To The Batpoles! Batman 1966
An ongoing group research project into Batman '66! Two brothers, Tim and Paul, who grew up having their lives changed forever by Batman reruns in the '70s, discuss the series story-by-story, with other episodes set aside for research into how the show was made (including examining draft scripts) and other Bat-material somehow related to the show. There's not a moment to lose! To the Batpoles!
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#119 Eureka! Is “Mummy’s Uncle” our favorite Season Three episode?
09/19/2019
#119 Eureka! Is “Mummy’s Uncle” our favorite Season Three episode?
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 as a two-parter? Plus, a new feature, "Holy Deja Vu!"; the Black Market and Dub Robot version of the theme, and your mail about our King Tut script mega-episode!
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#118 "Flash Gordon": Lorenzo Goes to Space Camp
09/05/2019
#118 "Flash Gordon": Lorenzo Goes to Space Camp
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 of course camp in Flash Gordon. Plus, your mail about our MAD/Not Brand Ecch! episode! Wikipedia: the Schüfftan process Wikipedia: Flash Gordon movie Starlog: interview with Semple on the007dossier.com Maxim: Sam Jones interview Whathappensingaming.com: Sam Jones interview Roger Ebert's review of Flash Gordon The Dissolve: After Star Wars, science fiction tried to reconnect with the past Television Academy: Lorenzo Semple interview Buy Flash Gordon on Amazon.com CBR: Was Not Brand Echh originally a reference to EC Comics? Queen: Flash Gordon Theme on YouTube
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#117 Ross' Final Shame
08/22/2019
#117 Ross' Final Shame
"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 Sweep episode!
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#116 Victor Buono: Holy Ad-Libbed Comedy!
08/08/2019
#116 Victor Buono: Holy Ad-Libbed Comedy!
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 reveals the producer's instruction to insert a late-season-two reference to Barbara Gordon. We also compare Ross's version to the original version of the story that he rewrote, Tut Tut Tut by Leo and Pauline Townsend, and discover how Ross inserted Ross family members' names into the script, how much the Townsend's story (especially the opening teaser) resembled that of season one's The Curse of Tut, the Catwoman reference Ross wanted to insert, and more. Also, the Damian Bacci guitar tutorial version of the theme, that Adam West/Burt Ward radio station contest clip you may have heard about, and your voluminous mail on our Nora Clavicle episode! The scripts: Tut Tut Tut, treatment by Pauline and Leo Townsend Tut Tut Tut, by Pauline and Leo Townsend King Tut's Coup, Stanley Ralph Ross' draft rewrite of Tut Tut Tut King Tut's Coup, final, by Stanley Ralph Ross Thread about these scripts on the 66 Batman Message Board Tim's "Buono's on fire" script page (click to enlarge)
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#115 Two Batman Parodies
07/25/2019
#115 Two Batman Parodies
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 the character, or Batman the TV show? We also take a look at myth that doesn't just apply to Batman '66: that those TV actors are raking in the residuals! Plus, the Megaraptor version of the Batman theme, and your mail about the "Court BAT-tles" episode! SAG-AFTRA: History of Residuals Adam and Burt on Ross Schafer Tim's 1978 Hatman comics part 1 part 2
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#114 Putting "Clean Sweep" under the microscope
07/11/2019
#114 Putting "Clean Sweep" under the microscope
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 really expect that his infecting money at the mint would cause people to throw their cash in the street? And, we dig into the archives for another one of our Batman Radio Shows from the late '70s… also featuring Kyle! Plus, the Harry James version of the theme, a discussion of justifications for villains NOT unmasking our heroes when they have the chance, and your mail about The Wrong Earth and our Batman Radio Show debut!
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#113 Tying Ourselves in Knots: Nora Clavicle Reconsidered (with “Twof”!)
06/27/2019
#113 Tying Ourselves in Knots: Nora Clavicle Reconsidered (with “Twof”!)
