John Cardwell and Lorenzo Semple Jr. join forces to tell The Penguin Goes Straight, which first aired on 23 March, 1966. And as the title suggests it seems that the Penguin (Burgess Meredith) has gone on the straight and narrow, something he demonstrates when he foils a hold-up after a theatre performance. That gets him…
Tag: dynamic duo
Batman (1966) – The Purr-fect Crime, and Better Luck Next Time
Catwoman in the form of Julie Newmar makes her first appearance in the Batman series. She’s been mentioned, but it’s not until The Purr-fect Crime written by Stanley Ralph Ross and Lee Orgel, which aired on 16 March, 1966, that she actually showed up. The famous cat burglar is off to cause a lot of…
Batman (1966) – True or False Face, and Holy Rat Race
False Face (Malachi Thorne) – who the hell is False Face? – shows up to menace Batman (Adam West) and Robin the Boy Wonder (Burt Ward) in True or False Face. Written by Stephen Kandel it first aired on 9 March, 1966. Constantly in masks and disguises False Face sends false messages to taunt the…
Batman (1966) – The Thirteenth Hat, and Batman Stands Pat
Writer Charles Hoffman brought the Jervis Tetch aka The Mad Hatter (David Wayne) into the Batman television series with his episode, The Thirteenth Hat. It first aired on 23 February, 1966 and sees Tetch using his mesmerizer (stowed in the top of his hat) to abduct hats, and the people wearing them. Commissioner Gordon (Neil…
Batman (1966) – A Riddle a Day Keeps the Riddler Away, and When the Rat’s Away the Mice Will Play
Frank Gorshin returns for another brilliant turn as The Riddler in A Riddle a Day Keeps the Riddler Away. Written by Fred De Gorter this episode was first broadcast on 16 February, 1966. When King Boris (Reginald Denny) arrives in Gotham City accompanying a priceless Queen of Liberty statue, the Riddler concocts a plan to…
Batman (1966) – Zelda the Great, and A Death Worse Than Fate
Zelda the Great is the first episode of the Batman series to introduce a female villain, but Catwoman does get name-checked here. Written by Lorenzo Semple Jr, and featuring William Dozier’s fantastic narration, this episode first debuted on 9 February, 1966. While Bruce Wayne (Adam West) and his young ward, Dick Grayson (Burt Ward) are…
Batman (1966) – Instant Freeze, and Rats Like Cheese
Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) have their work cut out for them when Dr. Shivel (George Sanders) aka Mr. Freeze returns to Gotham in Instant Freeze. Written by Max Hodge, this episode first debuted on 2 February, 1966. Batman is a little bothered by Freeze’s return to Gotham, not only because of the…
Batman (1966) – The Joker is Wild, and Batman is Riled
Robert Dozier pens this week’s episode that introduced Joker (Cesar Romero) to viewers on 26 January, 1966. Joker literally springs himself from Gotham Prison and is intent on turning to his life of crime forthwith, unfortunately, he didn’t count (again) on the alter egos of Bruce Wayne (Adam West) and Dick Grayson (Burt Ward)… Batman…
Batman: The Animated Series (1997/1998) – Double Talk, Joker’s Millions and Growing Pains
Turn on the Bat-Signal, there’s more trouble in Gotham this week! With Double Talk, which aired 22 November, 1997, Arnold Wesker aka The Ventriloquist (George Dzunda) is deemed fit and healthy, he is released from Arkham, but his inner demon, voiced through his dummy, Scarface, may be trying to return! Wayne Enterprises and a…
Batman: The Animated Series (1995/1997) – The Lion and The Unicorn, Holiday Knights, and Sins of the Father
The first iteration of Batman: The Animated Series comes to a close with this episode, The Lion and The Unicorn, which had an airdate of 15 September, 1995. In it, Gotham, Batman (Kevin Conroy) and Alfred (Efrem Zimbalist jr.) are threatened one final time by the Red Claw (Kate Mulgrew) who returns and kidnaps…
The Mind Reels 