Second Season Villains

[Bob Furmanek]

Well, that's the date it hit the papers. I'm guessing it was sent out a few days earlier.

[High C]

Well, that's the date it hit the papers. I'm guessing it was sent out a few days earlier.

I understand.

It's also unfortunate Mason wasn't available for Ffogg. Thanks for pointing out that project he was involved in.

[Mr. Glee]

A shooting schedule dated July 21, 1967 for Ring Around The Riddler lists Siren as being played by Ertha [sic] Kitt. But the shooting sked dated July 27 for Wail of The Siren correctly lists Joan Collins.

A detail that might lend credence to the idea that Eartha Kitt was initially supposed to play the Siren: at one point in the episode, the Siren declares "I want to be evil!" - and that phrase was also the title of one of Eartha Kitt's best-known songs (I believe the record was a hit in 1953 or thereabouts.)

[epaddon]

I almost wonder if it's possible that their plans were to sign Kitt to be on the show without knowing who she was going to play. Thus, she was their choice for CW if it was clear that Julie was going to be out of the picture altogether but *if* Julie decided she wanted to come back, then a backup contingency might have been to have Kitt do the Siren episode and make Joan Collins the odd one out. It has to be acknowledged that in 1967, Joan didn't have the luxury of the kind of star resume that all other Bat villains male and female had to this point. If anything, this was the point in time where her public profile was more that of being Mrs. Anthony Newley who was about to appear in one of Fox's biggest movies (and eventual flops) "Doctor Dolittle". So it would have been easy to make her expendable in favor of Kitt and slide Kitt into another part if Julie returned as CW.

That is purely 100% speculation on my part.

[High C]

I almost wonder if it's possible that their plans were to sign Kitt to be on the show without knowing who she was going to play. Thus, she was their choice for CW if it was clear that Julie was going to be out of the picture altogether but *if* Julie decided she wanted to come back, then a backup contingency might have been to have Kitt do the Siren episode and make Joan Collins the odd one out. It has to be acknowledged that in 1967, Joan didn't have the luxury of the kind of star resume that all other Bat villains male and female had to this point. If anything, this was the point in time where her public profile was more that of being Mrs. Anthony Newley who was about to appear in one of Fox's biggest movies (and eventual flops) "Doctor Dolittle". So it would have been easy to make her expendable in favor of Kitt and slide Kitt into another part if Julie returned as CW.

That is purely 100% speculation on my part.

This is an interesting theory, I must admit.

I'll say this--Stanley Ralph Ross' first draft of 'Wail' was dated July 12, 1967, and it definitely feels like Joan Collins' 'voice.' I can really 'hear' an aristocratic and proper Englishwoman when I read it, as opposed to the tough, in-your-face type of voice Ross gave CW for both Newmar and Kitt.

I also found it interesting that the opening scene of the season 3 premiere has Batman and Robin talking about how they just thwarted Catwoman and that they won't be seeing her for awhile. It was almost as if they were buying time for whatever reason. Although it should be noted Eartha hadn't suffered her injury yet, so maybe they still were holding out hope for Newmar. We'll likely never know.

[Bob Furmanek]

I wonder if the August 16/17 rerun of "The Cat's Meow" had anything to do with that reference?

[Dr. Shimel]

Eartha's health issues were back-related.

Regarding dialogue that sounds confusing--in the third episode of S2 (Minstrel) the duo brags about past foes they vanquished and mentioned Clock King, who was still three eps away from making his first appearance. A simple explanation: CK had been filmed before Minstrel.

[Ben Bentley]

A shooting schedule dated July 21, 1967 for Ring Around The Riddler lists Siren as being played by Ertha [sic] Kitt. But the shooting sked dated July 27 for Wail of The Siren correctly lists Joan Collins.

A detail that might lend credence to the idea that Eartha Kitt was initially supposed to play the Siren: at one point in the episode, the Siren declares "I want to be evil!" - and that phrase was also the title of one of Eartha Kitt's best-known songs (I believe the record was a hit in 1953 or thereabouts.)

2018-4271.jpg

I'm almost annoyed with myself for not having made that connection!

[Dr. Shimel]

One sad irony about Eartha is that her biggest(?) hit was Santa Baby and she ended up passing away on Christmas Day 2008.

[Ben Bentley]

I don't have a copy of it, but records show Dozier sent a letter to Kitt on Sept. 19, 1967. Presumably to express get-well wishes and to ask for her to let him know when she was sufficiently healthy to film her episodes.

Here you go, this is the correspondence you're referencing:

[High C]

Thanks, Ben! That's it, of course.

FWIW, I just recalled that, several years ago, I asked the good folks at the University of Wyoming who curate the Dozier files to see if there were any memos or correspondence from Dozier from April-July 1967 relating to Joan Collins' casting as The Siren. Their researchers did not find any.