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 has the script and tells us of changes and cut scenes that could have helped the episode had they stayed. Also, the Singaia version of the theme, and your response to the "Impossible Crimes" episode! Dig into the next set of scripts up for discussion! Tut Tut Tut, treatment by Pauline and Leo Townsend Tut Tut Tut, by Pauline and Leo Townsend King Tut's Coup, Stanley Ralph Ross' draft rewrite of Tut Tut Tut King Tut's Coup, final, by Stanley Ralph Ross Thread about these scripts on the 66 Batman Message Board
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#112 Court BAT-tles: The Law on the '66 Show
06/13/2019
#112 Court BAT-tles: The Law on the '66 Show
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 go over in real life? Would Gordon and O'Hara face any charges for unknowingly shooting the Duo in Penguin's shooting gallery? All this and more! Plus, the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies Concertino Orchestra's version of the theme, and your mail about our Louie's Lethal Lilac Time review! Batman and the law: Links provided by Jim Dedman: Is Batman a State Actor? The Dark Knight's relationship with the Gotham City Police Department and the Fourth Amendment implications, by Joshuah Lisk Is Batman a State Actor? - ABA Journal podcast Is Batman a State Actor? by James Daily Rule 3.7: Lawyer as a Witness - American Bar Association Double Jeopardy and the Fraudulantly Attained Aquittal by David S. Rustein
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#111 "The Wrong Earth" and "The Batman Radio Show"
05/30/2019
#111 "The Wrong Earth" and "The Batman Radio Show"
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 from the mists of time, an installment of the Batman Radio Show, starring Tim (age 10) and Paul (age 7)! Plus, Pablo Beltran Ruiz y su orquesta's version of the Batman theme, and your response to our talk with Oscar, the William Dozier fanboy!
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#110 "The Impossible Crimes": Semple holds Stadd’s Feet to the Fire
05/16/2019
#110 "The Impossible Crimes": Semple holds Stadd’s Feet to the Fire
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 understand what Batman '66 is, and what it isn't. Also, David Miller's trumpet version of the Batman theme, and your response to the Archie/Batman team-up! "The Secret of the Impossible Crimes," full script Semple's two-page memo about the script Discussion of the script on the all-seeing, all-knowing '66 Batman message board
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#109 Louie the Lilac baffles, Bat-conference informs
05/02/2019
#109 Louie the Lilac baffles, Bat-conference informs
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 State University "Batman in Popular Culture" conference, and gives highlights of the '66-related material presented there. Plus, the Beat Torrent version of the Batman theme, and your responses to the Catwoman/Joker script episode! All six radio ads for the 1966 Batman movie Japanese TV ad for "Mandom" cologne, starring Charles Bronson and featuring Percy Helton (1970) BGSU "Batman in Popular Culture" conference - list of panels Frank Zappa & Burt Ward -- "The Boy Wonder Sessions" 1966 Lee Hazlewood, The Woodchucks, and the Cruisin' for Surf Bunnies album - popmatters.com Photos from the BGSU Bat-conference - click to enlarge Troy R. Kinunen from MEARS Online Pop Culture Auctions speaks while displaying the costumes from the 1965 Batman screen test Bill Schurk (left) speaks about Batman-related music A Bat-display case in the lounge area leading to the BGSU pop culture holdings Hey, that's not Batman! #notmybatman
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#108 The William Dozier Fanboy
04/18/2019
#108 The William Dozier Fanboy
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 Loner tracks with that of Batman. Also, more circumstantial evidence that seem to disprove the Fourth Season Myth! Plus, the Amosdoll Music version of the theme, and your response to our discussion of the Funny Feline Felonies! Semple to Dozier - Hi Diddle Riddle Doizer response to Semple Dozier to ABC - cliffhangers Dozier to Rod Serling Dozier to Adam West about Lyle Waggoner screen test Semple to Dozier - Frank Gorshin etc ABC's notes on Hi Diddle Riddle - caviar etc. Dozier response to ABC Semple notes Max Hodge's Mr. Freeze script Semple to Dozier -- "Doom Trap" (which became "Zelda the Great") More letters from Semple More Semple reaction to Hodge script: "Worse than I thought" Bob Kane writes to Dozier with suggestions Docket from Dozier's 1943 trial Dozier pardoned by Harry Truman Dozier's "Glossary" of Hollywood stars Next script: "The Secret of the Impossible Crimes" Discuss this script on the 66 Batman message board!
