Favorite Single Person Bat-trap

[dell]

So what are your favorite single person Bat-traps? It didn't happen very often on the show, but once in a while the dynamic duo (and later the terrific trio) each got their own Bat-trap. The only rule for this thread is that only one person can be in the trap. You can list traps for secondary characters, like Alfred and Aunt Harriet for example.

Batman: One of my favorites is when Bruce was in the ambulance and the gurney falls out. I know it is Bruce and not Batman, and technically it was not a designed trap, but this is probably the scariest trap on the show for me.

Robin: Two of Catwoman's traps bubble to the top of my list for Robin. First is when Robin is suspended over the tiger and when the sand runs out he will drop in with the tiger. I also like the maze that Catwoman forces Robin to enter. I am the first to admit that the maze trap has some issues (there is no door on the entrance so why doesn't Robin just walk back out after Catwoman leaves?). However, the reason I like this trap as Robin has to walk into the trap knowing it is a trap. Catwoman has a gun on him, but Robin hangs his head in defeat and walks into the trap on his own.

Batgirl: This is a tough one. The cat whiskers trap are great, but I also really like the caviar bowl in the Olga/Egghead episode. I think both of these traps harken back to the better traps of season one. They are original, straightforward and one is a ridiculous way to use caviar.

So what are your thoughts?

[John Mack]

For me it would be:

1) Batman in the "pebble count" scene with King Tut. While, not really a "trap" it was funny hearing him sing, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat."

2) Bruce Wayne in the first Pengy episode with the lighter and furnance. Why the HECK did Bruce Wayne have a lighter? In the early years, Bruce Wayne smoked a pipe, but never in the series.

3) Robin: King Tut's alligator trap. How about that "realistic" alligator below him, huh? LOL

4) Batgirl: Chained in the dungeon.

John

[Riddler Fan]

I liked when Batgirl was tied up in cat's whiskers by (Eartha Kitt) Catwoman. That was very villainous.

[elmrgraham]

I liked when Batman and Robin were placed under heated magnifying glasses by (Julie Newmar) Catwoman.That was villainous and EVIL.

[elmrgraham]

I realize that was not single person,but that was my favorite.

[Dr. Shimel]

I always apply too much logic to such cases, but I often wondered why Bruce Wayne--in the rolling ambulance gurney--didn't simply try to tip it over at some point. Yes, he might have some bumps and bruises afterwards, but it beats tumbling to your death. Then again, neither of the duo was ever bloodied--despite getting punched in the face on countless occasions.

[Bob]

I guess the sabre dance. I never really rated the doom traps

[dell]

I guess the sabre dance. I never really rated the doom traps

I forgot about the sabre dance; I really like that one now that you mentioned it.

[Mr. Deathtrap]

Citizens,

The most wicked situation in which one member of the Dynamic Duo or Terrific Trio was trapped is the gigantic mouse trap to which Batman was tied while drugged Robin cut away the restraining ropes whlle Catwoman and her evil associates watch.

The problem with this trap is Catwoman's goal is not to kill Batman, but to persuade him into joining her. (Anyone but Batman would not need to be persuaded.)

The idea of Siren having Bruce Wayne leap to his death while her henchmen prevent Robin and Batgirl from saving him is good.

Mr. Deathtrap

[High C]

Burt being chased by a moll actress with a knife, according to his book. Just kidding.

The most wicked situation in which one member of the Dynamic Duo or Terrific Trio was trapped is the gigantic mouse trap to which Batman was tied while drugged Robin cut away the restraining ropes whlle Catwoman and her evil associates watch.

The problem with this trap is Catwoman's goal is not to kill Batman, but to persuade him into joining her. (Anyone but Batman would not need to be persuaded.)

Well, High C would hold out to join Siren's gang!

The idea of Siren having Bruce Wayne leap to his death while her henchmen prevent Robin and Batgirl from saving him is good.

There is something extremely evil and insidious about the 'trapee' not knowing it's a deathtrap as he walks into it. . .

[Batman1962]

The one where Catwioman had Robin suspended over the tiger pit has always had a special place in my haert, mostly because that was the basis for the View Master set. I also read that little booklet so many times that I'm sure it eventually fell apart.
I've also gotten a kick out of the one where Robin was "swallowed" by the giant clam. Yes, this trap was intended for Batman as well, but Robin was the only one who was swallowed. I remember sitting there as a kid, mesmerized, wondering how he was going to escape. That one green boot-clad foot, sticking out, haunted me for a long time.

[Gernot]

Some of my favorites were:

Batman trapped under the plaster by The Mad Hatter
Batman trapped underwater in the mummy's case by King Tut
Batman about to be perforated by The Sandman
Robin in the giant clam
Robin about to be crushed by The Joker's comicbook printing press

Dang! I don't HAVE all year to list all'a my favorites!

[High C]

I would have liked the giant clam better if it had eaten Venus and shut her up once and for all. . .

[Edward Nigma]

My picks:

Batman -- The Sandman's stitching machine trap in the Sandman/Catwoman team-up episodes. While the trap itself is nothing special, Batman's escape from it is. As Season 2 wore on, the writers relied increasingly on too-convenient devices from Batman's utility belt as a means for the Dynamic Duo to escape the traps. Not so in this episode as Batman exploits a fluke in the stitching operation itself (the stitching arm weakens one of the restraints on Batman's arm) to free his arm and use the utility belt itself as a tool to shut off the the stitching machine. An absolutely classic escape that proved the show didn't need the ridiculous Bat gadgets.

Robin -- Catwoman's electrified maze in the Sandman/Catwoman team-up episodes. Love this trap because it gets Catwoman back to her evil Season 1 itself -- sending a bound Robin into the maze at gunpoint, turning on the electrified walls, and baiting Robin and Policewoman Mooney from above.

Batgirl -- The sabre dance from the Egghead/Olga episodes. I find this trap difficult to watch because the trap is so simple and yet so brutal. Despite her best efforts, Batgirl becomes increasingly desperate as the frenzied pace of the dance accelerates. A very disconcerting moment in the otherwise silly Season 3 and a great use of Yvonne Craig's talents as a dancer.

[LittleLouisGroovy]

Batman -- Marsha, Queen of Diamonds forcing him to marry her. Times have changed, but back in the day, it was not uncommon to portray women as schemers trying to trap men into marriage. This strikes me as a rather funny commentary on that, and I think it's amusing that the writers are equating marriage with death by rotisserie, car bomb, and acid bath.

Robin -- The bell clapper trap in the Bookworm episodes. Although we all know that Batman will rescue Robin, there is a genuine feeling of suspense, and Adam West plays the scene with the right amount of fear and anger. You sense that Batman is afraid for Robin and angry at himself for allowing Robin to be caught in Bookworm's trap.

Batgirl -- For its reference to the heroine in the sawmill trope, I would pick Catwoman's pattern cutter as my favorite. However, I find any scene that puts Batgirl at the mercy of a group of henchmen to be disturbing because, although the show is a fantasy, those scenes have an undercurrent of potential sexual violence. The same could be said for the scene in the first Louis the Lilac episode in which Barbara Gordon is followed home by Arbutus. Again, the show was at its farthest from reality during the third season, but that scene taps into a real danger that women face.