! Do you want to be evil?

ALSO: The Tito Iglesias version of the Batman theme (holy catfight!) and your response to our Leslie Martinson discussion in episode 144!

"Bat-motography, or Capturing Batman on Film" - American Cinematographer, June 1966

Eartha Kitt: "I Want to be Evil"

Breaking bat-news! The earliest-known Batman '66 fan film has been revealed! It was made by students at Washburn High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the spring of 1966. As Batmania raged nationally, these kids decided to celebrate their school by making a Batman film in and around their school, with the cooperation of the school, including screen appearances by the principal, Carl W. Anderson, and two teachers! In this episode, we meet collector Mitchell Kaba, who found the film on Goodwill's auction site and was able to track down many of the students involved in the film - including John Powers, who also joins us. We discuss how the film was made, where it's been all these years, and the historical significance.

ALSO: "Holy Deja Vu" takes us to Dallas, Colie Brice rocks out with "Batman Blues in G Major", and your response to episode 143's talk with Jeff Bond blows us away!

Watch the film

Director Leslie Martinson, in his TV Academy interview that we explored last time, kept coming back to the question "What is the director's input" in a TV show or movie? When he pointed out his input to the famous "bomb" scene in Batman: The Movie, we became curious to see what other aspects of the film might show signs of "the director's input." So this time, we dig into the script of the Batman '66 film to see where else Martinson's fingerprints might turn up.

ALSO: The Nostalgia Choir (?) version of the Batman theme, your input on episode 142, and D'oh prizes galore for "Impish Humor Batman" sightings in the series!

Leslie Martinson was the director of "The Penguin Goes Straight"/"Not Yet He Ain't" and "Batman: The Movie." He was a good friend of Adam West's (but thought Burt Ward was "adequate"). As a director, how much impact did he have on the Batman legacy? For one thing, he played a big role in shaping the "bomb" scene into a signature scene of Adam West Batman!

The TV Academy's 2003 interview with Martinson reveals this (especially when we take a look at the movie's script), as well as some of Martinson's experiences in making various movies and TV shows - sometimes in front of a stress-inducing live audience. We discuss the interview, dig into Acey Hudkins' accident on the set of the movie, and ask the question: Is the "bomb" scene camp? (Get your sleeping bag!)

Also, the Steelism version of the theme, a Deja Vu encounter with one Steve Franken, and your mail on … various topics.

Nelson Riddle's score for Batman, including the 1966 film Batman: The Motion Picture, features energetic, swing-influenced cues that adhere to the action like a Carl Stalling Looney Tunes score, and opera-esque motifs for each villain and each Bat-vehicle. As incidental music tends to be, it's probably the most underappreciated aspect of the series.

In this episode, film music commentator Jeff Bond, who wrote the liner notes for Film Score Monthly's CD release of the Batman film's music in 2000, joins us to talk about what Nelson Riddle brought to the Bat-table.

Also, your response to our Julie Newmar/Eartha Kitt comparison in episode 140!

A lingering question from the Bookworm arc of Batman, as broadcast, is: Why was a Commissioner Gordon impersonator seemingly shot at the opening of the bridge? As we conclude our look at the draft version of the script, we finally get an answer!

Listen to Bat Bits and follow along with a PDF of the script by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Come on over to patreon dot com slash decon comics to join the fun!

When you see a script marked "FINAL," you probably assume that it's word-for-word the same as what was shot. In the case of "The Penguin Goes Straight"/"Not Yet He Ain't", it's not even the final script! It was followed by a "revised final" script, which still varies significantly from what was shot. Many lines are changed, scenes are tightened up, unnecessary scenes are cut. This time we take a look at both scripts in comparison with what made it to film, and contemplate the reasons for the changes.

Plus, the Finality (drumstep) version of the theme, and your mail about episode 139, "Batman Meets Godzilla" #2 and the Battle Over the Batmobile!

Final Script

Revised Final Script

Discussion of these scripts on the '66 message board

Discussion of episode 139 on the '66 message board

This time we resume reviewing the Batman '66 comic book series, with issues 3 and 4, featuring Joker, the Red Hood (huh? Isn't that Joker?), Egghead, the Mad Hatter, and Clock King. We discuss why Robin had two "holys" in a row, the mysterious floating egg-hat, Londinium suddenly becoming London, an unexpected kinship between villains, and more.

Plus, Hefti's "Batman" theme performed by Eddie Vedder and daughter Harper, and your reaction to episode 138's "Batman Forever" discussion!

