Season 2 Episodes 85 & 86
Original Air Dates: 3/1/67 & 3/2/67
Visiting Hero: Van Williams as The Green Hornet
Assistant Visiting Hero: Bruce Lee as Kato
Guest stars: Roger C. Carmel, Diane McBain
Written by: Charles Hoffman
Directed by: Oscar Rudolph
The Green Hornet and Kato are sniffing around The Pink Chip Stamp Company. Since the duo have a shady reputation, they must be up to no good. Batman and Robin are called in to investigate. While on the trail of the Other Dynamic Duo, they happen on to the scheme of Colonel Gumm, who has stolen the legendary and priceless "Gotham Gothic" stamp. Will toes be stepped on when four superheroes attempt to keep Gotham safe?
PE: Holy Coincidence, Batman! First Bruce and Dick are eyeing rare stamps on the special Gotham Manor green sofa. Then we find out from Aunt Harriet that Bruce is waiting on a purely platonic lunch date with sexy Pinky Pinkston, owner of the Pink Chip Stamp Company. Then Pinky calls Commissioner Gordon to report the incident involving The Green Hornet at her stamp factory. Of course, rather than investigate, Gordon hands the ball off to Batman. Bruce and Dick head off to the batphone just as Britt Reed (aka The Green Hornet) calls to talk to his boyhood chum, Bruce Wayne. They're both to lunch with Pinky. There's a reason for everything in this show.
JS: Robin is sure growing up. Just look how he's adopting Batman's posture.
PE: Just when I thought any doubts as to Gordon's sexuality were put to rest, he walks Britt Reed arm in arm into his office.
JS: Come now, Peter. You're going to throw out almost two season's worth of data based on one friendly gesture? You have to admit that Reed is quite a catch... maybe he's thinking about hooking him up with his daughter Barbara.
JS: Come now, Peter. You're going to throw out almost two season's worth of data based on one friendly gesture? You have to admit that Reed is quite a catch... maybe he's thinking about hooking him up with his daughter Barbara.
PE: Wouldn't it have been a great twist if Britt recognized Bruce under that cowl and Bruce realized it was his fellow millionaire snob buddy under that silly pair of sunglasses? Really, what would be wrong with a little "reality" thrown in with our high camp now and then? I almost, for a moment, thought it was coming when Britt and Bruce have their "sword fight" in Wayne Manor. "Well, Britt, I don't know much about The Green Hornet, but if he tangled with Batman, he's probably feeling mighty sore right now." Britt laughs when Bruce asks if he'd trade places with Batman, "Not with that crazy cowl of his!" Wah-wah goes the soundtrack.
PE: Hyman Roth will be happy to know that Moe Green made it out of Vegas alive after all. Musta been one of those witness protection jobs, as he's changed his name to Block and gotten the bad eye fixed. But he couldn't stay away from the wrong side of the law for long. He's probably banging stamp saleswomen two at a time!
JS: In Gotham, that's the job of millionaire playboys, not henchmen.
JS: In Gotham, that's the job of millionaire playboys, not henchmen.
PE: Why is Bats so dollgarned interested in finding out the secret identities of The Green Hornet and Kato? He doesn't seemed to be as worried about finding out the real names of False Face or Catwoman.
JS: Those aren't their real names? It's been a while since we've talked about the Acme Super Hero and Villain Surplus Store in Gotham, but I'm sure that's where Bats is going to get the parts for the dual identity sensor.
JS: Those aren't their real names? It's been a while since we've talked about the Acme Super Hero and Villain Surplus Store in Gotham, but I'm sure that's where Bats is going to get the parts for the dual identity sensor.
PE: Britt and Bruce: Battle of the Bad Hairdos. At lunch, Britt comes off as more of the millionaire playboy than Bruce. In the comics, of course, Bruce hit the town with as many different chicks as Tony Stark but here he's been smitten with a few villainesses, but no "normal," good girls. One of the models hits on Bruce, gives him her number, and all he can think of is money. When Bats and Horny get together later on, again the Green guy comes off as leagues cooler than the dope wearing his underwear in public.
JS: Millionaire playboys sure have it rough. While on a lunch date with the lovely Pinky Pinkston (McBain), Bruce and Britt take turns flirting with lingerie models. Which explains why Robin wasn't allowed to tag along.
