How Did They Design the Batfights

[Tom1980]

Hi

To most of us, especially when we were kids, these fights were the best bits of the show. They all looked the same back then, but today we can see stylistic differences between each one.

So how did they go about designing them? Was it down to the director of the episode, or did he stand aside and let the stunt men make it up? Did the script give any directions? Why is the fight against Mad Hatter and two goons a long and tense battle, but a week before the Riddler and his three rats was an absolute pushover?

Some are long and brutal, some (Bookworm's gang) take just one blow to knock them down. Fine Finny Fiends has some of the more odder moves we ever saw (a net over Shark's head and then lock him in a vault?)

Knowing they were going to need one battle each week, was there a full time fight organiser?

Interested to see what anyone else thinks about them.

[elmrgraham]

They were very entertaining.

[dell]

You asked some great questions Tom1980. I don't have an answer to any of them, but hopefully someone here does.

[Ben Bentley]

I think in the first season they definitely explored some interesting variations on the fight scenes on a villain to villain basis before the shooting schedule went from busy to nuts during season two, keeping in mind that realistically the number of episodes consistently aired during season two was literally double what was ordered for season one.

The Bookworm fight is an interesting reference point, I think I acknowledged that the Bookworm's gang took their hits hard on the basis that perhaps they weren't characters with any real fighting prowess, expanding upon the cliche of introverted "book reading" types being slightly more meager in a physical sense.

[clavierankh]

I'm attaching a page from the script "A Penny For Your Riddles/They're Worth A Lot More ". The fight description is very vague.

I would assume that the Stunt Co-coordinator and the stunt men (probably with the director) choreograph the fights. I would imagine a script writer could ask for thing s that would be impossible or dangerous.(Robin jumps from some boxes , does a triple somersault and lands on Joker) Plus fight gags can be dreamed up based on how the set is dressed. I remember a scene from a fight with Shame where Shame has Robin trapped under a pump handle and is pumping it, Batman hits him and says "That;s no way to prime a pump!" That could have been dreamed up on the spot when somebody saw the pump on the set.

I would think the length of a fight might be based on how much time there is to fill. The Bookworm episode was pretty packed and there may not have been a lot of time for the fight. Other scripts might have been short leaving time for long fights.

All I know about TV production is what I've read so these are just guesses.

[Mark Racop]

While I'm sure each director had some say, but as far as I know, Hubie Kerns, Adam's stunt double, did all the fight choreography for the entire series (minus the "Entrancing Dr. Cassandra," where there was no fight scene to save money). They shot the entire fight with Hubie and Victor as Batman and Robin, and then did inserts with Adam and Burt at specific actions during the scene. As a kid, I couldn't tell they used stunt doubles in the fights, but as an adult, it was easy for me to pick out the doubles.

[rickrickrick]

For what it's worth, in one of the many videotaped interviews with Adam (sorry, I can't remember which one - maybe it was the PBS Pioneers of Television series? An extra on the Bluray?) he says he was part of the fight choreography process, in conjunction with Hubie.

RRR

[Mr Chronos]

Is there a link for the above script? Looks like The Puzzler episode that they wrote for the Riddler?

[Ben Bentley]

Is there a link for the above script? Looks like The Puzzler episode that they wrote for the Riddler?

The script for "A Penny for your Riddles" (which as you rightly mentioned was re-written into the Puzzler storyline) is regularly up for sale on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BATMAN-66-TV-Sc ... 0746157808

[Gernot]

I used to think they designed somewhat like a dance, like a Maypole dance or square-dancing. You know, how Batman and Robin would never be in one spot for more than say two seconds, the same way one would be in either of those two dances. They'd always be switching "dance partners" after one or two seconds, too. That's how I always saw 'em.

[dell]

I used to think they designed somewhat like a dance, like a Maypole dance or square-dancing. You know, how Batman and Robin would never be in one spot for more than say two seconds, the same way one would be in either of those two dances. They'd always be switching "dance partners" after one or two seconds, too. That's how I always saw 'em.

Promenade around the roommmmmmmmmm.
Twirl your partner 'til he's dizzyyyyyyyyyy.
Punch 'im on the breadbasket dosey doe.

[Gernot]

LOL, Dell! Thanks for the laugh! Now, go check out "Hillbilly Hare" on youtube to sing along!

[Gorshin Romero]

I especially liked the pseudo-bat fight against the henchmen when Mr. Freeze was played by Otto Preminger.
"Easy there, Batman...you almost hit me."

Oh, sorry Mr. Freeze. I'll be more careful next time.

LOL!