I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

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BatmanFan102
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I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by BatmanFan102 »

I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld, but I fear I'm going to be. Allow me to explain.

A number of years ago, I heard him on "Mike & Mike" which is an early morning ESPN Radio talk show.

Seinfeld said something that kind of ruined pro sports for me, and perhaps college too. He said "What it boils down to is, we're rooting for laundry." Meaning, we root for the players when they are in the uniform of our favorite team. Once they are traded or picked up by another team via free agency, we no longer root for that individual.

So here is my "Seinfeld ruining this for me" moment.

The other day, I watched "That Darn Catwoman" and "Scat Darn Catwoman", the 2 episodes featuring Leslie Gore as Pussycat. At one point, when alone, Batman sprayed Catwoman with Batsleep spray to take her to the Batcave.

That got me to thinking, "Why in the world didn't he just SPRAY the villains when he was confronting them and caught them creating a crime?" The obvious answer is "Because otherwise, there would be no show!"

I realize "Batman" is not to be overanalyzed, but sometimes I do enjoy doing so anyway and asking the "what if" type of questions.

In light of all this, and in spite of all this, I still enjoy watching sports, rooting for "laundry" and enjoy watching my Batman series on DVD nightly as I got it for a Christmas gift in 2014. It had been a very long time since I watched this, and I grew up on this show, like many of you did too no doubt.


Kindest regards,

Bill McD. (B.M.) ^*^ ^*^ ^*^ ^*^ ^*^ ^*^
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dell
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by dell »

I heard that sports analogy on a different TV show (it was a British one) and it makes a lot of sense. Honestly, I can't name 5 players on my favorite pro sports team.

I also find it amusing that so many people root for the state university football team and almost none of these people have attended that university or any university.
dell
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epaddon
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by epaddon »

I can name all the players on the Yankees, it's just that as the years go by I can't name too many players from the other teams like I could in my baseball card collecting youth!

But I did cheer for Reggie Jackson when he came back to Yankee Stadium for the first time after being let go and hit a home run and the Yankee fans in unison started cheering and then chanting, "Steinbrenner Sxxxx!"

But as far as overanalyzing that particular episode goes, the enduring mystery is.......why when Catwoman has Robin under her control doesn't she ask him to take off his mask and let her learn the identity of him and Batman?????
WayneGrayson
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by WayneGrayson »

Because there would be no show.
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epaddon
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by epaddon »

In that case though, the problem should have been avoided. CW should have been given a reason for not doing that, because when the conceit of trying to discover Batman's ID is used for other villians, you're not playing fair to the rules of the show as they've already been established if a character doesn't do what should be obvious within the established rules of that show. That's why in that case the "because" argument fails and instead the blame must fall on the shoulders of the writer and the story editor whose job it is to prevent that from happening.
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Progress Pigment
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by Progress Pigment »

well, there is the old adage, "clothes make the man." Or the Batman in this case. :D

Ah, Just watch the video.

http://vimeo.com/21952758
Next week, the Dynamic Duo meets the Clock King!
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High C
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by High C »

epaddon wrote:In that case though, the problem should have been avoided. CW should have been given a reason for not doing that, because when the conceit of trying to discover Batman's ID is used for other villains, you're not playing fair to the rules of the show as they've already been established if a character doesn't do what should be obvious within the established rules of that show. That's why in that case the "because" argument fails and instead the blame must fall on the shoulders of the writer and the story editor whose job it is to prevent that from happening.
Well-said. If discovering Batman's identity hadn't been a goal of other criminals (Joker, Egghead, Siren, etc.) then one could get away with this oversight. But not when it's been established as a not-uncommon villain objective.
'I thought Siren was perfect for Joan.'--Stanley Ralph Ross, writer of 'The Wail of the Siren'

My hobbies include gazing at the Siren and doing her bidding, evil or otherwise.

'She had a devastating, hypnotic effect on all the men.'--A schoolmate describing Joan Collins at age 17
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Lord Death Man
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by Lord Death Man »

High C wrote:Well-said. If discovering Batman's identity hadn't been a goal of other criminals (Joker, Egghead, Siren, etc.) then one could get away with this oversight. But not when it's been established as a not-uncommon villain objective.
Not so. Motivations and goals change from individual to individual, even among the bad guys. Some just really do not care what Batman's 'secret identity' is. You can perhaps make this claim if Catwoman had in earlier episodes plotted to expose Batman's identity (not being a Catwoman fan, I am unsure if she ever did), but one cannot just arbitrarily give her this as a goal just because some other evildoer does it.
He flies and fights-BATMAN!
Purity and virtue-BATMAN!
Cowards run away!
Batman saves the day!
Also, Boy Wonder Robin.
Batman and Robin-caped crusaders at night!
BIFF! POW! BAM! BATMAN!
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epaddon
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by epaddon »

