The ME-TV BATMAN Episode Discussion Thread

[Gernot]

How well DID that work? Did putting Part 1 on Thursday night help with the ratings? I remember reading somewhere years ago that that was why they'd done three-parters in the first place.

And even as a young boy, I LOVED Venus' miniskirt that she wore in Part 2!

[Gleeps, it's Batman]

This time around I definitely noticed them speeding up and slowing down the bat-fight music. I also noticed that ME-TV included more of the part where Joker was in the police car. The bat-turn was totally missing from the version I saw on youtube. I really didn't watch the whole youtube version, though, so no idea what else the cable channel had cut out.

[Mr. Deathtrap]

Citizens,

In most versions of 'The Zodiac Crimes" I've recently seen, the first mention made of 'Joker's total eclipse' is in Commissioner Gordon's office before our heroes go to confront the villain at the museum. This fact makes me wonder whether something referencing Joker's total eclipse previously is missing.

This story is hurt by some of the scripting for henchwoman Venus, but it is still excellent nevertheless.

Mr. Deathtrap

[Gleeps, it's Batman]

I noticed some snippets of The Penguin Declines that ME-TV included that weren't on the youtube version that I watched, one being Penguin cologning himself up in front of a mirror for his 'date' with Venus. Saw a few other snips here and there that didn't really affect the plot.

In Adam and Burt's commentary on the movie DVD, they mentioned some famous people who were on Batman early in their careers, Rob Reiner being one of them. I see this was Rob Reiner's episode. As far as I remember, he only had one line, though, or rather one word: "Batman!?"

[AndyFish]

For this week I'd never seen the Penguin/ Marsha team up episode before-- not surprised, as a kid I didn't like either villain so I would have likely gone and played outside when this episode was on.

This week's episodes
PENGUIN SETS A TREND (EPS 77) Feb 1, 1967
PENGUIN'S DISASTROUS END (EPS 78) Feb 2, 1967
Batman and Robin get back on the Penguin and Marsha, Queen of Diamonds', trail. Several escaped lizards lead them to the villains' hideout, where they find the stolen chain mail suits. Remembering an earlier clue from the Penguin, they head to the federal subtreasury to find that the Penguin, Marsha, and their cronies have broken into a vault containing ten million dollars in gold bullion. The Dynamic Duo shut the vault door on the criminals and try to prepare for every breakout scenario, but the Penguin has a daring plan of escape that no one could have counted on.

TRIVIA: Several shots of the "movie crew" are the actual Batman film crews.

Totally makes sense now that the follow up to the Joker 3 parter was this Penguin 3 parter. Getting us back to the continued next week format.

Up the week after is John Astin as The Riddler. I'll be away on vacation so feel free to keep the discussion going.

[Gleeps, it's Batman]

Up the week after is John Astin as The Riddler.

My listings for the 31st have That Darn Catwoman/Scat Darn Catwoman, which they skipped in between these two 3-parters. I'm glad the Catwoman eps are on that day, as Adam's episode of Emergency airs two hours before Batman, and I can record them both on the same disc

[Gernot]

NEAT! Parts 2 and 3 of the Penguin/Marsha 3-parter aired just a couple of days before my fifth birthday! LOL I know where -I- was those two nights! Parked in front of an old black & white set watching those shows!

[clavierankh]

I've always thought the Penuin Marsha 3 parter was the weakest, including Lord Ffog. Way too much padding. It could have been a two parter and Marsha's part could be handled by a moll. Great legs on Carolyn Jones though.

Some good things. Pengy was in his element as a movie producer director. Loved Alan Reed as General MacGruder. Close your eyes and all year hear is Fred Flintstone. Actually he could have played him in a live action version.

[Gleeps, it's Batman]

Robin: "Holy cliffhangers, Batman!" lol. Interesting how they were able to untie themselves in midair.

I wasn't really fond of part 1 last week, but I enjoyed parts 2 and 3 this week, though that could have been because I was distracted by them using the Warner Bros backlot and I wasn't paying as much attention to the story. LOL.

I think it's funny that of the two times I remember us seeing wet streets in the series, they had to comment on the fact that it had rained. Good ol' sunny southern California. I'm also always amused by the fact that they leave the Batcave and drive through the dry California hills to get to Gotham City on the east coast. Gotham City should actually be on the west coast with the existence of our beloved open Batmobile. Batman and Robin would get mighty wet fighting crime on the east coast in that thing. LOL

Thank you for pointing out that Alan Reed was Fred Flintstone. I love that kind of trivia.

Oh, one comment about the previous Venus episode, part 3. Funny how all of those guys fit into the trunk of the Batmobile <g> Television magic! LOL

[Gleeps, it's Batman]

Andy Fish said he'd be away on vacation for the next episode, so I'll make an attempt at this. Don't know where Andy gets his info, but I'm pasting from IMDB.com.

That Darn Catwoman (19 Jan. 1967)

The Catwoman manages to drug Robin. The junior member of the Dynamic Duo is now the Catwoman's mindless slave. Batman is on the trail of the sultry villain, but he's hampered by the fact he can't harm his partner. Eventually, Batman is trapped by the Catwoman. He's in a giant trap and Robin is cutting the rope that will cause a giant mouse trap to snap on Batman. The Catwoman offers Batman a choice -- die by Robin's hand or agree to be subjected to the same drug.