Julie Newmar appeared as Catwoman in six two-parters during the first two seasons of Batman. During that time, the show and her character evolved, and while some might not agree with the direction they took, it's hard to deny that Julie did both the evil, whip-snapping Catwoman and the Batman-besotted, comic Catwoman-of-a-thousand-disguises very well.

Then in season three, she was gone and Eartha Kitt took her place. Do many of us find ourselves dissatisfied with Kitt's very satisfactory version of Catwoman, just because Kitt wasn't the first to play the role? What different characteristics do we see in the two versions - some of them due to the actors' choices, and others being beyond their control?

Our friend Kyle joins us once again, bringing the power of the "word cloud" to our discussion, discussing our bias toward the first version we see (any who preferrrrr Eartha?), and helping us generally compare and contrast the two takes on the character.

Plus a marching-band take on two different Batman themes, and your response to episode 137's discussion of Yvonne Craig's memoir!

Julie as Catwoman word cloud:

Eartha as Catwoman word cloud:

Eartha Kitt talks about playing Catwoman in TV Academy interview

2012 TJHS Marching Band - Batman

Batman Meets Godzilla issue 2 is out! You may recall we previously reviewed issue 1 of Eric Elliot's labor-of-love project, with contributions from numerous artists (including Ian Miller, who drew the above panel), to bring life to a movie pitch from the '60s. Issue 2 manages to noticeably top issue 1 in numerous ways. In this episode, our review.

As 20th Century Fox and Greenway Productions were putting together the pilot two-parter of Batman, some problems arose with George Barris and his car customizing shop, Barris Kustom City. Barris seemed intent on keeping possession of the car when it wasn't in front of the cameras; Fox's Charles Fitzsimons suspected that Barris wanted to hold the car for ransom. Some documents, from the American Heritage Center in Laramie via Ben Bentley, tell the story … or, at least, some of it. We examine these documents.

Also, a Holy Deja Vu! (or two) from the Dick Van Dyke Show, a French-language record that's both about and credited to Batman, and your mail about episode 136, "Freeze/Penguin teamup and Dozier's ten rules"!

The Batmobile Documents:

Barris' proposal for the Batmobile deal

Features the Batmobile needed for the pilot

The Batmobile falls apart on the set

Two years later, the saga continues

Who are the Red Bamboo?

Burt Ward announcing an appearance in Georgia in 1977

Batman - L'Invicible Batman + Un mauvais farceur

Is Batman Forever a comedy? Or is it an action movie with a few funny parts? Is it a throwback to the '66 series, or a blend of every iteration of Batman? Is it camp? And the cut scenes regarding Bruce's memories of his father's diary prompt us to consider: is it better to have a lame payoff, or no payoff at all?

Meanwhile, "Holy Deja Vu!" is back, and Paul fills us in on character actor of Karnaby Katz fame, Robert Long!

Plus, your mail about episode #135 Batman '66 Comics, the Gray Ghost, and Nostalgia.

Deleted scenes

Robert Long plugging Sunsweet Pitted Prunes

Adam plugging kids' traffic safety in the UK

Yvonne Craig's memoir, From Ballet to the Batcave and Beyond, poses quite a contrast to those by Adam West and Burt Ward. Batman takes up much less space in it, and recountings of sexual adventures take up no space at all. What emerges is a very practical woman who sees herself as a geek, is surprised to find herself typecast as "sexy" as she approaches 40, has plenty of amusing anecdotes (Hollywood-related and otherwise), and would be a joy to sit down to coffee with. We've read the book and we review it in this episode.

Also, we present audio of ten minutes of Yvonne's 1967 appearance on the Joey Bishop Show, John Zorn's non-Hefti tune "Batman", and your mail about episode 134, "What's my Crime? Bob Dozier's Joker Drafts."

YvonneCraig.com

Adam West talks about being on Batman, including the "breast-touching incident"

Penguins live where it's cold, but somehow the pairing of the Penguin and Mr. Freeze never came about on the TV show. But Jeff Parker made it happen in the second issue of the Batman '66 comic book! In the same issue, he gave us another logical pairing, Chandell and the Siren. This time, we review the issue.

Also, we take a closer look at the 1966 memo from William Dozier to Howie Horwitz, which laid out ten rules of thumb for the making of the show. Were all the points good ideas, and were they adhered to over the run of the show?

