So this is something that has been a long time coming for the world. Batman has arrived on home media for the first time ever. There was a lot of confusion over who owned the distribution rights and how they could possibly settle the disputes and sell it. Fortunately for everyone it came to be and I got the limited edition Blu-Ray boxset on the day it came out and I plan to share my thoughts on the episodes with you every friday until I run out of episodes.
The first two parter is Hi Diddle Riddle and Smack in the Middle and it wastes no time in flying straight into the kind of campy fun you can expect from this series. We open at the Gotham World's Fair where the Moldavian Prime Minister is slicing into a cake of friendship, which promptly explodes releasing a riddle. The police, led by Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton) and Chief O'Hara (Stafford Repp) are completely flummoxed and make the only decision they can make, they call the hotline.
At Stately Wayne Manor Alfred (Alan Napier) answers the phone and goes to inform his master, Bruce Wayne (Adam West) who answers the phone as Batman and agrees to helping the police solve the crime and calls in his young ward Dick Grayson (Burt Ward) getting him away from the eternally unaware Aunt Harriet (Madge Blake). The two head into the Batmobile and rush off as Batman and Robin to solve the case then comes one of the greatest TV themes of all time.
The first two parter is Hi Diddle Riddle and Smack in the Middle and it wastes no time in flying straight into the kind of campy fun you can expect from this series. We open at the Gotham World's Fair where the Moldavian Prime Minister is slicing into a cake of friendship, which promptly explodes releasing a riddle. The police, led by Commissioner Gordon (Neil Hamilton) and Chief O'Hara (Stafford Repp) are completely flummoxed and make the only decision they can make, they call the hotline.
At Stately Wayne Manor Alfred (Alan Napier) answers the phone and goes to inform his master, Bruce Wayne (Adam West) who answers the phone as Batman and agrees to helping the police solve the crime and calls in his young ward Dick Grayson (Burt Ward) getting him away from the eternally unaware Aunt Harriet (Madge Blake). The two head into the Batmobile and rush off as Batman and Robin to solve the case then comes one of the greatest TV themes of all time.
The Riddle takes them to a nearby art gallery where they find the Riddler (Frank Gorshin) stealing a cross from the owner at gunpoint and the Dynamic Duo burst in to put the fiend under arrest. However it appears that the cross belonged to the Riddler to begin with and the gun was just a lighter and so the Riddler is now going to be suing Batman for unlawful arrest, which would mean that Batman's secret identity would be revealed.
Batman and Robin inspect the court summons and discover two more riddles that lead them to the What a Way to Go-Go discothèque. Robin isn't allowed entry (he is underage and the law is the law) so he parks the Batmobile while Batman enters the club, orders an orange juice and dances the Batusi (first episode and Batman dances, fantastic.) He soon realises that his drink was drugged and soon he finds that Robin is missing, kidnapped by the Riddler and his Mole Hill gang.
WILL ROBIN ESCAPE?
CAN BATMAN FIND HIM IN TIME?
IS THIS THE GHASTLY END OF OUR DYNAMIC DUO?
ANSWERS...TOMORROW NIGHT!
SAME TIME, SAME CHANNEL!
ONE HINT--THE WORST IS YET TO COME!
Batman and Robin inspect the court summons and discover two more riddles that lead them to the What a Way to Go-Go discothèque. Robin isn't allowed entry (he is underage and the law is the law) so he parks the Batmobile while Batman enters the club, orders an orange juice and dances the Batusi (first episode and Batman dances, fantastic.) He soon realises that his drink was drugged and soon he finds that Robin is missing, kidnapped by the Riddler and his Mole Hill gang.
WILL ROBIN ESCAPE?
CAN BATMAN FIND HIM IN TIME?
IS THIS THE GHASTLY END OF OUR DYNAMIC DUO?
ANSWERS...TOMORROW NIGHT!
SAME TIME, SAME CHANNEL!
ONE HINT--THE WORST IS YET TO COME!
