Category: Batman

Robin is distraught when he discovers that Susie, the head cheerleader at his high school, has become a pawn of the Joker. Batman suggests that the Boy Wonder can help, but not as Robin – he instead goes undercover as Dick Grayson, but his attempt to act like a high school dropout doesn’t fool the Joker…and this places Susie’s life in jeopardy unless the Joker can be stopped.

written by Lorenzo Semple, Jr.
directed by Murray Golden
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Cesar Romero (The Joker), Donna Loren (Susie), Kip King (Nick), Greg Benedict (Two Bits), Jim Henaghan (Fulton), Dick Bellis (Joe), Cherie Foster (Cheerleader I), Linda Harrison (Cheerleader II), Breeland Rice (Policeman)

Notes: Just two years before Planet Of The Apes made her a household name, Linda Harrison makes her first on-screen appearance in this episode of Batman. She would go on to play Wonder Woman in an unaired pilot, Who’s Afraid Of Diana Prince?, filmed (and rejected) in 1967; it would be the 1970s (and two actresses later) before Wonder Woman, Batman’s DC Comics stablemate, would become a fixture of prime time.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The theft of foreign crown jewels from beneath the noses of Commissioner Gordon and Chief O’Hara signal the return of masked criminal mastermind False Face, who just as quickly gives Gotham’s finest the slip. Batman and Robin are summoned to ponder False Face’s latest cryptic clue, deducing that an armored car will be his next target, but it’s too late – False Face is already impersonating one of the truck’s guards, and escapes the hatch the next part of his scheme by kidnapping impersonating Chief O’Hara.

written by Stephen Kandel
directed by William Graham
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Malachi Throne (False Face), Myrna Fahey (Blaze), Billy Curtis (Midget), Joe Brooks (Fat Man), Chuck Fox (Thin Man), S. John Launder (Mr. Ladd), Patrick White (Curator)

Notes: Holy Star Trek personnel crossover, Batman! Writer Stephen Kandel was the creator of Harry Mudd, the original Star Trek‘s sole recurring adversary, though he had already completed his work on the early Trek episode Mudd’s Women by the time this episode of Batman premiered. Special guest star Malachi Throne – credited simply as “?” here – was a fixture of 1960s and ’70s TV, and of genre TV in general, appearing in both Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as Ark II and Babylon 5.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

With Chief O’Hara in his clutches and the Caped Crusaders tied to the tracks in the path of an oncoming train, it seems that False Face has engineered the downfall of the Dynamic Duo. But a betrayal within the ranks of his hangers-on results in an about-face for Batman’s fortunes. Can someone as utterly scrupulous as Batman beat False Face at his own game of planting traps within traps?

written by Stephen Kandel
directed by William Graham
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Malachi Throne (False Face), Myrna Fahey (Blaze), Billy Curtis (Midget), Joe Brooks (Fat Man), Chuck Fox (Thin Man), Gary Owens (TV Announcer), Mike Ragan (Cowboy)

Notes: Yes, that is the true face of famed radio and television announcer Gary Owens (1934-2016). Guest star Mike Ragan (1916-1995) began appearing in westerns about as soon as Hollywood started making them, with his first such credit in 1947’s Buffalo Bill Rides Again; his enormous list of TV credits includes The Adventures Of Wild Bill Hickok, The Roy Rogers Show, The Gene Autry Show, The Lone Ranger, Cheyenne, Wagon Train, The Life And Legend Of Wyatt Earp, Rawhide, and a dozen separate appearances on Bonanza. It is not until the end credits of this episode that Malachi Throne is credited with playing False Face.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The theft of a priceless cat statue alerts Gotham’s finest – and the Dynamic Duo – that Catwoman is once again up to no good. A rather obvious clue is left to indicate Catwoman’s next target, but Batman isn’t ready to take the bait. He stands guard over one potential target while Robin watches another one…and becomes Catwoman’s prisoner. After toying with her prey, Catwoman decides it’s dinnertime…for her pet tiger…and Batman’s on the menu.

written by Stanley Ralph Ross and Lee Orgel
directed by James Sheldon
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Julie Newmar (Catwoman), Jock Mahoney (Leo), Ralph Manza (Felix), Harry Holcomb (Mr. Andrews), Pat Zurica (Guard)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Using high-frequency sound, Batman escapes Catwoman’s pet tiger and sets out to rescue Robin and infiltrate Catwoman’s secret lair. Still determined to pull off her heist, Catwoman double-crosses her own henchmen so she doesn’t have to split the spoils of crime with anyone, but she also leaves herself in a perilous position. Does she need Batman’s help too?