PLUS: The Beatbox Saboteurs' version of the Batman theme, winners of the "Joker's Utility Belt" D'oh Prize, and your response to our discussion with Scott Sebring in episode 133 - including a closer look at that astonishing bridge scene at the start of the Bookworm arc!

Paul and Tim talk about the origins of Moon Knight on Deconstructing Comics

Rally Wax commercial

The glass matte painting shot in Charlie Chaplain's Modern Times: How it was done (from TheKidShouldSeeThis.com)

This episode: BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT! We discuss two topics often suggested by listeners:

In 2013, not long before Batman finally came to home video, DC Comics began the Batman '66 comic book series with Jeff Parker and Jonathan Case's "The Riddler's Ruse." In a comic whose main reason for existence is nostalgia, is it forgivable to take advantage of the comics medium to do things the TV show never could have? Does the art invoke nostalgia - and if so, is it the right kind?

Then we consider the 1992 episode from the first season of Batman: The Animated Series, "Beware the Gray Ghost", featuring the voice of Adam West. What does it say about our nostalgia for childhood heroes? The power of the casting choice is clear, but would it mean anything to the show's ostensible target audience?

PLUS: The Death Cab for Cutie version of the Batman theme, and your reaction to Episode 132, "Women of Season One: Not Just "Poor, Deluded Girls"!

Scripts are back! After many months resting our script-research muscles, we're back to tackle the first two drafts of Robert Dozier's The Joker is Wild — originally called The Joker's Utility Belt, after the comics story the script is based on. Oddly, this first draft seems to also have scenes that are based on Lorenzo Semple's Hi Diddle Riddle! Holy carbon copy!

As usual, draft first-season batscripts tell us much about the show finding and defining itself, and also help us notice some imperfections in the broadcast episode that we hadn't realized were there. They also lead us to a mini Bat Research Lab on a topic very relevant to this script — news anchors!

Also, Snoop Dogg's Batman and Robin, and your mail about episode 131 "1970: Batman Goes Solo and Gets Spooky"! Also: The D'oh Prize is back!

SCRIPTS

• The Joker's Utility Belt (draft)
• The Joker is Wild (revised draft)
• Discussion on the '66 Batman message board!

1/27/66 memo from Bill Dozier to Howie Horwitz: More sexy dames!

Allan Burns explains the origin of Ted Baxter

Batman Lava soap commercial

Snoop Dogg: Batman and Robin

Hey Batfans! Want details on what kept the show out of home video for so long? Want to know where the building called Gotham Plaza was, and what other shows that same structure was used for? Wondering about the background on the missing narration at the start of Hi Diddle Riddle? Have questions about the history of the all-seeing, all-knowing 66 Batman message board? There's only ONE MAN (OK, maybe two men) we can call: Scott Sebring! He joins us this time to discuss all this and more. "We do know when we need him… and we need him now!"

Then Tim presents a Bat Research Lab study that reveals a Joker episode that Lorenzo Semple Jr. rewrote to feature the Penguin! Which script was it, and which version was used on the show?

Also, Scott's 2004 Queen parody Batman Rhapsody (a musical retelling of why, up to that point, Batman wasn't on home video), and your mail about episode 130 "Reading Fan Letters in the Wayne Living Room" (mostly from the message board thread!)

Lorenzo Semple's memo about replacing Joker with Penguin

The rewritten script

Fact Toothpaste ad featuring Alan Napier

When the Justice League Essentially Added Edd "Kookie" Byrnes to the Team

Byrnes also had a hit song with Connie Stevens

Photographic proof that Snapper Carr's name was misspelled in Bill Adler's Funniest Fan Letters to Batman

On the latest episode of Bat Bits, Paul and I move into the second half of the early draft of Rik Vollaerts' script "The Bookworm Turns"! We can see the vague outlines of this script in the broadcast version, including the use of the Bat Magnet! But does it make sense for Bookworm to steal "industrial diamonds"? And, if an implement is called a Bat Cutting Torch, wouldn't it be better for us to actually see it cutting?

We also notice how this version of the script keeps repeating the same themes!

Listen to Bat Bits and follow along with a PDF of the script by subscribing to our Patreon for at least $2 a month! For $4 a month, you ALSO get our monthly discussion of silver age Batman comics as Paul or another in our stable of co-hosts joins me to examine individual Batman stories from the 1950s and 60s! Come on over to patreon dot com slash decon comics to join the fun!

