Batman 1966 | Season 1 Episode Guide

Batman premiered Wednesday, Jan. 12, 1966.  The first episode ended with a cliff hanger, with the conclusion airing the following night, Thursday, Jan. 13, 1966.  The pattern would repeat the rest of the season.  Episode numbering and synopses below are from Amazon Prime Video.  Bulleted notes are my own insights.    

S101 E1 & 2

"Hi Diddle Riddle"  While the Riddler maneuvers Batman into being sued, the Dynamic Duo investigate the supervillain's concurrent scheme. 

"Smack in the Middle"  The Riddler fashions a mold of the face of the unconscious Robin.  He contacts Batman with two more riddles.

• The animated opening credits emulate the artist style of Batman comic artists Bob Kane and Dick Sprang.  Some of the villains that will appear later in the series are seen in the sequence.
• The footage from the Gotham City World's Fair is from the 1964/1965 World's Fair in New York.
• The Republic of Moldavia is referred to again in later episodes of the show.
  
• Though these are the very first episodes of the show, the Riddler is said to have tangled with the Gotham City Police Department a dozen times.
• Bruce Wayne reveals that his parents were murdered by "dastardly criminals," hinting at motivation for his crimefighting activity.  
• The Riddler wears several outfits in these episodes:  The first is a classy-looking green suit with black dress shirt and tie along with a bowler-style hat.  When he wears this costume, he does not use a mask.  The second is his more "standard" comic-book look--green tights and purple mask.  The third is a suit in purple plaid with a purple bowler and an elephant gas mask.  He also wears a green crash helmet. 
• Robin wears different gloves than he does in later episodes--these are made from a bright green material.     
• Listen for Robin's unintentionally hilarious imitation of a train -- "TWO TO TWO!"
• In his autobiography, Boy Wonder: My Life in Tights, Burt Ward describes in detail the shooting of this episode.  [He also describes a lot of other "too much information" stuff in detail, so let the reader beware.]
• Screen tests included on the bonus disc of the complete series have an earlier version of the scene in Wayne Manor in which Bruce and Dick discuss their futures as crimefighters in light of Riddler's lawsuit and the scene in the Batcave in which Batman and Robin discover the second and third riddles.  
• One screen test has Adam West and Burt Ward testing for the roles.  Ward is credited as "Burton Gervis."  His name at birth was "Bert with an e"--Bert John Gervis, Jr.   
• 
  One screen test has Lyle Waggoner and Peter Deyell in the roles of Bruce/Batman and Dick/Robin.  Lyle would later star as Steve Trevor in the 1970s Wonder Woman television show.  
• In both tests, Batman wears a different costume from the pilot episode.  The "ears" on his cowl are more horn-shaped and the bat-emblem on his chest lacks the gold oval shape.
• In the screen tests, Mrs. Cooper is referred to as the housekeeper and Alfred is not present.
• Bruce mentions having an uncle. 
• Molly's death and Riddler's possible death make put these among the more gruesome episodes.
• Neil Gaiman refers to the "What A Way to Go-Go" discotheque in the Secret Origins Special #1 (1989), making it--as well as a number of Batman '66 villains--part of the mainstream post-Crisis continuity.
• Riddle Me This, Batman: Why is an orange like a bell?  Because they both must be peeled/pealed.    
• Riddle Me This, Batman:  There are three men in a boat with four cigarettes but no matches.  How do they manage to smoke?  They threw one cigarette overboard and made the boat a cigarette lighter.  

S101 E3 & 4 

"Fine Feathered Finks"  The Penguin plots to manipulate Batman into inadvertently devising capers for him.

"The Penguin's a Jinx"  Bruce Wayne escapes the Penguin's deathtrap and returns to the Batcave.  What he doesn't know is that one of the Penguin's clues, an umbrella, has a listening device.  