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#107 Archie meets Batman, We Meet A Listener
04/04/2019
#107 Archie meets Batman, We Meet A Listener
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't know about Poison Ivy American Heritage Center travel grants BGSU Batman Conference
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#106 The Funny Script Felonies (w/John S. Drew!)
03/21/2019
#106 The Funny Script Felonies (w/John S. Drew!)
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 listeners about Batman, camp, and Pop! The Funny Feline Felonies - treatment The Funny Feline Felonies - draft The Funny Feline Felonies - final The Funny Feline Felonies - shooting schedule Thread on The Funny Feline Felonies scripts on the '66 Batman Message Board (We'll have more scripts in the future, but... not quite yet.) Thread on the Sasha Torres camp/Pop essay on the '66 Batman Message Board American Heritage Center travel grants BGSU Batman Conference
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#105 Fifty Ways to Wreck the Joker
03/07/2019
#105 Fifty Ways to Wreck the Joker
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 cameo that all the other bat-commentators have missed! Also, a close look at Warden Crichton's office, the Los Straitjackets version of the Batman theme, and your mail! The Washington Post on Eartha Kitt's ill-fated 1968 visit to the White House Warden Crichton's evolving office: A comparison
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#104 Batman Returns... and Kyle appears
02/21/2019
#104 Batman Returns... and Kyle appears
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 Scream? Plus, the Teddy Harpo harmonica version of the '66 theme, and your mail! Paul, Kyle, and Tim, joined by Tim and Paul's dog Tippy in front of their house, Centerville, Iowa, 1976
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#103 Pop vs Camp: Which is Batman ’66?
02/07/2019
#103 Pop vs Camp: Which is Batman ’66?
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 the University of Western Ontario. The essay is called The Caped Crusader of Camp: Pop, Camp, and the "Batman" Television Series, and it has inspired us to record this episode, on the idea of camp and Pop art as defining aesthetics for Batman '66. Is Batman camp or Pop? What tradeoffs do you make by designating it as either one? Also, now that we're in season three, do we still agree with our idea in episode 12 that Batman is a "sitcamp"? Has it totally become a sitcom by this point? Has the level of camp since season one become lower, or higher? Also, the Johnny's Jackey Yoshikawa and his Blue Comets version of the Batman theme, and your mail!
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#102 Egghead & Olga: A Strange Way to Run a Three-Parter
01/24/2019
#102 Egghead & Olga: A Strange Way to Run a Three-Parter
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 only script changes, but re-shooting of some scenes, and a lot of mucking with the ending tag scenes of a couple of other episodes. It also scuttled some much-needed part-one exposition and what was supposed to be a running gag through the three parts. We uncover some surprising details! Plus, the Bruce Lindquist guitar-tutorial version of the Batman theme, and your voluminous mail! The Ogg Couple (original three-part version), "final script" by Stanford Sherman The Ogg Couple shooting schedule Thread on The Ogg Couple on the '66 Batman Message Board The Funny Feline Felonies - treatment The Funny Feline Felonies - draft The Funny Feline Felonies - final Thread on The Funny Feline Felonies scripts on the '66 Batman Message Board Turns out, the original cast recording of It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman is available here! From Steve Knowles' e-mail: Vudu's odd subtitling: Alfred's poncho also appeared in Louie, the Lilac: The many belts of Batman: Notice any elements that these shots have in common? (from tag scenes of Louie, the Lilac and Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin)
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#101 Egghead and Olga are back… Or did they just get here?
01/10/2019
#101 Egghead and Olga are back… Or did they just get here?
