Batman: The Penguin's a Jinx (1966)

"Mmm... Something smells good. Uh-Oh!"

KIDS! It's been awhile and I actually had to re-visit this episode as I've continued watching the series since my last post. I'd just like to remark how much I love the dialog for the minor characters in all of these episodes. The much more subtle and nuanced moments come from many of the character actors in this series. When we left off Batman was trapped and ready for the barbeque. For you nearly a month has gone by. For our guised Gothamite merely seconds but for us nearly a month has gone by. But wait, the worst is yet to come.

Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel at the Penguin's lair.

Next Sunday A.D. as a matter of fact.

It's interesting that for the second cliff hanger of this show we have Bruce Wayne singularly in danger and not Batman or Robin. While the serialized nature was an obvious choice by the production team from the start (how else are you going to sell back to back two part episodes to a network?) neither the first nor the second episode really have an iconic comic book death trap. What Lorenzo did add was an inspired disconnect with this scene by having Penguin become a remote bystander watching events unfold on a TV screen. Penguin shares the experience with the audience and gives his own commentary to the events. His commentary of course will be the exact opposite of what's on the lips of the young audience gripped by the suspense at home. This taunting can help draw out the anticipation in the audience and in its own way fulfills the self mocking attitude of audience members who can appreciate the camp satire of the series. This moment taps into the audience the same way Mystery Science Theater 3000 latter did while riffing on their own viewings. This of course comes full circle on The Penguin as the relieved audience gets to see the villain befuddled by what's happening on the screen. A certain satisfaction is given to the audience as now they can see The Penguin suffer as they had just moments before.

"No Robin, I don't think a rainbow is the color for you."

Joel and the bots... Sorry wrong puppet show...

Last post we discussed the fact that The Penguin is shown as out of ideas; an odd way to introduce a new character to the audience. Both episodes also focus in on the fact that Batman, as a detective, is given clues bizarre as they are colorful clues by criminals from while he is able to deduce their mind bending plots. Here he is given by Penguin what are entirely senseless clues. Not only that, but The Penguin listens in on our costumed sleuths as they try to deduce the clues. Like before while he watched Bruce Wayne struggle on television to escape Penguin gives commentary all the while. This further reinforces the MST3k sense of riffing on the show to establish the comedic absurdity of what is happening on screen. In only the second episode Lorenzo is poking fun at a system of clues that hasn't even been established yet. This was a cunning ploy worthy of The Penguin himself as it establishes the silliness of these plot points throughout the rest of the series. Lorenzo is carefully spelling out the motifs of this series for the audience that's far ahead of anything any network writer would propose to do in a TV series.

Leslie Parrish strikes "The Pose."

Now it's looking less like a puppet show and more like a doll.

It's worth noting here with the introduction of Leslie Parrish as Dawn Robins that The Penguin is often found without the characteristic moll of the other villains. His character is a proud bachelor that we'll take a closer look at eventually. It is also worth noting that Leslie, a repeat guest, co-starred in Li'l Abner along with Julie Newmar some seven years earlier. Here she is introduced as posing for "Funboy Magazine," not in the all together I grant you, but an adult reference that would not have gone over the heads of many kids of the day. It is a somewhat shocking today to see a woman, who otherwise is a good egg, portrayed on a kids' show in the act of posing for a Playboy photo shoot. She even remarks, "I am a commodity" with her character's introduction. Her inflection shows her dislike of the situation but the rest of the plot's development does nothing to redeem the statement. Overall this moment re-enforces the world view that woman of the 60's are relegated to commodities. She further relegates herself to that position by fawning over Batman the moment he appears. A pattern continually repeated over the course of the series, and Batman's lifetime, with only the previous episode's Jill St. John seemingly able to control her flights of fancy enough to dispel Batman's viral charms.

With such commodities this should be CNBC!

"Are you interested in commodity trading?"

The Penguin sure is.

"That's right hug the wall Batman 'cause that's all the action you'll get tonight."

(rather nice Fay Wray-eqsue pose from Leslie)

The Penguin traps Batman and Robin here by placing a giant magnet on the other side of the wall to attract the dynamic duo's utility belts. Our white knights are helpless to prevent the black knight from taking flight you their young maiden from the top of her lofty tower. A commodity trade that happen quite frequently on this show. This should be on CNBC! The belt itself is of course a phallus that with a bat-buckle attracts the eyes to the groin. Ironically their greatest assets becomes their downfall in this confrontation with The Penguin. Batman and The Penguin both seem to share a diversion of women although Batman will visibly show emotional yearning that he himself has to keep in check. Batman has to beat back his desires to remain with Robin. The Penguin is unremitting with his emotional desire to keep his nest room for just one. Batman remarks of the magnet, "It's stronger than we are" as it pulls his belt against the wall and this reflects his own will verses the Penguin's regarding the fairer sex. Or hero's are so helplessly tied to their own utility belts that they cannot free themselves and are rescued later by a waiter. They cannot change their orientations any easier than they can change their belts it would seem. This is actually one of the more heterosexual underpinnings of the show.

