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PODCAST

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966

Like many who grew up in the "60s and "70s (and perhaps even "80s and later), Tim and Paul had the course of their lives changed by the 1966 Batman TV show, from the types of play they did growing up to their present-day interests. In this series, they discuss the show"s allure and its failures, the arc of the show from satire to sitcom, its influences (the "40s serials and the comic books themselves) and the things it, in turn, influenced. SUPPORT "To the Batpoles!" and DeconstructingComics.com via

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All Episodes

01:21:16

#205 Batman - Star Trek ACT-OFF, pt. 2

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2023/06/22

We’re joined again by our childhood friend Kyle for the second installment of our comparison of actors who appeared on both Batman and Star Trek. On which show did Grace Lee Whitney (King Tut moll Neila vs. Yeoman Janice Rand), Lee Meriwether (Tut kidnapee Lisa Carson vs. planetary security system Losira), Frank Gorshin (the Riddler vs. traitor-tracker Bele), and Sherry Jackson (Riddler moll Pauline vs. improbably sexy android Andrea) turn in the better performance? Then, having pitted two of the

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01:38:17

#204 “Rembrandt III”: Watching paint dry

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2023/05/25

As the broadcast of Batman season one drew to a close, a treatment called Rembrandt the Third Meets his Master was submitted by 31-year-old Yale M. Udoff, who would go on to some success, but was just getting started as a screenwriter. Udoff’s inexperience may account for many of the problems with this treatment: A villain, Rembrandt III, whose crimes and motivations are too creaky for a TV show, and who engages many elements that don’t fit the theme of “painting”; many bat-no-nos, including an

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01:22:28

#203 “Has TV gone batty?” Snarky press coverage from...

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2023/04/27

At the height of Batmania in the first half of 1966, nearly every press outlet found it necessary to do a feature story on the phenomenon. But many in the media were not terribly impressed by Batman, so these articles tend to look down their noses at the show. One such example is “Has TV Gone Batty?”, an article by John Skow in the May 7, 1966, issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Aside from the snark, and misinformed discussion of camp, the article gives us some interesting insights into the

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01:45:45

#202 British Batmania: A Slow Burn

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2023/03/30

We Americans know that Batman was also popular in the United Kingdom (and many other countries), but there are differences in the level of popularity that was reached and how long it lasted, and also in terms of when “first run” of the show was there. 66 Batman Message Board co-admin Ben Bentley is, in fact, British, so we asked for his assistance in tackling this topic. Our discussion touches on the show’s second wind in the ‘70s, Batman references in The Avengers (as in Steed and Peel) and other

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01:32:00

#201 Chip Kidd’s Book of Bat-Merch

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2023/03/02

When the Batman TV show set off Batmania in 1966, a wide variety of toys and other tie-in items, not all of them licensed, hit the market. Since licensers seldom made style guides in the ‘60s, rights to the actors likenesses weren’t available, and some of the onslaught of Bat-crap came from overseas makers who thought Batman’s costume would look better in orange, the results are highly entertaining. This time we look at Chip Kidd’s 1996 book Batman Collected, a history of Bat-merch from 1938 to

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01:16:18

#200 “Batman: The Movie”: The Novel

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2023/02/02

Former Batman comics writer Winston Lyon, fresh off his novel Batman vs. Three Villains of Doom, a few months later produced the novelization of Batman: The Movie, a book called Batman vs. the Fearsome Foursome. This time, for our 200th episode, we discuss the book: though based on Lorenzo Semple, Jr.’s screenplay, it betrays a different attitude toward Batman than Semple, and the Batman show in general, held. Plus, one of our favorite versions of the Batman theme, Cesar Romero interviewed by Jean

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01:34:45

#199 "Nora Clavicle" scripts and writing in season three

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2023/01/12

The three versions of the script for Nora Clavicle and the Ladies’ Crime Club raise some interesting questions about season three. Why did the Duo and Batgirl never have a way to easily contact each other? Why do our heroes’ early suspicions that Nora is crooked all get cut from the script? What are the types of female characters that the show keeps coming back to? Plus we look at lines and events that were cut — or added — at late stages in a very hurried process. PLUS, Chad Vermillion’s “hey

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01:25

Holy Casting Crossover! Actors who appeared on both...

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2023/01/06

It's here! The Internet's most complete list of actors who appeared on both Batman and Star Trek: The Original Series! But... is it totally complete? Look it over and see if there's a relevant actor who isn't listed - then post about him or her in the comments! Some are famous actors in big roles on both, some are extras and uncredited actors, some fall somewhere in between - or had a big role in one show and a bit part in the other. See the entire list at the link below. Batman Star

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26:41

BONUS! DCU King Tut in "Batman Confidential"

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2022/12/22

In 2009, writers Nunzio DeFillipis and Christina Weir brought King Tut to the DC Universe in three issues of Batman Confidential (issues 26-28), with art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Kevin Nowlan. Tim and Paul discuss the story, and a few '66 Easter eggs embedded therein. (Originally published on Patreon March 19, 2022.)

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01:40

Going away, but we'll be back

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2022/12/04

We're going away for a bit. Here's the scoop on what's going on and when we'll be back!

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01:42:36

#198 Women in Season 2, pt 3: You’ve Come a Long Way,...

