When Batman was the hottest show on TV, it naturally became a major target of humor and parody as well. In episode 115 we looked at a couple of contemporaneous Bat-parodies from 1966-67, and this episode we examine three more: The Adventures of Jerry Lewis no. 97 , featuring the actual Batman and Robin , who are both dealing with the effects of West/Ward Batman on their own lives, and acting in ways that parody their TV counterparts; the CRACKED magazine parody " Batzman meets the Green Horned B...
Oct 31, 2019•2 hr 17 min
In Cesar Romero 's final appearance as the Joker , he seems hamstrung, and not only by the lousy plot and the single episode in which to tell it. Ken Holtzhouser , who grew up rating Batman episodes based on their Romeroian content, joins us to identify the problem, separate out the chaff from the episode, and see if there's any Bat-wheat left. Plus, the Andrew and Hudson version of the theme , and listener mail in response to our episode on Flash Gordon and Lorenzo Semple ! Ken's comic The Quic...
Oct 17, 2019•1 hr 32 min
While Batman and Robin never had their own show back in the "Golden Age of Radio," they did appear from time to time on The Adventures of Superman . Sometimes it was because Superman actor Bud Collyer was taking the day off, but in the case of "Batman's Great Mystery" , he appears in all eleven episodes as Batman (Stacy Harris) has disappeared, and Superman helps Robin (Ronald Liss) try to locate him. WHAT WILL HAPPEN? Tune in to this podcast, fellas and girls, for the intriguing answer! Plus, t...
Oct 03, 2019•1 hr 48 min
Victor Buono 's final appearance as King Tut is, while hardly the Semplian ideal, plenty enjoyable on its own merits - for Buono, for the unusual situation the Dynamic Duo find themselves in, for some well-thought-out camera work. But what's up with Adam West 's line delivery? We've never heard him sound so grouchy and cynical before. Also, how does this episode seemingly fit together with The Unkindest Tut of All , early in season three — seeing as how these two episodes were originally written...
Sep 19, 2019•1 hr 37 min
What does the movie Flash Gordon (1980) have to do with Batman '66? Simple: a guiding force for both was screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr. ! What can we learn about Semple's approach to Batman by comparing it to his work on Flash Gordon 15 years later? What was his approach, and what other factors skewed the results? There's no walkthrough of the plot of the film in this episode, but we do talk about the music ( Queen !) and design choices, Italian cinema special effects employed in the film, and...
Sep 05, 2019•1 hr 42 min
"Come back, Shame !" In season three, come back he does, and seemingly stupider than ever! And yet, Shame's plotting for his caper seems oddly smart. Meanwhile, Stanley Ralph Ross goes all-in on gags that are gleefully at odds with the template set by Lorenzo Semple, Jr. in season one. In this episode, we examine the final two-parter of the Batman series: what works, what doesn't, who's in it, and more. Plus, Peter Seymour 's remix of the Batman theme , and your mail about our Penguin's Clean Sw...
Aug 22, 2019•1 hr 56 min
One question on our minds almost since the beginning of To the Batpoles! has been: Just how much did Victor Buono , as King Tut , ad lib on the show? In this episode, we answer that question by comparing the final script to King Tut's Coup/Batman's Waterloo to what was broadcast, helping us to see the difference between Buono's sense of humor and Stanley Ralph Ross 's, and to gain a keen appreciation of the considerable comedic contributions of Lee Meriweather to this arc. The script also reveal...
Aug 08, 2019•2 hr 54 min
When something becomes popular, it's likely to get parodied somewhere. In the 1960s, the parodier-in-chief was MAD Magazine . Meanwhile, at Marvel Comics , a new parody comic series began in 1967, Not Brand ECHH , which followed the lead of MAD's 1950s incarnation as a comic book. In 1966, MAD published "BATS-MAN", followed about a year later by ECHH 'S "The Aging Spidey-Man! Peter Pooper vs. Gnatman and Rotten." In this episode, we examine both parodies: What are they trying to say about Batman...
Jul 25, 2019•1 hr 37 min
In The Penguin's Clean Sweep , Burgess Meredith 's final appearance on "Batman" (but not the last time as the Penguin !), Stanford Sherman 's script has its moments, and so does Meredith, but… if you look closely, something just isn't up to snuff. And if you scratch the surface, there are way more inconsistencies and goofiness in the script than meets the eye. We're joined again by our childhood friend Kyle to discuss this feathered farewell: Is there a theme of barbecue implements? Did Penguin ...
Jul 11, 2019•2 hr 2 min
Without a doubt, one of the most maligned Batman episodes is Nora Clavicle and the Ladies' Crime Club . The episode's sexist portrayal of women obviously wouldn't fly today, but do the men in this episode fare any better? It seems to have been another of Stanford Sherman 's satirical Batman episodes, arguably a failed one. But every episode has its fans, and this time we review Nora with a fan of this one: Fred, a.k.a. "twof," the former proprietor of the defunct Batgirl Bat-Trap web site. Fred ...
