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Adventures Of Superman Season 1

Superman On Earth

The Adventures Of SupermanJor-El, a member of the ruling council of the distant planet Krypton, warns his fellow councillors that Krypton’s end is near: the planet could break apart at any time. His peers laugh him out of the room, but that doesn’t change the planet’s fate. When Krypton begins to break apart just as Jor-El predicted, he and his wife place their only son in a small spacecraft and send it away to the planet Earth.

The vehicle crashes on Earth, bursting into flames. Farmer Eben Kent and his wife Sarah witness the crash and hear the cries of the infant inside; Eben manages to save the baby before the spacecraft explodes. They raise the child as their own, though young Clark Kent eventually has questions about the fact that he has abilities that no one else seems to have. On Clark’s 25th birthday – or at least the 25th anniversary of his arrival on Earth – Eben suffers a fatal heart attack. Clark eventually leaves his childhood home for the city of Metropolis, where he seeks a job as a report for the Daily Planet. Editor Perry White is less than enthusiastic about his new hire…until Clark somehow scoops the rest of the Planet’s staff, including ace reporter Lois Lane, turning in the first article about an airship crew member who would have fallen to his death if not for a flying man in a cape…

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Richard Fielding
directed by Tommy Carr
music by Leon Klatzkin

Adventures of SupermanCast: George Reeves (Clark Kent / Superman), Phyllis Coates (Lois Lane), Jack Larson (Jimmy Olsen), John Hamilton (Perry White), Ross Elliott (Eben Kent), Robert Rockwell (Jor-El), Herbert Rawlinson (Ro-Zon), Stuart Randall (Gogan), Aline Towne (Lara), Frances Morris (Sarah Kent), Dani Nolan (Miss Bachrach)

Adventures of SupermanNotes: Superman’s origin story unfolds here much as it does in other media, though the name “Kal-El” is never spoken here. Sarah Kent is responsible for making Superman’s costume, having sewn it from the blanket in which he was wrapped as an infant on Krypton. (How this fabric can withstand bullets and burns, and yet can still be cut up and sewn, isn’t explained.) Beginning an unfortunate decades-long tradition, Superman’s creators, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, are not credited anywhere in this adaptation.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Adventures Of Superman Season 1

The Haunted Lighthouse

The Adventures Of SupermanThe Daily Planet’s junior photographer, Jimmy Olsen, goes to Maine for a vacation at the invitation of his Aunt Louisa. But something is amiss when he arrives: his cousin Chris is hostile almost to the point of violence about Jimmy’s interest in a cave on a coast, the shrill voice of someone claiming to be drowning can be heard at night, and the mute housekeeper keeps delivering handwritten notes from Aunt Louisa, claiming to be in trouble. Sensing a story that’s bigger than he is, Jimmy calls Clark Kent to ask for help, unaware that he’ll be getting a hand from Superman as well.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Eugene Solow
directed by Tommy Carr
music by Leon Klatzkin

Adventures of SupermanCast: George Reeves (Clark Kent / Superman), Phyllis Coates (Lois Lane), Jack Larson (Jimmy Olsen), John Hamilton (Perry White), Maude Prickett (Parrot), Jimmy Ogg (Chris), Allene Roberts (Alice), Sarah Padden (Mrs. Carmody), Stephen Carr (Lt. Harris), William Challee (Mack), Effie Laird (Aunt Louisa)

Adventures of SupermanNotes: Just two weeks into the series, Aunt Louisa almost guesses Clark’s other identity in front of a room full of onlookers. Though the actors are credited, neither Lois nor Perry White appear in this episode. Writer Eugene Solow (no relation to future Star Trek production executive Herb Solow) was also responsible for the screenplay of the acclaimed 1939 adaptation of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice And Men.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Batman Season 1

