TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

General goings on in the 1966 Batman World

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bat-rss
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TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by bat-rss »

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Double-header episode! First, we tackle The Londinium Larcenies — yes, only part one — including the original treatment by Elkan Allen (two parts, no Batgirl, no Penelope Peasoup), the sets, the music, the appeals to the Dirty Old Man Market, and more.

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Then, at last, we examine Paul’s video taken at the Batman ’66 exhibit at the Hollywood Museum last July, and answer the burning questions: Why did Batman’s costume keep turning purple? What item caused Paul to totally fanboy out? Are there any prospective TO THE BATPOLES topics lurking in the display cases?

PLUS: The recent Dr. Demento album that features both a performance by Adam West, and this episode’s version of the Batman theme, performed by the Hamburglars; and your mail!

http://tothebatpoles.libsyn.com/094-the ... os-angeles
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High C
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by High C »

Where to begin? I actually like the concept for the trilogy, but I feel the casting, writing and execution were lacking.

I don't blame you guys for doing this trilogy one episode at a time so you can do other, worthwhile things on the back ends, but you are calling all the possible Bat-timeouts you can to extend this game (not that I mind).

Anyway, you guys did some good research on Johns and Vallee, but I was surprised you didn't mention how Vallee was referenced twice earlier in the show. Also, Glynis starred in a pair of British films as a captivating mermaid named Miranda!! (Did Adam sing to her??)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_(1948_film)

As for part 1 itself, I'm afraid I have to agree to disagree. Not only is the opening scene ridiculous visually, as Paul noted, but it also carries on the idiotic season 3 conceit of no building housing important things ever having any security, because security guard extras cost money, right, Bill Dough-zier?

Also, rich English people having their swag stolen doesn't seem like a good enough reason to involve Batman. Maybe the kidnapping of a member of Parliament, or something actually stolen from Up-Chuckingham Palace, as Tim called it. Or, heck, how about a line of dialogue that the thefts are causing panic in the Londinium financial district, and that could lead to a weakening of the pound which could have global monetary repercussions? Oh, right, that would require Charles Hoffman to actually think.

I'd also say that usually I don't mind the lack of a villain backstory, but here it raises more questions than answers. Obviously, they are rich. Why are they committing these crimes? For kicks? Are they living beyond their means? As a villain, Lord Ffogg's main weapon seems to be pomposity. And as Gould alluded to, he sometimes spouts Cockney. 'Ffogg Manor is playing 'ost to Batman and Robin'??? Ugh.

You make a good point about Dozier's narration lampshading the fact they're still in California. Well, Adam did a promotional visit to London(ium) in May 1967, when this script already was in the hopper. Given the amount of time the script separates him and Robin anyway, why couldn't Dough-zier have sent a cameraperson and a second-unit director with him for some footage? Oh, right, I just answered my own question. #Doughzier

Speaking of which, that's my guess on why this arc was made. Dough-zier wanted to capitalize on the red-hotness of swinging London and Carnaby Street, but as with the hippies, was too square to know how to do it.

Tim's observation about it being aired on Thanksgiving night 1967 is apropos. The broadcast version of L-tryptophan.

All that said, I enjoyed Paul's tour of the Batman exhibit in L.A. and I thank him for the shoutout. It was a very enlightening look at the exhibit. I only wish it had a certain piece of wardrobe...
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mattman
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by mattman »

High C , that is an absolutely amazing review of a review. Everything was spot on. Agree that would it have hurt to include Adam's trip to my foggy ,groovy, swinging climate but again, spot on. Whether it was down to Dough-zier as you called him or the network ABC (Abandoned Batman Costs) will we ever know?
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by Jim Akin »

High C wrote: Fri Sep 28, 2018 3:44 am Anyway, you guys did some good research on Johns and Vallee, but I was surprised you didn't mention how Vallee was referenced twice earlier in the show.
I recall Bruce's acquisition of Chief Screaming Chicken's raccoon pelts from the coat of a down-and-out crooner. What was the other reference to Vallée?
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by clavierankh »

Professor Pat Pending's Valet Rudy in That Darn Catwoman/ Scat Darn Catwoman
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Jim Akin
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by Jim Akin »

clavierankh wrote: Fri Sep 28, 2018 6:34 am Professor Pat Pending's Valet Rudy in That Darn Catwoman/ Scat Darn Catwoman
Ah! Of course. Thanks.
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by robinboyblunderer »

bat-rss wrote: Thu Sep 27, 2018 5:13 am Image
Double-header episode! First, we tackle The Londinium Larcenies — yes, only part one — including the original treatment by Elkan Allen (two parts, no Batgirl, no Penelope Peasoup), the sets, the music, the appeals to the Dirty Old Man Market, and more.

