AS LIVING TESTIMONY (pre-recorded, of course) that the best of the BATMAN TV Series (1966-68)were done in its first season, we present this 'Penguin's Clean Sweep'. Over budget co$t$ and a decreasing interest by viewers ganged up on the show, which brought about an uncontrollable downward spiral.
EVIDENCE OF THIS phenomenon is already showing in the otherwise fine group of episodes that began airing in the Autumn of 1966. Although this may well seem to be truly petty, it is both significant and symptomatic of declining budgetary considerations.
AND WHAT IS this that to which we are referring? It is the difference in the manner in which the various visual POWS!, WHAMS!, CRUNCHES! and YEOWS! are shown on the screen. The early episodes had the written action words superimposed over the individual frames; whereas the later installments showed the descriptive words shown against a field of plain, of coloured backdrop. The visuals would very quickly cut away from the action; only to return just as quickly.
THIS MAY WELL not sound like much, but it is an indicator of irrefutable nature.
AS FOR THIS story, it suffers from a combination of maladies; which put it on shaky ground from the outset.
OTHER THAN THE aforementioned cutback in special effects, there were several other problems that we would like to mention. First, a change in writing staff signaled a great shift in the program's central theme. Whereras the series brought us amusement through the depiction of super-serious situations, which were rendered humorous by their exaggeration.* In these later episodes, they went for a cheap laugh. Rather than laughing with a show, we would now laugh at it.
SECONDLY, THE SERIES was now cut back to one half hour, instead of two 30 minute segments shown on two evenings in Cliff-Hanger style.
THIRD IN OUR complaints is the expansion of featured characters to include BATGIRL. In reality, she's Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Barbara, a Gotham City Librarian. Originally BATGIRL was intended to be a series of its own; but was merged with the BATMAN Show, causing a problem in character usage.
CONCERNING THIS PARTICULAR episode, it was too short to develop a good story, it centered on a plot that was even too implausible for a comic book story and it definitely went for the cheap laugh.
THE USE OF the Penguin character was always a pleasure; as Burgess Meredith did nail the part very well. As an indicator of this assertion, Penguin leads the series in number of appearances.
ONE POTETENTIALLY OFFENSIVE element of the story lies in the plot involving a 'Sleeping Sickness' being spread by a fictitious "Lygerion" fruit fly. Maybe we're being a little too touchy about this; but, doesn't that put you in the mind of many other real epidemics such as the current Ebola crisis?
WHEN THE SERIES was canceled by ABC, the NBC TV Network ("a Service of RCA") expressed some interest in picking it up. The plan called for upgrading the quality of the stories and restoring it to its former glory. But, alas, fate intervened and the Bat-Cave set at the Desilu Studios had already been bull-dozed into Bat-Oblivion!
THERE WAS NO more "Worst Is Yet To Come!"
EVIDENCE OF THIS phenomenon is already showing in the otherwise fine group of episodes that began airing in the Autumn of 1966. Although this may well seem to be truly petty, it is both significant and symptomatic of declining budgetary considerations.
AND WHAT IS this that to which we are referring? It is the difference in the manner in which the various visual POWS!, WHAMS!, CRUNCHES! and YEOWS! are shown on the screen. The early episodes had the written action words superimposed over the individual frames; whereas the later installments showed the descriptive words shown against a field of plain, of coloured backdrop. The visuals would very quickly cut away from the action; only to return just as quickly.
THIS MAY WELL not sound like much, but it is an indicator of irrefutable nature.
AS FOR THIS story, it suffers from a combination of maladies; which put it on shaky ground from the outset.
OTHER THAN THE aforementioned cutback in special effects, there were several other problems that we would like to mention. First, a change in writing staff signaled a great shift in the program's central theme. Whereras the series brought us amusement through the depiction of super-serious situations, which were rendered humorous by their exaggeration.* In these later episodes, they went for a cheap laugh. Rather than laughing with a show, we would now laugh at it.
SECONDLY, THE SERIES was now cut back to one half hour, instead of two 30 minute segments shown on two evenings in Cliff-Hanger style.
THIRD IN OUR complaints is the expansion of featured characters to include BATGIRL. In reality, she's Commissioner Gordon's daughter, Barbara, a Gotham City Librarian. Originally BATGIRL was intended to be a series of its own; but was merged with the BATMAN Show, causing a problem in character usage.
CONCERNING THIS PARTICULAR episode, it was too short to develop a good story, it centered on a plot that was even too implausible for a comic book story and it definitely went for the cheap laugh.
THE USE OF the Penguin character was always a pleasure; as Burgess Meredith did nail the part very well. As an indicator of this assertion, Penguin leads the series in number of appearances.
ONE POTETENTIALLY OFFENSIVE element of the story lies in the plot involving a 'Sleeping Sickness' being spread by a fictitious "Lygerion" fruit fly. Maybe we're being a little too touchy about this; but, doesn't that put you in the mind of many other real epidemics such as the current Ebola crisis?
WHEN THE SERIES was canceled by ABC, the NBC TV Network ("a Service of RCA") expressed some interest in picking it up. The plan called for upgrading the quality of the stories and restoring it to its former glory. But, alas, fate intervened and the Bat-Cave set at the Desilu Studios had already been bull-dozed into Bat-Oblivion!
THERE WAS NO more "Worst Is Yet To Come!"