To The Batpoles! Batman 1966

We remain in Londinium, where Batman seems oddly bored by a bomb scare, and Lord Ffogg proves able to be in two places at the same time. Also, in spite of having three whole parts to work with, this story still seems to be running short of time and leaving important story points to the imagination of the viewer. Our own imaginations were stoked by hours of play as kids with the Mego World's Greatest Superheroes action figures of the '70s, and in this episode we also take a look back at some of their adventures and the playsets we built for them — and also, the unexpected return of Mego in 2018! Plus, a Bat-Recycling Quiz, the Sharp Five's version of the Batman theme, and proof that the Hang Five dancing scene from Surf's Up, Joker's Under was broadcast by some cable TV channels with different backing music! Treatment for The Transatlantic Terror (the basis for the Londinium trilogy) by Elkan Allan Comic Book Central podcast episode 244: Mego Roundtable with Marty Abrams, Paul Clarke, and Brian Heiler Compar

Double-header episode! First, we tackle The Londinium Larcenies — yes, only part one — including the original treatment by Elkan Allan (two parts, no Batgirl, no Penelope Peasoup), the sets, the music, the appeals to the Dirty Old Man Market, and more. Treatment for The Transatlantic Terror (the basis for the Londinium trilogy) by Elkan Allan Then, at last, we examine Paul's video taken at the Batman '66 exhibit at the Hollywood Museum last July, and answer the burning questions: Why did Batman's costume keep turning purple? What item caused Paul to totally fanboy out? Are there any prospective TO THE BATPOLES topics lurking in the display cases? PLUS: The recent Dr. Demento album that features both a performance by Adam West, and this episode's version of the Batman theme, performed by the Hamburglars; and your mail! David Maska's screen grabs of Bruce's study in Death in Slow Motion (top) and Surf's Up, Joker's Under (click to enlarge):  

As we saw a few episodes back, in 1965 Peggy Shaw turned in a script called Fashions in Crime, based on the 1948 comics story of the same name, and beset by script elements that would work in a comic but would be tough to film. Shaw's script was apparently handed to writer Stephen Kandel to rework. The resulting 1966 work, The Cat's Tale, solves many of the problems of Shaw's script, in part by totally abandoning it halfway through. Still, it ultimately wasn't used. In this episode, Tim & Paul compare the two scripts & consider whether Kandel's script also had fatal flaws. PLUS: the Ettore Cenci version of Hefti's theme, a correction regarding 8 mm film, a look back on a Batman-branded building that once existed in the Tokyo suburbs as a tie-in to the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton films, another nail in the coffin of the 4th-season myth, and your mail! "The Cat's Tale," unfilmed script by Stephen Kandel, PDF "The Silent Film Capers" by Dick Carr: First draft Second draft Polished version Thread on '66 B

The appearance of Biljo White's fanzine BATMANIA was well timed. Not only did it contain coverage of, and fan reaction to, the New Look Batman of the comics, but also covered the mid-sixties resurgence of the 1940s Batman serials, and meteoric rise and fall of the '66 TV show. While some Batmanians accepted that Hollywood was never going to give them a better filmed Batman than this, others railed against the show "making fun of" the Dynamic Duo, and placed much of the blame squarely on Lorenzo Semple's shoulders. Still, Batmania turns out to be not only a source of Batman '66 reviews and criticism, but first-hand reporting on events and people directly related to the show, and some surprising bits of information. Tim and Paul try to dig through to some of these interesting nuggets. PLUS: the Little Britain School Band version of Neal Hefti's Batman theme, and your mail! Batmania archive  

