Things/People who annoyed you

[WayneGrayson]

Well at least the Commissioner is alliterative with more than one person, unlike Dr. Smith and the Robot!

You can't have a detective story without alliterations, even a spoof of detective stories. I offer no dissertation on the subject, but I think they're cool.

[Riddler 66]

Some interesting posts, some I would agree with, some not. My thoughts...

1.) Chief O'Hara. I suppose he serves the purpose of having someone for Commissioner Gordon to speak to, but often he's just kinda not adding much otherwise. Gordon is the "Mr. Waverly" or "M" of the show, and notice they don't require any sidekick other than the hero(es).

2.) Mr. Freeze, totally agree that Sanders owned the part (even when his accent slips.) I would say in just my opinion, Sanders was probably the actual best actor of the guest stars, although I put forth that Frank Gorshin gave the best performances of any actor/guest villain. The character of Mr. Freeze in season one is so much more layered and nuanced.

3.) No second appearances for Bookworm or False Face. Again, first season guest villains have more menace, a sense of danger that begins to fade too soon.

4.) An odd point for most of you I'm sure, but almost too many Penguins in ratio to the other guests. And please, some of the Penguins are among my favorites, such as The Penguin for Mayor. The Lola Lasagna ones are not. For many years, when I was traveling to some place where Batman was airing, and it wasn't where I lived,I would get excited but I almost always got a Penguin.
Likewise, Frank Gorshin's lack of guest starring in season 2, and only one subpar Riddler in season 3 is a let down. I don't think John Astin is really that bad, but it's Dick York vs Dick Sargent, the latter of which is okay but never has the energy and essence of the definite portrayal.

5.) Eatha Kitt's Catwoman. While I appreciate her trying to make it her own performance, it was jarring as a kid. She no longer had any attraction to Batman and now really seemed to want to kill him. Like I said on a previous thread, apparently it took about over a year to film McKenna's Gold. (Glad that rumor was put to rest.)

6.) Agree and echo that 3rd season suffered as it was so hard to balance Batgirl in with the other characters. With the 2 episodes a week, it would have been so much better balanced.

7.) Speaking of third season, why did such a second rate guest villain as Lord Phogg get a three parter? The only good thing was the appearances of the lovely Glynis Johns as Lady Peasoup and also Lyn Peters as lady Prudence. It's certainly not the scenery chewing excess of Rudy Vallee. There are times when the one episode of Nora Clavicle is a relief after this endurance test. (Check out The Court Jester to see what a total hottie Glynis was in her day!)

8.) The final episode. Zsa Zsa Gabor as another lower tier special guest. I'd rather they went out on the Dr. Cassandra case than this room temperature cup of tea. Not a fitting farewell.

9.) Season Two opens with The Archer. At 6 years old, I KNEW he was not Batman's arch enemy. It was a sure signal of a watch out for a quality drop ahead. The slow slide begins.

9.) Missed opportunities? Was there really going to be a Clint Eastwood as Two Face? Good lord, perhaps the saddest missed opportunity of all. Also, potential guest villains played by the likes of Natalie Wood, Frank Sinatra, Kirk Douglas, Yul Brynner etc. never happened.

[BATWINGED HORNET]

I rise to defend the lady.

Batman probably not deputized right away. Can you imagine I guy walking into police headquarters saying "Excuse me, I'd like to be a duly deputized agent of the law!" He had to earn some cred first.

Apparently, Batman and Robin earned it, but for another costumed person to just prance around, walking into police headquarters (how did security allow that--no one knows who she is, or her motives), and is accepted as a crimefighter--essentially serving as an official representative of Gotham law enforcement--makes no sense. Particularly, that Batman (in this position) never demands any legal credibility from her.

I know, I know, this is Batman, but that was stretching thins--even for this series.

Second when Batgirl says things like "A woman's intuition." She's covering how she really found out what she knew. Plus is woman's intuition different than Batman playing a hunch?

Anyone can play a hunch. The creation of "woman's intuition" implies a fellow human being's brain is so different from another, that it requires a gender specification. Correct me if my memory is not clear on this, but how many 1960s TV action heroines cited "women's intuition" as part of their crime fighting tools?

Also when she said the line about Oiija Boards and Tea Leaves it was her way of saying "Mind your own d**n business?"

I would expect a villain to take that attitude, but B&R did not need anyone interfering in their official investigations who hides information, or says things so opposite of the mindset required for law enforcement that she poses a danger to herself and others.

