Zelda straightest episodes?

[Cuesak]

While we all agree season one was the least campy overall, I think the Zelda episodes are the lowest on the camp-o-meter of the whoke series. The villain is not over the top looney and sympathetic. She doesnt of a slew of campy goons with her, and she has a valid reason at least in her mind for what she is doing.

There isnt one single bang pow batfight. 2 people actually get killed. Batman does some real detective work and there isnt any looney humor other then Aunt Harriet hanging over the fire, Icing on the cake is the final dramatic scene with her and Bruce at the end. Too bad there isnt many mor like these.

[Bat-Tiger]

I think the cabinet filling with gas along with the waiting gunmen was one of the better traps in the series.

It pokes holes in the old "why doesn't he just shoot them?" theory.

[AndyFish]

One of the best episodes.
The show would have lasted (and a welcome last) had they stuck to the format of the best of the first season. I think it's a case of starting to wink at how clever they were that turned it for the worse.

[Dr. Shimel]

It was also the first time they "broke the fourth wall"--i.e. Zelda talking directly to the camera.

[High C]

I don't like the fact that Zelda is kind of a reluctant villainess, basically being blackmailed by Eivol Ekdal, and I could live without the stuntman, I mean Aunt Harriet, being suspended over the boiling oil while Zelda practices her knitting.

Other than those quibbles, I do like this ep and I've often said on this board I wish they could have done a 'conventional' villain once every four weeks. That would have opened up villain guest shots for a lot of fine actors and actresses who didn't project as costumed villains. Just off the top of my head, I can think of Ed Asner, Warren Stevens, Susan Oliver, Lois Nettleton, etc.

Also consider that according to Dozier's correspondence files, Rod Steiger wanted to be a villain. Despite the fact he didn't have the looks of a conventional leading man, Steiger was a big-time lead in movies in 1967-68 and would have created buzz for the show, no doubt. And a conventional villain would've suited him more than a costumed one.

[Dr. Shimel]

Also consider that according to Dozier's correspondence files, Rod Steiger wanted to be a villain. Despite the fact he didn't have the looks of a conventional leading man, Steiger was a big-time lead in movies in 1967-68 and would have created buzz for the show, no doubt. And a conventional villain would've suited him more than a costumed one.

Could he have handled the huge pay cut he would have taken, since we know Dozier wouldn't (usually) budge on his payments?

[High C]

Also consider that according to Dozier's correspondence files, Rod Steiger wanted to be a villain. Despite the fact he didn't have the looks of a conventional leading man, Steiger was a big-time lead in movies in 1967-68 and would have created buzz for the show, no doubt. And a conventional villain would've suited him more than a costumed one.

Could he have handled the huge pay cut he would have taken, since we know Dozier wouldn't (usually) budge on his payments?

It's a very good question, but I would suspect Steiger had heard through word of mouth from other actors what the going rate was.

[Bat-Tiger]

I'm not that familiar with Rod Steiger, but he was very good in In The Heat of The Night.

[High C]

I've posted this before, but fwiw, here is a partial list of some of the actors, including Steiger, who were interested in playing guest villains:

http://martingrams.blogspot.com/2011/05 ... eries.html

Scroll down to the 13th paragraph.

I also can add to that list Julie Harris, who did a lot of TV and movies in the 1960s and also starred on Broadway.

[Dr. Shimel]

Also consider that according to Dozier's correspondence files, Rod Steiger wanted to be a villain. Despite the fact he didn't have the looks of a conventional leading man, Steiger was a big-time lead in movies in 1967-68 and would have created buzz for the show, no doubt. And a conventional villain would've suited him more than a costumed one.

Could he have handled the huge pay cut he would have taken, since we know Dozier wouldn't (usually) budge on his payments?

It's a very good question, but I would suspect Steiger had heard through word of mouth from other actors what the going rate was.

Unless he was used during the first season, or filmed his would-be episodes in the first few months of S2 production, he wouldn't have been available. In the Heat of the Night's filming took place from September-December 1966.

[Bat-Tiger]

I've posted this before, but fwiw, here is a partial list of some of the actors, including Steiger, who were interested in playing guest villains:

http://martingrams.blogspot.com/2011/05 ... eries.html

Holy Hollywood High C!

[Cuesak]

Steiger would have been great! Though there is still some very good episodes in the later seasons I always find myself going back to the darker first season ones like this and False Face. Even as an adult I still find something disturbing and chilling about Malachi Thrones performance. Though Vincent Price is wonderful as Egghead, I sometimes wish his take would have been a little more chilling and sinister as well.

[Scott Sebring]

Watched this one with a few of my friends last night. We certainly couldn't agree with the "lowest on the camp-o-meter" claim. It was so far the most boring while border lining on just plain stupid to us. So far this was the group's least favorite episode of the first season. It's always been my least favorite of that season as well and watching again after reading this thread didn't help shine any new light on it in a good way but emphasized its short comings.

[Ben Bentley]

Bizarrely reading through this thread, I found myself wanting to agree with most of the comments people made, both positive and negative.

My over-arching opinion on this episode has always been relatively positive, but with due consideration to it's flaws. Then again, this is how I feel about my of the story arcs across the three seasons. To me this episode was a symbolic flirtation with a direction and freedom from what we consider to be the formulaic nature of these two-part narratives. In retrospect, the part I find most bizarre is the notion that the show-runner's were already trying to play with the structure and per-requisites merely two months into the show's original broadcast run, keeping in mind that their original audience had yet to meet such iconic villains such as Catwoman.

For better or for worse, I found Anne Baxter a lot more tangible and tolerable as Zelda than I did two seasons further down the road as Olga.

[Bat-Tiger]

For better or for worse, I found Anne Baxter a lot more tangible and tolerable as Zelda than I did two seasons further down the road as Olga.

Me too.