I agree that CW doesn't *have* to be similarly motivated, my concern is that if she's not going to do it when she has Robin in a position where everyone else would want to have them, it doesn't hurt to have a line of dialogue explaining that. That should get addressed to avoid having people out there raise the question and get distracted.
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Lord Death Man
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by Lord Death Man »

epaddon wrote:I agree that CW doesn't *have* to be similarly motivated, my concern is that if she's not going to do it when she has Robin in a position where everyone else would want to have them, it doesn't hurt to have a line of dialogue explaining that. That should get addressed to avoid having people out there raise the question and get distracted.
Yes, I would agree with that.
He flies and fights-BATMAN!
Purity and virtue-BATMAN!
Cowards run away!
Batman saves the day!
Also, Boy Wonder Robin.
Batman and Robin-caped crusaders at night!
BIFF! POW! BAM! BATMAN!
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John Mack
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by John Mack »

Suspensiom of disbelief is the technical term for all things mentioned like this in Sci Fi etc...In our words, "because then we'd have no show."

John
Music. BAT! Music.
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High C
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by High C »

Batguitarist wrote:Suspensiom of disbelief is the technical term for all things mentioned like this in Sci Fi etc...In our words, "because then we'd have no show."

John
Some of us believe the show needed more internal logic. 'Suspension of disbelief' doesn't cover every dumb thing the writers asked the audience to swallow. Who knows, maybe if the writing had been better, the show would've lasted longer. We'll never know.

I understand you're fine with the subpar writing, and the lack of consistent character motivation, and the lack of continuity much of the time, and that's OK. But some of us aren't, hence the opinions on threads like this. We'll just have to agree to disagree. Period.
'I thought Siren was perfect for Joan.'--Stanley Ralph Ross, writer of 'The Wail of the Siren'

My hobbies include gazing at the Siren and doing her bidding, evil or otherwise.

'She had a devastating, hypnotic effect on all the men.'--A schoolmate describing Joan Collins at age 17
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Bat Username
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by Bat Username »

Batguitarist wrote:Suspensiom of disbelief is the technical term for all things mentioned like this in Sci Fi etc...In our words, "because then we'd have no show."
I think the show has an even simpler explanation built into its fictional world: Why didn't the villains behave the way a sane, rational person would? Because they're not intended to be sane, rational people.

For example, does Joker really want to discover the identities of Batman and Robin, or does he simply want to cause chaos? Does Catwoman really care to know, or does she crave the challenge Batman presents even more?

Similarly, you could even argue that Batman himself needs a challenge more than he needs an easy way to quickly dispatch villains. We can see a hint of this running throughout the entire series, in the subtle way Batman prides himself on getting something right or basks in the praise of his peers. The latter couldn't exist if he simply went around KO'ing everyone with Batgas or provided the GCPD with the means to do so themselves.

Just as a non-fan is unable to comprehend the fickleness of a sports enthusiast, it seems equally futile for a law-abiding citizen to try and fathom the subconscious of a deadly criminal. ;)
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John Mack
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by John Mack »

High C wrote:
Batguitarist wrote:Suspensiom of disbelief is the technical term for all things mentioned like this in Sci Fi etc...In our words, "because then we'd have no show."

John
Some of us believe the show needed more internal logic. 'Suspension of disbelief' doesn't cover every dumb thing the writers asked the audience to swallow. Who knows, maybe if the writing had been better, the show would've lasted longer. We'll never know.

I understand you're fine with the subpar writing, and the lack of consistent character motivation, and the lack of continuity much of the time, and that's OK. But some of us aren't, hence the opinions on threads like this. We'll just have to agree to disagree. Period.
There's actually an easier explaination then what you've written above. The show was just fun. Lighten up and enjoy the quirkiness. You act like they were filming Ben-Hur or Citizen Kane every week. Why don't we ask Mel Brooks about Maxwell Smart. Afterall he has phone in his shoe instead of a huge Batshield in a belt. ;)

I will not go on more. No need to have a FUN thread highjacked by all this seriousness.

John

John
Music. BAT! Music.
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Gernot
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Re: I don't want to be like Jerry Seinfeld...

Post by Gernot »

An older brother used to tease me (and I think I read it in a comics lettercol once) with "Why don't the bad guys just SHOOT Batman when he's knocked out? Why do they LEAVE if he's still alive in his death-trap?"

I'd tell my brother to shut up and let me enjoy the show! ;)
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