TV in the '60s was, of course, dominated by male characters. It'd be tough to find a series that would pass the "Bechdel Test." How does Batman fare from a woman's point of view in the year 2020? To help us investigate this question, we invited novelist Nancy Northcott to join us this time and screen selected episodes from the first season. Plus, Tim and Paul have identified five "rules" for how women (molls in particular) are portrayed on the show.

Also, "Bat Attack '89" (a Keaton-cash-in-cover of Hefti's Batman theme), and your mail on episode 129 "The Show's Ratings, and Rating 'Godzilla'!" (message board thread)

The archive of the "bat-documents" site

"Bat Attack '89" official music video

"Bat Attack '89" by the Crime Fighters, Inc (showing cover art)

SCRIPTS

• The Joker's Utility Belt (draft)
• The Joker is Wild (revised draft)
• Discuss on the '66 Batman message board!

The 1964 "New Look" facelift and, of course, our beloved 1966 TV show created a boom in Batman comics... briefly. The sales numbers dropped to their lowest point yet after the show was cancelled. Meanwhile, diehard fans of the comics, whose vision of Batman couldn't have been farther from how he was portrayed on the show, were fed up and demanding a darker version of the character, a return to his roots.

These fans, many of whom read, and wrote for, the Batmania fanzine, were cheering for the darker look that new artist Neal Adams was giving the Caped Crusader in The Brave and the Bold. Editor Julius Schwartz found that a drastic change was the only way forward. That drastic change came in Batman 217 (above), in which Robin went off to college, and Batman and Alfred left the Batcave and Stately Wayne Manor behind.

In this episode, we're joined by author Ian Gordon to discuss the changes that were made to the comics between 1968 and 1970 and the forces that drove those changes.

Plus, Bobby Valentin's two different versions of the Batman theme (1966 and 1989 varieties), and your mail about the Roast Godzilla episode.

Collectors Call TV: Ralph Garman's Batman collection

The Age of TV Heroes, by Jason Hofius and George Khoury

• See the opening pages of each chapter
• Buy on Amazon while supporting this podcast!

Bibliography of past episodes that informed this one:

• The Batmania newsletters: Episodes 91 and 92
• Glen Weldon's The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture: Episode 83
• Batman's 1964 "New Look," and how the TV show affected the comics: Episode 34
• The "bat-coffee table book," Batman: A Celebration of the Classic TV Series: Episode 55
• Batman (1989): Episode 85

Bobby Valentin "Batman" (1989)

Bobby Valentin "Batman" (1966)

This episode's Mego ad

In 1966, one sure way to make money was to tie your product to the Batman TV show in some way. Bill Adler was an expert at riding the latest wave, and in that year he released Bill Adler's Funniest Fan Letters to Batman, a collection of real (?) fan letters sent by fans (mostly kids) of the Caped Crusader's TV show and comic books. In this episode, we discuss this book and read some of our favorite letters from it.

Then Ben Bentley of 66batman.com (AAA-aa, AAA-aa) stops by to fill us in further on last episode's question regarding the similarities of various "living room" sets from the show, and more. Ben and co-moderator of the board Scott Sebring have been enjoying tracking the reappearances of various bat-sets, and the living room question sent Ben down other set-related rabbit holes, including figuring out which set was used for the library in the Batgirl/Killer Moth presentation reel!

Plus, the Kitsch and Camp version of the theme, and your mail about our discussion of Legends of the Superheroes: The Challenge!

The gallery...

...is the bank...

...is the Batgirl-presentation-reel library.

The Wayne Manor entryway arch...

...reappears in season three's library.

At last, we're back!

Week-to-week Neilsen ratings info isn't easy to come by, but some research on the ratings has been shared on the all-seeing, all-knowing 66 Batman message board by Bob Furmanek. This time we examine Bob's research and how it puts another nail in the bat-coffin of the pervasive fourth season myth.

2015 4th season myth thread

2018 4th season myth thread

2018 4th season smoking gun?

Also in this episode:

• A prince getting weighed? Holy Deja Vu!
• A review of the first issue of Batman Meets Godzilla
• Your mail reacting to our season three wrapup episode
  • Scenes in the '66 movie where Penguin said "Faugh!"
  • Detective Comics 475, facsimile edition
  • Englehart/Rogers BATMAN hardcover
  • Steve Englehart's uncredited work on the '89 Batman movie
  • Detective Comics 375 (first Barbara Gordon/Batgirl), facsimile edition
  • Gold Key's Captain Nice comic
  • Stills of Bruce Wayne, Karnaby Katz, and Lord Ffogg's living rooms - are they all the same set? (Sure looks like it! Wayne living room has wider doorway, though.) (Click for larger images!)

