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Much of the third season has faded from my memory but I do remember the Joker surfing in full costume. Looked more than a little odd, and not in a good way. And I always did prefer the Riddler.
Batman "The Worst Is Yet To Come": Rewatching Batman '66
- Thread starter Mel O'Drama
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Some MIA villains from the show
Not sure if all were in circulation at the time
Two Face
Poison Ivy
Clayface
Firefly
Cavalier
Calendar Man
Killer Moth
Gentleman Ghost
Cat Man
Man Bat
Not sure if all were in circulation at the time
Two Face
Poison Ivy
Clayface
Firefly
Cavalier
Calendar Man
Killer Moth
Gentleman Ghost
Cat Man
Man Bat
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- 27
Why do I always forget that this thread is in the Comics On Screen forum, and not the Cult Forum?
I think season 3 is more hit-or-miss than the previous seasons but there's still enough to enjoy. In hindsight, taking such a long break from BATMAN in order to complete my two Greatest Motion Pictures projects was not a good idea. I enjoy the episodes more when I'm feeling very Gothamy.
Binge-watching the last discs may have helped to re-appreciate it but it's also possible that they saved the best for (almost) last. In fact, SHAME's train robbery is one of the funniest episodes in the entire series, imho.
It doesn't hurt that it starts with some seriously hard and hairy candy.
Cliff Robertson gives it all as the maverick of malfeasance (one of Commissioner Gordon's trademark colourful descriptions) but all the other guest characters, without exception, contribute something interesting or funny to the scenes. Frontier Fanny deserved a Mother Of Extra Special Guest Villainess credit.
It's also the episode that introduces fear gas, with hilarious results.
Priceless. But....poor Alfred!
Batgirl is called Batchick and it sounds kinda dirty.
Batman uses a mini-batplane to write a message in the sky but the message goes on forever. It would be the first time someone could actually run out of sky.
There's also a potential farewell scene and it's filled with dread and poignancy.
Well, maybe that's an exaggeration on my part, but the possibility of ultimate defeat before getting musically punctured or cooked inside a giant cookbook is something I had not seen before. It kinda feels like The Very Last Episode, doesn't it.
Luckily, Shame turns out to be a Sham, a dastardly coward.
Only the real Batman can bring The Cowboy, the icon of American cinema, to his knees. I find it so ballsy.
Speaking of which....Nora Clavicle And The Ladies' Crime Club.
Too bad this wasn't a two-part story. Firstly, there's Barbara Rush with her fabulous voice (she always seems to sing her lines) and secondly, she turns out to be the most murderous villain so far, and with only two episodes left I doubt it's going to be topped.
She's going to destroy all of Gotham City and that means that most citizens are going to die a horrible death.
This outrageous act of female villainy is oddly juxtaposed by the most blatant sexism. It is part of the plot because Nora anticipates that her policewomen wouldn't want to deal with the cute but lethal toy mice.
Nevertheless, it looks a bit odd even by late 1960s standards.
There's another King Tut episode and it really only needs Victor Buono playing his formidable alter ego. Oh yeah, it was about mining underneath the Wayne Mansion, and then they crashed into the Batcave.
Batman manipulates King Tut into raising his voice which results in a piece of rock hitting Tut on the head and out of his trance. This was necessary because as a professor he wouldn't remember being in the Batcave and expose Bruce and Dick as the Dynamic Duo.
But then Robin asks him "what if you hadn't managed to..." and then Batman replies, slightly bitchy, "don't mention it. It depresses me!"
He's obviously disappointed that Robin dares to think outside the blind worship box, and it's also very obvious to me that Batman's attention for Batgirl is only meant for Robin.
Even the Joker's Mars invasion prank proves to be a winner, it's precisely the kind of stuff I expect from this character.
It's got a lot of Sci-Fi technobabble.
I know this looks like a joke but it's what they do in series like STAR TREK. It's just so silly.
This also needed to be a two-parter because Batman and Robin are getting Christopher Ewing'd - in other words, the soapiest cliffhanger so far.
And I think I heard Linda Evans saying "oh my God!" Too bad DYNASTY wasn't as great as BATMAN but you can't win them all.
What's a MIA villain?
I think season 3 is more hit-or-miss than the previous seasons but there's still enough to enjoy. In hindsight, taking such a long break from BATMAN in order to complete my two Greatest Motion Pictures projects was not a good idea. I enjoy the episodes more when I'm feeling very Gothamy.
