TO THE BATPOLES #176: "Marsha", first draft: Too much chat, not enough Bat

General goings on in the 1966 Batman World

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bat-rss
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TO THE BATPOLES #176: "Marsha", first draft: Too much chat, not enough Bat

Post by bat-rss »

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The original "Marsha" script was commissioned through a talent agency to two writers, Tom Cannan, Jr, and Jack Cash. The script they produced, "Marsha, the Queen of Diamonds" (note the extra definite article) is riddled with problems, from special effects way beyond the show's means, to flagrant mischaracterization of the Caped Crusader, to some really lame “holys” from Robin. This time, we pick through the wreckage of one of the more egregious scripts we’ve discussed on this show.

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Scott Sebring
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #176: "Marsha", first draft: Too much chat, not enough Bat

Post by Scott Sebring »

Pretty cool podcast.
Just a couple nitpicks:
1) Your comment about Gordon, Chief O'Hara, Batman and Robin pacing across each other's paths mainly showing up in the movie as a possible inspiration. "High Diddle Riddle"'s first office scene for the show ever has everybody pacing and crossing paths including Inspector Bash.
2) Scriptwriters often mention stock footage or possible effect solutions/suggestions in order to help "sell" how the script can actually be executed. A more common practice than you eluded to as a rarity or never done.

In response to "What villain team-up I would have liked to have seen?"

1) Bookworm and Clock King
2) Mister Freeze and Penguin
3) Riddler (Gorshin) and Puzzler :p
4) Egghead and anybody else but Olga
5) Louie the Lilac and Lola Lasagna (Just to hear everybody get through that alteration over and over again) **Worst Episode Ever**
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #176: "Marsha", first draft: Too much chat, not enough Bat

Post by BAT 77 »

So what villian team-ups would I like to have seen?

1. Marsha, Black Widow & Minvera. You'd probably have to recast Black Widow as Miss Bankhead was on her way out in '68. I'm thinking Bettie Davis, but she's probably too expensive for Dough-sier. The three of them scheme to ensnare all of the male millionaires in Gotham and rob them of their diamonds, however each of them plan to double-cross the other two.

2. Minstrel, Chandell & Siren headline the annual Policeman's Ball (as part of Warden Crichton's "progressive policy" to rehabilitate criminals). They end up stealing the proceeds and begin their "Tour of Terror". Batman, Robin & Batgirl combat them in a "Battle of the Bands" competition, with special appearance by Sonny & Cher.

3. Julie Newmar's Catwoman returns from the dead (again) and finds the Eartha Kitt Catwoman has taken her place. A cat fight ensues and everyone wins.
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #176: "Marsha", first draft: Too much chat, not enough Bat

Post by BATWINGED HORNET »

Guys, although Marsha is far from a favorite Bat-villain, you managed to make the subject interesting.

One thing Cannan and Cash's story had over the series is Robin driving! How did Dozier, et al., think that it was believable to have a teenager running around fighting deadly criminals, operate advanced devices, use a Batzooka, scale the sides of buildings, have detective skills above just about all others in the world (except Batman), and I'm assuming aided in building the many computers in the Batcave, yet he cannot drive a car?

By the time of the movie's production, the producers were at least sensible enough to have Robin pilot the Batcopter, but he should have been driving. Even the comic book Robin of the era was driving the Batmobile and his own motorcycle (the latter often seen in the 60s Teen Titans comics).

So, while Cannan and Cash may have been "off" in the way they were writing Batman or certain situations, they were on the right page about Robin being able to drive.

Paul, you were theorizing about EFX being handled in-house or outside of studios, and in one major case, almost everything was contracted--the original Star Trek. All of the series' spaceship miniatures, transporter effects, energy beams and some of the planet body EFX were handled at several houses: the Howard Anderson Company, Van der Veer Photo Effects (which also contributed the original Star Wars trilogy), The Westheimer Company (another company that supplied some EFX for The Empire Strikes Back) and Film Effects of Hollywood.

At Fox, most of the EFX work was handled in-house, as they had a rather experienced group of people working there, including L.B. Abbott (two of Irwin Allen's TV series, Planet of the Apes, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Patton, The Poseidon Adventure, and yes, Fantastic Voyage), and the Lydecker Brothers (best known for working on Republic serials such as The Adventures of Captain Marvel) who provided miniature work on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea & Lost in Space), among other shows. The other studios largely used their in-house EFX artists, too, but it was Desliu that needed to contract outside companies, only because of what Star Trek] demanded, which was beyond the scope of most studio EFX artists.
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #176: "Marsha", first draft: Too much chat, not enough Bat

Post by BATWINGED HORNET »

Oh, about the villain team-ups...

1. Sanders' Mr. Freeze with the Clock King: both intelligent, very calculating villains who were not buffoons trying to trip themselves up for the duo.

2. Bookworm and The Riddler, but on second thought, it might be too much hyper-mania blowing holes out of the walls to make that team-up work.

3. Archer and Minstrel...only if they settle leadership claims with a duel...and both lose in the first 5 minutes of the episode.
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES #176: "Marsha", first draft: Too much chat, not enough Bat

Post by High C »

Sirs, Glad to hear you guys are so big in Cypress! Keep up the good work. 8-)

Begorrrah! I definitely could use some GC Cola as a thirst quencher!

As for the rest of the ep, good catch on the talent agency repping Cannan and Cash. It really starkly shows how much of a void Semple's diminishing participation in the show left. It wasn't merely the story editing and the de facto co-showrunner duties. It also was the lack of original scripts from him.

Paul, as you will remember and you said, being mind-controlled makes the person speak like Jimmy Cagney. But that wasn't a part of '66 canon yet.

It cracked me up that Burt was still passing on the Mackenna's Gold myth for Julie's absence from the movie in that soundbite.

As for teamups, well...

1--Minstrel and Siren. Someone came up with the first part of this on the old Batgirl Bat-Trap site, but I'll take it a step further. Using the 1966 (well, 1967) canon, Minstrel comes up with a way to restore Siren's voice electronically (but somehow make himself immune). They then embark on a crime spree--I'll figure out the details later.

2--Catwoman and Siren. Follows the canon of the earlier one. Siren and Catwoman come up with a plan to use the voice eraser--which, of course, wasn't destroyed*--to erase the voices of popular female singers. But instead of a ransom for the voices, the 'offer' to the singers is much different--submit to the same electronic enhancements (for which Siren kept the specifications), with the hope that the lure of easy money and such will get one or more to 'turn.'

3--King Tut and Catwoman--Can't think of a plot, but Buono and Newmar's comedic timing together would've been great.
'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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