Image
Then, at last, we examine Paul’s video taken at the Batman ’66 exhibit at the Hollywood Museum last July, and answer the burning questions: Why did Batman’s costume keep turning purple? What item caused Paul to totally fanboy out? Are there any prospective TO THE BATPOLES topics lurking in the display cases?

PLUS: The recent Dr. Demento album that features both a performance by Adam West, and this episode’s version of the Batman theme, performed by the Hamburglars; and your mail!

http://tothebatpoles.libsyn.com/094-the ... os-angeles
Thanks for sharing this. Haven't listened to the recent podcasts. Did you happen to pick up the finished draft for the trilogy too?

cheers
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bat-rss
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by bat-rss »

robinboyblunderer wrote: Fri Sep 28, 2018 10:12 pm
Thanks for sharing this. Haven't listened to the recent podcasts. Did you happen to pick up the finished draft for the trilogy too?

cheers
Sorry, not currently in possession of any more complete version of the script. Someday, if we get so desperate for episode ideas that we decide to come back to this three-parter, we might ask Laramie for it! haha
"I'm half-demented with whimsical outrage!"
-- The Joker, in a line cut from "The Joker's Epitaph"
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by Keith Mayo »

mattman wrote: Fri Sep 28, 2018 4:10 am High C , that is an absolutely amazing review of a review. Everything was spot on. Agree that would it have hurt to include Adam's trip to my foggy ,groovy, swinging climate but again, spot on. Whether it was down to Dough-zier as you called him or the network ABC (Abandoned Batman Costs) will we ever know?
Great review of a review of a review.

I now must now alert the authorities at the Dept of Redundancy Dept. I spoke with them earlier today this morning while at the ATM machine. :-)
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by John Mack »

And don't forget to enter your PIN number ;)
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by robinboyblunderer »

bat-rss wrote: Sat Sep 29, 2018 11:41 pm
robinboyblunderer wrote: Fri Sep 28, 2018 10:12 pm
Thanks for sharing this. Haven't listened to the recent podcasts. Did you happen to pick up the finished draft for the trilogy too?

cheers
Sorry, not currently in possession of any more complete version of the script. Someday, if we get so desperate for episode ideas that we decide to come back to this three-parter, we might ask Laramie for it! haha
Well, thanks anyway, I still appreciate all the scripts you've been sharing.

cheers
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Dan E Kool
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by Dan E Kool »

This was probably my favorite episode so far. Not of Batman (Londinium is pretty meh) but of the TTBP Podcast! You guys had me laughing throughout this episode. :lol: You were critical, but never mean. And your Village People covers were a blast.

Most of all, I enjoyed Paul's narrated trip to the Hollywood Batman exhibit. Hearing him geek out over Neil Hamilton's ACTUAL handwriting has my cracking a smile just writing about it. I'm sure I would have had the same, goofy reaction. Perhaps I would have fallen to my knees and chanted a familiar "Uh-uh, Uh-uh." I am not worthy!
High C wrote: Fri Sep 28, 2018 3:44 amSpeaking of which, that's my guess on why this arc was made. Dough-zier wanted to capitalize on the red-hotness of swinging London and Carnaby Street, but as with the hippies, was too square to know how to do it.
This rings true to me, just like Surf's Up, Joker's Under... But less fun. It's a shame because Batman and Robin fighting crime somewhere other than Gotham City could've been really something. Just not this late in the game, I suppose.

By the way, the description of the British Batmobile that Tim gave sounds exactly like what was featured in the 66 Batman comic book, when the Dynamic Duo returned to Londinium to battle the Clock King and the Mad Hatter:

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- Boy Genius
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by Therin of Andor »

Still catching up on "To the Batpoles!" podcasts I had missed. Really enjoying you work. Last night I heard you read out my post, about The Hollywood Museum in LA, in Episode #094 “'The Londinium Larcenies' and a legacy layout in Los Angeles". Thank you!

