Tag: DC Comics

As Bruce and Dick watch in horror, Commissioner Gordon is apparently murdered on live TV at the opening of Gotham City’s new suspension bridge…and Dick spots the Bookworm milling about in the crowd. Batman and Robin arrive at City Hall to begin gathering information on the heinous crime…and both they and Chief O’Hara are stunned when Commissioner Gordon walks into the room, unaware of what has transpired. An attempted bombing of the Batmobile confirms that the Bookworm has plans to write the end of Batman’s story.

written by Rik Vollaerts
directed by Larry Peerce
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Roddy McDowall (The Bookworm), Francine York (Lydia Limpet), John Crawford (Printer’s Devil), Tony Aiello (Pressman), Jan Peters (Typesetter), Byron Keith (The Mayor)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

With Robin tied to the clapper of the biggest bell in Gotham City, time is literally running out for Batman to free him. With Chief O’Hara’s help, the Boy Wonder is rescued, but before anyone can catch their breath, the Bookworm has set another trap in the form of a giant cookbook blocking a major street in Gotham City. Though it’s almost certainly a trap, the Dynamic Duo opens the cover, only to find that they’re on the menu.

written by Rik Vollaerts
directed by Larry Peerce
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Roddy McDowall (The Bookworm), Francine York (Lydia Limpet), John Crawford (Printer’s Devil), Tony Aiello (Pressman), Jan Peters (Typesetter), Jim O’Hara (Police Sergeant)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The Riddler is at large across Gotham City, but this time he seems intent on a new avocation: causing a stir, waiting for Batman and Robin to arrive, and then filming them from a nearby hiding place. The Dynamic Duo keeps responding to sightings of the Riddler, only to arrive and find no one. When the Riddler grows tired of this game, he’s ready to leave the Dynamic Duo on the cutting room floor.

written by Dick Carr
directed by Charles R. Rondeau
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: 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), Sherry Jackson (Pauline), Francis X. Bushman (Mr. Van Jones), Richard Bakalayan (C.B.), Theo Marcuse (Van Bloheim), Burt Brandon (Wolf), Walter Woolf King (Theater Manager), Judy Pace (Theater Cashier)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Robin is missing, kidnapped by the Riddler and his goons. When Batman follows the latest clues left by the Riddler, however, they don’t lead to the Boy Wonder. With his closest ally in the hands of the Riddler, Batman must take bigger risks than usual, such as bringing Commissioner Gordon to the Batcave, to reel the movie-making criminals in.

written by Dick Carr
directed by Charles R. Rondeau
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: 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), Sherry Jackson (Pauline), Francis X. Bushman (Mr. Van Jones), Richard Bakalayan (C.B.), Theo Marcuse (Van Bloheim), Burt Brandon (Wolf)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Alfred visits a fish market in Gotham City to gather the ingredients for an upcoming award banquet held for the city’s exclusive club of multi-millionaires, including one Bruce Wayne, only to be ensnared by the Penguin. Penguin brainwashes Alfred, forcing him to gather information from inside Wayne Manor, unaware that Alfred also has access to the Batcave. Betman and Robin notice Alfred’s odd behavior immediately, and spot the telltale signs of Alfred’s captor. But when they set out to capture the Penguin, they fall into a breathtaking trap…

written by Sheldon Stark
directed by Tom Gries
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: 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), Victor Lundin (Octopus), Bill Williams (Multimillionaire), Dal Jenkins (Shark), Howard Wendell (Millionaire), Julie Gregg (Finella)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Narrowly escaping the Archer’s trap, Batman and Robin set about laying a trap of their own, namely planting information that they’re certain will reach the Archer about a heist target he can’t resist. Even when he seems to be a step ahead of the police and the Dynamic Duo, Batman sets out to make sure the Archer’s plan won’t stay afloat.

written by Stanley Ralph Ross
directed by Sherman Marks
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Art Carney (The Archer), Barbara Nichols (Maid Marilyn), Robert Cornthwaite (Allan A. Dale), Doodles Weaver (Crier Tuck), Loren Ewing (Big John), Vinton Hayworth (Marshall Roland), Steve Pendleton (1st Armored Car Driver), Lee Delano (2nd Armored Car Driver), James O’Hara (Policeman), Myrna Dell (Pedestrian)

Notes: Scenes of Batman and Robin climbing into the Bat-Boat and heading out to sea were lifted directly from the Batman feature film; this is also the case for all future appearances of the Bat-Boat and the Bat-Copter, as obtaining new footage of either in action was beyond the budget of the television series.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

A string of burglaries leads Commissioner Gordon to summon Batman and Robin to his office: Catwoman has returned to Gotham City, and may be planning to restart her criminal career in grand style. Following the trail of clues – including a curiously cat-like dance that has captured the imagination of the young and young-at-heart across Gotham (including Aunt Harriet) – leads the Dynamic Duo into a trap, where Catwoman intends to turn up the heat on her nemesis.

written by Stanley Ralph Ross
directed by Don Weis
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Julie Newmar (Catwoman), Jack Kelly (Jack O’Shea), Buck Kartalian (John), George Barrows (Charles), Charles Horvath (Thomas), Edy Williams (Hostess)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

