To The Batpoles! Batman 1966

Having finished Season One, this episode we take a breather and consider what we've learned. Firstly, just because a show is successful doesn't mean it has money to throw around. We explore such aspects as Joker's laugh, the lack of continuity in '60s TV shows, and the interesting camera work sometimes employed on the series -- deep shots such as Penguin watching the Duo from afar. We do all this through the lens of a 2008 interview of show co-creator Lorenzo Semple Jr. - what it tells us about his approach to the series, and why the show burnt itself out. Also, what we're looking forward to in Season Two, and a look in the Bat-Mailbag!

The Penguin is back, but this time his hideout and henchman names are on the theme of fish, rather than birds! And he’s aiming to steal all the money donated by millionaires to smokin’ hot babes (each girl representing a charity, of course). Yes, the final arc of Season One is also its most sexist — and that’ s not even considering the rather suggestive bellows scene! Tim and Paul discuss this arc’s Playboy Mansion feel, the staggering count of plot holes, the subtle joke at the expense of the show’s top two execs, and a clinic in why the writers had Batman and Bruce Wayne communicate through Commissioner Gordon, rather than by looking in a mirror!

In Frank Gorshin's last Bat-appearance till Season Three, the Riddler's making a movie. Silent-film-scholar Paul is digging this arc! But why does the Prince of Puzzlers bother filming Batman and Robin when he's got luscious, leggy Sherry Jackson on his team? More to ponder: This arc is based on a comics story in which the Joker, not the Riddler, impersonated Charlie Chaplin. Does this work as a Riddler story? Also: Francis X. Bushman reunites with a silent-era costar; why the "Aunt Harriet's birthday" scene might have some real utility beyond giving Madge Blake a reason to show up for work; who the heck is Y. Y. Flurtch? And more.

And at last we reach the Bookworm arc, perhaps one of the greatest of the series. I mean, it's got a giant cookbook in it! And it's got a shocking first scene, the great Roddy McDowell, one of the best supporting gangs we've seen, the first bat-climb cameo... oh, and did we mention the giant cookbook? True, it also contains the seeds of some of Season Two's excesses. But overall, you can't go wrong letting a writer write about a villain who's... a bad writer. Tim and Paul discuss some of the arc's triumphs.

Victor Buono as King Tut is perhaps the most divisive villain among Bat-fans: some call him a genius, others roll their eyes whenever he appears. What is it that makes him more/less fun than the Joker or the Penguin? In this episode, having just watched "The Curse of Tut" and "The Pharaoh's in a Rut", we discuss this question and others: Why are there so many dummies in this episode? (Bruce certainly acts like one in the museum scene...) What happened to the Batmobile's security functions? Who the freak are “old Mo” and “the Hot Squad”?? And of course we discuss sexism, police ineptitude, and Nelson Riddle's score, including the return of... the Batusi!

Joker's latest crime is a hit on a fur store, in which he steals -- a hairpin? The story in "The Joker Trumps an Ace" and "Batman Sets the Pace" is loosely based on a comic-book story ("A Hairpin, a Hoe, a Hacksaw, and a Hole in the Ground") from Batman 53 (1949) — a bit too loosely, so that it doesn't quite make sense. This episode, Tim and Paul discuss the source material penned by Bill Finger, and how Francis and Marian Cockrell's script removes the Hoe, the Hacksaw, and the logic. Also: Doesn’t Joker seem especially gay in this arc? Another Batman casting connection to Casablanca, and one to North by Northwest! Is Joker actually doing a rap, 13 years before “Rapper’s Delight”? And, what’s the basis for the “Batman running for California governor” gag?

In Frank Gorshin’s third turn as the Riddler, the Prince of Puzzlers follows a very clear plan toward his goal of finding the Lost Treasure of the Incas, while taking credit for stuff Shakespeare wrote. Company man Batman, meanwhile, lauds the Incas' culinary achievements. Tim and Paul watch this arc and muse on its theme of preservation, the developments in Nelson Riddle’s music for death traps, and note that the Gotham City Museum building looks strangely familiar.

Penguin’s back! And he’s -- gone straight? Meanwhile, the Duo commit a series of crimes in the name of bringing the waddling old avian to justice -- because surely he’s up to no good -- right? Tim & Paul analyze what could be seen as a rather dark arc -- if it weren't so funny!

What's your Bat-dream job? For Mark Racop it's making replica Batmobiles -- which has been his sole source of income at Fiberglass Freaks in Logansport, Indiana, since 2003. This episode we talk with Mark about the car's history, what it was really capable of doing vs. what was just special effects, how he got into the game and became the sole authorized maker of replica Batmobiles, and why the black, bubble-windshielded beauty still means so much to so many.

