Special guest villain!

General goings on in the 1966 Batman World

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High C
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by High C »

I apologize if this is too meticulous, but when I think of potential 1966-68 casting, I try to think of actors who were doing television at the time (or if they were film actors, someone who expressed interest in the show). So here are some of my ideas, worth no more or no less than anyone else's speculation:

Poison Ivy: Tina Louise obviously had the right look, the sexiness and the femme fatale vibe to make it work. Would she have been interested after Gilligan's Island was canceled in 1967? I don't know. She seemed to be consciously taking less glamorous roles (such as a frontier woman on Bonanza), but maybe she could have been coaxed into doing it. Certainly it wouldn't have hurt her profile to appear as a Bat-villainess.

Cluemaster: From what I've read of this character, a failed game-show host turned villain, it sounds like a perfect role for the late Jack Cassidy. But he would've had to do it in season 2, because he was likely unavailable by season 3. In 1967-68, he was a regular on a sitcom called He & She.

Scarecrow: I'm having trouble envisioning somebody here. Basically, one would need an actor who's maybe slightly lesser tier, in that he's going to be wearing the mask a lot. (Although he would be seen in his civilian guise as Jonathan Crane.) I was thinking of the late Warren Stevens, although at 5-8, I'm not sure he was tall enough.

Speaking of which, I would say this is a large reason why False Face never reappeared, despite the fact a lot of fans liked that arc. Malachi Throne was very unhappy that his face was never seen because of what he called 'that stupid mask' in Joel Eisner's book. I suspect it's not considered a primo role by most actors when your actual face is never seen.
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TBolt
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by TBolt »

I did think of another for Scarecrow... William Talman. He died in 68, tho.
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High C
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Re: Special guest villain!

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TBolt wrote: Sat Feb 10, 2018 3:14 pm I did think of another for Scarecrow... William Talman. He died in 68, tho.
That's a good idea. As you indicate, he was dying of lung cancer at the time, although he filmed an Invaders guest shot that aired in Feb. 1967.

As he was being arrested, he could have boasted to Batman that he planned to defend himself in court, and one of his henchpeople could've said,' I don't know if that's such a good idea, boss.' :)
'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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TBolt
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by TBolt »

Zing!!! Perfect wink to his well known role.
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Mr.Freeze
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by Mr.Freeze »

70s :

West as Batman
John Forsythe as Gordon
Welch or Principal as Ivy
Jack Lord as Two Face (if H5O didnt happen)
Pleasence as Hugo Strange
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TBolt
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by TBolt »

Donald Pleasance as Strange is perfect. He'd have done it too. Seems like Telly Savalas would have done a guest shot around that time too.
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Jackbtripper
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by Jackbtripper »

The director said the same about Ann Margret. He said she was in the scripts first draft but that was a concern. Sounded more like they were leaving towards Barbara Eden. They wanted people who could have actually been cast on the show.
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TBolt
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by TBolt »

Think Charles Bronson was too big a star to do a guest spot? I have him as Deadshot. Been trying to think of a role for Rod Serling, too.
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High C
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by High C »

Jackbtripper wrote: Sun Feb 11, 2018 11:47 am The director said the same about Ann Margret. He said she was in the scripts first draft but that was a concern. Sounded more like they were leaving towards Barbara Eden. They wanted people who could have actually been cast on the show.
The writer on the website made the common mistake of using 'Ann Margaret' instead of Ann-Margret, but here's what Batman vs. Two-Face producer James Tucker said about potentially using Poison Ivy in the movie:
"We hadn't really reached out to people," Tucker admits. "We were considering Barbara Eden, maybe, or Ann Margaret. We wanted people who would've been cast in the '60s. Barbara Eden probably more so than Ann Margaret because Ann Margaret was a huge movie star. Raquel Welch, maybe? You know what I mean. That was where we were going. But again, we hadn't gotten that far because we were only in the script stage and it didn't go beyond that. But it would've been cool."
http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/batm ... poison-ivy
'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
robinboyblunderer
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by robinboyblunderer »

Maybe one day that first script with Poison Ivy will be available, should be interesting.
Gorshin Romero
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by Gorshin Romero »

High C wrote: Sat Feb 10, 2018 4:25 pm
TBolt wrote: Sat Feb 10, 2018 3:14 pm I did think of another for Scarecrow... William Talman. He died in 68, tho.
That's a good idea. As you indicate, he was dying of lung cancer at the time, although he filmed an Invaders guest shot that aired in Feb. 1967.