• It ain't really the Hefti theme, but one Reza Koeswoyo sang a song about Batman on Indonesian TV

The lyrics, in English:

You are my hero - Batman
You are my idol - Batman
I like you - Batman
You're a crime suppressor
Defender of justice
Gallant - Batman
Gallant - Batman

I envy him
Want to be like you
Batman, Batman

Unfortunately I'm still small
But your manliness
Made me want to grow up fast

I want to study hard
Later, after I graduate from school
I want to be Batman

(repeat first verse)

Tim and Paul explain why the next episode will be delayed a bit.

Also, how you can put yourself in a drawing to win a Batman meets Godzilla T-shirt!

This time, a double-header!

First, we finish what we started by discussing Legends of the Superheroes: The Roast. Was it a great achievement by West and Ward? (Um…) Was Frank Gorshin probably better off for having skipped it? Was the inclusion of Ghetto Man racist? Is it really a roast at all? Is it, you know, funny at any point? We discuss all these questions, the big and small names that appeared in the credits, and more.

Then, we talk to Eric Elliott, who's in charge of a project to turn a 1960s treatment for an unrealized Batman Meets Godzilla movie into an online comic!

Plus Toma Lazarov's dubstep version of the Batman theme, and your response to our discussion of Minerva, Mayhem, and Millionaires!

Mark Evanier on how Legends came to be

Jim Beard writes on Tor.com about Legends and the origin of that awful cowl

Marc Nobleman begins his search for Legends cast members in 2011

Nobleman finds Barbara Joyce (Huntress) - but too late

Nobleman finds - and talks to - Howard Murphy (Green Lantern)

(Thanks to JB Anderton for the Noblemania links - misattributed on the show! Sorry about that...)

Minerva "episode episode" discussion on the '66 message board

Hanna-Barbera's Alice in Wonderland or What's a Nice Kid Like You Doing in a Place Like This? on Daily Motion

Here's the cover of that Rexall Alice comic book we owned way back when

Mark Evanier on Howard Morris (Dr. Sivana) and why he quit working for Hanna-Barbera in the '60s

In January 1979, Adam West, Burt Ward, and Frank Gorshin reprised their '66 roles in two specials that barely registered in the Nielsen ratings. The first was "Legends of the Superheroes: The Challenge," in which Batman, Robin, and other DC Comics heroes went up against a group of villains (including the Riddler) who, for no clear reason, were plotting to destroy the world. Adam looked sub-par in his "gila cowl," and all three struggled with a script that only the laugh track found funny. In this episode, we take one for the team to explore this highly unmemorable program.

Also, we go all the way to Mars for some "deja vu," listen to Greg De Luca's guitar tutorial of Hefti's Batman theme, and read your response to our "Penguinalysis" episode!

MeTV on "Legends"

LEGENDS site on archive.org

Batmobilehistory.com

Rare Sketches and Paintings for the Batman '66 Opening Credits

We've finished season three (and the series), so it's time to examine the final year of Batman. It's not a task we relish; so much of season three is a disappointment, from the writing to the production values, the head-scratching cliffhanger-free episode tag scenes to the phoned-in acting. And then there's the introduction of Batgirl. While Yvonne Craig was always a delight, the execution of introducing Barbara Gordon/Batgirl into a show that had just been cut back to once a week, and sometimes one-part stories, left a lot to be desired. Where did the show go wrong in its approach to Batgirl, and how could she have been better utilized?

Also, we listen to the Scaffold's "Goodbat Nightman" (NOTE: some may find this video rather controversial), say "Holy Deja Vu!" while watching Get Smart, and dig into your mail about our Dr. Cassandra episode!

Did Sonny and Cher almost appear on Batman?

"The Dress" in Catwoman's Dressed to Kill

And so we arrive at the last episode of Batman. Of course, the show didn't get a spectacular sendoff; they didn't even give us any of the major villains. Instead, Zsa Zsa Gabor, who had twice almost appeared on the show, finally gets her turn, as (relatively?) evil spa owner Minerva. ("How could she be evil? She's so beautiful!") What's perhaps more notable is the amount of self-parody in the episode, including appearances by executive producer William Dozier and producer Howie Horwitz! Join us as we wrap up the TV series - but not the podcast series!

