"The Sport of Penguins" and "A Horse of Another Color" are a rather strange pair of episodes. In spite of having two whole episodes, the producers still skip important scenes, as was typical of the one-part Batman stories. Besides the problem of "checking in" with all the characters, what else might have been making them short of time? And why are these (supposedly) Billy May-scored episodes so full of of recycled Nelson Riddle music?
Were Burgess Meredith and Ethel Merman "comedy gold" together? With a Charles Hoffman script?! How should we think about those "next week's villain" scenes that don't fit into the continuity of the episodes they promote?
The other Madge Blake appearance for S3 was in the first of the Londinium episodes, since she's coming along for the ride.
In the second Louie the Lilac episode when Bruce and Dick are kidnapped, Aunt Harriet is mentioned as being distraught--conveniently making her unavailable.
Tim's comment about Batgirl being gone 'like our ratings' was awesome. That 'she's gone' schtick was perhaps the worst recurring theme in season 3, and that's saying something.
Paul made an interesting statement on Bat-ethics that I hadn't thought of. Indeed, why is Dick Grayson masquerading as a Hispanic somehow more ethical than riding under his own name?? I think it's another example of how Charles Hoffman didn't understand the civic responsibility ethics of Batman and Bruce, and simply did whatever was needed to facilitate a plot point or a set piece. That's one of many areas in which he and Ross (and Stanford Sherman) diverged wildly (vildly?) from Semple.
I agree that they likely were trying to set up a Batman/Batgirl pairing, or at least the hint of one, early on in S3, but IMO, there was not much chemistry between Adam and Yvonne. She had much better chemistry with Hamilton and Napier, and even Burt when they had to work together to foil Siren.
You guys liked Shelley Winters as Ma Parker, so I guess The Merm would be up your alley, the way she shouted her lines for no reason, and as Tim said, put odd emphasis on certain words. To each his own. I personally would have used Merman in a role that enabled her to belt out a tune or two, although maybe that would have plunged the long-delayed DVD release further into music rights limbo. Her role here seems to have been based on her turn in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, in which Wikipedia describes her as a 'loud and obnoxious mother-in-law.'
Hoffman seems to have been harking back to his 'Frozen Turkey,' as you so aptly called it, teleplay here. Remember how Batman delighted in calling Glacia Glaze by her birth name of Emma Strunk (because, of course, he's never used an assumed name). Similarly, Penguin delights in reminding Lasagne she's really Lulu Schultz.
You made a great point about the episode tags being like comic book covers.
I like Chris Gould's line on Lola being the least menacing villain. Really, she's a glorified henchmoll, except for the fact she's being played by an A-lister.
Tim made an excellent point about how easy Hoffman apparently believes it is to become a jockey. I'd add the horses apparently don't need trainers, either. Then again, how about the fact that Riddler, a multiple convicted felon, apparently had no problem getting a boxing license in Gotham City--despite the fact BRUCE WAYNE IS THE BOXING COMMISSIONER!!
I'd also say I've NEVER heard of a horse race in which ALL, not some, but ALL of the proceeds go to charity. How convenient for a plot point. They just could have said the purse was too small for Pengy, so he had to come up with a get-rich-quick scheme. How about The William Doughzier Handicap? Now that race would have a very miniscule purse, no doubt.
Paul made an excellent point about Barbara being dressed like a schoolmarm. In the back-to-back Riddler and Siren episodes, she's wearing the same frumpy blue, teal and green dress.
'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
Regarding the lack of cliff hangers and the fact you stated that part one of this arc was almost irrelevant. I had heard it said that Dozier was concerned that people wouldn't remember the cliff hanger the next week . I also think there was a desire by the producers to make sure who had't seen part one wouldn't feel they missed much. In the third season multi-parters each episode pretty much stands alone With a minimum of recap the viewer is brought up to speed. I think this kept us from some good story telling like we had in the first two seasons where stuff in part one was important to part two,
It seems that the multi-part third season episodes were done less for the sake of, oh I don't know, GOOD STORYTELLING than because (since there was apparently -- I think Chris Gould wrote this -- an ABC-Greenway compromise to use established villains that the network saw as a bigger draw alongside brand new villains to be played by some of Dozier's many friends who wanted on the show) it was cheaper than doing multi-villain single episodes (and apparently single-villain single episodes were not a priority).
And yes, I think we mentioned the concern that the audience would forget what happened last week in this podcast episode. Too bad Dozier didn't know that he could just make it for the DVD and forget about the broadcast audience!
"I'm half-demented with whimsical outrage!"
-- The Joker, in a line cut from "The Joker's Epitaph"
Nice write-up there, High C! You just about covered everything. Only thing I can add is that the outro music for this episode was really something special.
Fun episode! I can't add too much more to what High C has expressed, he has once again encapsulated a lot of my own observations. Great minds and all that?
Also, Tim made me audibly laugh out loud whilst on the Tube listening to this episode earlier...
"I felt like I had just watched a comedy, but there wasn't any jokes."
But.....oh, boy...frills on the Batgirl-Cycle and "women's intuition"...oh boy..
Someone should have dragged Dozier out of the Greenway offices, then used a hardback copy of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique to deliver a series appropriate THWACK and ZAMM to Dozier's head in the hope he realized women were not as he presented Batgril in 1967-68.
I loved the comparison of the 3rd season episode-ending teasers to comic book covers of the period, with both sending messages not exactly selling the actual story content. Sharp thinking!
One thing about season 3 is that any reused Nelson Riddle music seemed so out of place with the tone of the series, and that's shocking, since Riddle's music is so much a defining part of the series.
Finally...disco Merman. If ever there was a time for Batnesia gas to be real...
Ben Bentley wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2018 4:39 pm
Fun episode! I can't add too much more to what High C has expressed, he has once again encapsulated a lot of my own observations. Great minds and all that?
Dan E Kool wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2018 1:36 pm
Nice write-up there, High C! You just about covered everything. Only thing I can add is that the outro music for this episode was really something special.
Thanks, guys! I appreciate the kind words.
'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