Jun 27, 2019•2 hr 3 min
Batman and Robin are "duly deputized agents of the law." Law comes up on the '66 show on a number of occasions, including two courtroom scenes. The very first episode features the Riddler filing a lawsuit against Batman. But, you might ask, how accurately is the law portrayed on Batman? In this episode, lawyer Jim Dedman is here to fill us in. How good of a prosecutor is Batman? Does he behave properly as an agent of the law? How would Alfred 's method of breaking up the Batman - Marsha nuptials...
Jun 13, 2019•1 hr 58 min
What's this? An episode of To the Batpoles that isn't about Batman? Well…on the surface, no, it isn't. But in Ahoy Comics' series The Wrong Earth , Dragonflyman and Stinger act an awful lot like the '66 versions of Batman and Robin , and the Dragonfly seems very similar to Frank Miller's Dark Knight ! Liberated of the copyright owner's limitations on how Batman and Robin can be used, what are writer Tom Peyer and artist Jamal Igle saying about Batman with this series? Also in this episode, back ...
May 30, 2019•1 hr 50 min
In 1965, as production of Batman was starting to get rolling, Lorenzo Semple was having some difficulties in getting across to writers his vision for the show. Leonard Stadd 's "The Secret of the Impossible Crimes," a script that Semple rejected, shows Stadd's take on Semple's vision after reading the script for "Hi Diddle Riddle." The result is a funhouse-mirror version of Batman '66 : it's recognizably the show, but bizarrely distorted in some ways. Once again, an unused script helps us unders...
May 16, 2019•1 hr 31 min
One of the reasons often given for the quality dropoff in Batman season three has been that, in one-part episodes with so many characters, time is tight. So how to account for Louie's Lethal Lilac Time , a one-parter that seems not to even have enough story for 22 minutes!? And yet, we seem to be missing things, as scenes are cut off before they appear to be over. Meanwhile, should Yvonne Craig be reporting Neil Hamilton to HR for #metoo-related reasons? Also, Tim reports on the Bowling Green St...
May 02, 2019•2 hr 4 min
We all have our favorite characters and actors from Batman , but how many of us are fanboys for Executive Producer William Dozier ? Well, for one, there's Oscar Lilley , proxy researcher at the American Heritage Center in Laramie, Wyoming. In the process of working with Dozier's papers, Oscar has grown intrigued with Dozier's backstory and impressed by how he did his job. In this episode, he tells us about his selflessness, his business sense, and how the trajectory of Dozier's 1965 series The L...
Apr 18, 2019•1 hr 40 min
A double-header for our 4th anniversary (and, we forgot to mention, Batman's 80th !). First, we review the recent six-issue series Archie Meets Batman '66 . How does the Caped Crusader end up joining forces with America's favorite teenager? Then, listener Chris Cavanaugh joins us to talk about his Bat-fandom growing up, fueled as much by Silver Age DC comics as it was by Batman on TV! Plus, the Remix Maniacs version of the theme, and your mail about our Batman Returns episode! 16 things you didn...
Apr 04, 2019•1 hr 43 min
Stanley Ralph Ross 's treatment, draft, and final scripts for The Funny Feline Felonies two-parter reveal a number of surprises: inconsistent concern for not doing the same gags twice, the death of the budding Batman-Batgirl romance, Ross errors that sometimes made it to the screen, a Ross gag that was, er, stubbed out like a cigar, and much more. The Batcave Podcast 's John S. Drew joins us once again in the Bat Research Lab. Plus, Adam West 's Batman and Robin and conversation with our listene...
Mar 21, 2019•2 hr 42 min
In the Funny Feline Felonies , Joker fakes getting kidnapped by Catwoman , only to then let her lead him around by the nose. He seems more childish than evil. What's wrong with season three Joker? That's one issue on our minds as we go through this two-parter. We also explore the provenance of the " Kitty Car ," the ways in which this arc displays both male chauvinism and feminism, and the numerous extra characters and cameos that Stanley Ralph Ross included in this script — and an important cam...
Mar 07, 2019•2 hr 5 min
In 1992, Batman returned to movie theater screens, more Tim Burton -y than ever! His faceoff with Penguin and Catwoman contains numerous hallmarks of a Burton film, from the themes to the camerawork. Childhood friend Kyle joins Tim and Paul to (once we've wallowed in reminiscences quite enough) give Batman Returns the To the Batpoles treatment, including the lack of Robin , various cats and penguins, the relevance to Batman '66 , and the Returns video game tie-ins. Also, what is the Wilhelm Scre...
