The Bat Shield- where did it go?

General goings on in the 1966 Batman World

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Yellow Oval
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Re: The Bat Shield- where did it go?

Post by Yellow Oval »

I don't know if the writers ever got specific. They may have just instructed - 'Batman tucks shield away afterward.' To my memory, they never were descriptive enough to go into detail about many things such as how the Bat-poles and the clothes-changing routine functioned. I believe they would, more or less, just write whatever action and if questions arose than it would just become a case of let the viewers use their imagination. Sort of like the Bat-Parachute Pick-Up Service. When and where did they meet up with Batman again to return the chutes? Did they repack them into the Batmobile or did Batman do it? It was never in the script and all just done on viewer assumption. However, if they did specifically mention the actions of the Bat-shield or any of the other hanging mysteries in the scripts it would be interesting to read.
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Lou Szabo
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Re: The Bat Shield- where did it go?

Post by Lou Szabo »

Ben Bentley wrote:I was always under the impression that it was passed to someone laid on the ground out of the shot.
Right, it's the same guys that rotate the Batmobile when it parks on the turntable. ;)
Some days you just can't get rid of a ... SHARK!
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SprangFan
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Re: The Bat Shield- where did it go?

Post by SprangFan »

I already knew it was being set down, my curiosity lies in where the writers MEANT for it to disappear- I've always believed it was into a secret pocket in the cape, and not the belt. I would imagine a script would detail this, therefore my request.
Honestly, I doubt they thought it through. I bet it was a case of a writer typing, "...and then Batman produces a shield to deflect the bullets." Then someone in the production office called the prop department and said, "We need a shield for this week's episode," and the prop department made a shield. Then filming starts, the shield is handed to Adam, the "bullets" are deflected, and then everyone says, "Ummm....now what?" It's on the actor and director to figure out how to get something into the actor's hands and out of them again. I doubt the writer gave it the first thought.

It's like that scene in You Only Live Twice where James Bond, disguised as a Japanese fisherman (!) hikes up the side of a volcano, not even sure what he's looking for, and finds the caldera opens up to reveal a SPECTRE rocket base. So of course he puts on suction cups so he can climb down into it. Suction cups. That he just happened to be wearing under his fisherman clothes. In case he came upon a huge metal structure that he needed to climb down. Perfectly logical.

The moral being; never assume scriptwriters have any grasp of practical concerns. They just want to move you from scene to scene.
"You were right again, Batman. We might have been killed."
"Or worse. Let's go..."
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Batfan 66
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Re: The Bat Shield- where did it go?

Post by Batfan 66 »

Where did it come from, where did it go? Where did it come from Cotton eyed Joe :lol:

On a serious note, however, I think the strategy they used for this issue was distraction. Batshield always came out in a moment of real suspense or danger, so they were probably counting on you being wrapped up in that, so wouldn't think about where the shield was going once they were done with it.
Has the whole world gone batty!?!?
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Gotham
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Re: The Bat Shield- where did it go?

Post by Gotham »

It's kind of like Star Trek.
The Sensors, and shields, Never were exactly explained, from "The Making of Star Trek" Book.
as Gene Roddenberry stated, kind of an assumed thing where the details would just get too complicated.
I highly suggest this Book for you Trek fans ! it is the best, sorry for going off topic. just same kind of thinking. best to let the audience decipher it.
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Sol
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Re: The Bat Shield- where did it go?

Post by Sol »

I would argue that the situations are different, comparing the avoided techno-babble of "Star Trek" and the disposal of the outlandishly large batshield. ST is a serious (most of the time, anyway) sci-fi program simply not wasting our time explaining something that really doesn't matter. It's along the lines of a Hitchcock "McGuffin". BATMAN is a comedy program that capitalizes on the absurd, such as ridiculous items appearing from the heroes' utility belts. And, by the way, I'm very certain the shield is supposed to be coming from and being put back into the utility belt.

I enjoyed that "Making of Star Trek" book a lot when I read it as a kid.
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BATWINGED HORNET
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Re: The Bat Shield- where did it go?

Post by BATWINGED HORNET »

svl wrote:No, John, I didn't get my answer.

I already knew it was being set down, my curiosity lies in where the writers MEANT for it to disappear- I've always believed it was into a secret pocket in the cape, and not the belt. I would imagine a script would detail this, therefore my request.
Smart money says the writers meant the belt held the shield. From the start of the series, the utility belt alone was presented as the "bottomless pit" of gadgets. It was so recognized as the go-to, end-all resource for Batman that it was part of the plot in the series' 1st Joker story, "The Joker is Wild." So, right out of the gates--the 5th episode--Batman's utility belt was designed to be the source / storage for all hand held gadgets. That, and Robin's move (seen in the Youtube clip) pretty much gives you the answer.
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