BATMANIA was a well-made fanzine that was started by Columbia, MO, fireman Biljo White in 1964, concurrent with the introduction of New Look Batman by DC. Reading it revealed so many interesting things about the Batman fandom of the sixties that we can't cram it all into one episode! So this time, in part one of our examination of BATMANIA, we (gasp!) set the TV show aside and focus on explaining just what was in this publication, who the now-famous (among comics fans) names were that appeared among its membership, how these deadly earnest fans reacted to the New Look, and how the zine chronicles the gradual realization that Bob Kane had had considerably less to do with the creation of Batman in 1939, and with the subsequent writing and drawing of the strip, than everyone had thought. PLUS: Music from two versions of an '80s Batman video game, the Little Old Lady from Pasedena in an unexpected place, some iTunes reviews that are going straight to our heads, and your mail! Batmania archive Bill Schelly's arti

Surf's Up, Joker's Under is perhaps the most polarizing episode of Batman. Some call it their favorite of season three, or even of the whole series, while Joel Eisner has called it "by far, one of the worst Joker episodes," and even '66 Joker himself Cesar Romero didn't like it. Why is this episode so divisive? Why do the villains in season three keep thinking that taking over one small segment of society (surfing, boxing, flower children) will lead to world domination, without ever explaining Step Two? And who else but us (joined by Horrophelia/"Married With Children" Podcast host Al Edwards) would go to the beach for a "Camping Trip"? Plus, the Bjoern Angermann version of the theme, the awarding of the "D'o(ugh) Prize" for the best alternate lyrics to the Batgirl theme, and your mail! dogtalktv.com, featuring former Catwoman kitten Pat Becker! Here are the entries in the "Batgirl theme alternate lyrics" contest. Which one won? Listen to find out? Ken Holtzhouser Batgiiirrrl BATGIRL Batgiiiirrrl BATGIRL A

  In late in 1965, writer Peggy Shaw (a.k.a. Peggy O'Shea) submitted a Batman script called Fashions in Crime. It was based on a story of the same title from Batman 47 (1948), but naturally much expanded, and it shows signs that Shaw must have been reading Lorenzo Semple Jr.'s early Batman scripts (e.g. Hi Diddle Riddle and The Joker Goes to School). While parts of the script fit the tone of Batman '66, others would have been better suited to a Mickey Spillane novel. In this episode, Tim and Paul go through the script, and reveal a surprise ending — not to the story contained in the script, but to the story of the script itself! PLUS: The Washington Dead Cats version of the theme, and your mail! "Fashions in Crime", unfilmed script by Peggy Shaw, PDF "Fashions in Crime" thread on the '66 Batman message board "The Cat's Tale," unfilmed script by Stephen Kandel, PDF "The Cat's Tale," thread on the '66 Batman message board     Below, a couple of pages from the 1948 "Fashions in Crime" from Batman 47  

Burt Ward's 1995 memoir Boy Wonder: My Life in Tights, while it does give us some insight into what it was like to go from nothing to superfame to typecast purgatory, is indisuputabily full of inaccuracies and hyperbole -- not to mention much more (in terms of both quantity and cringe-inducing detail) about his sexual conquests and misadventures than there is material of use to Batman '66 scholars. Why? Is this what the majority of fans want? Is this simply to be expected from a Hollywood memoir? And, what are Ward's true feelings about Adam West? While this episode's topic is a naughty, naughty book, Tim and Paul try to keep it, er, relatively clean. Don't miss Paul's examination of how this fits into the pattern of books written by stars, and Tim's suggested alternate titles for the book! PLUS: The Theee Bat version of the theme, and your mail!

The season three episodes The Ogg and I and How to Hatch a Dinosaur are a two-parter in which the parts have virtually no common story elements, only the same villains: Egghead, and Olga, Queen of the Cossacks. Both actors, Vincent Price and Anne Baxter, do a great job but ultimately aren't given much to work with. In this episode, we discuss the original arrangement of the three Egghead/Olga episodes; the theme of eating that runs through both of these; the disappointing characterizations of both Egghead and Batman; and is Batgirl, or any kind of good-guy competition to Batman, getting to be annoying? Also, did you get the joke about the Russian folk song The Volga Boatmen? Plus, the Gallants' version of the Batman theme, the announcement of a CONTEST, and your mail! BatgirlBat-trap.com on "The Egghead & Olga Trilogy"    

