Batman (1967) – The Joker’s Last Laugh, and The Joker’s Epitaph

The Joker (Cesar Romero) is back, and he’s ready to cause more problems for Batman (Adam West) and Robin (Burt Ward) in this two-part episode. The first one, The Joker’s Last Laugh, first aired on 15 February, 1967 and was written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. from a story by Peter Rabe. It seems the wealthy…

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…

Batman (1966) – The Devil’s Fingers, and The Dead Ringers

Liberace?! Yup, Liberace. The renowned pianist and entertainer shows up as this story’s villain, Harry, as well as the villain’s entertainer twin brother, Chandell, who is being blackmailed by Harry. A series of musical crimes are striking Gotham City in this two-part story which was written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. The first part, The Devil’s…

Batman (1966) – The Penguin Goes Straight, and Not Yet, He Ain’t

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…

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) – Fine Feathered Finks, and The Penguin’s a Jinx

It’s that bat-time, and I’ve got that bat-channel, so it’s time to dig into another pair of episodes of the classic Batman series from 1966. My love for the first two episodes is apparently not a one-off, because I absolutely enjoyed episodes three and four, which combine to form one full story featuring that cagey…

Batman (1966) – Hi Diddle Riddle, and Smack in the Middle

I have never seen the original Batman television series. I did see the movie that was released between seasons at a Saturday matinee when I was a kid and it inspired hours of play, but I’d never dug into the 120 episodes that comprised the series. I’m determined to fix that, so here we go…