August 21, 2020

Batman (1966) Episode 76&77&78

Episodes 76 & 77 & 78

Penguin is a Girls Best Friend/Penguin Sets a Trend/Penguin’s Disastrous End





Plot:Penguin’s new front is a movie production company along with Marsha, Queen of Diamonds



Guest Stars:Burgess Meredith as Penguin, Carolyn Jones as Marsha Queen of Diamonds


Trivia:The general in this episode is played by who voiced Fred Flintsone. And you can totally hear the character in his performance which is kinda cool.


Niitpick:Get the feeling the creators loved the character of the Penguin? Actually Penguin appears the most of any villain on the series (tied with Joker). I guess since this isn’t focused on silent movies it isn’t a rip off of what Riddler did in season 1?



Bat Silliness:The Batmobile managing to drive itself to save Batman and Robin (after Batman programs it from a distance) while evading two kids in the road and deploying a net just in time is….something to see.



Bat Gadget:Bat sound amplifier



Bat Trap:Batman and Robin in a huge catapult. Batman and Robin in a trash compactor.



Final Thoughts:Hey, another new kind of start to the episode! They find out pretty quick that Penguin is apparently reformed and making a movie. The duo jump in and attack Penguins henchman until it turns out they’re actors. How many times is this now the two have been threatened to be sued? They end agreeing to act in the movie to avoid litigation and to keep an eye on his real scheme. So why is he working with Marsha? Capital to fund his real caper. Oh and good news, Hilda is back too. I’m just going to say it, I hate hate her. Penguin is planning a nude scene with Marsha but Aunt Harriett and the league of decadency shut that down. Batman has to kiss Marsha but she has a love potion on her lips. That goes nowhere. Yeah this is another three part episode but doesn’t move as quick as the last one. Part 2 just Batman trying to figure out what Penguin is up to. We get medevil setting after the roman once in the first part (and done get me started on the two wearing knight armor). For whatever reason. We get a long boring scene with the Penguin talking to a general at a Pentagon pastiche before stealing something (seriously the script doesn’t tell us). Part 2 is dull it was clearly stretched out. It’s amazing how little was accomplished! Part 3 we find out what the master plan is. We see Marsha do the dance of the seven veils (a clean version I must say) while the love potion stuff comes back (lamely). The whole final part is Penguin and Marsha hiding in a vault while Batman and Robin wait outside. Days later (yes, days) we find out the plan-a giant solid gold tank. Why? Who knows. The tank crushes a police car with Chief O’hara in it. O’Hara survives by implausibly crawling into a hole in the ground. How is the tank stopped? The Batzooka of course! Episode over Thankfully.


Grade:C,if you love the Penguin this episode will be a delight. He gets whole scenes just to himself. It was to silly and draggy for me. And in keeping with tradition Marsha barely appears in the three parts, it’s Penguin’s story. Though not a great one. It could have been a two parter very easily and the movie plot kind of disappears after part 1 despite all the build up at the start. How did they build that tank in a bank vault? Why didn’t Batman just open it? What did the movie nonsense have to do with anything?


The episode is like a big riddle, speaking of which the riddler returns tomorrow same bat time same channel.

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