Even the great Frank Sinatra wanted to be a guest villain, but his agent was leery of the show being considered as beneath the legend's standards, so Frank never appeared. Imagining Sinatra playing one of Batman's antagonists still makes my head spin.
As we prepare to look at the next batch of villains, it is important to note that there 34 villains overall in the 120 episodes of the series. Between my last post and this one I am covering the guest villains that exclude the main four villains – The Penguin, The Joker, The Riddler, and Catwoman.
Cesar Romero played The Joker, and Burgess Meredith portrayed The Penguin. Frank Gorshin played The Riddler (10 episodes) as did John Astin (two episodes). Catwoman was played by Julie Newmar in 13 episodes in seasons 1 and 2, with Eartha Kitt taking on the role for 3 episodes in season 3. That adds up to 34 guest villains overall.
So, now here is a look at the last 14 guest villains who tried to take on Batman and Robin.
Roger C. Carmel (as Colonel Gumm)
Carmel was busy during this time, playing Gumm on Batman and Harry Mudd in Star Trek (the original series). Both are memorable comedic roles that included a large mustache for villain twirling. What is unfortunate here is that Gumm was featured in an episode that was a crossover for the Green Hornet (Van Williams) and Kato (Bruce Lee), so the focus was less on him and more on hyping their TV series.
Rudy Vallee and Glynis Johns (as Lord Marmaduke Ffogg and Lady Penelope Peasoup)
This is a very British episode since it takes place away from Gotham City in the Batman universe's version of London called Londinium (the Roman name for the city). I don't remember these villains from my childhood, and watching them now I feel like it was a fish out of water story. Still, having actors of Vallee and Johns' caliber is impressive, and they play up the British aspect of things, especially the fog created by Ffogg's pipe.
Zsa Zsa Gabor (as Minerva)
This is as glamorous as a Batman episode can get. The lovely Zsa Zsa plays the last villain of the series with pomp and circumstance. While it might have been better to have the big four (Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman) reunite to end the series with a bang, Minerva is an interesting villain, and Zsa Zsa embraced the part with gusto, helping to end the series with style and grace.
Otto Preminger (as Mr. Freeze # 2)
Preminger does a nice job of picking up where George Sanders left off. During his appearance, we learn that Batman is responsible for Freeze's condition because he spilled a chemical onto Freeze during a previous arrest. To return the favor, Freeze tries to turn Batman and Robin into slush. Preminger's turn is notable because he embraces the campy nature of the series and leaves us laughing all the way.
Eli Wallach (as Mr. Freeze # 3)
Wallach does an incredible job of taking over the role from the previous actors. His Freeze's appearance is markedly different, wearing a crazy wig and exaggerated eyebrows. He now operates from an iceberg located in Gotham Harbor and uses an ice ray gun. I remember him scaring me as a kid, and watching him now I can understand why. Of the three actors who portrayed Mr. Freeze, I think Wallach's performance is most memorable.
Anne Baxter (as Olga, Queen of the Cossacks)
Anne Baxter returns to the fold as a different villain. This time playing the Cossack Queen with excited abandon, with a thick Russian accent ordering her Cossack henchmen around. She does share screentime with Egghead (Vincent Price), and they even become a bit romantic. I'd have preferred she had been on her own on her return visit, but you can tell that she was having a great time during her turn as Olga.
Vincent Price (as Egghead)
Playing a character that was not in the comics and created for the series, screen legend Price goes all in as the brilliant criminal who happens to have an obsession with eggs (his overly large, bald head may have something to do with it). Egghead makes many jokes associated with eggs, but it is all part of the campy fun of the series. In his first appearance he is on his own, and in the last two he is with Olga (see above). Either way, Price was egg-zactly what the series needed from a villain.
David Wayne (as Mad Hatter)
Based on the character that appeared in the comics, Wayne's Mad Hatter is played as over the top looney. He has constructed a big machine to kill Batman – what any villain worth his weight in evil wanted to do. And, unsurprisingly, the Hatter is fixated on stealing hats. He also turns Batman's cowl pink with a dose of radiation. I think more than anything that is why I remembered watching this as a kid. Seeing it again now, this episode is just very entertaining.
Shelley Winters (as Ma Parker)
In another role created for the series, Winters shines as the matriarch of a gang of criminals who happen to be her kids. Instead of some master plan to destroy Batman, Parker's goal is to get herself (and her kids) arrested. Why? She wants to take over Gotham State Penitentiary and form a gang from all the inmates. In case you think the name sounds familiar, it is a variant of the famous criminal Ma Barker, whom Winters would go on to play in the film Bloody Mama.
Carolyn Jones (as Marsha, Queen of Diamonds)
Jones was an extremely talented actress who became famous for playing Morticia on The Addams Family TV show. She brings her beauty and vivacious energy to the role of Marsha, who, as her name suggests, has a love for diamonds and a sophisticated lifestyle. Aided by her Aunt Hilda (Estelle Windwood) who happens to be a scatter brained witch who casts spells to help Marsha, this adds to the hilarity of Jones' very memorable turn as a Batman villain.
Van Johnson (as Minstrel)
In another role created for the series, Johnson gives an enthusiastic performance as someone who dresses like a medieval lute player who happens to be a genius of electronics. We never learn why he dresses for Halloween all year round, but he does present Batman with a more formidable opponent that ranks up there with The Joker and The Penguin. I remember watching this episode as a kid and being worried that he might defeat the Dynamic Duo.
Milton Berle (as Louie the Lilac)
Series creator William Dozier getting Milton Berle to play a villain was sublime, and Uncle Miltie doesn't disappoint when playing a gangster who also happens to be a florist. His master plan is to recruit flower children and indoctrinate them, so they will eventually rise up, and he can rule the world. Crazy as that sounds, it is the kind of master plan that few Batman villains would attempt. Berle's villain is one that I remember seeing as a kid, and one of the few villains I actually liked.
Ida Lupino (as Dr. Cassandra Spellcraft)
Getting an actress of Lupino's caliber was another win for Dozier, and she doesn't disappoint in another role created for the series. She is a world famous doctor who has created camouflage pills. Spellcraft and her zany partner Cabala (Howard Duff) plan to use them to break master villains out of Gotham State Penitentiary so they can work for her. It is a fantastic episode and one that was worthy of Lupino's talents.
Victor Buono (as King Tut)
I have purposely left my favorite villain for last. As yet another character created for the series, Buono's performance as Tut is legendary because he not only embraced the wackiness of the series but went over the top to make it even more wacky. Before Tut went looney tunes, he was a mild mannered professor of Egyptology at Yale. After being hit in the head during a student riot, he believes he is King Tut. Every time he gets hit in the head he goes back and forth between to his two identities. I loved the Tut character as a kid, and as I watched Buono fully embracing the role now I understand why.
*
After taking a look at all the villains that opposed Batman and Robin (and later Bat Girl played by Yvonne Craig), it is easy to see what made this series so exceptional. William Dozier was able to bring famous actors on board that shed their Hollywood personalities, let their hair down, and just had fun with the parts they played.
The fact that no one took anything seriously was part of the joke. Batman and Robin would be put in outrageously dangerous situations, but we knew no one was ever going to get hurt. The villains would go to jail without passing go, but somehow they always got out and came back for more. That was part of what made the show so entertaining.
In my next post, I'm going to look at the people who were on Batman's side. They are almost as much fun as the villains who opposed him.
Please come back for more – same bat time, same bat channel!
No comments:
Post a Comment