At last, it's time to talk Catwoman! Lovely Julie Newmar's first appearance on the show finally gives us a strong female character -- but what exactly do we mean by "strong female"? Also, how lines that strike adults as "what a square Batman is" jokes also worked to impart serious messages to kids, Nelson Riddle's beautiful musical narration, another raunchy joke that got past the censors, and more. About that cat in Zelda's workshop: Way too big to be one of the statues Catwoman stole!

Malachi Throne's turn as False Face was one of the oddest villain appearances in the history of the show. Throne was only credited as "?" until the closing credits of part two -- why? Throne gave at least two different stories about this; which should we believe? While William Dozier thought the arc was a failure, and False Face never appeared again, some now regard this one as their favorite. Why? We discuss this question, as well as the mysterious cameo by two people on a subway, how TV False Face differed from False Face in the comics, reflections of '60s America in "Batman", and much more. But first, our somewhat belated farewell to Yvonne Craig...

This time we feature "Joker Goes to School" and "He Meets His Match, the Grisly Ghoul," a fun arc that deviates from the formula that the series had established up to this point. Tim and Paul discuss these two episodes well-written scenes and weird errors, and the surprising susceptibility of Gotham’s teenagers to the lure of crime. Plus, a quick look at the career of Donna Loren, who plays Joker’s cheerleader moll, Susie.

You've heard it said millions of times that Adam West Batman is "campy". But... what exactly does that mean? This episode, Tim and Paul explore camp. What is it? Where did the term come from? What's the difference between "camp" and "camping"? What does Batman have in common with drag queens? Also: Was Batman '66 a "sitcom"? Susan Sontag's "Notes On Camp" "Camp" on Wikipedia

It's David Wayne's first appearance as the foppish Mad Hatter! Tim and Paul discuss other highlights of Wayne's career besides his two faceoffs with that other Wayne, Bruce! Doesn't Robin seem underemployed in this episode? Why is this arc's writer, Charles Hoffman, often dissed by Bat-fans? What's his connection to Diane McBain, who plays Lisa? Plus, the super-cool Super Instant Mesmerizer, why Tim found the plaster-dumping cliffhanger frightening when he was 9, and the surprising number of actors from this arc who later appeared on Dallas!

The Riddler's back! And he's... focused. Less giggly, more speechy. This time he kidnaps a king (Reginald Denny), then threatens to blow up the (invisible?) Queen of Freedom monument. By the way, who IS Reginald Denny? A homing device again? That trick never works! Well... almost never. Also, Museum of Fame? Campiest. Museum. EVER. Tim and Paul discuss "A Riddle A Day Keeps the Riddler Away" and "When the Rat's Away the Mice Will Play"!

We reach the first female villain in the series, Zelda the Great (Anne Baxter) -- but she's not so much a villain as a passenger to her benefactor's schemes. This occasions much discussion between Tim and Paul about not only the show's attitude toward women, but on what makes the show "campy" and what the appeal of camp was. Also, the comic book story on which this arc was based, in which Zelda's role was male. Why make the magician female? Did that change have unintended consequences? What comics did William Dozier read when researching Batman? And much more!

It's George Sanders as Mr. Freeze! Unless you're a movie buff, you might not know much else that George Sanders did in film -- or why, in comparison, his Batman performance is a bit disappointing. Tim and Paul discuss. Also: Why did the writers make Batman responsible for Mr. Freeze’s condition? Where else did Shelby Grant and Robert Hogan appear? And the usual plausibility concerns — but maybe logical plotting just wasn't a priority on ‘60s TV?

Delicious! The Joker's TV debut! His inclusion in the Comedians' Hall of Fame! Tim and Paul discuss the various absurdities of this arc, its commentary on the power of the media, the series' portrayal of "deluded" women swayed into a life of crime, and more -- including a few gags that could get us voted into the Hall, too! Everybody stuff those ballot boxes!

This time Tim and Paul take a break from the episode-by-episode analysis to touch on some stray points that have come up. Why did the show drop us into the middle of Batman's career, skipping an origin story except for a couple of expository comments? What's Batman’s motivation as a character in the show, and how has that changed over time in the comics? Are we all misremembering a famous line from episode 2? Is Batman a bumbler? Finally, some Bat-trivia — what’s spinning before the opening sequence? And, the original “Super Friends” narrator — revealed!

Can you imagine anyone else than Burgess Meredith as the Penguin? Neither can we, but he wasn't William Dozier's first choice! We dig into the first Penguin arc, "Fine Feathered Finks" and "The Penguin's a Jinx". Who are those cameo stars (the jewelry store manager!) that nobody recognizes now? Answers, right here! Same Bat-RSS feed!