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2022/11/24

As the show hit its first anniversary and the second season neared its end, we see Batman’s characterization of women subtly changing, particularly Lee Meriwether’s strong Lisa Carson character, and some examples of actual (gasp) interaction between women! Why did the “poor, deluded girls” fade away? Was it changing social mores, or just the show trying not to repeat itself? Nancy Northcott joins us once again to discuss women on the show, this time in the final third of Season Two, which includes

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01:04:29

#197 Adam and Frank’s… semi-big show

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2022/11/10

In early 1966, Batmania was everywhere. This caused a certain (convicted tax evader) concert promoter to ask the question: Can Batman fill Shea Stadium? Adam West and Frank Gorshin were recruited to play their characters as part of a show that also included such musical luminaries as the Young Rascals and the Temptations. However, on June 25, 1966, the answer to the concert promoter's question turned out to be a resounding "No!" The Shea Stadium show has lingered as an oddity on the edges of our

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01:18:40

#196 "The Joker's Big Show"

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2022/10/27

The 11th issue of the Batman ’66 comics series gives us an unusual full-issue story in which the Joker teams up with a very Newmaresque Catwoman to break from prison and try to crack up all of Gotham! But how do we feel about these modern Batman elements, such as Arkham, showing up in this context? Is the series fan service going in too many different directions? PLUS: The iPhonedo Garage Band version of the Batman theme, more from Adam and Burt on The Merv Griffin Show, mail on the Batman/Star

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01:46:32

#195 SCRIPT: "A Piece of the Action"

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2022/10/13

It’s time for another script! This time it’s the first draft of the Green Hornet guest shot arc A Piece of the Action/Batman’s Satisfaction, featuring a much more assertive Robin than perhaps we ever saw Burt Ward play, and a greater focus on the secret identities of Batman and the Hornet! Plus, more of Adam and Burt’s Sept 1, 1966, Merv Griffin appearance, the L'Orchestra Cinematique "EPIC" version of the theme, and your mail on our Madge Blake episode! Links from Chris Cavanaugh Detective Comics

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01:37:16

#194 Susan Silo: Mousey and much more!

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2022/09/29

You know her as Mousey in A Riddle a Day Keeps the Riddler Away, but did you know that Susan Silo has been a sought-after character voice actor for cartoons since the ‘70s? Or that she had a hit single in 1956 ("Dear Diary") and performed on American Bandstand? Or that she’s performed on Broadway? Or that her high school English teacher became a huge TV star in the ‘70s? This time we chat with Susan herself about all this and more! Plus, the Villains’ version of the Batman theme, more of Adam and

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01:16:44

#193 Batman - Star Trek ACT-OFF, pt. 1

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2022/09/15

Two of the most iconic American TV shows of the 1960s are Batman and Star Trek. A surprising number of actors pulled double duty, appearing on both shows, either as regulars, recurring characters, or one-shot roles. This crossover of actors sounds like an interesting topic, but how do we get it into our show? What we settled on was to put these actors in March Madness-type brackets and pit them against each other. On which show did a given actor give the better performance? And how does their

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01:24:30

#192 Mercy alive! It’s Madge Blake!

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2022/09/01

When talking about Batman, discussion tends to focus on Adam West, Burt Ward, and those who played villains who the Dynamic Duo brought to justice. But here we’ve done nearly 200 episodes and mostly missed someone whose name is in the opening credits for the first two seasons: Madge Blake. So this time we’ve dug in to see what we could learn about this woman who started acting late in life, charmed fellow actors but frustrated some directors, and worked with Jack Benny, Vincente Minnelli, Gene

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01:35:12

#191 Women in Season 2, pt 2: Deluded Girls and...

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2022/08/18

As season two rolls on, women are still filling familiar roles: OK with crime, but killing the Dynamic Duo is going "too far"; ditzy moll who dreams of diamonds and Hollywood; "team-up" baddie who's completely superfluous to the male partner's plans. We also get a season one throwback of a moll who crushes on Batman, and a Catwoman assistant (and Batman producer's niece) who wants to be a singer. We're once again joined by novelist Nancy Northcott to discuss women in the middle of season two! Plus,

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01:31:52

#190 Batman refs: “Mighty Mouse” & “The Simpsons”

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2022/08/04

The cultural impact of Batman '66 was felt for decades after, and still reverberates. This time we discuss a couple more late-20th-century cartoons that showed evidence of that impact: Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, which in 1987 gave us Night of the Bat-Bat, featuring Bat-Bat, a hero with the powers of a bat and a penchant for corny one-liners; and numerous episodes of The Simpsons, including 1992's Mr. Plow, in which Adam West makes a couple of heavily-Bat-referencing appearances; and 1995's

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01:49:17

#189 The Evolution of “False Face”

To The Batpoles! Batman 1966 ·

2022/07/21

Why does False Face impersonate Chief O’Hara? Where is FF’s hideout? Since when does Aunt Harriet drops censor-tempting puns? Why does Blaze tell the Duo “It’s faster on foot”? These questions and more are up for discussion as we look at the Outline, First Draft, and Revised Draft of True or False Face/Holy Rat Race! Also, Merv Griffin’s 7-year-old son Tony asks Adam West some burning questions, Mina Pang and her dad jam out with the Batman theme, and we read your mail about our Joker Jury episode

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