• 
  In these episodes, the Caped Crusaders square off against the Penguin, played by Burgess Meredith.  The Penguin refers to his henchmen as "fine feathered finks."
• Robin begins wearing darker leather-like gloves.  However, you can see the bright green gloves when the Dynamic Duo starts the Batmobile, as this sequence is reused from the first episodes.     
• Commissioner Gordon tells Chief O'Hara in the presence of Batman and Robin that he is a close friend of Bruce Wayne and he has dined at stately Wayne Manor many times.
• Commissioner Gordon explains to guests at Wayne Manor the origin of Batman's costume: "Nothing so strikes terror into the criminal mind as the shape and shadow of a huge bat."
• Elements from these episodes are inspired by a story in Batman #169 (Feb. 1965), "Partners in Plunder."

S101 E5 & 6 

"The Joker Is Wild"  The Joker decides to fight fire with fire against Batman with a utility belt of his own.  

"Batman is Riled"  Batman avoids a public unmasking but is unable to bring in the Joker, thanks to the villain's utility belt.  Eventually, Batman and Robin are captured by the Joker's gang.  

• 
  The Joker, played by Cesar Romero, is introduced.  Like the Penguin and the Riddler, he has a history of criminal activity in Gotham City.
• When the Joker is pitching at the prison ballgame, it is especially noticeable the actor does not have white makeup on his hands and below the neckline of his shirt, suggesting that only the Joker's face and neck is clown white.  Whether the Joker is wearing makeup or has a white skin due to a chemical bath is not explained in the series.  While recent films have depicted the character in a variety of ways, in the comic books, the Joker's entire body is usually white (right, Joker #3 (2021).          
  
• The name of the newspaper featured in these episodes is the Gotham City Times.
• In the Batman television series, Joker is one of Batman's archenemies, rather than his arch archenemy.  The Joker would rise to the top of Batman's rogue's gallery following the cancellation of the show.
• Elements of this episode are based on the story titled "The Joker's Utility Belt" in Batman #73 (Oct./Nov. 1952).  A sweet diagram of the Joker's utility belt is included in the story.  

S101 E7 & 8

"Instant Freeze"  Dr. Shivel aka Mr. Freeze has returned and is seeking revenge on Batman, who accidentally spilled a freeze solution on him, being forced to live in a -50 [degree] climate.

"Rats Like Cheese"  Vince, a temperamental physician at a Gotham City hospital (apparently a takeoff on Ben Casey), saves Batman and Robin.  The Dynamic Duo resumes their pursuit of Mr. Freeze. 

• Mr. Freeze is introduced in these episodes.  Each time the character appears, he is portrayed by a different actor: George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach
• Batman feels responsible for the accident that "created" Mr. Freeze.  Robin responds, "You didn't mean to knock that beaker of instant freeze on him during the fight in his laboratory."
• Though the episode synopsis refers to Mr. Freeze as Dr. Shivel, the closed-captioning suggests Batman refers to the villain as "Dr. Schimmell."
• Mr. Freeze is based on a character named Mr. Zero, who first appeared in the comics in Batman #121 (February 1959).  The comic includes the story "The Ice Crimes of Mr. Zero," which inspired many elements of these episodes, including Mr. Freeze's casual wear, mountain hideout, and heated accommodations for his henchmen.  At the end of the story, Mr. Zero's need to be in a zero temperature environment is cured....  Or is it?    
• Mr. Zero would reappear as Mr. Freeze identity in Detective Comics #373 dated March 1968.  The splash page of that issue reads, "It's chill-thrill time again as that refrigerated rogue--Mr. Zero--blasts out of his deep-freeze hideout to taunt Batman and Robin with his tricky temperature tactics!  Bolder and colder than ever--and with new name to match--he zeroes in on his prey and the frigid fate he has finalized for them!  Mr. Freeze's Chilling Deathtrap!"

S101 E9 & E10

"Zelda the Great"  The Dynamic Duo arranges a trap for an elusive bank robber, but the female magician they are hunting is on to them with a new scheme of her own.

"A Death Worse Than Fate"  Told that her loot is genuine money after all, Zelda is forced to lure Batman and Robin into a possibly unsolvable deathtrap, with hitmen waiting outside to shoot them if they escape.

• The Zelda episodes aren't... Great.  Zelda and Eivol would not return in later episodes.  However, actress Anne Baxter will reappear as a different character.  
• If you recognize Anne Baxter, it may be from The Ten Commandments.  She portrayed Nefertari.  
• As noted in The Official Batman Batbook by Joel Eisner, the storyline is adapted from Detective Comics #346 (December 1965), which features Eivol Ekdal and a male escape artist named Carnado.