Binge-watching the last discs may have helped to re-appreciate it but it's also possible that they saved the best for (almost) last. In fact, SHAME's train robbery is one of the funniest episodes in the entire series, imho.
It doesn't hurt that it starts with some seriously hard and hairy candy.
Cliff Robertson gives it all as the maverick of malfeasance (one of Commissioner Gordon's trademark colourful descriptions) but all the other guest characters, without exception, contribute something interesting or funny to the scenes. Frontier Fanny deserved a Mother Of Extra Special Guest Villainess credit.
It's also the episode that introduces fear gas, with hilarious results.
Priceless. But....poor Alfred!
Batgirl is called Batchick and it sounds kinda dirty.
Batman uses a mini-batplane to write a message in the sky but the message goes on forever. It would be the first time someone could actually run out of sky.
There's also a potential farewell scene and it's filled with dread and poignancy.
Well, maybe that's an exaggeration on my part, but the possibility of ultimate defeat before getting musically punctured or cooked inside a giant cookbook is something I had not seen before. It kinda feels like The Very Last Episode, doesn't it.
Luckily, Shame turns out to be a Sham, a dastardly coward.
Only the real Batman can bring The Cowboy, the icon of American cinema, to his knees. I find it so ballsy.
Speaking of which....Nora Clavicle And The Ladies' Crime Club.
Too bad this wasn't a two-part story. Firstly, there's Barbara Rush with her fabulous voice (she always seems to sing her lines) and secondly, she turns out to be the most murderous villain so far, and with only two episodes left I doubt it's going to be topped.
She's going to destroy all of Gotham City and that means that most citizens are going to die a horrible death.
This outrageous act of female villainy is oddly juxtaposed by the most blatant sexism. It is part of the plot because Nora anticipates that her policewomen wouldn't want to deal with the cute but lethal toy mice.
Nevertheless, it looks a bit odd even by late 1960s standards.
There's another King Tut episode and it really only needs Victor Buono playing his formidable alter ego. Oh yeah, it was about mining underneath the Wayne Mansion, and then they crashed into the Batcave.
Batman manipulates King Tut into raising his voice which results in a piece of rock hitting Tut on the head and out of his trance. This was necessary because as a professor he wouldn't remember being in the Batcave and expose Bruce and Dick as the Dynamic Duo.
But then Robin asks him "what if you hadn't managed to..." and then Batman replies, slightly bitchy, "don't mention it. It depresses me!"
He's obviously disappointed that Robin dares to think outside the blind worship box, and it's also very obvious to me that Batman's attention for Batgirl is only meant for Robin.
Even the Joker's Mars invasion prank proves to be a winner, it's precisely the kind of stuff I expect from this character.
It's got a lot of Sci-Fi technobabble.
I know this looks like a joke but it's what they do in series like STAR TREK. It's just so silly.
This also needed to be a two-parter because Batman and Robin are getting Christopher Ewing'd - in other words, the soapiest cliffhanger so far.
And I think I heard Linda Evans saying "oh my God!" Too bad DYNASTY wasn't as great as BATMAN but you can't win them all.
- Awards
- 27
Ida Lupino plays the cackling villainess Dr. Cassandra Spellcraft, a cross between Magica De Spell and Marsha's aunt Hilda.
Similar to Barbara Rush she's kinda underused, especially when 30% of her performance is invisible. She's not really invisible, she just perfectly blends into the background. I don't see the difference, and I also don't see it.
The episode features an obscure appearance by one-off actor G. David Shine, also one-off director, one-off producer and one-off executive producer. Pretty much how I would describe Penguin as film maker.
He's the salesman at Spiffany's and it's one of those supporting-supporting scenery-enhancing roles. Sternly yet gallantly he refuses to be robbed until Cassandra threatens him with her....de-dimensionalizer.
I always like it when Commissioner Gordon describes a bad situation in the most doom-laden way.
Batman, Robin and Batgirl as human parcels. The childish part of me wanted to believe it because....I don't know. There's something fascinating about these life-size cardboard images, but I need a psychiatrist to explain it to me.
Perhaps it reminds me of that other Cassandra character in Doctor Who.
Most of the recurring arch-criminals reassemble for this penultimate episode, which could have been a celebratory event in the very last episode, but I'm pretty sure they are not played by the original actors. Apart from some stock expressions like Riddler's laughter and Penguin's wack-wack they don't say anything.
The fakery looks good though, but that's definitely not Eartha Kitt as Catwoman.
