Review of Ma Parker

Batman: Ma Parker (1966)
Season 2, Episode 10
8/10
It isn't easy to foil the greatest mother of them all
8 May 2016
"Ma Parker" sees Shelley Winters' title character now in charge of the penitentiary, Warden Crichton (David Lewis, in his third appearance) helpless to prevent the Batmobile from blowing up at 65 mph. Fortunately, the Caped Crusader recalled an odd comment from the suspicious trusty (James Griffith) about the warden speeding at 70mph, something that Batman knows he'd never do. When the bomb explodes, Ma and her brood of 3 boys and one girl celebrate, a bit prematurely, but with the prison the perfect hideout a new crime wave begins in Gotham City, no one daring to look for the culprits already behind bars. Milton Berle has a cameo as a prison guard (only 48 more years before parole!), but it's luscious Julie Newmar who captivates in an unbilled Catwoman sighting, lamenting that The Joker and The Penguin remain in solitary confinement for refusing to acknowledge Ma Parker as the one in charge. No other arch criminals get a mention, with Ma's boys meeting their match after the Dynamic Duo foil a plot to perish in the electric chair at midnight. The indomitable Shelley Winters proved to be a fine choice for this one shot two parter (original title "Mother's Day Madness"), which led to the more dramatic challenge of starring as the real Ma Barker in the 1970 "Bloody Mama," directed by Roger Corman, where her boys were played by Clint Kimbrough, Robert Walden, Don Stroud, and Robert De Niro. One wonders how it would have turned out if Bette Davis had accepted the role, for Shelley was forever complaining and holding up production.
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