3 & 4: The Fine Feathered Finks/The Penguin's a Jinx

Season 1 Episodes 3 & 4
Original Air Dates: 1/19/66, 1/20/66
Special Guest Villain: Burgess Meredith as The Penguin

Guest stars: Leslie Parrish, Walter Burke

Written by: Lorenzo Semple, Jr.

Directed by: Robert Butler

Synopsis: A puzzling incident involving umbrellas in a jewelry store has Batman wondering if the recently paroled Penguin (Meredith) has really been rehabilitated. Further calamities involving a giant umbrella and a hot foot for Bruce Wayne convince The Caped Crusader that the Fine Feathered Fink is back on his game.

PE: In the first scene we get old favorite Walter Burke as one of Penguin's henchmen, Sparrow. I get the distinct impression that Burke has been following John and I from blog to blog. I wonder if any of our other old pals will show up in this run.

JS: And if they do, will they be wearing shirts with their names on them? I don't know if it's a result of third-season cutbacks, but I recall that at some point the shirts just begin to say HENCHMAN.

PE: Like Frank Gorshin, Burgess Meredith seems to be having a good time, cashing a check and chewing the scenery.  Hard to believe this is George from Of Mice and Men or Mick from the Rocky series.

JS: I know you favor Gorshin, but for my money, Meredith is on par in terms of absolutely owning this character. I can close my eyes and as soon as I hear that laugh, I can picture the purple hat, the cigarette holder, and the pointy nose! Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a memorable musical theme, too.

PE: Step back a moment and forget it's a fantasy world. Have you ever wondered how strange Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara must feel, surrounded by nuts who wear their underwear outside their pants and bad guys who dress like King Tut? When did it all start for them? Were they stopping legitimate bank holdups by guys in ski masks one day and using a glowing red phone the next? Do these two lawmen actually do anything but call Batman? And why do all these costumed villains congregate in Gotham City? Why not head for greener pastures where Batman won't venture? Or is Superman guarding Metropolis and Green Arrow Star City? Do The Joker and The Riddler bump into each other at Wal-Mart, pushing their carts down the frozen food aisle? I won't rest until I have the answers.

JS: Come on, Pete. This is a town that opened up three umbrella factories in the last three days. Maybe there's no Gotham City, and the whole lot are in Arkham, a city inside of an asylum. 

PE: The hidden camera in Penguin's cell changes angles!

JS: That's nothing. How is it that the Penguin has anti-bug technology that beats what they've got installed in the Batcave? Then again, when the drawer full of Electronic Bugging Devices is filled with Creepy Crawlers, it's clear what Bruce and Dick are doing in their spare time. And speaking of fun in the Batcave, watch how Batman's fingers tickle the keys without actually touching anything when he uses the bat-computer.

PE: Bat-dialogue of the episode: "Gosh, yes, Bruce. I'll get these darn verbs if they kill me!"

JS: I like the fact that Batman calls Robin "old man" three times in this episode. It will be interesting to see when that switches over to "old chum."

PE: What would happen if, after a snifter of brandy in the den, the Caped Crusader and Boy Wonder got a call from Commissioner Gordon and slid down the wrong poles?

JS: The funny coincidence to me is how Aunt Harriet always seems to walk in the room right after they get a call on the batphone. If she doesn't develop a complex, you think she'd figure out they were spinning tall tales each and every time.

PE: Batman congratulates Warden Crichton (David Lewis) on his rehabilitation success with the costumed loonies Batman has sent up the river. Success? I think we're going to find that Batman fights the same four or five villains over and over.

JS: I think that's only because Gotham has the only store where criminals can buy those bandit masks (with special thanks to Gary G. for the appropriate name!).

PE: I laughed out loud when Penguin's thug, Hawkeye (Lewis Charles), attempts to retrieve the message from the carrier pigeon and is attacked by the bird.

JS: Between the real birds and the fake birds surrounding the Penguin, no one is safe.

PE: Batman seems to break dozens of laws as he speeds to and from the Batcave.

JS: That's okay, they've got an in with the police department.

PE: Watch Adam West cringe just before the net drops on him in the first episode's cliffhanging moments.

JS: And who would have thought to open an umbrella factory in an old funeral home. Why the Penguin, of course, knowing he could put that crematorium to good use!

PE: True comic fans hate this kind of stuff but I appreciate the little camp touches like the signs in the Batcave. Why would Batman label everything including exit signs? He, Dick Grayson, and Alfred are the only people on earth who should know about the secret lair. And if, as in the first episode, someone outside the "secret circle" should intrude, do you really want an arrow that reads "this way to Wayne Manor."

VG: I'd like to point out that this behavior isn't limited to the Batcave home of our dynamic duo—they do the same thing in the villain's lair as well: Carrier Pigeon Entrance, Carrier Pigeon Exit, Secret Elevator to Umbrella Shop, Criminal Storeroom...  (VG is our own little Batgirl, who will interject her opinion from time to time, since she's watching every episode, too. - JS)

PE: Again, I understand the bile directed at the show by Bat-fans, but as I recall the comic book had these kinds of inane plotlines and characters long before the series showed up. The show picked up on those elements and then the comic, buoyed by the success of the show, launched the inanities into a new stratosphere that lasted years. Let's all stand up from our couches and once more lay praise at the feet of Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams for showing us a path out of the days of Bat-Mite and Robin, the Boy-Werewolf.

JS: How can we go without mentioning our Bat Babe of the week, Miss Funboy Magazine herself, portrayed by Leslie Parrish. Oddly she fell for Batman after a very brief meeting (in which she called him a 'guy from outer space'), and yet had no interest in millionaire bachelor Bruce Wayne. Go figure. 

PE: Commissioner Gordon explains to a party guest why Batman chose a Bat as his symbol. The old legend of a bat swooping in through the window is bypassed for a simple "a bat strikes fear in the hearts of men" line.

JS: Still, another nice piece of the origin puzzle is now in place.

PE Review:

JS Review:

Next up... The Joker! Same Bat Time, Same Bat URL!