"Did you just say Batman heterosexual? SQAUWK!"

"I'm a much more proficient swordsmen."

"Batman doesn't even know how to hold an umbrella."

Afterwards our crime fighters turn the tables on Penguin by trapping him in the end at his own lair. The Penguin however demonstrates one last time his proficiency by using his umbrella to out duel the dynamic duo; two against one. This is an interesting additive by Lorenzo in a scene where both Batman and Robin should simply come out on top during the finale. The umbrella itself is a rather phallic symbol and one tied forever with The Penguin. There's is also a somewhat bizarre moment were Robin shows giddy delight in seeing Batman physically harming his weak foes.

Robin gets as giddy as a school girl watching violence.

After having the Penguin show himself out matching Batman in his commitment to being a lone wolf, Bruce Wayne is shown throwing a party where he entertains three captivated women while being served by a myriad of french maids. However Bruce casts these three aside rather handily showing little interest in them. Robin himself enthusiastically remarks how "gorgeous" of a "girl" Robin Dawn is. But Leslie Parrish returns only to slight Bruce Wayne; revealing that after only glimpsing Batman for a moment she's fallen "hopelessly in love" with him. Adam West squeezes in the last say however as the credits begin to roll. He approaches Leslie in what can only be a second attempt to woe her fancy. Again it is reaffirmed that Batman is straight and won't take "No" for an answer.

Does Bruce Wayne lose when Batman wins?

@brucewayne #winning

Batman: Fine Feathered Finks (1966)

KIDS! Who doesn't already know who The Penguin is? Exactly. Lorenzo Semple Jr. thought so too and decided to hit the ground waddling once again with only his third script and second shot at a villain. The Penguin is portrayed as an established criminal who's not only already in prison for previous crimes, he's already served his full length of time and is about to be released! Instead of introduction or developing the character he's just executed in his fully developed glory. What the script does take the time to do is poke some fun at the "progressive" changes to the prison system that the warden has implemented with The Penguin as his model prisoner. Although Commissioner Gordon and Robin cast doubts on the effectiveness of such programs Batman gives his full support. Of course The Penquin quickly proves to be unredeemed; much to the warden's dismayed reflection of "Where did I go wrong?"

Although Batman is quick to re-affirm the warden's faith in his progressive beliefs the over all message of the sequence is the futility of such measures. The facts of the situation and the parody nature of Batman's character make his statements hard to accept for any audience member. There is a strong conservative streak throughout the Batman series that ranges from not just crime/punishment but also to ineffective government, sexism, and the wise leadership of aristocracy. This is contrary to the spirit of the more well known anti-establishment pop art and comedic styles of the show. Batman takes the counterculture of the 60's only to parody every last bit of it. Yet the liberals at the time still ate it up. Today it can be seen more as a product of its era, a relic ripe for its own mocking. But that all fails to recognize the complex Jekyll and Hyde nature of this show.

The first appearance of The Penguin is similar to The Riddler's first appearance from Hi Diddle Riddle in the sense that writer Lorenzo Semple Jr. has once again used a plot device that is far more advanced then would typically be used in what can be considered as just the second episode. The Penguin has schemer's block and can't come up with a single plan for his next crime wave. So he decides to throw out a bunch of elaborate clues with no real planned connection in the hopes that Batman will make the connections for him. Could you imagine Warner Brothers backing a Batman Returns where Danny DeVito had no fiendish plot and relied on Michael Keaton to do if for him? With all the slack Tim Burton is able to cut for himself he could never get the green light on a script like Fine Feathered Finks. Once again Lorenzo decides to challenge the audience upfront and I commend William Dozier for supporting it.

The almost immediate success of the show helps to prove that giving the audience more credit than their typically due can pay out in dividends. This show mixes the high brow with the low brow in the most ingenious ways and the most ingenious thing about it was the fact that everyone took it to be simply low brow. Unfortunately Batman was a victim of its own success in this regard by making it look too easy. Even today it is seen as a dumb show and by the third season it was even treated as such by its own staff of writers who know longer "got" the true joke. Ren & Stimpy suffered a similar TV fate.

Batman: Smack in the Middle (1966)

KIDS! If Seduction of the Innocent by Dr. Fredric Wertham didn't already have you thinking of Batman and Robin's relationship in a really weird way then this second episode of the Adam West Batman TV series sure will. After tying Robin up to an operating table and performing their cosmetic procedure Robin is awaken one more time. Strapped down Robin is dangled in front of Batman like a cliche damsel in distress. Some of Robin's dignity is preserved as he solves a number of Riddles ahead of Batman. (This is in character for the rest of the series where Robin is normally the best at solving riddles.) But the demasculinization of Robin is far from over yet. After being put under by the application of anesthetic on an operating table, post-op Robin is reawaken as Molly; a near duplicate of the boy wonder.