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! Egghead's theme is identified! Also, the Lemon version of the Batman theme, and your mail! Lemon version of theme MGM cartoon Abdul the Bulbul Ameer (1941) Abdul Abulbul Amir, sung by Frank Crumit (1927) Sabre Dance, by Aram Khachaturian, performed by Classic FM Orchestra, conductor: Maxim Eshkenazy Warner Brothers cartoon Swooner Crooner (1944) Chicken Reel by Joseph Daly (piano roll) Turkey in the Straw, as performed by The Original Schnickelfritz Band with Freddie Fisher (1942)
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AN APPEAL
12/28/2018
AN APPEAL
Call your friends! Help us get to 50 iTunes reviews by the end of 2018 - it's your duty as a citizen of Gotham!
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#100 Adam West’s Signature Role
12/20/2018
#100 Adam West’s Signature Role
What better topic for our 100th episode than the star of our favorite show? We watched the Television Academy's 2006 interview with Adam West, 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 beloved show might not exist! A bit of research turned up a 1966 episode of the CBC program Telescope which not only featured a Dozier interview that provides an interesting comparison with West's, but also some fascinating on-the-set footage. Plus, the Pleasantville 6th grade band's version of the Batman theme, and your mail! Adam West interview CBC's "Telescope" featuring William Dozier Hollywood Reporter on Adam's art Holy Precursor! William Dozier and the First Organized Wave of Comic-Based TV Shows (rebeatmag.com) William Dozier (66batmania.com) Pleasantville 6th grade band pounds through Hefti's "Batman" theme
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#099 The Kitt-y Cat Shows her Claws
12/06/2018
#099 The Kitt-y Cat Shows her Claws
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 Bat Research Lab, we take a look at an interracial kiss that was broadcast on American TV just three days before this episode, as well as a 1967 sitcom that clearly made a reference to Batman '66. Plus, the Boss Martians' version of the Batman theme, another Camping Trip, and your mail! Nancy Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. share an interracial smooch Spot the analogue to a certain actor we all know and love
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#098 “Three Villains of Doom”: A “Novel” bit of Bat-Merch
11/22/2018
#098 “Three Villains of Doom”: A “Novel” bit of Bat-Merch
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 Riddler? And just who is this Winston Lyon, anyway? In this episode we look into those questions, discuss what is and isn't in line with the '66 show in this novel, and somehow even find time to go on a camping trip. Plus, the Nashville Five version of the Batman theme, and your mail! Signet Batman Paperbacks explained at TVobscurities.com
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#097 The Riddler’s cutting room floor: “The Silent Film Capers”
11/08/2018
#097 The Riddler’s cutting room floor: “The Silent Film Capers”
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 Batman theme, and your mail! The Silent Film Capers by Dick Carr: First draft Second draft Polished version The Ogg Couple (original three-part version), "final script" by Stanford Sherman Thread on The Ogg Couple on the '66 Batman Message Board Captain Action information link from Chris Cavanaugh
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#096 As the “Ffogg” clears, we ask “Where's the Beef?”
10/25/2018
#096 As the “Ffogg” clears, we ask “Where's the Beef?”
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 certain listener, we explore whether, by this point in the series, the show is still "camping" or straight-out, unintentional camp. Also, how does Batman's poor sense of logistics lead to at least three major points of this episode? Plus, the PelleK version of the Batman theme, and an extra helping of your mail!
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#095 Mego Action Figures Emerge from the Fog
10/11/2018
#095 Mego Action Figures Emerge from the Fog
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 their adventures and the playsets we built for them — and also, the unexpected return of Mego in 2018! Plus, a Bat-Recycling Quiz, the Sharp Five's version of the Batman theme, and proof that the Hang Five dancing scene from Surf's Up, Joker's Under was broadcast by some cable TV channels with different backing music! Treatment for The Transatlantic Terror (the basis for the Londinium trilogy) by Elkan Allan Comic Book Central podcast episode 244: Mego Roundtable with Marty Abrams, Paul Clarke, and Brian Heiler Comparison of bars. Note the carved trim across the top of the backing in both photos. Click to enlarge. Come Back, Shame The Foggiest Notion The World's Greatest Superheroes! The Dynamic Duo rushes to stop a prison break!