S101 E11 & E12

"A Riddle A Day Keeps the Riddler Away"  King Boris, who hails from a European country, comes to Gotham City for a visit.  Upon his arrival, there is a disturbance, which includes a clue from the Riddler.

"When the Rat's Away the Mice Will Play"  Batman manages to escape the Riddler's death trap.  He and Robin decide to lay low until they can figure out the Riddler's caper.

• The Riddler wears both his green suit and vest with black dress shirt and his traditional comic book costume in these episodes.   

S101 E13 & E 14 

"The Thirteenth Hat"  Jervis Tetsch [sic], aka the Mad Hatter, is abducting all the jurors who convicted him of a previous crime wave.  He is also taking their hats.

"Batman Stands Pat"  Batman, thanks to superior breath control, is able to escape the plaster of Paris in which he was encased  Despite this, the Mad Hatter is still at large.

• The Mad Hatter first appeared in Batman #49 (October 1948).  (Photojournalist Vicki Vale also appeared for the first time in this issue.)  Mad Hatter's appearance is this issue is similar to the way the Hatter was depicted by Sir John Tenniel in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  A second Mad Hatter appeared in Detective Comics #230 (April 1956).  This Mad Hatter looks more like the Mad Hatter from these episodes.  He went by the name Jervis Tetch, though it was later revealed that this second Hatter was an imposter and the first Mad Hatter was the real Jervis Tetch.
• Elements of the episodes are inspired by stories in Detective Comics #230 (April 1956) and Batman #161 (February 1964).

S101 E15 & E 16

"The Joker Goes to School" At Woodrow Roosevelt High School, a vending machine gives out money.  Dick Grayson is there to witness it.  

"He Meets His Match, the Grisly Ghoul" A power failure prevents Batman and Robin from being electrocuted.  Meanwhile, a recording Batman made confirms that cheerleader Susie is one of the Joker's confederates.

• These episodes provide one of the few glimpses into Dick Grayson's life outside stately Wayne Manor and the Batcave.  Dick attends Woodrow Roosevelt High School, where he serves as president of the student council.  
• The Woodrow Roosevelt basketball team is set to play against Disko Tech, a clever play on the word "discotheque".  

S101 E17 & E 18

"True or False Face"  False Face traps Batman and Robin, and binding them to a subway track just minutes before a train is scheduled to come by.

"Holy Rat Race" Alfred contacts Batman by radio from the Batcave.  Batman instructs the butler to short circuit a communications device the hero has on his wrist.

• False Face is based on a character who appeared in Batman #113 (Feb. 1958).
• The exterior shots of the Gotham City Police Headquarters were shot in front of the facade pictured on the right, visible on the Warner Bros. Studios Tour.  Other scenes from this episode, especially those involving the movie studio "false fronts," may have been filmed on the same back lot.  
  

S101 E19 & E 20

"The Purr-fect Crime"  Catwoman initiates a series of thefts that cause Commissioner Gordon to

summon Batman and Robin.  But the importance of the crimes go beyond the taking of the objects involved.  

"Better Luck Next Time"  Batman evades the attacking tiger thanks to his utility belt.  First, he scales the wall.  

• Can you believe we reached Episode 19 before our first Catwoman episode?
• Catwoman cracks her trademark cat-o-nine-tails in this episode.
• Catwoman forces Batman to chose between to doors.  She is behind one.  A tiger is behind the other.  This is a reference to "The Lady, or the Tiger?," a short story by Frank R. Stockton. 
• Robin weighs 132 lbs. and 10 oz.  
• These episodes are the subject of a set of Batman View-Master reels.   We'll devote a separate blog entry to these reels.  

S101 E21 & E22

"The Penguin Goes Straight"  After his recent release from jail, The Penguin has started his own protective agency and is thwarting small time hoodlums everywhere he goes.

"Not Yet He Ain't" Already wanted for a robbery they didn't commit, Batman and Robin fake their own deaths with a little help from Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara.