Louie, The Lilac is a surprising episode for how un-Uncle Milty-like Milton Berle's performance is. It's also uneven, with some nice camera shots, but also many poorly-presented plot points — and some that aren't presented at all! We do get a few scenes of Gotham City's flower children — and just what is the show's take on that movement? How much social commentary might there be hiding among the lilacs? In this episode we compare this season three Batman episode to its ancestor, Dwight Taylor's script Please Omit Tomatoes, which has the outlines of the same death trap as the filmed episode, but nothing else in common with it. ALSO: We confess our Bat-sins, for we have blasphemed Batman '66! What was the appeal of the '66 show to fans of Marvel Comics? Plus, the Orchester Friedel Berlipp version of the theme, and your mail! "Louie the Lilac" draft script (entitled "Please Omit Tomatoes") PDF script "Please Omit Tomatoes" thread on the '66 Batman message board "Fashions in Crime", unfilmed script by Peggy Shaw

The 1989 Batman movie was the result of a decade of pitching, rewriting, and personnel changes. It made a Batcave full of money, but is it a good Batman film? Tim and Paul revisit Tim Burton's first try at Batman, starring Jack Nicholson and Michael Keaton, after not watching it since it was first run in theaters. Does it look any different now? Does it look any better than it did? How were the film and its development affected by the Adam West iteration of live-action Batman? PLUS: The Piano Guys' "Batman Evolution" and your mail! November 1989 Cinefantastique articles on Batman '89  

In 1966, after being the writer and script editor who got the '66 series off the ground, Lorenzo Semple Jr. yielded his chair to Charles Hoffman. What would a look at the draft of a season two Semple script reveal about how Hoffman edited Semple? That was the question Ben Bentley, a moderator of the '66 Batman Message Board (bow like Ewoks, everybody!), wondered, so when Tim was asking for suggestions of which Bat-scripts to scan in Laramie, Ben suggested The Penguin's Nest. In this episode, he joins Tim and Paul to discuss the draft, which reveals several Semple errors (most of which were caught) which reveal that Semple was (gasp) human, not a god walking among us! It also includes a surprising number of pies. Also discussed: the great Batcave detective-work scenes on display here that are largely missing from season three; the problem of unkillable factual inaccuracies in fan discussion of the show; and Ben's attempts at research into Semple's papers. PLUS: The Les Hou-Lops version of the theme, and your

The debut of Batman '66 caused a backlash among Batman nerds, who subsequently demanded Batman comics that reverted to the dark, sullen loner version of the character. But why did the nerds (and Bob Kane himself!) expect a version of Batman who really hadn't been seen since Robin came on the scene in 1940? While Batman as played by Adam West is funny in spite of himself, does this mean the show was saying heroism itself was ridiculous? In this episode, Tim and Paul examine these questions and more as they review Glen Weldon's "The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture." ALSO: Tim enlists American Heritage Center proxy researcher Oscar to dig into a couple of pervasive but questionable ideas about the show, and gets a few unrelated interesting facts about William Dozier; the Batman theme as performed by the Hi-Fives (who?!), and your mail!  

Why on earth does "The Unkindest Tut of All" feature a King Tut claiming to have precognitive abilities? Could it be because Stanley Ralph Ross wanted to use a certain jokey title for the episode? Why is Batgirl such an afterthought here? In this episode, we take a look at this season three episode alongside Ross' ten-page treatment for the story (originally titled "Swami, How I Love Ya"), which gives us some insight into the thought process behind this somewhat puzzling (but also amusing) bat-installment. ALSO: we go camping with Victor Buono; we visit the lab to review the 66 Message Board's discussion of the Fourth Season Myth; we boogie to the Flying Horse Big Band's take on the theme; and we read your mail!   Will the real Patti Gilbert please stand up? On That Girl (left) and Batman.  

In 1965, Lorenzo Semple Jr. wrote the first scripts for the Batman series. Any Bat-fan knows that the Hi Diddle Riddle and Fine Feathered Finks arcs were the first to be written and first to be broadcast. What many of us didn't know was that The Joker Goes to School was also part of that set, received by Howie Horwitz just 20 days after Finks. In this episode, Tim and Paul look over that first draft for more hints to decisions made behind the scenes. Starring in that arc as Susie the Cheerleader was Donna Loren, perhaps best known for Beach Blanket Bingo, but also for singing on Shindig, advertising Dr. Pepper, and appearing on various other '60s shows. In this episode, Tim interviews her for her memories of shooting the School episodes, playing a bad girl for once, whether she actually liked Dr. Pepper, and more! Plus, the Bruce and the Robin Rockers version of the theme, and your mail on the Pop Goes the Joker script! "The Joker Goes to School" PDF script "The Joker Goes to School" thread on the '66 Batman

We're back! In the thick of the 1966 Batman boom, Ledger Syndicate and DC debuted a new Batman comic strip. Written by Whitney Ellsworth and drawn by Sheldon Moldoff (and, in turn, by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella), the early strips seem to want to simultaneously imitate the 66 TV show, and differentiate itself from it. In this episode, we talk about IDW's collection of the early strips in Batman with Robin: The Silver Age Newspaper Comics Volume 1 (1966-1967), including the schizophrenic quality of the strip, where the strip succeeds, and where it falls short. Plus, the mahalo.com guitar tutorial version of the theme, and your mail on the Stanley Ralph Ross interview (and the infamous Gemini 8/Catwoman incident!).  

TO THE BATPOLES! returns this Thursday, March 15, with our long-promised discussion of the 1966 Batman comic strip! Next up, a look at the draft script for THE JOKER GOES TO SCHOOL! Still time to look it over and give your comments before we record that episode -- follow the links below! "The Joker Goes to School" PDF script "The Joker Goes to School" thread on the '66 Batman message board

"To the Batpoles!" is taking some down time. Listen for the details.

In the first two-parter of season three, Penguin and Lola Lasagne horse around with the Wayne Foundation's charity horse race. Before getting in the saddle, Tim and Paul first look at some background on season three: shooting order of episodes, the reasons for multi-part season three stories, etc. The Sport of Penguins and A Horse of Another Color are a rather strange pair of episodes. In spite of having two whole episodes, the producers still skip important scenes, as was typical of the one-part Batman stories. Besides the problem of "checking in" with all the characters, what else might have been making them short of time? And why are these (supposedly) Billy May-scored episodes so full of of recycled Nelson Riddle music? Were Burgess Meredith and Ethel Merman "comedy gold" together? With a Charles Hoffman script?! How should we think about those "next week's villain" scenes that don't fit into the continuity of the episodes they promote? Also, the Bob Kuban and the In-Men version of the theme, and your ma

  At first glance, Stanford Sherman's draft script of Pop Goes the Joker doesn't seem to vary much from the final. A few minor oversights of Sherman's were fixed (Oh, there are signs on the Batpoles?), and there were the usual cuts to lines to keep within the allotted time. But look a little deeper, and there are places where decisions by director George Waggner hurt or helped the arc, some interesting removed bits that we would've liked to see (and a stage direction we're glad wasn't taken literally!), and some subtle but important changes in how Baby Jane Towser was portrayed. Tim and Paul explore the development of this surprisingly good late season two episode. PLUS: A possible reason for why Stanley Ralph Ross "hated" Dr. Cassandra, the Garry Tallent version of the theme, and a heaping helping of your mail! "Pop Goes the Joker" PDF script "Pop Goes the Joker" thread on the '66 Batman message board "The Joker Goes to School" PDF script "The Joker Goes to School" thread on the '66 Batman message board