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#094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles
09/27/2018
#094 “The Londinium Larcenies” and a legacy layout in Los Angeles
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 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! David Maska's screen grabs of Bruce's study in Death in Slow Motion (top) and Surf's Up, Joker's Under (click to enlarge):
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#093 The Tale of “The Cat’s Tale”
09/13/2018
#093 The Tale of “The Cat’s Tale”
As we saw a few episodes back, in 1965 Peggy Shaw turned in a script called Fashions in Crime, based on the 1948 comics story of the same name, and beset by script elements that would work in a comic but would be tough to film. Shaw's script was apparently handed to writer Stephen Kandel to rework. The resulting 1966 work, The Cat's Tale, solves many of the problems of Shaw's script, in part by totally abandoning it halfway through. Still, it ultimately wasn't used. In this episode, Tim & Paul compare the two scripts & consider whether Kandel's script also had fatal flaws. PLUS: the Ettore Cenci version of Hefti's theme, a correction regarding 8 mm film, a look back on a Batman-branded building that once existed in the Tokyo suburbs as a tie-in to the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton films, another nail in the coffin of the 4th-season myth, and your mail! "The Cat's Tale," unfilmed script by Stephen Kandel, PDF "The Silent Film Capers" by Dick Carr: First draft Second draft Polished version Thread on '66 Batman Message Board Photos of the Batman Building in Hachioji, Tokyo, taken September 22, 1989 by Tim Young. Click to enlarge! The top of the Batman Building is in the very center of this photo! This was the grand opening -- note the bouquets out front. Floor guide That other "It's Getting Harder" song from 1967 (from the film To Sir With Love). Nope, no double-entendre here! This episode's version of Hefti's theme:
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#092 BATMANIA pt 2: Is nothing impossible?
08/30/2018
#092 BATMANIA pt 2: Is nothing impossible?
The appearance of Biljo White's fanzine BATMANIA was well timed. Not only did it contain coverage of, and fan reaction to, the New Look Batman of the comics, but also covered the mid-sixties resurgence of the 1940s Batman serials, and meteoric rise and fall of the '66 TV show. While some Batmanians accepted that Hollywood was never going to give them a better filmed Batman than this, others railed against the show "making fun of" the Dynamic Duo, and placed much of the blame squarely on Lorenzo Semple's shoulders. Still, Batmania turns out to be not only a source of Batman '66 reviews and criticism, but first-hand reporting on events and people directly related to the show, and some surprising bits of information. Tim and Paul try to dig through to some of these interesting nuggets. PLUS: the Little Britain School Band version of Neal Hefti's Batman theme, and your mail! Batmania archive
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#091 BATMANIA pt 1: Comics Fans Connect
08/16/2018
#091 BATMANIA pt 1: Comics Fans Connect
BATMANIA was a well-made fanzine that was started by Columbia, MO, fireman Biljo White in 1964, concurrent with the introduction of New Look Batman by DC. Reading it revealed so many interesting things about the Batman fandom of the sixties that we can't cram it all into one episode! So this time, in part one of our examination of BATMANIA, we (gasp!) set the TV show aside and focus on explaining just what was in this publication, who the now-famous (among comics fans) names were that appeared among its membership, how these deadly earnest fans reacted to the New Look, and how the zine chronicles the gradual realization that Bob Kane had had considerably less to do with the creation of Batman in 1939, and with the subsequent writing and drawing of the strip, than everyone had thought. PLUS: Music from two versions of an '80s Batman video game, the Little Old Lady from Pasedena in an unexpected place, some iTunes reviews that are going straight to our heads, and your mail! Batmania archive Bill Schelly's article from Comic Book Artist #3, detailing the Bob Kane kerfuffle Bob Kane's letter to Batmania
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