The ratings for 'Batman' slipped as Season 2 drew to a close, so instead of giving 'Batgirl' ( Yvonne Craig ) her own spin-off series ( as was originally planned ), producer William Dozier chose to make her a regular in the parent show. Stanford Sherman's 'Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin' opens with Batman and Robin returning to the Batcave following an off-screen skirmish with Catwoman. As Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson, they prepare for a night at the opera with Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara. Bruce has a date with Gordon's daughter Barbara. Alas she is abducted from an elevator by Penguin, who intends marrying her in order to gain immunity from prosecution. Should she refuse, her father dies. Luckily, Barbara does not have to worry too much - she is really 'Batgirl'...
A bit straighter than your average 'Batman' episode. Gordon's grief at his daughter's predicament is unusual in what had been up until then a campy show. As an introduction to the 'Batgirl' character, it works well enough, although where Barbara got the money from for all the fancy gadgets in her flat she is never revealed. The Batgirl Cycle is cool though. Fortunately, we are spared the full horror of the 'Batgirl' theme ( I cringed whenever it came on ). Billy May ( who had worked on 'The Green Hornet' ) replaced Nelson Riddle as resident composer. Madge Blake's 'Mrs.Harriet Cooper' made only two appearances in Season 3, one of which was in the following episode 'Ring Around The Riddler'. Episodes were cut down from two a week to merely one. Shorter stories became commonplace, although the occasional two and three parter got through.
Each episode ended with a lead-in to the next instalment. This one climaxes with an appearance by Frank Gorshin's 'Riddler' ( returning after a season's absence, during which time he was temporarily replaced by John Astin ). When I.T.V. repeated the series in 1969, they showed the stories out of sequence, rendering the lead-ins meaningless. I remember seeing one for 'The Entrancing Dr.Cassandra'. The trouble was it had been shown the week before. One confused viewer complained that whenever the Dynamic Duo put someone in jail, that person would be out the very next week!
A bit straighter than your average 'Batman' episode. Gordon's grief at his daughter's predicament is unusual in what had been up until then a campy show. As an introduction to the 'Batgirl' character, it works well enough, although where Barbara got the money from for all the fancy gadgets in her flat she is never revealed. The Batgirl Cycle is cool though. Fortunately, we are spared the full horror of the 'Batgirl' theme ( I cringed whenever it came on ). Billy May ( who had worked on 'The Green Hornet' ) replaced Nelson Riddle as resident composer. Madge Blake's 'Mrs.Harriet Cooper' made only two appearances in Season 3, one of which was in the following episode 'Ring Around The Riddler'. Episodes were cut down from two a week to merely one. Shorter stories became commonplace, although the occasional two and three parter got through.
Each episode ended with a lead-in to the next instalment. This one climaxes with an appearance by Frank Gorshin's 'Riddler' ( returning after a season's absence, during which time he was temporarily replaced by John Astin ). When I.T.V. repeated the series in 1969, they showed the stories out of sequence, rendering the lead-ins meaningless. I remember seeing one for 'The Entrancing Dr.Cassandra'. The trouble was it had been shown the week before. One confused viewer complained that whenever the Dynamic Duo put someone in jail, that person would be out the very next week!
