In Praise of Aunt Harriet

[Riddler Fan]

OK, some think that Aunt Harriet wasn't too bright or was a drag on the show. I to thought she wasn't a key player in the Batman world, but her homespun good natured personna kind of was a nice touch. Let's be fair, Madge Blake wasn't given to much to do as Aunt Harriet. She was usually sitting on her couch wondering where the boys were always running off to. She had become quite ill by the end of the second season and made only one appearance in S3 (Ring Around The Riddler). I've heard that Neil Hamilton hated working with her because she would sometimes forget her lines. Madge died in June 1969 of a heart attack.

Let's see if we can find a few nice things to say about Aunt Harriet!!

[elmrgraham]

I liked Madge Blake on "Leave It To Beaver" and "Batman."

[clavierankh]

She also appeared in oe of the Londinium episodes.

[Dr. Shimel]

She was also mentioned in the Louie the Lilac episode where Bruce and Dick are kidnapped--she was "in a state of shock" according to Alfred in his chat with the media.

The Londinium cameo was filmed only a few weeks after her first appearance in the Riddler boxing episode--even though the Londinium episodes were shown until two months after her Riddler appearance. Note, she's sitting in both episodes, though in the Riddler ep, she made a short walk to her seat. She actually died in February 1969.

Given how seriously Neil Hamilton took his role, I can believe he might have been a little uptight.

[Riddler Fan]

Wikipedia lists her dying on June 19, 1969. You can't see the expression on Neil Hamilton's face, but I'll bet he's less than thrilled to have her back.

[Riddlersgurl]

If they had written her as being slightly more on the ball, and given her a little more to do than dither at Bruce and Dick, I might have liked her more.

As it was, I liked Madge as an actress. I remember her doing one episode of The Addams Family, playing the part of a school principal. I think it was in the first episode, and she came off a lot more on the ball than the character of Aunt Harriet.

However, I never bought her as that chubby kid's mom on Leave It To Beaver; she was just too OLD to be his mother, even if her character did have an older daughter. That would have meant a BIG age difference between the two kids.

A friend of mine had the opinion that the daughter was actually the kid's mother, and that Madge's character took over because her daughter wasn't married, and everyone in the neighborhood bought it.

Why? Because the writer's said so.

[CWA]

Madge Blake did pass on 2/19/69, according to her death certificate. You don't need to have any medical experience to see that her health had been less than optimal. And sadly, when she fractured her ankle, the stress to her frail cardiovascular system was too much, and it was the beginning of the end for her.

[Bat 66]

She was around to keep Law and Order at Wayne Manor !

[Riddler Fan]

If they had written her as being slightly more on the ball, and given her a little more to do than dither at Bruce and Dick, I might have liked her more.

As it was, I liked Madge as an actress. I remember her doing one episode of The Addams Family, playing the part of a school principal. I think it was in the first episode, and she came off a lot more on the ball than the character of Aunt Harriet.

However, I never bought her as that chubby kid's mom on Leave It To Beaver; she was just too OLD to be his mother, even if her character did have an older daughter. That would have meant a BIG age difference between the two kids.

A friend of mine had the opinion that the daughter was actually the kid's mother, and that Madge's character took over because her daughter wasn't married, and everyone in the neighborhood bought it.

Why? Because the writer's said so.

Yes, she did play the school principal in the very first episode of The Addams Family. Her part was small but quite amusing. She held her own against Allyn Joslyn (as truant officer Sam Hilliard) who was great despite being 61 years old at the time. Interesting, yet another Batman/Addams Family connection!! Plus in Allyn Joslyn's next Addams Family appearance when he's running for city counsilman his assistant named "Bass" is played by veteran character actor Eddie Quillan who played the newspaper vendor in the Astin Riddler episode "Batman's Anniversay".

[dell]

As has been stated many times by people on this forum there was lkittle in the way of character development and backstories for most of the characters. Even Batman isn't really explained. I chalk that up to the previous incarnations of the character as having dark beginnings that really don't fit well into a light-hearted show.

If Aunt Harriet had been developed more she almost certainly have been a more interesting character. Her main purpose seemed to be to remind us of how well Bruce and Dick were able to hide their dual identities. They not only fooled the police, villians and everyone in Gotham City, but they also fooled someone who lived in the same house!

As was often the case, when they let the secondary characters (Alfred, The Commisioner, etc.) some purpose in an episode they became much more interesting and less two dimensional. Even as a running gag her dithering on "where are they off too?" or "what is that beeping sound" just isn't funny after three or four times.

[Bob]

was not a big fan, I praise when her scenes ended

[Batfan 66]

She sometimes had spunk, like when she cracked that vase over the penguin's moll who was holding a gun during the fight in Wayne Manor in the episode where penguin had a restaurant.
That is certainly a long sentence, but it pretty much summed it all up!

[SprangFan]

Poor Harriet, always getting flustered by super-types. Before moving to Gotham, she got a scare from "Superman." (see 00:27)

[BBvideo 425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkwGo4GLEtc[/BBvideo]

[elmrgraham]

Excellent Video.

[Riddler Fan]

No denying Madge Blake had a great talent for comedy.