To The Batpoles! Batman 1966

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 wit

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 diff

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 Ch

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.)

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

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

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, this 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 firs

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 Comic

"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 W

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