Batman (1966) Episodes 9&10

Episodes 9 & 10
Zelda The Great/A Death Worse Than Fate

Plot:Zelda the Great’s annual April Fools heist leads to Aunt Harriett’s kidnapping

Guest Stars:Anne Baxter as Zelda. Zelda would never appear again but Anne Baxter would. But that’s a story for another day.

 

Trivia:The exterior for Wayne Manor is located at 380 South Rafael Ave in Pasadena. Adam West and Burt Ward only filmed there once, for the movie.

 

Niitpick:Still early on so the show was trying to justify calling Batman over just using the cops on hand. This would eventually stop. I like that the episode remembers that Batman was considered a master escape artist, something that the character has lost over the years. What I don’t like his him planting fake news story to lure Zelda out, which she doesn’t buy for a second.

 

Bat Silliness:Our first “Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel!”

 

Bat Gadget:

 

Bat Trap:Aunt Harriett has an hour to live unless Bruce Wayne pays up. Yeah, I’m still waiting for the cool traps I remember too. Hanging her over a pool of flaming oil seems like overkill, she’s an old lady. And don’t worry she forgets the whole experience so we don’t have to deal with it later. There is a doom trap at the end but I was so bored I lost all interest by then.

 

Final Thoughts:Madge Blake played Aunt Harriett. She got a few feature episodes, and this was one. She was a lovely woman but I hated this character. Aunt Harriett was invented in the comics to prove that Bruce and Dick were not gay. And she either contributes nothing or stops the story cold. The story is not a standard formula episode, there isn’t even a bat fight in the end as a result. It’s nice to see Batman stumped by a new foe and she’s a woman! Good heavens! (ah, the 60’s). It’s to bad the reason she steal the money is sort of lame, she’s an illusionist looking for a new act.

 

Grade:D, I joked but the episode is reeking with sexism, with the guy being the real criminal and Zelda more a patsy. Who betrays him in the end, of course. Also zero action for some reason. Weak villain + weak motivation = dull story. By the way there is a death in the episode which while not as big a deal as the pilot, show the series was still trying to figure itself out.

 

 

 

Will we ever get a great episode? Come back tomorrow for round 2 with the Riddler. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel!