TO THE BATPOLES podcast #106: The Funny Script Felonies (w/John S. Drew!)

General goings on in the 1966 Batman World

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bat-rss
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TO THE BATPOLES podcast #106: The Funny Script Felonies (w/John S. Drew!)

Post by bat-rss »

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John S. Drew joins us to talk about the treatment, draft, and final scripts of the Funny Feline Felonies two-parter, which reveals inconsistent concern for not doing the same gags twice, the death of the budding Batman-Batgirl romance, Ross errors that sometimes made it to the screen, a Ross gag that was, er, stubbed out like a cigar, and much more.

http://tothebatpoles.libsyn.com/106-the ... ohn-s-drew

(Coming out 12 hours earlier than usual, because I'm going to be on a plane at the usual release time! Podcast release is automated, as is social media, but I don't believe I can set up the Batboard posts to publish automatically!)
"I'm half-demented with whimsical outrage!"
-- The Joker, in a line cut from "The Joker's Epitaph"
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BATWINGED HORNET
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #106: The Funny Script Felonies (w/John S. Drew!)

Post by BATWINGED HORNET »

It says something when a podcast about a TV series is more entertaining than the series its covering.

I believe Paul said the Joker was acting like a 6-year old, and I guess that's the general belief about season three Joker, who has a range of cartoon villain to whining man-child. In fact, in Joel Eisner's Batbook, he cites season two's "Pop Goes the Joker" / "Flop Goes the Joker" as the point the Joker transitioned from--

"...an arch criminal with a superior intelligence into a spoiled brat with a childish mind."

How did that happen? Was it a case of Romero just collecting checks & dialing in his performance? Dozier thinking there was more humor in the Joker acting like a man-child? Whatever the reason, season 3 Joker was so watered down, that Scooby-Doo villains appeared downright frightening by comparison.
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cammy85
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #106: The Funny Script Felonies (w/John S. Drew!)

Post by cammy85 »

Joker's earlier plots are good and oft times very sinister. Defacing art and ransoming millionaires in exchange for art collections, trying to win surfing competitions, being Catwoman's errand-boy and an "invasion from space" are not the same as creating a utility belt, corrupting Gotham's teens, extorting and discrediting Batman's image, or even a wel planned Zodiac crime spree with Penguin. No wonder it took longer for him to appear in the second and third seasons.
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High C
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #106: The Funny Script Felonies (w/John S. Drew!)

Post by High C »

Another terrific podcast. Tim, I hope you are enjoying your visit to The States.

John S. Drew made a funny reference to how the part 2 rewrite was Shakespeare compared to the earlier versions. You guys have a good chemistry with him, but will you ever be on his show? Then again, Batman never appeared on Green Hornet. :lol:

Three overarching points, and then some quick observations:

1--I disagree with Paul on why Eartha Kitt didn't read some of Ross' 'funny' lines in the way he apparently intended. As much as I have stated my dislike for Oscar Rudolph's work, I don't think some of Eartha's line readings were his fault. I get the feeling Kitt had her own interpretation of the character, and she was going to do it that way, no matter what. Plus, she did not have the sitcom experience of Newmar and Carolyn Jones, so some of Ross' sitcom-esque lines were not going to roll off her tongue the way they did for Jones and Newmar. Maybe that also is why Ross said in that interview he felt Kitt was aloof--she probably wasn't interested in his suggestions on how to play CW.

To be clear, I liked her interpretation very much, SRR be darned.

2--Stanley Ralph Ross seemed to be taking some potshots at things/people/trends he didn't like throughout his tenure. His shot at the Beatles (only for the benefit of the Greenway folks) echoes his original Chad and Jeremy idea, pre-C&J, and he seemed to have disdain for hippies with the 'sending the riot squad to the love-in' line. Although maybe he thought the hippies still were in Louie's power--(said in Paul's voice) wait a minute...

3--JSD, I think, was spot-on about how the window cameos were replaced by the 'in-story' cameos. But as noted, that could hamstring the writers. Joe E. Ross was going to do his schtick, as John said, so it kind of muted the sycophant aspect of the character that Ross originally had baked in. Also, I understand why Horwitz said one sycophant was 'enough' because of budgetary reasons, but the fact is, you wouldn't have only one henchman for a villain. Two sycophants would've gotten the point across more that LLG was a big deal.

(Also, there was a brief wall climb to Babs' apartment in the Riddler ep, but no time for a cameo.)

Smaller observations: Tim made a good point on how it was more of a Catwoman story with Joker shoehorned in. SRR didn't know how to write Joker, much like Stanford Sherman had no idea how to write Egghead. ... As you know, Joel Eisner has said the reason for the teamups was amortization of costs. I'm not doubting his info, but it still makes little sense to me financially. ... Paul made good dirty old man market points about the 'sigh chest' line and the 'policewomen's miniskirts.' I'd add that BG rolling along the ground rather than lifting herself into the birdbath probably added to all that...

I get the feeling, as JSD noted, they still were trying to push a Batman/Batgirl attraction, but it wasn't working out. As he said, maybe Ross didn't realize that. He also made a good point about how those Joker posters were a great idea. I will note this--in lieu of more extras for Joan Collins to 'Sirenize,' they did spend money on three original paintings for 'Wail.' As epaddon once noted, the alleged paintings of Mata Hari, Lucretia Borgia and Lady Macbeth all had Joan Collins' face. ... Tim did a good job on pointing out how the 'not mixing crimefighting and eating' bit didn't match earlier eps. They had sandwiches in Wail and Bat-burgers in Clock King.

Finally, the explosion scene is so Wile E Coyote, as you noted. So NOBODY gets hurt despite a cache of gunpowder exploding next door. Uh-huh. ... Another good point by JSD--the Holy Fifth Amendment. Robin actually said Holy Fourth Amendment in Wail when Siren said she'd have them arrested for trespassing if they didn't leave HER building.
'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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