This episode goes to great length to showcase the sexiness of Jill St. John as Robin. She's initially posed in a suggestive manner in Robin's outfit. After Molly puts the mask on Burt Ward duplicates the seductive pose with a knowing smile. Robin even struts in a bubble gum walk in front of Riddler who then seemingly checks out his/her ass. They took care to dub Jill's voice over Ward's to complete the female effect. Considering producers insist upon including Robin because they believe children see themselves as Robin, it's quite mind blowing for a young boy to see that a beautiful voluptuous woman could be substituted for their proverbial stand-in by Batman's side. One can't help but wonder if an impressionable nine year old Frank Miller saw this episode and was later inspired to put a redheaded female Robin in his opus The Dark Knight Returns by the name of Carie Kelley.

Back to the plot, using the Bat-locator Batman is able to pinpoint Robin's location in a speeding van. Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson's sworn protector, proceeds to disable the van there by intentionally causing it to crash. The danger of this action is even emphasized by the show because The Riddler and Molly put on crash helmets anticipating the crash. With all the great pains even the first episode takes to mock how safety minded Batman is this course of action is especially out of line. This cartoon level of violence is par the course for this series though.

The most shocking thing about this episode, and of perhaps any of the Batman TV shows, is that Molly's character is killed off in a rather senseless fashion. Not only is just about the entire sequence especially jarring but it ends with a sexist pun, "What a way to Go-Go." It's somewhat amazing in today's culture that this episode is still aired and the show itself is considered safe for children. Perhaps it could be said that the death of Molly demonstrates the resolute of Batman to reject a female substitute as a partner. This theme is later explored with Catwoman. If the 60's taught kids anything it's that the female is an incomplete male.

The rest of the episode plays out rather like the rest of the show's episodes do; setting in stone the plot patterns. It's worth noting that Frank Gorshin gave a much wider range to the Riddler in this episode with many smaller details and subtler emotions. This second episode showcases Gorshin's finer touches better than the first. Gorshin is especially on the mark when on the set of the hideout menacing Robin. There is a moment, before Batman explodes into the Ridder's hideout, where Gorshin takes the character through apprehension, feigns control  into total loss of emotional control. It is a subtle progression that the Riddler masks with apparent humor but is clearly about to turn violent. He his stopped before striking Robin by the explosion. This is a nice complex moment in what might otherwise have been a flat scene of pure anger with another actor. The mixtures of emotions is well measured and executed with camp perfection.

These first two episode came out of no where like a bolt of lightning from the sky and sent electricity coursing through the bodies of kids throughout the neighborhoods. They cemented the style of the show which remained nearly unchanged even by the end of the series's three year run. It was an ingenious two part episode that is not given enough credit for its challenging content and clever wit.

Batman: Hi Diddle Riddle (1966)

Normally I go through an entire TV season watching an episode or two day by day. Today I'll be starting a new round of episodes with the Adam West lead 'Batman' TV series. Tonight will be the first episode, 'Hi Diddle Riddle," first aired on January 12, 1966.

What's most apparent about the very first episode is how fully formed the concept and execution for the entire series already was here. At best only minor alterations were eventually made to the plot structures, villains and general tone for the show. For most TV series the first season is usually seen in hindsight as a work in progress; especially in the pilot or first episode. This show does do a good job establishing the traditional plot structure from the comics with Batman being defeated in a first encounter, coming up evenly matched in the second encounter and finally defeating the villain during the third encounter.

"We're in luck, he's home." Gotham's Finest's got Batman on a dedicated line.

Infrastructure firmly in place. Bruce's Batpole looks a little bigger too.

The typical start of a superhero series either on TV or in the movies is to focus in on the origin story and introduce the lead character before they are even the hero. Instead what we are given here by prolific writer Lorenzo Semple Jr. is a Batman already in the prime of his crime fighting career. Already he has a well establish rogue gallery. He has already been deputized by the police along with putting in place the mechanisms to aid him like the bat phone. The character of Batman and Robin are in many ways already frozen in state from here on out. More and more today we are seeing superheros introduced through origin stories like the rebooting of Spider-Man only ten years after Sam Raimi's origin story in 2002. Ironically today's audiences are becoming much more familiar with these characters and the origin stories are less necessary now then any time after World War 2. Lorenzo understood that kids were already familiar enough with the character and just wanted to get to the pay off point. This also has the benefit of seeing the character already firmly established which helps to build the myth and prestige of the character in the audience's minds. No wonder kids went nuts for Batman from the start. He wasn't a bastard child struggling to become something more. He was just Batman.