About Londinium's "Barnaby Street", parodying London's Carnaby Street. Yes, I love the hilarious uses of "Barnaby" signage, including "Barnaby! Barnaby!" on a theatre marquee. (I have seen the heading "Carnaby! Carnaby!" before, and was thinking it was a musical or song? Or was it the headline for a magazine article of the day?)

The King Tut/Victor Buono exhibit addition to The Hollywood Museum is so cool and makes me need to travel back to LA to see it in person.

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King Tut at the Hollywood Museum by Ian McLean, on Flickr
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by bat-rss »

Therin of Andor wrote: Mon Nov 26, 2018 7:07 pm The King Tut/Victor Buono exhibit addition to The Hollywood Museum is so cool and makes me need to travel back to LA to see it in person.
You and me both!
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Re: TO THE BATPOLES podcast #094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles

Post by Ben Bentley »

bat-rss wrote: Thu Sep 27, 2018 5:13 am
PLUS: The recent Dr. Demento album that features both a performance by Adam West, and this episode’s version of the Batman theme, performed by the Hamburglars; and your mail!

http://tothebatpoles.libsyn.com/094-the ... os-angeles
Holy Lazarus Pit! It looks like i'm resurrecting this thread!

Bear with me for a moment (as I mentioned on the thread for a far more recent episode), i'm having to play catch up after my Podcasts app kindly stopped downloading my subscribed shows...

Anyhow...a really fun episode as always although I must admit that it's starting to feel rather meta listening to and subsequently commenting on a podcast reviewing an episode of the show citing an episode of another podcast which I was the guest on reviewing said episode. If my life was a Christopher Nolan movie, i'd have fallen off a chair backwards multiple times whilst writing this sentence... :P

I just wanted to quickly address the remarks that your listener Dave sent into your Bat-Mail Bag regarding Season 3 changes to the Wayne Manor study.

Although his observation regarding the disappearing door/"Bat-Service Elevator" entrance are indeed correct, unfortunately i'm not sure where he surmised that production moved back to the Fox Lot from it's unit base at Desilu/Culver? Although the Fox lot (particularly the Gotham Plaza vicinity exteriors) were used several times throughout the final season, the "standing sets" (Wayne Manor, Commissioner Gordon's Office etc) remained across town at Desilu as they had ever since the show was green-lit to series after the Network Presentation in late 1965.

Here is an example of a S3 production document - "D" next to the stage number designates "Desilu"
Screenshot 2019-05-28 at 21.16.10.jpg
Sidebar: for those interested in a deeper dive I posted captures in a thread here a little while back identifying the changes to the Wayne Study set chronologically.
Ben Bentley wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2019 2:20 pm
Batfanman wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2019 12:11 pm Just noticed a short connector wall [in the bottom photo] between the fireplace and bookcase walls that doesn't appear in the top photo. Was the study on a different set in early episodes?
In a word, yes it was...although that's not actually the reason for the difference that you quite rightly pointed out in the two specific screen captures that you shared.

The Study-set as seen in the Pilot was actually shot at Fox's Sunset and Western studios (as opposed to the Batcave set which was over on the original Fox lot on Pico Bl in Century City. When the show was green-lit, the show's unit-base and standing sets were transported and reconfigured for the first season at Desilu Culver which would go on to be the show's home-studio for it's run.

That being said, as the show progresses season by season we see further alterations to the study set's phsyical shape. By Season Three, much of the Wayne Manor set (particularly the living room and lobby area) are pretty much gone to make way for the Gotham Public library standing set that subsequently would re-use the physical same space on Stage 15 at Culver. As a result the Study also goes on quite a diet and becomes evident when we look at the framing of any of the study-scenes during the third season, much tighter shots and far less camera movement are used in order try and be as economical with the space available. One of the most obvious casualties is the loss of doorway leading to the Batcave Service Elevator.

Pilot Study:
Batman S01E01 - Hi Diddle Riddle - 0197.jpg
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S01E05:
Batman S01E05 -The Joker Is Wild - 0246.jpg
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S01E25:
Batman S01E25 - The Joker Trumps an Ace - 0210.jpg
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S02E01:
Batman S02E01 - Shoot a Crooked Arrow - 0204.jpg
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S02E15:
Batman S02E15 - The Devil's Fingers - 0763.jpg
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S03E05:
Batman S03E05 - A Horse Of Another Color - 0613.jpg
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S03E11:
Batman S03E11 - The Londinium Larcenies - 0113.jpg
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The complete thread can be found here.
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