Most TV writers don’t become stars. If we’re fans of a show they wrote for, we probably know their names, but nowhere online can we find most writers’ photos or dates of birth, let alone anything about their inner thoughts. Especially not writers who did their work decades ago.
Collector Mitch Kaba has come along to help us get some insight into one of the more prolific Bat-writers: Standford Sherman. Courtesy of Mitch, we have some letters that Sherman wrote to his girlfriend in 1965-66, which include references to some of his early Batman work; in particular, Hizzoner the Penguin. Sherman visited the Bat-set during the shooting of that two-parter, and his account of the visit gives us an amazing look behind the curtain.
Also in this episode, we discuss the fifth issue of the Batman ’66 comic book, featuring appearances by the Sandman and Catwoman (Eartha Kitt version)! Do you want to be evil?
ALSO: The Tito Iglesias version of the Batman theme (holy catfight!) and your response to our Leslie Martinson discussion in episode 144!
"I'm half-demented with whimsical outrage!"
-- The Joker, in a line cut from "The Joker's Epitaph"
Kudos to Mitch Kaba for unearthing these and giving permission to put them out there. And thanks to you guys for providing the forum for them.
That said, I found them more interesting for what Sherman doesn't say than what he does. Here's a guy who has opinions on everything--politics (which, other than comparing Nelson Rockefeller to Burgess as Pengy, I'm glad you guys didn't explore), Warhol, Kenneth Anger, etc. But not once does he say, 'Man, I like what they're doing with this Batman show. It fits my style' or anything like that. For that matter, he also doesn't have anything of substance to say about Man From UNCLE, for which he wrote four scripts.
What I'm getting at is that Sherman was an independent contractor. He had no vested interest in the show. He was there to do a job and get paid. Thus, even though he should have thought it through more, and realized that the longer the show hung around, the longer he had a steady gig, he apparently did not see it that way. So he threw all kinds of set pieces against the wall and hoped they stuck rather than actually constructing coherent storylines the way Semple did in season 1. And without a Semple to ride herd on him, he kind of did what he wanted, much like Stanley Ralph Ross. (The only difference with Ross was he was equally misguided, but at least he saw himself as part of 'the team,' as is obvious from his subsequent interviews.)
The other thing that is apparent is that Greenway obviously liked 'Hizzoner The Penguin' and thus not only wanted more original scripts from Sherman, but asked him to do rewrites on the first Marsha script and to rewrite Stephen Kandel's 'Astrologer' into Zodiac Crimes. Thus, he was getting a lot of responsibility not long after he got on Greenway's radar. Again, they were giving these assignments to someone who didn't 'get' the show and certainly didn't understand the Semple esthetic and didn't bother to learn it. In Marsha, Batman took a 'sacred vow' not to let anyone into the Batcave--he'd already basically used truth serum-type methodology on two henchwomen in the Batcave in season 1!!!!
(And unless it's in the original, it's obvious the wedding gambit is all about Zsa Zsa having had five husbands by then, but I digress.)
I realize the political satire in Hizzoner is good. But I would argue it could have worked just as well on Get Smart or Green Acres or somesuch. It is not '66 Batman-specific and it serves to make Batman look buffoonish. It also clashes with the fact, a few arcs later, the world supposedly is in mourning when it's believed the Duo are dead (Mad Hatter arc).
But getting back to my main point, Sherman was being given a ton of responsibility for the season 2 tone of the show despite the fact he had just arrived on the scene, and didn't grasp what the show was about. As Ken Holtzhouser once noted to you guys, the two Marsha scripts brought in a lot of sitcom elements. That ultimately proved to be yet another reason, IMO, for the 'slide' you guys often have discussed.
'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
You may already have gotten to this Bat-inbox, but I'll say it anyway--Have to admit, I didn't like the artwork. (And, no, I cannot draw more than a stick figure, so I have no right to criticize.) Yes, that clearly is a likeness of Eartha Kitt, but wow, is it cartoony and caricaturish. It just doesn't bring out the villainy in her portrayal, IMO.
Also, you guys have done such a good job recently in stringing together 'themed' episodes--e.g., the movie, the Washburn fan film, how about stringing together script shows on Stanford Sherman's two rewrites: Marsha and Zodiac Crimes, which he adapted from Stephen Kandel's original villain, The Astrologer. Just my .02.
'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