Hi Diddle Riddle

BatmanAn exploding cake delivered to the Republic of Moldavia’s pavilion at the Gotham City World’s Fair signals the return of the Riddler, and the Gotham authorities call Batman into action. The Riddler leaves enough clues for the Dynamic Duo to find him at a prestigious art gallery, and when Batman and Robin arrive, they think they see the Riddler holding the gallery’s proprietor up at gunpoint. But it’s all a setup, and the Riddler sues Batman for assault and slander – but he’s not after the million dollars named in the lawsuit. The Riddler wants to force Batman to reveal his true identity to all. And just in case that part of his plan doesn’t work, the Riddler manages to drug Batman and kidnap Robin…

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Lorenzo Semple, Jr.
directed by Robert Butler
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Jill St. John (Molly), Frank Gorshin (The Riddler), Allen Jaffe (Harry), Michael Fox (Inspector Basch), Damian O’Flynn (Gideon Peale), Ben Astar (The Moldavian Prime Minister), Jack Barry (Newscaster)

Notes: Though ’60s TV Batman tended not to dwell on the details of what happened to Bruce Wayne’s parents (as established in the comics), this episode makes a rare reference to Bruce’s parents being murdered, and states that this is his motivation to fight crime. Robert Butler had, over a year prior to Batman’s premiere on ABC, directed the rejected pilot episode of a series which would return to challenge Batman’s popularity in the fall of 1966.

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Batman Season 1

Smack In The Middle

BatmanThe Riddler, obsessed with revealing Batman’s secret identity, alters the appearance of Molly, a member of his criminal gang, to resemble Robin, and sets a trap for Batman to “rescue” Robin. But back in the Batcave, Batman has already figured out that this isn’t the real Robin; Molly tries to escape and falls into the Batcave’s reactor to her death. The background noise in a call from the Riddler leads Batman to Robin’s true whereabouts, but the Riddler escapes yet again. Robin thinks he has some clues about the Riddler’s next target, but Batman has other ideas…

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Lorenzo Semple, Jr.
directed by Robert Butler
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Jill St. John (Molly), Frank Gorshin (The Riddler), Allen Jaffe (Harry), Michael Fox (Inspector Basch), Damian O’Flynn (Gideon Peale), Ben Astar (The Moldavian Prime Minister), Jack Barry (Newscaster)

Notes: BatmanSetting a pattern that would last through the end of the show’s second season, the second part of this cliffhanger aired on Tuesday, with the first part having aired on Monday. Batman aired twice weekly on ABC until its third season, at which point it became a weekly show.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Batman Season 1

Fine Feathered Finks

BatmanA strange, but seemingly harmless, giveaway of umbrellas heralds the release from prison of another of Batman’s most fiendish foes, the Penguin. But rather than robbing the store where this event takes place, the Penguin is a no-show, confounding the Caped Crusaders. Batman discovers that three new umbrella factories have opened in Gotham City since the Penguin’s release, one of those factories owned by a Mr. K.G. Bird. Batman decides to plant a bug in the factory, but he does so in plain clothes as Bruce Wayne…and is promptly captured.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Lorenzo Semple, Jr.
directed by Robert Butler
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Burgess Meredith (The Penguin), David Lewis (Warden Crichton), Walter Burke (Sparrow), Lewis Charles (Hawkeye), Alex D’Arcy (Shop Owner), Robert Phillips (Cellmate), Johnny Jacobs (Asst. Shop Owner)

Notes: BatmanIf the Penguin’s furnace is burning at 10,000 degrees or hotter, it’s actually burning hotter than the average temperature of the surface of the sun – but the temperature does match up with what the most recent scientific studies estimate for the temperature of the Earth’s core, meaning that the Penguin’s furnace may go a very long way down (!). This is the first of many appearances by Burgess Meredith as the Penguin.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Batman Season 1

The Penguin’s A Jinx

BatmanBruce Wayne is able to escape the Penguin’s clutches and return to the Batcave, but little does he know that the Penguin is listening to the Dynamic Duo as they try to figure out what the Penguin’s next target is, and how he intends to pull off the crime. They unwittingly give him the idea of kidnapping a Hollywood starlet visiting Gotham City and holding her for a ransom. But Batman is listening as closely as the Penguin is – perhaps closer.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Lorenzo Semple, Jr.
directed by Robert Butler
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Leslie Parrish (Dawn Robbins), Burgess Meredith (The Penguin), Dan Tobin (Mr. Jay), David Lewis (Warden Crichton), Walter Burke (Sparrow), Lewis Charles (Hawkeye)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Batman Season 1