Also, Richard Bakalyan inspires "deja vu", the Bat Research Lab uncovers when Batman was merely one of the world's greatest detectives, and we read your mail about the parade of bat-parodies!

Zsa Zsa Gabor's 1966 letter to Dozier

Sounds Incorporated's Batman theme

The 1974 "Equal Pay" PSA

How might a longtime Batman comics reader in 1966 have reacted to Burgess Meredith's portrayal of the Penguin? That's the question our friend Kyle hit on a few months ago, and in this episode he joins us to read pre-'66 Batman comics to compare how similar Meredith's Penguin was to the character in stories by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff, France Herron, and the like. How similar are the two versions, and where are they different?

Plus, your mail about our discussion of The Joker's Flying Saucer!

Four and Twenty Penguins: from Batman 43 (1947) and Batman 155 (1963)

A Comic History of the Penguin on theneitherworld.com

The Penguin on ComicVine

Burgess Meredith's single: The Capture and The Escape

Batman by Garotos Podres

The Joker I've Thrilled Many a Woman T-shirt on 80stees.com

Discussion of BATPOLES episode 121 "Send Off the Clown" on 66batman.com

Batman for U.S. Savings Bonds

Now live on Patreon - part two of our look at the draft Bookworm script, featuring an overlong, over-complicated deathtrap scene!

Join us on Patreon to hear our discussion and follow along with the script!

As Batman neared the end of its run, the budget situation got worse (occasioning the need for an invisible fight), and the writers threw caution to the wind: witness at least half a dozen double entendres in "The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra" — this at a time when most viewers who were old enough to get these naughty jokes had already bailed. In this episode, we examine this, the final episode written by Stanley Ralph Ross.

PLUS: Lily Munster has a deja vu episode, John Burgess sends us his own take on Hefti's Batman theme, and we read your mail about our discussion of the Dynamic Duo on The Adventures of Superman radio show!

The 1966 LP More Official Adventures of Batman and Robin, on Discogs.com

"When Batman Became a Coward" from that same 1966 LP

Ronald Liss bio on superman.fandom.com

Down These Mean Streets discusses "The Case of the Drowning Seal"

John Burgess plays a Batman Theme-like tune in one of his guitar rebuild videos

The other appearances of The Purple Top

Leslie Perkins, as Octavia, is the first to wear it, in The Minstrel's Shakedown/Barbecued Batman?

Then Phyllis Douglas, as Josie, takes her turn in The Joker's Last Laugh/The Joker's Epitaph.

When Batman was the hottest show on TV, it naturally became a major target of humor and parody as well. In episode 115 we looked at a couple of contemporaneous Bat-parodies from 1966-67, and this episode we examine three more:

• The Adventures of Jerry Lewis no. 97, featuring the actual Batman and Robin, who are both dealing with the effects of West/Ward Batman on their own lives, and acting in ways that parody their TV counterparts;
• the CRACKED magazine parody "Batzman meets the Green Horned Bee"; and
• "Ratman and Bobbin In The Clipper Caper", an audio parody by folk-music outfit The Brothers Four!

Plus the CPCC Band version of the theme, deja vu from the Petrie household, and your mail about our "I'll Be a Mummy's Uncle" discussion!

Victor Buono: "Fat Man's Prayer"

In Cesar Romero's final appearance as the Joker, he seems hamstrung, and not only by the lousy plot and the single episode in which to tell it. Ken Holtzhouser, who grew up rating Batman episodes based on their Romeroian content, joins us to identify the problem, separate out the chaff from the episode, and see if there's any Bat-wheat left.

Plus, the Andrew and Hudson version of the theme, and listener mail in response to our episode on Flash Gordon and Lorenzo Semple!

Ken's comic The Quick and the Dad

Ken's podcast No Guilty Pleasures: A pop culture podcast

While Batman and Robin never had their own show back in the "Golden Age of Radio," they did appear from time to time on The Adventures of Superman. Sometimes it was because Superman actor Bud Collyer was taking the day off, but in the case of "Batman's Great Mystery", he appears in all eleven episodes as Batman (Stacy Harris) has disappeared, and Superman helps Robin (Ronald Liss) try to locate him. WHAT WILL HAPPEN? Tune in to this podcast, fellas and girls, for the intriguing answer!

Plus, the Superhero Suite version of the theme, and your mail about Ross's final Shame!