TRIVIA:

Guest Star Lesley Gore was the Niece of Series Producer Howie Horwitz.

Lesley Gore introduced her hit song "California Nights" (written by Marvin Hamlisch and Howard Liebling) on this episode.

The title is derived from the Disney movie That Darn Cat!.

Prince Kereb's name was originally Ferdberger. Writer Stanley Ralph Ross said network censors thought the name sounded dirty, even though he named the character after a friend with the same name. Kereb is actually the Arabic translation for Son Of A B****, and Ross said the network never picked up on it.


Scat! Darn Catwoman (25 Jan. 1967)

Batman agrees to let the Catwoman drug him. But he appears to have a headache and the Catwoman permits him to take an aspirin. After the drug is administered, Batman appears to assist Catwoman on her crime wave. However, the police receive anonymous telephone calls that enable them to pick up members of Catwoman's gang, including the drugged Robin. Meanwhile, the Gotham City police try to trace the hot line to the Batcave. Batman is there with Catwoman. He uses a device that foils the trace. Eventually, Batman reveals he hadn't taken an aspirin but his universal drug antidote that prevented the drug from working. Catwoman tries to flee on top of a warehouse near the Gotham River. Batman is in pursuit and corners her. But, unwilling to go straight, she falls into the river. Has she lost her life, or just one of her nine lives?


I've found some more trivia on TV.com. Pasting from there:

Curiously all of Catwoman's henchmen are named after detectives or crime fighters: Spade from the books by D. Hammett, Marlowe from the Raymond Chandler novels and Templar aka The Saint, as created by Leslie Charteris.

George Sawaya (Templar) played Quetch in the 1966 Batman: The Movie.

It is mentioned that if you cross the Gotham River, you wind up in New Guernsey. Across the Hudson River in New York, you're in New Jersey. Jersey and Guernsey are both Channel Islands, British territory next to France.

Robin gives a speech at the Aaron Burr High School. It is an unusual name for a high school but not chosen without reason. Aaron Burr, the third U.S. Vice President, became the center of controversy when he killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel and was later charged with treason. In this episode Robin seems to turn on Batman, in effect becoming a traitor.

[Dr. Shimel]

Even when The Hub was showing these episodes virtually uncut, Gore's second number was cut out, presumably because it wasn't a lasting hit like "California Nights."

[gothosmansion]

Funny, but I thought the Zodiac Crimes seemed a bit padded. I wonder if it started as a two part Joker episode and had the Penguin added, like happened in the Sandman/Catwoman team up, when the decision was made to have Zodiac be three parts. Does anyone know?

I thought that Penguin/Marsha team-up seemed more like it was written to be three parts, especially since it had a single writer and Zodiac Crimes had two writers. Did anyone else notice the similarities with Stephen Kandall's other Batman script, the False Face two-parter, where the moll reforms and helps Batman and Robin.

That isn't to say that I don't enjoy Zodiac Crimes, although Terry Moore would be one of my choices for least attractive moll and I found her acting annoying.

Personally, I became a Batman fan (TV show and comics) when I discovered reruns of the TV show at about age four or five. Unfortunately, once our local station quit rerunning the show, I never saw it again until I was in the sixth grade, and unfortunately, the station that aired it showed it at school noon while I was in school. I still remember how excited I was to get the see the series again over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, and still remember the episodes that aired. (FIrst Egghead two parter over thanksgiving and the Puzzler episodes through That Darn Catwoman/Scat, Darn Catwoman two-parter. All the episodes that aired then are favorites of mine since they reintroduced me to the show.

That/ Scat Darn Catwoman are still two of my favorite episodes of the series and I always enjoy revisiting them.

[Gleeps, it's Batman]

Even when The Hub was showing these episodes virtually uncut, Gore's second number was cut out, presumably because it wasn't a lasting hit like "California Nights."

I'm 99% sure that ME-TV cuts the second song also. I think that was the first episode I saw last year, just because I'd remembered loving that ep as a kid and figured what the heck, I'll watch it again after 35+ years. I didn't really watch the show again for several weeks after that until 3rd season started and I figured I'd watch the Batgirl episodes since I liked her as a kid also. Still liked her, but the episodes aren't all that terribly great.

I'd never planned on getting hooked on Batman again. I was just taking a nostalgic peek at my childhood. What got me googling the show and the actors was when ME-TV's run got around to the first season again this past Spring, and I was really liking those episodes! And then I found you guys here. Yay!

If they cut the song out of the second episode, that's making me wonder what they cut out of the first episode. It seems like ME-TV usually just speeds up parts of the episodes to avoid cutting, so I'm not sure why they felt the need to cut Lesley's second song, but perhaps they won't have to speed up the second episode then.

[Dr. Shimel]

What I always though was amusing about Gore's second song was that she was singing to a framed head shot of Robin. Exactly when did he have this shot taken?

[clavierankh]

The head shot may have been taken as part of publicity or anti-crime campaign in Gotham City. Poplar as the duo were I'm sure a lot of Bat-Merchandise was available in GC.