Batgirl saves the day when she suggests that total darkness makes them as invisible as the villains who had taken Cassandra's camouflage pills.
It's simple and also very effective, and yet....there's something about it that doesn't make sense, but I just can't put my finger on it.
And here we are, the very very last episode.
Ooh, Minerva touches a nerve.
Robin looks as if he's about to cry, and wouldn't that have been a great dramatic moment in this finale episode? We could love them even more than we already do.
Sigh.
Maybe I've used up all my laughter, maybe it was time to end it here and now.
As for Zsa Zsa Gabor I was going to say "meh, she's just playing her usual LOVE BOAT persona" and that's true, however, she's the first villainess who gets seriously physical in a Spa combat of sorts. And that's cool.
They're not going without kicking and screaming although Batgirl's mysterious disappearance in the very last scene looks surprisingly low-key.
Similar to Barbara Rush she's kinda underused, especially when 30% of her performance is invisible. She's not really invisible, she just perfectly blends into the background. I don't see the difference, and I also don't see it.
The episode features an obscure appearance by one-off actor G. David Shine, also one-off director, one-off producer and one-off executive producer. Pretty much how I would describe Penguin as film maker.
He's the salesman at Spiffany's and it's one of those supporting-supporting scenery-enhancing roles. Sternly yet gallantly he refuses to be robbed until Cassandra threatens him with her....de-dimensionalizer.
I always like it when Commissioner Gordon describes a bad situation in the most doom-laden way.
Batman, Robin and Batgirl as human parcels. The childish part of me wanted to believe it because....I don't know. There's something fascinating about these life-size cardboard images, but I need a psychiatrist to explain it to me.
Perhaps it reminds me of that other Cassandra character in Doctor Who.
Most of the recurring arch-criminals reassemble for this penultimate episode, which could have been a celebratory event in the very last episode, but I'm pretty sure they are not played by the original actors. Apart from some stock expressions like Riddler's laughter and Penguin's wack-wack they don't say anything.
The fakery looks good though, but that's definitely not Eartha Kitt as Catwoman.
Batgirl saves the day when she suggests that total darkness makes them as invisible as the villains who had taken Cassandra's camouflage pills.
It's simple and also very effective, and yet....there's something about it that doesn't make sense, but I just can't put my finger on it.
And here we are, the very very last episode.
Ooh, Minerva touches a nerve.
Robin looks as if he's about to cry, and wouldn't that have been a great dramatic moment in this finale episode? We could love them even more than we already do.
Sigh.
Maybe I've used up all my laughter, maybe it was time to end it here and now.
As for Zsa Zsa Gabor I was going to say "meh, she's just playing her usual LOVE BOAT persona" and that's true, however, she's the first villainess who gets seriously physical in a Spa combat of sorts. And that's cool.
They're not going without kicking and screaming although Batgirl's mysterious disappearance in the very last scene looks surprisingly low-key.
- Awards
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It's certainly novel to see them gathered all together. As you say, it's clear to most viewers that they're doubles, but it does show that the villains' imagery is iconic enough. I'd probably take this Riddler (whoever he may be) over John Astin.
Weirdly, they seem to have modelled this Catwoman more on Julie Newmar (or even Lee Meriwether) than the then-current actress. I suppose it brings things full-circle.
^ Insert homoerotic "Daddy" line here.
Oh my. Since you pointed it out I was going to say this was rather Dynastic... then I saw your final quote.
Anyway, Willie. Thanks for the winning observations. I'll miss them, and hope you find something to replace it soon.
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MIA Villian = Missing In Action = A Batman Villain who did not appear in the TV Series
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DVD Special Features
A labour of love that's left no stone unturned. I'm sure it's all on youtube including the BATGIRL pilot episode.
There is of course the Adam West special, the screen tests and the legacy of the Batman TV phenomenon, but it was the passion of the die-hard collectors that really moved me sometimes.
I love to watch other people's passions, it brings so much positive energy.
It's kinda jaw-dropping to see these enormous collections even though there's plenty of rubbish in it. Naturally that doesn't matter to someone who tries to find *everything* and even the most ordinary looking item can have a lot of collector's value.
But it must feel super-awesome to own a prop from the television series like the gloves worn by Adam West, or the Gotham City telephone book from Commissioner Gordon's office.
Personally I'd love to have Catwoman's chair, but really there's so much to choose from.
Or how about this fabulous vintage toy?
My brother and I had the classic PONG game and just the very idea that we were doing something related to computers felt so outrageously hi-tech.
