For the ten or eleven of you out there who actually get TVLand, that station is starting to carry Adam West’s “Batman” series this week. I was a huge fan when it first aired, but don’t think I’ve seen it since. I’m sure I won’t be a regular viewer, but I do want to see Julie Newmar as the ONLY Catwoman, and I fondly recall Tallulah Bankhead as The Black Widow. By scanning TVLand’s site, there are a few other guest stars I will set my VCR for: Liberace, Ethel Merman, Rudy Vallee, Zsa Zsa Gabor.
I also see, much to my surprise, that Jay Sebring appeared on an episode! THAT’S a keeper, for sure . . . They should run it alongside the “Beverly Hillbillies” with Sharon Tate.
Now on this I’m torn. Although I certainly admire Julie Newmar, for me the ultimate Catwoman can only be Eartha Kitt (even though she knows nothing about the Harvey Girls). Just one little “Rowwwwwrrrrrr” out of her and I melt.
My favorite cameo on that show was when B&R were scaling the side of a building and Werner Klemperer pops his head out of the window. Don’t mind him, just your friendly neighborhood Luftwaffe POW camp kommandant in Gotham for a lark.
I remember reading somewhere that “Batman” was “The Simpsons” of its day in regard to guest-stars and cameos. Celebs of the day (and many whose stars were fading) would appear because their kids pleaded with them to do the show.
My personal favorites: Victor Buono as “King Tut” and (“holy shit that’s”) Otto Preminger as “Mr. Freeze”.
Regarding “The Great Catwoman Conundrum” - Julie Newmar jump-started my puberty by about 10 years, and Eartha Kitt was the epitome of feline cool, but Michelle Pfeiffer licking herself in a rubber bodysuit sends me of for a cold shower every time I see it.
I’ll be tuning in for the Batgirl episodes, if for no other reason than her zingy theme song. “Whose baby are you, Batgirl?”
I was considering opening a thread on surviving Batman villains, to list off who among the special guest villains are still among the living. Off the top of my head, I’m thinking Frank Gorshin (Riddler), John Astin (also Riddler), the three Catwomen (Catwomans?) and Joan Collins as The Siren. Shall we continue this hear mixed in among the Bat-remembrances or spin it off into its own thread?
Yeah, well, I don’ get TVLand, so I’m going to miss all the fun.
Are they going to keep in the “Same Bat Time! Same Bat Channel!” closers when the Dynamic Duo are stuck in their nightly Death Trap? That’s the BEST part, and it always got cut from the syndicated episodes.
PS: I liked David Wayne as The Mad Hatter, George Sanders as Mr. Freeze, and Shelley Winters as Ma Parker.
One of the TV memories that still haunts me from my childhood is seeing Part I of one of those Bat-ty stories, only to miss the follow-up. The last I saw of the Dynamic Duo was of an apparent Bat-astrophe in the making: Batman and Robin stuck on top of an ENORMOUS, multilayered frosted cake (one about 20 feet tall), and SINKING FAST INTO THE ICING! Talk about assault and batter-y! A sticky wicket indeed! A candied conundrum! (Oh, God, let it stop!) However could they possibly survive that one?
TVLand had a “Bat-Marathon” last year and possibly the year before as well. When they showed the episodes I hoped that Batman would become part of their regular schedule but it never did. Don’t count on it becoming part of the regular schedule this year either.
Good news, furry—according to the TVLand web site, they are indeed adding it to their schedule. Hmmm . . . my checking shows Tallu didn’t appear till Season Two, so I gues I’ve got a while . . .
A great actor and one of the few guys you can go up too and say “You were the Riddler” and he will take it as a compliment. Age hasn’t slowed the man down and he will drop in a “Riddler” inspired comment as you shake his hand. Plus he adores his fans as much as they adore him. He still keeps busy to this day, even lending his voice to the Diablo series of games as the voice of Marius.
If you get the chance, go meet the guy. He will leave you smiling
They used their recently added heel and toe rockets to escape vertically from the dastardly confection (insert obligatory Robin pun). I think it was the Joker, but I’m not sure, might have been the Riddler. Anyway, they caught up with him, and with a KA-POW! and a BAM! it was all over bar Commissioner Gordon arriving to take him in. Hope I didn’t give too much away.
Those Batman Hall of Fame commercials on TV Land are very funny as well.
Speaking of good actors, Yvonne Craig aka Batgirl played Marta, the Orion slave girl with a brain and one of my favorite Star Trek guest characters from any incarnation, in “Whom Gods Destroy”. Kirk didn’t get to do her…what bad taste in women he’s got!!! So what if she tried to stab him.