More to the point, the line only supports the idea that there was much sexist stereotypes (even for 1967-68) added into the creation of TV Batgirl.

You know, no one question how Batman knew within seconds Archer had robbed Wayne manner why should Batgirl's sources be questioned?

By that time, Batman was a seasoned crime fighter. His skills were so astounding, it even had Gordon saying it was like Batman could read his mind. Nevermind the dual identity providing some of that striking power of the mind, but the series clearly established the Dynamic Duo's reputation. Batgirl just bounces into Gotham--no track record, no official recognition by the GCPD, yet she's accepted?

Another reason why the character did not work.

[High C]

Also when she said the line about Oiija Boards and Tea Leaves it was her way of saying "Mind your own d**n business?"

I would expect a villain to take that attitude, but B&R did not need anyone interfering in their official investigations who hides information, or says things so opposite of the mindset required for law enforcement that she poses a danger to herself and others.

Agree with BATWINGED HORNET. In fact, the writing of Batgirl was at the top of my list of things that annoyed me.

As noted by 'BWH' and others, Batgirl was written all wrong from the start. It would stand to reason that someone who chose to emulate someone else in terms of both name and costume, would have a certain amount of respect and even hero worship for that other person. But Batgirl often was more concerned with one-upping the Duo.

Two of the worst examples occurred in the CW/Joker teamup and in Louie the Lilac’s return. In The Funny Feline Felonies, BG pockets evidence without telling anyone. In Louie’s Lethal Lilac Time, she is an eyewitness yet she WITHHOLDS INFORMATION about the kidnapping of Bruce and Dick. Think of how unconscionable that would be if S3 had been like S1, where people actually could get hurt occasionally. That hardly helps make her case as a legit crimefighter. She came off as a frivolous glory hound, and that's on the producers and writers.

[epaddon]

I would agree that the writing of Batgirl set up a shaky foundation for the character. Unfortunately, Yvonne Craig's performance as the character I felt magnified these faults. This is the reason why I feel if Mary Ann Mobley had been cast in the part, she would have been more apt to blunt the negative impact of the writing through her own personality which had the more natural quality of wide-eyed Miss America innocence to it. And maybe the writers would have adjusted the character more in line with her persona over time.

Regardless, BG *should* have been a character motivated to become BG out of hero worship for Batman IMO. And they should also have had honesty among each other as far as IDs were concerned which is what the comic strip did relatively early and I have to assume the comic book eventually did so in short order as well.

[clavierankh]

Batwinged Hornet makes some good points.

I think Batman established the idea of a costumed hero in Gotham City which makes Batgirl's acceptance easier. Also the fact that Batman accepts her give's her ced. ood point though you would think Batman would be suspicious at first.

Batman is a bit sexist with Batgirl "This isn't exactly women's work!" So her woman's intuition mark mey be throwing that back at him.

Agree about her keeping the scrap of paper. Batman has taken clues back to the Batcave for analysis without telling the police but he would not conceal them from the police or another crime fighter.

I'm not sure what she concealed about Bruce and Dick's kidnapping unless you mean the tip abut Louie's hideout Alfred gave her. He apparently tipped the police too because they were there. There were occasions Batman didn't give police info because he was afraid they would get in the way or because he wanted to make the capture himself.

I don't know if Mary Ann Mobley would have been better, it would depend how the character was written. I suspect they chose Yvonne because they wanted a more feminine Batgirl rather than tough.

[cammy85]

I watched the Sandman episodes last night and it always bothered me how Alfred could bike with Batman as a passenger for 14 miles without breaking a sweat. This is TV but still...

Edit: and just before that, Batman ran all the way back to the Batcave because said Batmobile was stolen. Alfred could've driven Batman in in the limousine. I know it ame later but he let them change in the Batmobile in Season 3 "Catwoman's Dressed To Kill".

[Batwrangler]

i think Elvis should of popped out the window while they were climbing the wall

[BatmanFan102]

Thought of a few others.

The way Joker's moll Emerald & King Tut's moll in season 3 both referred to them as "Poopsie".

George waGGner with the 2 capital G's in the middle like that GRRR

The way Giggler and Laugher laugh ad nauseum when Catwoman introduces them to Joker.

The BatGirl theme song, makes me cringe when it plays. I mute the TV now.

Colonel Gumm, especially his alphabet soup fetish.