While Batman and Robin set their sights on escaping the Catwoman’s trap, while Catwoman herself sets her sights on the target of her next heist: the Gotham State Bank. Batman isn’t far behind her, but this time Catwoman has more than one escape plan up her sleeve…but will she put herself in danger mortal just to get away from the Dynamic Duo with the loot?

written by Stanley Ralph Ross
directed by Don Weis
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Julie Newmar (Catwoman), Jack Kelly (Jack O’Shea), George Barrows (Charles), Charles Horvath (Thomas), George N. Neise (Douglas Cramer), James Brolin (Driver), David Fresco (Zubin Zucchini)

Notes: Yes, it’s that James Brolin, in the first of three guest shots on Batman. He later appeared in Westworld, Capricorn One, Marcus Welby M.D., The Amityville Horror, and Hotel, among many other TV and film appearances.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

As businessmen and investors across Gotham City reel from live news coverage of a stock market meltdown, the news broadcast is interrupted by the friendly face of a singing minstrel…who, after a song, demands a thousand dollars a week from all of Gotham’s investors to prevent a repeat of the stock market crash. Batman discovers that the computers at the stock exchange have been bugged and decides to wait for the Minstrel’s next move…but the Minstrel is also patiently laying a trap of his own for the Caped Crusaders.

written by Francis & Marian Cockrell
directed by Murray Golden
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Van Johnson (The Minstrel), Leslie Perkins (Amanda), Remo Pisani (Bass), Norman Grabowski (Treble), Del Moore (TV Newsman), Army Archerd (Putnam), John Gallaudet (Cortland), Eddie Garrett (First Broker), Herbert Maass (Second Broker), Stu Wilson (Third Broker), Phyllis Diller (Cleaning Lady)

Notes: Phyllis Diller (1917–2012) goes uncredited on screen for the show’s latest celebrity cameo; she had just launched her own series, the short-lived Phyllis Diller Show, on ABC just one night before Batman’s new season premiered. Army Archerd (1922–2009) made numerous acting appearances, but was also a columnist for Daily Variety for over fifty years, and produced the People’s Choice Awards telecasts for many years.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Trapped by the Minstrel and his backup band, Batman and Robin have to find a way to get off the menu and get back into the chase. Though the Minstrel is a master of electronic surveillance, he underestiamates Batman’s abilities in the same area. Batman only has a short time left to outmaneuver and unmask the Minstel and restore confidence in the Gotham Stock Exchange…and perhaps then the Minstrel will sing a different tune.

written by Francis & Marian Cockrell
directed by Murray Golden
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Van Johnson (The Minstrel), Leslie Perkins (Amanda), Remo Pisani (Bass), Norman Grabowski (Treble), Del Moore (TV Newsman), John Gallaudet (Cortland), Eddie Garrett (First Broker), Herbert Maass (Second Broker), Stu Wilson (Third Broker), James O’Hara (Policeman)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The theft of a string of amber beads – leaving behind far more valuable baubles – puzzles Commission Gordon and Chief O’Hara. The clues, however, add up to one thing: King Tut is at large once more, planning a new scheme to take over Gotham City. The amber beads contain ancient Egyptian scarabs whose bodily secretions, combined with other chemicals, can create a formula capable of weakening the will of whoever drinks it…and Tut intends to unleash this potion upon Gotham City as a whole, after testing it on Robin. But the Boy Wonder would rather take his chances against Tut’s hungry pets…

written by Robert C. Dennis & Earl Barret
directed by Larry Peerce
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Victor Buono (king Tut), Marianna Hill (Cleo Patrick), Sid Haig (Royal Apothecary), Michael Pataki (Amanophis Tewfik), Boyd Santell (Sethos), Rene Paul (Man of Distinction), Peter Mamakos (Royal Lapidary), Van Williams (Green Hornet), Bruce Lee (Kato)

Notes: Holy superhero supergroup! Van Williams and Bruce Lee are this week’s “window cameos”, appearing as the Green Hornet and Kato. The Green Hornet series had begun its single-season run on ABC just a few weeks prior to this episode. The two characters would return for a more substantial guest shot the following March.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Batman is able to break Robin out of his predicament, and the Dynamic Duo regroups to the Batcave to plan their next move. King Tut and his cronies, in the meantime, advance their plan to introduce the scarab concoction into Gotham City’s water supply, subjugating the will of the entire population of the city. When Batman and Robin see Commission Gordon become a mindless subject of King Tut before their very eyes, they worry that it’s too late. When Robin sees the same happen to Batman, he knows it’s too late.

written by Robert C. Dennis & Earl Barret
directed by Larry Peerce
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Victor Buono (king Tut), Marianna Hill (Cleo Patrick), Sid Haig (Royal Apothecary), Michael Pataki (Amanophis Tewfik), Boyd Santell (Sethos), Peter Mamakos (Royal Lapidary)

Notes: When you want flamboyant, exotic villainy, you want to cast Sid Haig. Perhaps best known for his stint as Dragos, the primary enemy of Jason Of Star Command, Haig has also appeared on Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Electra Woman & Dyna Girl, The Six Million Dollar Man, Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, Automan, and Sledge Hammer!, among countless others, with big screen roles in THX-1138, Diamonds Are Forever, Kill Bill Vol. 2, and more.

LogBook entry by Earl Green