Batman (1967) – The Wail of the Siren, and The Sport of Penguins

Hey! Batgirl has her own (terrible) theme song! And some fun appearances in the opening credits. The Siren (Joan Collins) is using her musical abilities to brainwash men to work for her, including Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton). The Wail of the Siren was penned by Stanley Ralph Ross and it first debuted on 28 September,…

Batman (1967) – Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin, and Ring Around the Riddler

Season three of Batman got underway on 14 September, 1967 with Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin which was written by Stanford Sherman. The episode, which began the run of single-episode stories, introduces us to Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon (Yvonne Craig). Barbara is excited to be going to the opera in the company of Bruce Wayne (Adam…

Batman (1966) – The Penguin’s Nest, and The Bird’s Last Jest

The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) returns to Gotham City, but Batman (Adam West) and Robin’s (Burt Ward) alter-egos of Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are shocked to discover that he seems to be going on the straight and narrow and is currently running a high-end restaurant that has the weird touch of having the customers write…

Burnt Offerings (1976) – Dan Curtis

The 1976 creepy house tale of Burnt Offerings didn’t engage me as much as the novel did. It has a fairly solid cast, but honestly, it didn’t quite have the eeriness that seemed to permeate the book. The film features Oliver Reed, Karen Black, Bette Davis, Burgess Meredith and the always-menacing Anthony James. The Rolf…

Batman (1966) – Hizzonner The Penguin, and Dizzoner The Penguin

The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) is back in this two-part story written by Stanford Sherman. The first part, Hizzonner The Penguin aired on 2 November, 1966. So The Penguin is back in Gotham City, and not only has he gone straight, he’s thrown his hat into the political arena to be mayor (Holy Shades of Batman…

Batman (1966) – Fine Finny Fiends, and Batman Makes the Scenes

The final two-part story of the first season of Batman was written by Sheldon Stark, part one, Fine Finny Fiends, was first broadcast on 4 May, 1966. The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) is back! This time he plans to heist the goods from a secret multi-millionaire dinner which includes Bruce Wayne (Adam West) and his ward,…