[BATWINGED HORNET]

The way Giggler and Laugher laugh ad nauseum when Catwoman introduces them to Joker.

It was season three.

The BatGirl theme song, makes me cringe when it plays. I mute the TV now.

It was season three.

...and the lyrics. Headache time.

Colonel Gumm, especially his alphabet soup fetish.

That crossover needed season 1 Joker or Freeze.

[robinboyblunderer]

Col Gumm.

I suppose there are things you could do with the character to make him more interesting but instead we get a guy in orange jumpsuit and something about stamps and zzzzzz.

A very uninspired villain. If you're going to have this crossover, you're right, bring on a major villain. The Joker meeting the Green Hornet could be interesting, instead they went with a guy who works in a glue factory or whatever he does.

The comics had so many interesting characters they could've used and instead they just go with this. Col. Gumm. It doesn't even sound interesting. I guess they could've gone the military angle since he calls himself Colonel but they didn't. A very boring villain in two dull episodes, that seem to be mainly known for the Kato/Robin fight.

The Joker double-crossing the Green Hornet and Kato makes for an interesting scene, Gumm pushing them into a stamp machine doesn't. However, I did like the surreality of the stamp machine cliffhanger.

[Quarhog]

As a schnick I never noticed, but now I absolutely cannot stand to watch the Otto Preminger - Mr. Freeze episode. I like his visual look and when I was small the scene of him up in the vent in Gordon's office scared the hell out of me, but after the Blu-ray viewing (first time I saw the episode since all those years ago) I just cannot take his stupid "VILD!!" exclamation every third word! The writer's name escapes me at the moment, but trying to make an old guy try to sound like a (at the time) young and current hipster was just out and out moronic.

And, save for a couple episodes here and there, Season 3 annoyed me as it just got so bad. Put in and watch a disc of Season 1 and then put in and watch a disc of Season 3 and the formats are light years apart. I just find I have this "downer" feeling of dread that goes through me when I watch Season 3 for reasons we all have discussed.

I think I can also add, again, involving Season 3 that I find I like Batgirl less as I view her more as her character seemed so predictable and bland. Every time she appears she would always just walk in, take that stance with her fists against her hips, and tilted her head on an angle with that smirk. At times she seemed more like Bat-Mite than Bat-Girl. I also was really annoyed with Eartha Kitt as Catwoman as she didn't display an interest in Batman at all as Julie Newmar, Lee Meriwether, and the comics did. Eartha pretty much portrayed just a simple ruthless, scheming, selfish thief with no regard for anyone but herself which is Catwoman somewhat, but the Batman/Catwoman attraction is a main and huge point in the mythos. Her purring, rolling 'R's' could only get her so far with me as a Bat-viewer. Than again, it being the Sixties, maybe the producers were reluctant to touch the race issue as Star Trek and William Shatner did in the famous 'Plato's Stepchildren' scene. I think everyone knows about that famous controversy in TV history.

The Lee Meriwether/Batman romance never happened; it was merely a ruse by Catwoman to lure Batman into a trap. During her far too few scenes in costume - what a waste that she squanders most of her screen time pretending to be the boring Madame Kitka! - Meriwether's Catwoman never for a moment displayed the slightest romantic interest in the Caped Crusader and was easily the nastiest Catwoman of them all - freed of the lovey-dovey nonsense forced on Newmar by the producers and devoid even of Eartha Kitt's coquettish sense of mischief; Meriwether would certainly have had Batman killed with even less compunction than Kitt. When finally unmasked she shows absolutely no contrition or regret at spinning Bruce Wayne along and breaking Batman's heart; just hissing annoyance at having been foiled and Batcuffed! All in all an absolutely purrrrrrfect villainess!! Too bad there was so little of her in the movie.

[Mr.Freeze]

Venus is a pretty good character , don't understand the hatred when there are more duller molls.

[Pengy]

I think it's because she was annoying not dull. Personally I'd rather have a bland moll than an annoying one. At least I'm not wishing a bland moll off the screen.

[Yellow Oval]

I actually thought Venus was one of the better molls as she showed some various range as the fake police inspector, the rich Texan daughter, the country singer, and the wispy-voiced Marilyn Monroe-type museum living statue. For my money, there were a lot worse than her. Kathy Kersh's flat, cardboard, 1-dimensional Cornelia immediately comes to mind.

But you know, after some thought, what really annoys me is False-Face and Bookworm not making additional appearances!