Script: THE CAT'S TALE, by Stephen Kandel

[bat-rss]

OK, I'm really interested in what the reaction to this one will be: The unshot script "The Cat's Tale" by False Face writer Stephen Kandel.

NOTE: My recommendation is to not read this until AFTER you've listened to the just-posted TO THE BATPOLES episode 89.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/43aaqguf20ekt ... l.pdf?dl=0

[Jthree]

Guys? Do you know if there was an unpublished Catwoman script by Stanley Ralph Ross?

--james

[Dan E Kool]

"An oriental midget?"

[bat-rss]

Just glancing at the American Heritage Center listing of Dozier's archives ( https://rmoa.unm.edu/docviewer.php?docI ... idm2379632 -- the Batman scripts start with box 27), I see a Ross script called "Batman Meets his Match". I don't currently have a scan of it, so I don't know if it's an episode that had its name changed in final form, or one that was never made, and obviously I can't tell if Catwoman is in it or not. For sure, I'm going to ask for this one at some point. Their archives will keep our podcast going for a while yet!

[High C]

Legend has it that a large container of borscht fell onto one of Ross' scripts, rendering it illegible and unsuitable for filming.

[robinboyblunderer]

OK, I'm really interested in what the reaction to this one will be: The unshot script "The Cat's Tale" by False Face writer Stephen Kandel.

NOTE: My recommendation is to not read this until AFTER you've listened to the just-posted TO THE BATPOLES episode 89.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/43aaqguf20ekt ... l.pdf?dl=0

Thanks for sharing this!

After a quick skim I think I'm coming around to the people who were disappointed in SRR's Catwoman. I feel like he had a lock on the character and obviously Julie Newmar liked his scripts but it would've been neat to have seen other versions of her.

I like Kandel's produced scripts and for the most part I liked what I saw of this one.

While I enjoyed the romance element and thought it had a fitting conclusion in Batman Vs. Two-Face, it's refreshing to have a more vicious Catwoman and someone's take besides SRR. Probably another reason I enjoy the Catwoman/Sandman espisodes.

While SRR could be funny and had some neat ideas, I feel like he also helped ruin the show to a degree.

[Jthree]

You know, you could take bits and pieces of "Fashions in Crime," and "A Cats Tail" and make about some pretty decent episodes of the series. Some repetitious odds and ends could be jettisoned.

---jthree

[Jthree]

Legend has it that a large container of borscht fell onto one of Ross' scripts, rendering it illegible and unsuitable for filming.

How do you know it was borscht?
--jthree

[Therin of Andor]

Legend has it that a large container of borscht fell onto one of Ross' scripts, rendering it illegible and unsuitable for filming.

Ah, it just needed a last-minute polish.

[High C]

My thoughts on the script after going through it twice:

--Like O'Shea before him, Kandel seems to think cats can be trained to do all sorts of things.

--A villain doing a recording is not a good idea, for the simple reason that the actor and the viewers want him or her on camera. At least he revealed it was Catwoman to the script readers and viewers more quickly than did O'Shea.

--Catwoman actually smoking seemed off. I wonder if he was influenced by a Leslie Thomas drawing in which Catwoman is smoking.

--SIX henchpeople, all with speaking parts??? Yikes. 'After Dozier was revived by paramedics, he rejected the script.'

--I liked how Batman was properly wary at times. That's more the Batman we know.

--The script had more gymnastics than television coverage of the Summer Olympics.

[clavierankh]

Re: Trained Cats. In the comics Catwoman used cats extensively, especially Hecate. I suppose the Idea was Catwoman had a special rapport with cats. The writers were working from a comic story. The problem is of course what is possible on TV.

[High C]

Re: Trained Cats. In the comics Catwoman used cats extensively, especially Hecate. I suppose the Idea was Catwoman had a special rapport with cats. The writers were working from a comic story. The problem is of course what is possible on TV.

Good point about the comics. I was unaware of that.

I'm just surprised that seasoned TV scripters such as Kandel and O'Shea would copy the comics so faithfully given the obvious costs in time and money of getting multiple cats and trainers/handlers to work with them.

[gothosmansion]

First, thanks for posting the scripts. These are fascinating reads.

I wonder where the producers/writers/production staff got a copy of Batman 47 to read. I guess it was one of the vintage issues they picked up, probably due to the origin of Batman cover. As far as I know, "Fashions in Crime" hasn't been reprinted yet. It is scheduled to appear in the next Batman Omnibus, Volume 6. I've never read the comic book story, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it compares to the two un-filmed scripts when I do get to read it.

I think the switching of the utility belt was too similar plot wise to "The Joker is Wild" script, where the Joker does the same. Also, while the False Face episodes are my favorite ones that don't feature one of the "Big 4," Steven Kandell is really fond of the moll supposedly helping the dynamic duo or out-and-out defecting to the side of good, as shown by his scripts for False Face and the Zodiac Crimes. I guess it was a nice twist that this time the moll seemed more interested in Robin. Kandell also hinted at attractions between Wonder Woman and Andros in both of his two-part Wonder Woman scripts, so maybe he just liked the idea of love interest for the heroes.

Overall, there is a lot to like here, but I don't think the script is even in a league with Kandell's script for the False Face episodes. It certainly isn't nearly as good as the Catwoman debut that we got, either....which are probably my favorite episodes of the entire series.

As for the smoking, Catwoman is shown smoking, with Penguin's trademark cigarette holders, in one of the stories in Batman Omnibus, Volume 5, which I'm reading now. She was probably shown smoking in other early issues as well. Even Bruce Wayne smoked a pipe in the early issues, and I recall at least one early golden age tale where he discovers a plot aboard ship when he steps out on the deck to smoke a cigarette.

[bat-rss]

Hey, everyone, just FYI -- for reasons that will become clear in next week's episode, we're bumping our episode on THE CAT'S TALE one episode later than originally planned. So you now have until August 27 to submit comments that we'll read before recording the show, and possibly quote from on the podcast.

[bat-rss]

--Like O'Shea before him, Kandel seems to think cats can be trained to do all sorts of things.

In what parts? Kandel has Slasher bringing the cat to the prison at the beginning, rather than the cat arriving on its own, so the problems are lessened there. And the deathtrap is utterly different and doesn't depend on where a cat walks.