• While the Penguin has the Batmobile, the Caped Crusaders need to rely on other transportation.  Enter, the Batcycle!  This is the first of two Batcycles that would be used on the series.   

S101 E23 & E24

"The Ring of Wax"  The Riddler's latest scheme involves stealing a wax figure to melt down for its wax that is powerfully corrosive when exposed to direct flame.

"Give 'Em the Axe"  Taking advantage of the Riddler's mistaken belief that they were killed escaping his deathtrap, the Dynamic Duo must stop the villain from stealing a treasure of Incan jewels.

S101 E25 & E26

"The Joker Trumps an Ace"  A wave of senseless robberies by the Joker prove to be part of a plot against a visiting maharajah.

"Batman Sets the Pace" After an ingenious escape, Batman and Robin again pick up the trail of the Joker.  The villain's ultimate crime is designed not only to make him rich but to ruin Batman's reputation.

• Parts of these episodes were inspired by a story in Batman #49, "A Hairpin, A Hoe, A Hacksaw, A Hole in the Ground."  Joker steals things which begin with the letters "Ha Ho Ha Ho"

S101 E27 & E28

"The Curse of Tut"  A former academic who thinks he is really King Tut has returned.  Batman and Robin seek his capture.

"The Pharaoh's in a Rut"  Bruce frees himself just before the cart he is riding goes over a cliff.  As Batman, he works to bring King Tut to justice.

• This is the very first appearance of King Tut.  He did not have a comic book counterpart at this point.  
• Batman and Robin are familiar with King Tut, though "everyone thought he died in that warehouse fire."  
• Batman gives a short origin story of King Tut: "Let's not forget that he was once an eminent professor at Yale University.  Then he was struck on the head during a student riot.  And awoke, with a strange double delusion: that Gotham City is the reincarnation of Ancient Thebes and he himself, the pharaoh known to history as King Tut."
• King Tut's headquarters are presumably in the Egypt Pavilion of the previous year's Gotham City Exposition.  This may refer back to the Gotham City World's Fair seen in Episodes 1 & 2.
• King Tut did eventually appear in a DC Comic: Batman Confidential #26, dated April 2009.

S101 E29 & E30

"The Bookworm Turns"  Commissioner Gordon appears to have been assassinated during the opening of a new bridge.  A copy of Hemmingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls nearly blows up the Batmobile.

"While Gotham City Burns"  Batman saves Robin from the Wayne Memorial Clock Tower at the last Big Benjamin second.  While they are busy in the Batcave, The Bookworm steals a priceless cookbook from stately Wayne Manor.

• Like King Tut, the Bookworm did not previously appear in Batman or Detective Comics. The character was created for the show.  Sadly, these were the only two episodes in which the Bookworm appeared.
• Also like King Tut, the Bookworm has a headquarters at the location of the previous year's Gotham City Exposition. 
• These episodes feature the first celebrity "window cameo."  Jerry Lewis appears at the window as Batman and Robin perform their famous "Bat-climb."  

S101 E31 & E32

"Death in Slow Motion"  Charlie Chaplin and the Keystone Kops raid the till at the newly opened Gotham movie theater.  The culprits turn out to be the Riddler and his gang in disguise.

"The Riddler's False Notion"  Robin has been captured by the Riddler, leaving Batman fearing his own reaction.

• Batman was notably presented "In Color," so it is nice to see the silent film in black and white.  Batman and Robin appeared in a 15-episode black and white serial in 1943 featuring Lewis Wilson and Douglas Croft.  The New Adventures of Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder was another 15-chapter serial, released in 1949.  Robert Lowery played Batman and Johnny Duncan played Robin.  Lyle Talbot played Commissioner Gordon.  The following year, Talbot would play Lex Luthor in the serial Atom Man vs. Superman, featuring Kirk Alyn as Superman.

S101 E33 & E34

"Fine Finny Fiends"  Alfred is kidnapped by the Penguin and his finny fiends, while buying caviar for the Multimillionaires Annual Award Dinner.

"Batman Makes the Scene"  The Penguin learns the location of the Multimillionaires Annual Award Dinner from Alfred: on board Bruce Wayne's S.S. Gotham Neptune.