The Joker Is Wild

BatmanOne of Batman’s deadliest foes, the Joker, literally springs himself out of prison and embarks on a new crime spree in Gotham City, leaving clues to confound the Dynamic Duo. They foil the Joker’s museum heist of precious jewels – just – but when they follow the next clue to unmask the Joker at the Gotham City opera, the master criminal springs his trap: it’s all been to lure Batman and Robin so the Joker can unmask them.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Robert Dozier
directed by Don Weis
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Cesar Romero (The Joker), Nancy Kovack (Queenie), Jonathan Hole (Museum Attendant), Merritt Bohn (Assistant Warden), Dick Curtis (The Inebriate)

Notes: BatmanGrappling with Batman himself instead of simply ordering his henchmen to do it, the Joker – in his first TV appearance – is clearly one of Batman’s more dangerous enemies. This marks Cesar Romero’s debut in the role of the Joker, and as is generally well known, he refused to shave his carefully-cultivated moustache for the part, instead opting to have it grease-painted over. (It’s still quite visible in many shots.)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Batman Season 1

Batman Is Riled

BatmanA furious fight ensues before the Joker can unmask Batman and Robin on live TV, but during this fight, Batman discovers that the Joker has his own utility belt, modeled after Batman’s own indispensible crime-fighting gear. In their next fight, the Joker swaps Batman’s belt with his own, leaving the Dynamic Duo helpless to catch him. With a well-publicized appearance to attend, and Gotham City’s media questioning their competence, Batman and Robin are certain that they’re walking into another trap set by the Joker.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Robert Dozier
directed by Don Weis
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Cesar Romero (The Joker), Nancy Kovack (Queenie), Jerry Dunphy (Newscaster), Al Wyatt (Henchman #1), Angelo de Meo (Henchman #2)

Notes: BatmanThe Joker’s crime wave in this episode and the previous one is described as the worst in Gotham City’s history. (It’s only the sixth episode of the series.) The Joker is sent back to prison, but returns to cause Batman trouble again within 10 episodes.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Batman Season 1

Instant Freeze

BatmanA strange crime involving ice stolen from a skating rink signals the return of stone cold criminal Mister Freeze, unleashing a new crime wave on Gotham City. Batman is called into action, but since he remembers that he is responsible for Mister Freeze’s condition – their last fight left Freeze unable to survive in temperatures above 50 below zero – he wonders if his enemy is truly responsible for his insane actions. But when Mister Freeze steps up his crime spree, Batman has to hold his feet to the fire…or be frozen in place.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Max Godge
directed by Robert Butler
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), George Sanders (Mister Freeze), Robert Hogan (Paul Diamante), Shelby Grant (Princess Sandra), John Zaremba (Kolevater), William O’Connell (Mr. Perkins), Don Hannum (Art Rogers), Ken del Conte (Al Scott)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Batman Season 1

Rats Like Cheese

BatmanBatman and Robin are rushed to Gotham City Hospital for a risky thawing-out procedure, and then discover that Mister Freeze has kidnapped famous baseball player Paul Diamante – and will accept nothing less than a hostage exchange involving Batman. Batman surrenders himself as demanded, but unknown to him, Robin has planted a homing device and plans to attempt a rescue…a plan that doesn’t quite happen as hoped. Now both of the Dynamic Duo is in the clutches of Mister Freeze, who intends to take his revenge upon Batman.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Max Godge
directed by Robert Butler
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), George Sanders (Mister Freeze), Robert Hogan (Paul Diamante), Shelby Grant (Princess Sandra), Dan Terranova (Doctor Vince), John Willis (Newscaster), Bill Hudson (Photographer)

Notes: The phrase “Curses, foiled again!” – commonly associated with the 1960s Batman TV series – enters the Bat-lexicon here, but it isn’t spoken by either Batman or Robin…instead, the show’s ever-present narrator says it in the opening teaser.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Batman Season 1