written by Stanley Ralph Ross and Lee Orgel
directed by James Sheldon
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Julie Newmar (Catwoman), Jock Mahoney (Leo), Ralph Manza (Felix), Alex Sharp (Henchman)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

When a masked villain tries to strike at Gotham’s high society at the city’s theater, Commissioner Gordon is stunned to learn that the crime is thwarted…by the Penguin. This scene is repeated at the Gotham Millionaires’ Club, when Batman and Robin burst in on an attempted kidnapping only to see the Penguin stop the crime. But Batman is certain that the Penguin is arranging the very crimes he seems to be stopping. When the Dynamic Duo tries to gather evidence, they find themselves framed for a jewel heist.

written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. and John Cardwell
directed by Leslie H. Martinson
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Burgess Meredith (The Penguin), Kathleen Crowley (Sophia Starr), Harvey Lembeck (Eagle-Eye), Al Checco (Dove), Hope Sansberry (Mrs. Van climber), Ed McCready (Crook), William Beckley (Reggie Rich), Douglas Banks (Lt. Copple)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Framed for a robbery they didn’t commit, Batman and Robin have been captured by the Penguin and his minions and have been set up to take a fatal fall. The Dynamic Duo escapes, but Batman is unwilling to give up on clearing his name…and each time he tries puts him further outside the law, until there’s an APB out on the Batmobile and its occupants. How far will Batman go to prove his innocence…or has the Penguin really been reformed?

written by Lorenzo Semple Jr. and John Cardwell
directed by Leslie H. Martinson
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Burgess Meredith (The Penguin), Kathleen Crowley (Sophia Starr), Harvey Lembeck (Eagle-Eye), Al Checco (Dove), Bill Welch (Newsman George), Jim Drum (The Policeman)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The Riddler crashes a ceremony to unveil wax statues of Batman and Robin. Following the Riddler’s cryptic clues to the Gotham City Library and then back to the wax museum, the Dynamic Duo repeatedly falls victim to traps set by their enemy. The Riddler is trying to learn about an ancient Incan treasure, and Batman and Robin, suspended over a vat of boiling wax, are almost out of chances to stop him.

written by Jack Paritz & Bob Rodgers
directed by James B. Clark
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Frank Gorshin (The Riddler), Linda Scott (Moth), Joey Tata (Tallow), Michael Greene (Matches), Ann Ayars (Madame Soleil), Elizabeth Harrower (Miss Prentice), Al McGranary (The Mayor)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

So certain is the Riddler that he has rid himself of Batman and Robin that he calls Commissioner Gordon to report the Dynamic Duo’s death. They speed to the Gotham City Museum to prevent the Riddler from stealing the Incan artifacts, but only Robin can make it into the museum – and is promptly caught by the Riddler’s goons. Now it falls to Batman alone to bring the Riddler to justice.

written by Jack Paritz & Bob Rodgers
directed by James B. Clark
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Frank Gorshin (The Riddler), Linda Scott (Moth), Joey Tata (Tallow), Michael Greene (Matches)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The Joker crashes a gathering of Gotham City’s high society, but rather than furs or jewels, he simply relieves one woman of a hairpin before escaping. The Joker’s usual trail of cryptic clues lead Batman to suspect that he’ll try to rob a foreign dignitary as he plays at an exclusive Gotham country club. But the Joker isn’t just after that visiting dignitary’s bejewelled golf clubs – his goons kidnap the man himself, and then the Joker lures Batman and Robin to an abandoned factory with his next clue. But the kidnap victim isn’t there…only a trap for the Dynamic Duo.

written by Francis and Marian Cockrell
directed by Richard C. Sarafian
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Cesar Romero (The Joker), Dan Seymore (The Maharajah), Norm Alden (Henchman #1), Johnny Seven (Henchman #2), Tol Avery (Prescott Belmont), Angela Greene (Mrs. Belmont), Byron Keith (The Mayor), Jane Wald (Jill)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Batman and Robin shimmy their way up a smokestack to avoid being gassed by the Joker, and then have to report to Commissioner Gordon and Chief O’Hara that the Joker has escaped once again. The Joker calls with a ransom demand for the kidnapped foreign dignitary – and it’s a demand that will cost Batman as much dignity as it will money. It’s only then that Batman realizes that there has been no kidnapping.