Feb 21, 2019•1 hr 57 min
Bring your Coleman stove! Grab your sleeping bag! "Go to the creek and brush your teeth!" It's time for a serious "Camping Trip"! Back in episode 12, we took time to examine the idea of "camp" and why Batman '66 is often described as "campy." Producer William Dozier and others involved with the show rejected that label because of its "gay" associations, and instead maintained that it was an example of Pop art. Listener Dan E. Kool pointed us recently to an essay by Sasha Torres , a professor at ...
Feb 07, 2019•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 103
In what we promise will be our last Egghead and Olga episode (maybe), we dig into the script for the original three-part version of their third-season story featuring Vincent Price and Anne Baxter . Because of an apparent aversion to running a three-part story (besides Londinium , that is), Batman 's producers chopped part one, The Ogg Couple , and ran it six weeks AFTER broadcasting the second and third parts. As this decision was made AFTER shooting was completed, the decision necessitated not...
Jan 24, 2019•2 hr 31 min
Back again for the first time, Egghead and Olga , in The Ogg Couple , originally meant to be the first of three parts. Did the producers do a good job of changing direction in midstream, or are the seams showing? In addition to containing a raunchy joke the censors seemingly overlooked, this Batman episode inspires several musical ruminations, related to the source of the name of the Silver Scimitar of Taras Bul Bul , Batgirl 's sabre dance, and after a session in the Bat Research Lab , Eureka! ...
Jan 10, 2019•1 hr 20 min
Call your friends! Help us get to 50 iTunes reviews by the end of 2018 - it's your duty as a citizen of Gotham!
Dec 28, 2018•59 sec
What better topic for our 100th episode than the star of our favorite show? We watched the Television Academy's 2006 interview with Adam Wes t, which does overlap somewhat with Adam's Back to the Batcave , of course, but still gives us some new insights. Then we realized that there's someone else we haven't given enough credit for the good things in Batman '66: Executive Producer William Dozier . While we rail against his penny-pinching ways as the series went on, if it hadn't been for him, our ...
Dec 20, 2018•1 hr 44 min
With Julie Newmar off (reportedly) filming Mackenna's Gold , Eartha Kitt was recruited to play Catwoman in season three. In this episode, we dig into her first appearance, Catwoman's Dressed to Kill , an episode that seems to exhibit a lot of misogyny — but is that primarily on the part of writer Stanley Ralph Ross , or on the part of Batman himself? Meanwhile, of course, the casting of an African-American Catwoman apparently led to the end of the Catwoman - Batman romantic tension, and in the B...
Dec 06, 2018•1 hr 29 min
In 1966, Signet released the novel Batman vs. Three Villains of Doom by Winston Lyon . Like most Batman '66 tie-in merch, it was released very early in the show's run, which means that its ability to ape the show is limited. Lyon sometimes borrows from the comics to augment what he doesn't know about the show, and sometimes simply has to make stuff up. The novel deals with a contest between Penguin , Joker , and Catwoman to defeat Batman and earn the coveted Tommy Award. But wait — where's Riddl...
Nov 22, 2018•1 hr 46 min
Dick Carr 's first draft of The Silent Film Capers — which Bat-fans know as Death in Slow Motion — was submitted in November 1965. It went through numerous revisions before becoming the story we know and love. In this episode, we go through the first three drafts of the script and find the original form of the giant book , a cut subplot about chocolate cake , the reason Mr. Van Jones doesn't seem to mind that Riddler ruined his party, and much more. Plus, the Skeletal Family version of the Batma...
Nov 08, 2018•1 hr 44 min
In spite of having three whole episodes to tell the story of the Terrific Trio 's visit to Londinium , the show nonetheless leaves plenty of plot threads hanging, important moments unshown, and basic villain motivations unexplained. As Batman and Robin don "beefeater" uniforms, a certain old Wendy's fast food tagline comes to mind… There might not be much beef , but there is at least a bee . Of sorts. Also a rope trick that's both intentionally and unintentionally funny. With a hat-tip to a cert...
Oct 25, 2018•1 hr 29 min
We remain in Londinium , where Batman seems oddly bored by a bomb scare, and Lord Ffogg proves able to be in two places at the same time. Also, in spite of having three whole parts to work with, this story still seems to be running short of time and leaving important story points to the imagination of the viewer. Our own imaginations were stoked by hours of play as kids with the Mego World's Greatest Superheroes action figures of the '70s, and in this episode we also take a look back at some of ...
Oct 11, 2018•1 hr 35 min
Double-header episode! First, we tackle The Londinium Larcenies — yes, only part one — including the original treatment by Elkan Allan (two parts, no Batgirl , no Penelope Peasoup ), the sets, the music, the appeals to the Dirty Old Man Market , and more. Treatment for The Transatlantic Terror (the basis for the Londinium trilogy) by Elkan Allan 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 Batm...
Sep 27, 2018•1 hr 37 min
