Batman (1966) Episodes 17 & 18

Episodes 17 & 18
True or False Face/Holy Rat Race

 

 

Plot:False Face is out to steal the Mergenberg Crown

Guest Stars:Malachi Throne as False Face.

Trivia:False Face is credited as ??? in the show because Malachi Throne felt that he didn’t really need to act with his face covered the whole time. This is probably why the villain is very physical.

 

Niitpick:False Face’s MO is that he says the opposite of what he means. Why? Because it’s “false”? I also love how he can perfectly impersonate a person but the regular mask he wears is sooo fake. And by the way, how in the world does he duplicate someone’s face (and clothes) perfectly on the spot??????

 

Bat Silliness:False Face’s assistant gets the drop on Batman by making her get him a candy bar from a vending machine. Sure. Batman realizes False Face is the guard because he parked the truck next to fire hydrant

 

Bat Gadget: Bat Laser, when the batmobile is apparently destroyed it was really an inflated duplicate

 

Bat Trap:Batman and and Robin tied to subway tracks

 

Final Thoughts:Stafford Repp plays Chief O’Hara who mostly is in the series so Gordon has someone to talk to, But he gets featured in this episode when False Face impersonates him, and Repp does a fantastic job being the evil O’Hara. Nice to see Repp show his acting skills a little and he can do more than the silly stuff he says on this show. False Face was creepy to me as a kid, but it’s as close to Two-Face or Clayface as you’ll get I guess. I’d say it would have been hard having Two Face on this kind of show, but Tommy Lee Jones pulled it off in Batman Forever. Apparently the way Throne looked in the maks that inspired that casting choice! As for the episode, I make fun of the obligatory side girl but this one named Blaze could ave been a villain all by herself, Then they ruin it when they make her repentant after False Face tries to kill The Dynamic Duo. And we get almost the same ending as the last episode with the woman repenting. Yawn. It’s not much of a mystery but Batman’s quick thinking is always fun. Even if the episode drahgs especially part 2, False Face’s scheme is thwarted half way thru leaving the rest of he episode just Batman and Robin chasing False Face around the backlot.

 

Grade:B,He may be master of disguise but not as smart as Batman, who out thinks him the whole episode. I love the end when it takes Batman about a second to realize its False Face impersonating Gordon because he was using his left hand. However the episode also feels really padded going on ten minutes longer than it needs to. And this is the third episode to end with Bruce Wayne talking to the token female about her repenting. It’s getting old now.

 

 

 

I’m tired of these weak female villains, will we get a good one tomorrow? Find out same bat time, same bat channel!