To The Batpoles! Batman 1966

We need help procuring an interview with John Astin - we have some questions about his "substitution" as Riddler that we'd like to ask him! But he doesn't do interviews for free, and we're not exactly a major media outlet. Listen for details and, if you've got a few bucks for the cause, donate them here by THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2021, at 7 a.m. Eastern Time.

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!

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 cu

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 discu

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!

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,

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, “

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 ori