As he was being arrested, he could have boasted to Batman that he planned to defend himself in court, and one of his henchpeople could've said,' I don't know if that's such a good idea, boss.' :)
That's hilarious! Perhaps Raymond Burr could have then shown up in a cameo and said "I would defend you, but I only take cases that I know I can win."
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TBolt
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by TBolt »

Or Burr could have done the window bit.
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BATWINGED HORNET
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by BATWINGED HORNET »

High C wrote: Sat Feb 10, 2018 9:29 am I apologize if this is too meticulous, but when I think of potential 1966-68 casting, I try to think of actors who were doing television at the time (or if they were film actors, someone who expressed interest in the show). So here are some of my ideas, worth no more or no less than anyone else's speculation:

Poison Ivy: Tina Louise obviously had the right look, the sexiness and the femme fatale vibe to make it work. Would she have been interested after Gilligan's Island was canceled in 1967? I don't know. She seemed to be consciously taking less glamorous roles (such as a frontier woman on Bonanza), but maybe she could have been coaxed into doing it. Certainly it wouldn't have hurt her profile to appear as a Bat-villainess.
I doubt she would have guest starred on Batman. Tina Louise was pretty desperate to play anything other than another "silly" role, especially after 60s TV critics often trashed Gilligan's Island as a mindless kiddie show. As you point out, she took the Bonanza role, but appeared in the Dean Martin (as Matt Helm) vehicle The Wrecking Crew, which I imagine had something to do with the fact that in 1968, spies were still sort of "in" (or perhaps one of the film's stars--Louise's friend Sharon Tate--had anything to do with her wanting to appear in the movie). After appearing in a more "respectable" comedy opposite Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason (1969's How to Commit Marriage), she would go on to star in a serious western, a relationship drama (The Happy Ending, also from '69) then, a rather grim 1970 episode of Ironside, where she's on the run with series regular Don Mitchell (sort of daring part for 1970 TV audiences as there's a hint of romantic attraction between Louise's character Candy and African American Mark Sanger as portrayed my Mitchell).

In short, post-Gilligan's Island in '67, Louise seemed to drop her early 60s "glamour" act, and any sort of "silly" parts. Considering how some wrote off Batman as exactly that kind of production (especially as the series wore on from season two to three), it just does not seem likely that Tina Louise would take on a role like Poison Ivy in that Batman environment.
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High C
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by High C »

BATWINGED HORNET wrote: Sun Feb 18, 2018 8:58 am In short, post-Gilligan's Island in '67, Louise seemed to drop her early 60s "glamour" act, and any sort of "silly" parts. Considering how some wrote off Batman as exactly that kind of production (especially as the series wore on from season two to three), it just does not seem likely that Tina Louise would take on a role like Poison Ivy in that Batman environment.
As I wrote, it's questionable whether Tina would've been interested, but maybe she could have been convinced. You're right, it's more likely that she wouldn't than she would have. I did put in the caveat that she was doing more serious things, although her Matt Helm movie appearance (as a Hispanic temptress who is killed off almost immediately) was a very frivolous one and certainly not a career advancer ultimately.

But I would add that Batman by 1967 was a rare example of a fad having petered out in Middle America but still being a big deal in Hollywood. People still were interested in being guest villains and it still was considered prestigious, judging by the number of actors having their reps contact Dozier.
'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
robinboyblunderer
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Re: Special guest villain!

Post by robinboyblunderer »

My own picks were based on who I thought would be good, nothing to do with whether they would or not; it does seem unlikely that many of them would have refused. Tina Louise would have to play a different type of seductress, not the glamourous movie star. I think she could've given Julie Newmar a good run for her money as another statuesque character. Like I said, I would've enjoyed her having a fixation on Robin for something different.

Sometimes I wonder what the show had been like if the first season had a full number of episodes. There's such a shift between all three.

Lana Wood may have been a good Poison Ivy or as a recast Black Widow.
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