written by Francis and Marian Cockrell
directed by Richard C. Sarafian
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Cesar Romero (The Joker), Dan Seymore (The Maharajah), Norm Alden (Henchman #1), Johnny Seven (Henchman #2), Tol Avery (Prescott Belmont), Bebe Louie (Girl Clerk), Jane Wald (Jill)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

A golden sphinx statue suddenly turns up in the city park, with a message that Gotham will soon be ruled by King Tut himself – not the actual Egyptian king, of course, but an insane criminal who has adopted that identity. The Dynamic Duo, investigating the statue, nearly falls to a series of fiendish traps, but Batman doesn’t take the bait, which would lead them away from the Gotham City Museum, where Bruce Wayne is scheduled to unveil an ancient Egyptian mummy. The mummy then astonishes Bruce by coming to life…and kidnapping him. Commissioner Gordon then calls the Batcave for help, and is dismayed when he can only reach Robin.

written by Robert C. Dennis and Earl Barret
directed by Charles R. Rondeau
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Victor Buono (King Tut), Ziva Rodann (Nefertiti), Don Barry (The Grand Vizier), Emanuel Thomas (Reporter), Bill Quinn (Board Member)

Notes: Fortunately, Commissioner Gordon doesn’t notice the similarity in the voice on the other end of the phone when he calls Bruce Wayne and then Batman in rapid succession.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

In the wake of Bruce Wayne’s kidnapping, Batman appears on TV to report that he has “rescued” Wayne and will be taking a brief leave to conduct research. Enraged, King Tut orders his henchmen to kidnap Wayne again, this time mounting a raid on stately Wayne Manor…only this time, Batman is ready and waiting, “disguising” himself as Bruce Wayne so he can infiltrate Tut’s criminal operation. But Batman’s Trojan horse plan doesn’t go quite as he intended…

written by Robert C. Dennis and Earl Barret
directed by Charles R. Rondeau
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Victor Buono (King Tut), Ziva Rodann (Nefertiti), Don Barry (The Grand Vizier), Frank Christi (The Scrivener), Olan Soule (Newscaster), Bill Boyett (Policeman)

Notes: Victor Buono (1938–1982) would go on to appear in Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, Night Gallery, Supertrain, and a recurring role in Man From Atlantis, but he enjoyed his association with Batman, identifying himself years after the series as “the Fat Man from Batman”.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

As Bruce and Dick watch in horror, Commissioner Gordon is apparently murdered on live TV at the opening of Gotham City’s new suspension bridge…and Dick spots the Bookworm milling about in the crowd. Batman and Robin arrive at City Hall to begin gathering information on the heinous crime…and both they and Chief O’Hara are stunned when Commissioner Gordon walks into the room, unaware of what has transpired. An attempted bombing of the Batmobile confirms that the Bookworm has plans to write the end of Batman’s story.

written by Rik Vollaerts
directed by Larry Peerce
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Roddy McDowall (The Bookworm), Francine York (Lydia Limpet), John Crawford (Printer’s Devil), Tony Aiello (Pressman), Jan Peters (Typesetter), Byron Keith (The Mayor)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

With Robin tied to the clapper of the biggest bell in Gotham City, time is literally running out for Batman to free him. With Chief O’Hara’s help, the Boy Wonder is rescued, but before anyone can catch their breath, the Bookworm has set another trap in the form of a giant cookbook blocking a major street in Gotham City. Though it’s almost certainly a trap, the Dynamic Duo opens the cover, only to find that they’re on the menu.

written by Rik Vollaerts
directed by Larry Peerce
music by Nelson Riddle / Batman theme by Neal Hefti

Cast: Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin), Alan Napier (Alfred), Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon), Stafford Repp (Chief O’Hara), Madge Blake (Mrs. Cooper), Roddy McDowall (The Bookworm), Francine York (Lydia Limpet), John Crawford (Printer’s Devil), Tony Aiello (Pressman), Jan Peters (Typesetter), Jim O’Hara (Police Sergeant)

LogBook entry by Earl Green