The second episode begins with Batman trying desperately to make contact with Robin and attempting to put Aunt Harriet's mind at ease by assuring her that they've spent the night at Bruce's Uncle's house. Then Commissioner Gordon gets a phone call from the Riddler from which Batman finds out where to begin looking for Robin, he races to the Batmobile.
The Riddler and Molly (Jill St. John), his henchwoman, have made a perfect mask from a mould of Robin's face which they have used to disguise Molly as Robin and as Batman is racing to Robin's aid he gets a tracker signal from the villains' car and chases after them causing them to crash. He rescues what he thinks is Robin and heads back to the cave. However when they arrive Molly reveals herself and Batman reveals that he knew she was a fake the whole time due to a slight imperfection in the mask from an air hole they left in the mould. And has taken the bullets from her gun. Molly attempts to escape but in so doing climbs up the Batcave's atomic pile and although Batman tries to save her she falls to her death (maybe Batman shouldn't have left an open nuclear power source in the cave...)
With the help of Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara Batman is able to determine the true location of Robin and sets out to rescue him, bursting into the Riddler's hideout only to see the Riddler escape at the last moment.
The Riddler and Molly (Jill St. John), his henchwoman, have made a perfect mask from a mould of Robin's face which they have used to disguise Molly as Robin and as Batman is racing to Robin's aid he gets a tracker signal from the villains' car and chases after them causing them to crash. He rescues what he thinks is Robin and heads back to the cave. However when they arrive Molly reveals herself and Batman reveals that he knew she was a fake the whole time due to a slight imperfection in the mask from an air hole they left in the mould. And has taken the bullets from her gun. Molly attempts to escape but in so doing climbs up the Batcave's atomic pile and although Batman tries to save her she falls to her death (maybe Batman shouldn't have left an open nuclear power source in the cave...)
With the help of Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara Batman is able to determine the true location of Robin and sets out to rescue him, bursting into the Riddler's hideout only to see the Riddler escape at the last moment.
From more riddles the pair determine that the Riddler plans to steal the Moldavian mammoth which is full of valuable postage stamps. The Riddler carries out this plan by dressing up as a comic and knocking out the people at the Moldavian exhibition with laughing gas (he must have thought he was the Joker). However just before he can make off with his prize the Dynamic Duo burst from the mammoth and fight the Riddler's goons in the fabulous fashion of words appearing on the screen to emphasise the punches and kicks.
During the fight the Riddler accidentally shoots the tank of laughing gas which explodes, presumably killing him. However as no body was recovered Batman and Robin deduce that he survived and will be back to plague Gotham City with his nefarious schemes once more, but rest safe knowing that the court case will never go through.
This is how you start a series, it has plenty of tongue in cheek humour, daring action, Batman and Robin separated, a villain makes it into the Batcave and Batman dances. Simply fabulous stuff, Frank Gorshin as the Riddler was a great villain for the first, he was maniacal and giggling all over the place, hopping around to great energetic effect. The plot is convoluted and silly, but in a way that really works for establishing the tone of the series.
This is terrific, the boxset is a fantastic way to enjoy these episodes with the picture gloriously restored to stunning high definitions and all contained in a box which contains a hot wheels Batmobile and plays the theme song from a button on the side. Just terrific. So come back next time as we get our first time seeing that fine feathered fiend, The Penguin!
During the fight the Riddler accidentally shoots the tank of laughing gas which explodes, presumably killing him. However as no body was recovered Batman and Robin deduce that he survived and will be back to plague Gotham City with his nefarious schemes once more, but rest safe knowing that the court case will never go through.
This is how you start a series, it has plenty of tongue in cheek humour, daring action, Batman and Robin separated, a villain makes it into the Batcave and Batman dances. Simply fabulous stuff, Frank Gorshin as the Riddler was a great villain for the first, he was maniacal and giggling all over the place, hopping around to great energetic effect. The plot is convoluted and silly, but in a way that really works for establishing the tone of the series.
This is terrific, the boxset is a fantastic way to enjoy these episodes with the picture gloriously restored to stunning high definitions and all contained in a box which contains a hot wheels Batmobile and plays the theme song from a button on the side. Just terrific. So come back next time as we get our first time seeing that fine feathered fiend, The Penguin!