Hear the entire story (without the contest winners etc) on YouTube

Access nearly every Adventures of Superman episode on zootradio.com

Jessica Plummer's writeup of the AoF series (and racism therein) on bookriot.com

Wikipedia on The Adventures of Superman

"Batman's Great Mystery" discussed on the Classic Horror Film Board at tapatalk.com

Victor Buono's final appearance as King Tut is, while hardly the Semplian ideal, plenty enjoyable on its own merits - for Buono, for the unusual situation the Dynamic Duo find themselves in, for some well-thought-out camera work. But what's up with Adam West's line delivery? We've never heard him sound so grouchy and cynical before. Also, how does this episode seemingly fit together with The Unkindest Tut of All, early in season three — seeing as how these two episodes were originally written as a two-parter?

Plus, a new feature, "Holy Deja Vu!"; the Black Market and Dub Robot version of the theme, and your mail about our King Tut script mega-episode!

What does the movie Flash Gordon (1980) have to do with Batman '66? Simple: a guiding force for both was screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr.! What can we learn about Semple's approach to Batman by comparing it to his work on Flash Gordon 15 years later? What was his approach, and what other factors skewed the results?

There's no walkthrough of the plot of the film in this episode, but we do talk about the music (Queen!) and design choices, Italian cinema special effects employed in the film, and of course camp in Flash Gordon.

Plus, your mail about our MAD/Not Brand Ecch! episode!

Wikipedia: the Schüfftan process

Wikipedia: Flash Gordon movie

Starlog: interview with Semple on the007dossier.com

Maxim: Sam Jones interview

Whathappensingaming.com: Sam Jones interview

Roger Ebert's review of Flash Gordon

The Dissolve: After Star Wars, science fiction tried to reconnect with the past

Television Academy: Lorenzo Semple interview

Buy Flash Gordon on Amazon.com

CBR: Was Not Brand Echh originally a reference to EC Comics?

Queen: Flash Gordon Theme on YouTube

"Come back, Shame!" In season three, come back he does, and seemingly stupider than ever! And yet, Shame's plotting for his caper seems oddly smart. Meanwhile, Stanley Ralph Ross goes all-in on gags that are gleefully at odds with the template set by Lorenzo Semple, Jr. in season one. In this episode, we examine the final two-parter of the Batman series: what works, what doesn't, who's in it, and more.

Plus, Peter Seymour's remix of the Batman theme, and your mail about our Penguin's Clean Sweep episode!

One question on our minds almost since the beginning of To the Batpoles! has been: Just how much did Victor Buono, as King Tut, ad lib on the show? In this episode, we answer that question by comparing the final script to King Tut's Coup/Batman's Waterloo to what was broadcast, helping us to see the difference between Buono's sense of humor and Stanley Ralph Ross's, and to gain a keen appreciation of the considerable comedic contributions of Lee Meriweather to this arc. The script also reveals the producer's instruction to insert a late-season-two reference to Barbara Gordon.

We also compare Ross's version to the original version of the story that he rewrote, Tut Tut Tut by Leo and Pauline Townsend, and discover how Ross inserted Ross family members' names into the script, how much the Townsend's story (especially the opening teaser) resembled that of season one's The Curse of Tut, the Catwoman reference Ross wanted to insert, and more.

Also, the Damian Bacci guitar tutorial version of the theme, that Adam West/Burt Ward radio station contest clip you may have heard about, and your voluminous mail on our Nora Clavicle episode!

The scripts:

• Tut Tut Tut, treatment by Pauline and Leo Townsend
• Tut Tut Tut, by Pauline and Leo Townsend
• King Tut's Coup, Stanley Ralph Ross' draft rewrite of Tut Tut Tut
• King Tut's Coup, final, by Stanley Ralph Ross
• Thread about these scripts on the 66 Batman Message Board

Tim's "Buono's on fire" script page (click to enlarge)

When something becomes popular, it's likely to get parodied somewhere. In the 1960s, the parodier-in-chief was MAD Magazine. Meanwhile, at Marvel Comics, a new parody comic series began in 1967, Not Brand ECHH, which followed the lead of MAD's 1950s incarnation as a comic book. In 1966, MAD published "BATS-MAN", followed about a year later by ECHH'S "The Aging Spidey-Man! Peter Pooper vs. Gnatman and Rotten." In this episode, we examine both parodies: What are they trying to say about Batman the character, or Batman the TV show? We also take a look at myth that doesn't just apply to Batman '66: that those TV actors are raking in the residuals!

Plus, the Megaraptor version of the Batman theme, and your mail about the "Court BAT-tles" episode!

SAG-AFTRA: History of Residuals

Adam and Burt on Ross Schafer

Tim's 1978 Hatman comics

• part 1
• part 2

In The Penguin's Clean Sweep, Burgess Meredith's final appearance on "Batman" (but not the last time as the Penguin!), Stanford Sherman's script has its moments, and so does Meredith, but… if you look closely, something just isn't up to snuff. And if you scratch the surface, there are way more inconsistencies and goofiness in the script than meets the eye. We're joined again by our childhood friend Kyle to discuss this feathered farewell: Is there a theme of barbecue implements? Did Penguin really expect that his infecting money at the mint would cause people to throw their cash in the street?

And, we dig into the archives for another one of our Batman Radio Shows from the late '70s… also featuring Kyle!

Plus, the Harry James version of the theme, a discussion of justifications for villains NOT unmasking our heroes when they have the chance, and your mail about The Wrong Earth and our Batman Radio Show debut!

On the latest Bat Bits, we begin a multi-part look at an early draft of The Bookworm Turns! It contains some concepts seen in the broadcast version that may ring a bell, but there's no Big Benjamin bell in this script! 

Join us on Patreon to hear about Rik Vollearts' early shot at Bookworm and follow along with a PDF of the script at patreon dot com slash decon comics. Part one is available now!

Without a doubt, one of the most maligned Batman episodes is Nora Clavicle and the Ladies' Crime Club. The episode's sexist portrayal of women obviously wouldn't fly today, but do the men in this episode fare any better? It seems to have been another of Stanford Sherman's satirical Batman episodes, arguably a failed one.

But every episode has its fans, and this time we review Nora with a fan of this one: Fred, a.k.a. "twof," the former proprietor of the defunct Batgirl Bat-Trap web site. Fred has the script and tells us of changes and cut scenes that could have helped the episode had they stayed.

Also, the Singaia version of the theme, and your response to the "Impossible Crimes" episode!

Dig into the next set of scripts up for discussion!

• Tut Tut Tut, treatment by Pauline and Leo Townsend
• Tut Tut Tut, by Pauline and Leo Townsend
• King Tut's Coup, Stanley Ralph Ross' draft rewrite of Tut Tut Tut
• King Tut's Coup, final, by Stanley Ralph Ross
• Thread about these scripts on the 66 Batman Message Board

Batman and Robin are "duly deputized agents of the law." Law comes up on the '66 show on a number of occasions, including two courtroom scenes. The very first episode features the Riddler filing a lawsuit against Batman. But, you might ask, how accurately is the law portrayed on Batman?

In this episode, lawyer Jim Dedman is here to fill us in. How good of a prosecutor is Batman? Does he behave properly as an agent of the law? How would Alfred's method of breaking up the Batman - Marsha nuptials go over in real life? Would Gordon and O'Hara face any charges for unknowingly shooting the Duo in Penguin's shooting gallery? All this and more!

Plus, the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies Concertino Orchestra's version of the theme, and your mail about our Louie's Lethal Lilac Time review!

Batman and the law: Links provided by Jim Dedman:

• Is Batman a State Actor? The Dark Knight's relationship with the Gotham City Police Department and the Fourth Amendment implications, by Joshuah Lisk
• Is Batman a State Actor? - ABA Journal podcast
• Is Batman a State Actor? by James Daily
• Rule 3.7: Lawyer as a Witness - American Bar Association
• Double Jeopardy and the Fraudulantly Attained Aquittal by David S. Rustein

What's this? An episode of To the Batpoles that isn't about Batman? Well…on the surface, no, it isn't. But in Ahoy Comics' series The Wrong Earth, Dragonflyman and Stinger act an awful lot like the '66 versions of Batman and Robin, and the Dragonfly seems very similar to Frank Miller's Dark Knight! Liberated of the copyright owner's limitations on how Batman and Robin can be used, what are writer Tom Peyer and artist Jamal Igle saying about Batman with this series?

Also in this episode, back from the mists of time, an installment of the Batman Radio Show, starring Tim (age 10) and Paul (age 7)!

Plus, Pablo Beltran Ruiz y su orquesta's version of the Batman theme, and your response to our talk with Oscar, the William Dozier fanboy!