Don't mean to say that it was all so much better in the "good ol' days" but the appreciation of and the desire for modern technology was a unique and invigorating experience. It was growing up in every sense of the word.
And I still have these ocassional moments of feeling awed by everything that's possible these days. I see a picture on the internet and a few days later it's on my shelf in glorious 3-D. It's almost Batman-esque.
A labour of love that's left no stone unturned. I'm sure it's all on youtube including the BATGIRL pilot episode.
There is of course the Adam West special, the screen tests and the legacy of the Batman TV phenomenon, but it was the passion of the die-hard collectors that really moved me sometimes.
I love to watch other people's passions, it brings so much positive energy.
It's kinda jaw-dropping to see these enormous collections even though there's plenty of rubbish in it. Naturally that doesn't matter to someone who tries to find *everything* and even the most ordinary looking item can have a lot of collector's value.
But it must feel super-awesome to own a prop from the television series like the gloves worn by Adam West, or the Gotham City telephone book from Commissioner Gordon's office.
Personally I'd love to have Catwoman's chair, but really there's so much to choose from.
Or how about this fabulous vintage toy?
My brother and I had the classic PONG game and just the very idea that we were doing something related to computers felt so outrageously hi-tech.
Don't mean to say that it was all so much better in the "good ol' days" but the appreciation of and the desire for modern technology was a unique and invigorating experience. It was growing up in every sense of the word.
And I still have these ocassional moments of feeling awed by everything that's possible these days. I see a picture on the internet and a few days later it's on my shelf in glorious 3-D. It's almost Batman-esque.
- Awards
- 20
There were plans for a Two-Face episode potentially guest starring Clint Eastwood. The script was adapted as comic book a few years ago.
- Awards
- 8
It was great to see so many high-profile guest stars in the series.
Stephanie Powers would have been great as Poison Ivy
Also Harvey Dent and Scarecrow, Clayface (Basil Karlo version) could have been used)
Stephanie Powers would have been great as Poison Ivy
Also Harvey Dent and Scarecrow, Clayface (Basil Karlo version) could have been used)
- Awards
- 8
Among the performers who played villains, I think only Julie Newmar, Joan Collins, Lee Meriwether and John Astin are still with us
Anyone else?
Anyone else?
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No, I think you've covered it. I just ran through this ranking of the Batman '66 villains and ended up with the same list as you.
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I appreciate that show now more than ever
Frank Gorshin, Cesar Romero and Burgess Meredith were iconic in their roles.
Julie Newmar is the definitive Catwoman
The many cameos were fun
David Lewis, who later portrayed Edward Quartermaine on "General Hospital" had a recurring role.
Adam West is still the best Batman
Frank Gorshin, Cesar Romero and Burgess Meredith were iconic in their roles.
Julie Newmar is the definitive Catwoman
The many cameos were fun
David Lewis, who later portrayed Edward Quartermaine on "General Hospital" had a recurring role.
Adam West is still the best Batman
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- Awards
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Some MIAs and/or villains yet to be developed, that would be great in a new live action series
Scarecrow
Bane
Poison Ivy
Harley Quinn
Firefly
Ras Al Gul
Talia
Hush
Charaxas
Calendar Man
Cavalier
Maxie Zeus (probably was created because they couldn't get the rights to King Tut)
Clayface (Basil Karlo, Hagan, Preston Payne)
Lady Shiva
Katana
Joe Chill
Scarecrow
Bane
Poison Ivy
Harley Quinn
Firefly
Ras Al Gul
Talia
Hush
Charaxas
Calendar Man
Cavalier
Maxie Zeus (probably was created because they couldn't get the rights to King Tut)
Clayface (Basil Karlo, Hagan, Preston Payne)
Lady Shiva
Katana
Joe Chill
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Yes, that's it. Although to muddy the waters, there are evidently two of them in different colours.
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Versions of a few of them were included in the Batman '66 comic book series, and Dr. Harleen Quinzel was in the Batman vs Two-Face animated movie but to my mind trying to make the darker villains work in that milieu didn't always come off. To some extent, the '66 universe became more like the current DCU rather than the other way around
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I saw that other image but I think it might actually be the lighting setup or some kind of filter that's making the same car appear to be different colours.
Both images appear to be taken on the same spot. In the 'Catwoman' image, the car and the walls of the house appear more dark bronze/brown. In the 'Batman' screen cap, both the car and the house are more yellow/gold.
Perhaps the scene with Catwoman was meant to take place later at night.