Zelda The Great

BatmanIt’s April 1st in Gotham City, and a bank heist has the Gotham Police perplexed. Batman has a hard time finding clues as well, so he plants a story in the next day’s newspaper, promising the public display of a dazzling emerald that surely his mysterious new nemesis can’t resist. But Zelda the Great, master illusionist, is already watching, and she knows the emerald is a trap. So she decides to make her next illegal windfall happen by other means…such as kidnapping Aunt Harriet and holding her for a ransom.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Lorenzo Semple Jr.
directed by Norman Foster
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Anne Baxter (Zelda), Jack Krushcen (Eivol Ekdal), Barbara Heller (Hilary Stonewin), Frankie Darro (Newsman), Jim Drum (Clancy), Stephen Tompkins (Bank Guard)

Notes: Even for 1960s Batman, this episode breaks the fourth wall an awful lot, with everyone from Zelda to a newspaper vendor taking time out to address the audience.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Batman Season 1

A Death Worse Than Fate

BatmanThe unusual duo of Bruce Wayne and the Boy Wonder appeal to Zelda the Great on live TV to release Aunt Harriet. But just as Batman tried to lure Zelda into a trap, she and her cohort plan to return the favor with lethal results – a plan that will spell the end of the Dynamic Duo unless someone has a change of heart.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Lorenzo Semple Jr.
directed by Norman Foster
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Anne Baxter (Zelda), Jack Krushcen (Eivol Ekdal), Douglas Dumbrille (The Doctor), Victor French (Hood No. I), Bill Phipps (Hood No. II), Frankie Darro (Newsman), Jerry Doggett (The Announcer)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Batman Season 1

A Riddle A Day Keeps The Riddler Away

BatmanA foreign king is visiting Gotham City, but it greeted by a surprise from the Riddler. Batman and Robin are immediately called in to keep the Riddler from disrupting the king’s visit, but are caught flat-footed when the king is abducted before their very eyes. But the king and his riches aren’t the prize; the Riddler will settle for nothing less than ridding the world of Batman.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Fred de Gorter
directed by Tom Gries
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Frank Gorshin (The Riddler), Susan Silo (Mousey), Reginald Denny (King Boris), Marc Cavell (Fangs), Tim Herbert (Whiskers), Roy Jenson (Whitey), Tris Coffin (Ambassador), Johnny Magnus (M.C.)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Batman Season 1

When The Rat’s Away The Mice Will Play

BatmanBelieving that Batman and Robin are out of the way, the Riddler refocuses his criminal ambitions on the visiting foreign king, or more precisely, the gold-encrusted treasure the king carries as a gift to Gotham City. The Riddler even sends one of his henchmen to visit Commissioner Gordon…in the guise of Batman. But even more awkwardly, “Batman”‘s visit occurs while Commissioner Gordon is discussing business with Bruce Wayne…

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Fred de Gorter
directed by Tom Gries
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Frank Gorshin (The Riddler), Susan Silo (Mousey), Reginald Denny (King Boris), Marc Cavell (Fangs), Tim Herbert (Whiskers), Roy Jenson (Whitey), Marvin Miller (TV Announcer)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Batman Season 1

The Thirteenth Hat

BatmanA sinister man whose top hat conceals a mesmerizing ray is stalking Gotham City, stealing hats from their owners…and then stealing their owners. As the number of kidnap victims grows, Batman and Robin are called in to investigate. The Mad Hatter, a criminal Batman had already brought to justice once before, is at large again, and for some reason is obsessed with obtaining Batman’s cowl.

Download this episode via Amazonwritten by Charles Hoffman
directed by Norman Foster
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

BatmanCast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), David Wayne (The Mad Hatter), Diane McBain (Lisa), Roland La Starza (Cappy), Gil Perkins (Dicer), Sandra Wells (Babette), Alberto Morin (Octave Marbot), Monique Le Maire (Magda), Norma Varden (Mrs. Monteagle)

Notes:

LogBook entry by Earl Green