Ambitious blocking for this single camera set-up.

Robin stands a safe distance away in a "flight" position.

Compare that to Tim Burton's 'Batman' which established the character already with firm footing on his territory in Gotham (with a teaser opening reminiscent of the loss of Bruce Wayne's own parents.) but struggling with his new life and still not yet fully revealed to the citizen of Gotham. Now follow that up with Christopher Nolan's 'Batman Begins' which goes in depth and at length to show how Bruce Wayne came to be Batman. Nearly the first hour is spent establishing Bruce Wayne before we ever truly get to Batman. With the end of Christopher Nolan's trilogy in 'The Dark Knight Rises' coming later this year already Warner has re-introduced the character with an animated adaptation of Frank Miller's 'Year One.' Once Nolan hangs up his cape and cowl it is expected that Warner will reboot Batman once again with another original rehash. It shows a keen appreciation for the audience when the filmmakers take an already established character and just tell an interesting story with him without the need for lengthy introductions.

Color coordinated Riddler gvies Batman matching blue court papers.

"Boy that Riddler, always thinking of others."

 This episode also takes liberties with Batman's character that aren't normally performed until a character is already firmly established in the audiences' minds. Typically a series would not run the risk of jeopardizing a character's personality until the later seasons. From the start The Riddler tricks Batman into arresting him and sues him for false arrest. This is an intriguing plot twist that many superhero's face occasionally in plot lines still to this day but only after establishing the crime fighter's typical conflict through resolution pattern. The character of Batman is shown placing a false arrest when we haven't even seen him place a legal arrest yet. The typical screenplay would first show Batman defeating crime before having the criminals beating him. This was a refreshing twist that played with audience's expectations. Kids expected Batman to nail Riddler, not be nailed by the Riddler! This script is smart because it already gives the audience credit for being a few steps ahead and so pulls the rug right out from under them in the very first episode. This of course helps set the precedent that this show is primarily camp by placing Batman in such a ridiculous predicament without any context to show him acting competently. Lorenzo is able to establish the tone with a clever plot device within the story structure.

That orange juice ain't the only thing screwy around here.

The Ridder seems awfully touchy feely around an unconscious Robin; much to Molly's dismay.

This two parter also plays off of the hysteria surrounding the book Seduction of the Innocent. Batman is shown as overprotective of Robin's well being by asking him to stand back while Batman throws up a grapple to scale a building. A rather simple act that needs little to protect from. Later Batman has the underage Robin sit outside in the Batmobile like a neglected child while he goes inside a bar to dance with the first strange fascination with legs he can find. The dance itself needs little explanation as to its ridicule. Lorenzo follows this up by compromising Batman's character even further by slipping him a mickey. Not only is Batman portrayed as a drunk driver who needs to have his keys taken away by the police, his slurred speech and near babbling hysterics over the loss of Robin come eerily close to a man crying in an empty glass over a lost love. The police seem to ignore his pleas as intoxicated ramblings with little thought to there being any imminent danger to Robin. The police act the same way they would to any homeless man talking to him self on the street. Batman is a man shown to be out of control of his feelings which are singularly affectionate towards Robin. Again Lorenzo toys with the conventions and hits a nerve with the public's perceptions of the character. A true mark of comedy.

Give me the keys sir.

But I'm the GODDAMN BATMAN!

It's mentioned how Robin's aunt would react if she knew the danger Dick Grayson is exposed to on a regular basis. He is of course captured by The Riddler who leers over Robin's tied unconscious body sadistically with scalpel in ready hand. You may note that after Nurse Jill hands The Riddler a scalpel Robin "awakens" in the next episode as a woman in the impersonation of Molly. The de-masculinization of young Robin as damsel in distress is graphically depicted by the first two episodes in the series. Never in Dr. Fredric Wertham's wildest dreams could he have imagined these events unfolding as they do here.

Give those to Magenta, she knows what to do with bloody rubbers.

Turn them inside out and use 'em for an others.

With an IQ of 162 she never had to say, "I wish these were brains."

Jill St. John is perhaps the only glaring difference between the first two episodes and the way the rest of the series played out. Her roll is also uncharacteristically sinister and unrepentant compared to her later incarnations. Although later episodes would see the molls with small roles in the plots most were worn around the arm by villains but all too often fell for Batman and recanted their evil ways. Molly played a skillful part in the Riddler's plot reflecting Jill's own talents beyond simple eye candy. She could have easily rivaled Julie Newmar if she had been able to strike out on her own as a villainess. Her unique role in Batman would not be duplicated. She has obviously come to be the biggest name actress to play the moll roll during Batman's run.

Next kids we will continue with some final thoughts on 'Smack in the Middle.'

Holy Gender Bender Batman!