PE: Ladies and gentlemen, the real stars of the show: Angelique Pettyjohn and Jan Watson, the aforementioned models. Most genre fans would pinpoint Pettyjohn's role on some episode of Star Trek as her "15 minutes" but I think most genre fans are pimply fruitcakes. No one will admit it but just about everyone here prefers her star turn as Ms. Honeysuckle in Up Your Teddy Bear or as the misunderstood but incredibly sexy Nazi interrogator in Stalag 69 (criminally overlooked at the 1983 Adult Film Awards). Own up to it. Unfortunately, the other eye candy, Jan, didn't make the sizable impact that her fellow Bat-model, Angelique, made on Hollywood. Watson appeared in bit roles in three of the four Matt Helm flicks Dino Martin made in the 1960s, and not much else.
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| The real Dynamic Duo? |
PE: I wonder why Dozier wasted a decent show on Colonel Gumm, rather than making the guest villain one of Batman's arch nemeses. Not that Roger C. Carmel's a slouch in the role. He's actually very good in a Snidely Whiplash manner (think of a tall, portly Mad Hatter). "You satanic mad stampman" says Batman to Colonel Gumm. Indeed! Of course, Roger C. Carmel is known best to those genre fans I hold dear as Harry Mudd, star of two episodes of Star Trek. I remember him as the first and best Roger Buell in the Eve Arden/Kaye Ballard TV sitcom, The Mothers-In-Law. Carmel was replaced by Richard Deacon after the first season because of a salary dispute. Hard to believe that show only lasted two seasons. I swear I watched it every day until I was into my teens.
JS: Carmel does get the short-end of the stick, since the focus of the episode was on our Visiting Heroes, and not on the Special Guest Villain.
PE: You can tell Dozier was really starting to count the bucks that went into this show when the Dynamic Duo gingerly open the window to the stamp factory rather than breaking through the glass as they usually do.
PE: Poor Robin. Overloaded with French, Algebra, Tuba, CPR, Home Economics, and Basement Radiation Safety. Now he has to learn the alphabet through a can of soup. Speaking of the Nuclear Plant in the basement of Wayne Manor... Batman has everything in the Batcave wired for power from his moll-eating device except for the vaunted Bat-Computer, which must have a hell of a long extension cord up into Wayne Manor since that useless old bag Harriet blows the circuit with her hair dryer. "And so, because of a woman's vanity, a battle will be lost," sighs Batman. Time to find out if Harriet will fit in the trunk of the Batmobile.
JS: For all the smarts Robin flaunts from time to time, I didn't expect him to be stumped by alphabet soup.
PE: Holy Double Entendre, Batman! The Caped Crusader remarks that he can smell Pink as he sniffs at the air.
PE: That little guy playing Kato's pretty good. Is there anyone in the world that thinks Robin has a chance in hell against Kato?
JS: Here's a William Dozier promo for The Green Hornet, which ran for one season from 1966-1967.
JS: Here's a William Dozier promo for The Green Hornet, which ran for one season from 1966-1967.
PE: Thanks to the extra superhero dynamic, this is the best episode in quite a long time. I'm not holding my breath until the next three Bat episode.
JS: My only regret—the Green Hornet and Kato didn't get a tour of the Batcave.
JS: My only regret—the Green Hornet and Kato didn't get a tour of the Batcave.
PE Rating:
JS Rating:
Next up... King Tut! Same Bat Time, Same Bat URL!
the first time I saw this episode I was about 6 years old. and I only saw the first part. which sucked!
ReplyDeleteI didn't see the second part until nearly 20 years later.
I love the episode.
David
Actually, this was a triple show crossover. Clearly the Chief of CONTROL is a stamp collector too, because he sent undercover agent Charlie Watkins (Angelique Pettyjohn) over to Gotham to pump Britt Reid for information.
ReplyDeleteGlenn :)
Obviously there's something wrong with my head or taste buds. I re-watched this last night and thought it stank to lowest hell: nothing more than a Hail-Mary pass to rescue a dying series. By this time it's too much to expect that any script approved by Dozier & Horowitz would make sense, but I found this one absurdly cluttered. Peter's premise—What "if Britt recognized Bruce under that cowl and Bruce realized it was his fellow millionaire snob buddy under that silly pair of sunglasses?"—is light-years ahead of what they filmed. That would have made for a genuine cliffhanger, and a potentially clever Part II. I'm delighted to give four bat-signals, two each, to Jan and Angelique for their contributions. For this pair of episodes—zip.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is performing the useful service of saving me money. Should the day ever come that the lawyers clear all rights for the series' movement onto DVD, I'll keep the dough in my skinny little wallet.
You bring up a good point, Clifton.
ReplyDeleteSo many "fans" can't wait to dump their $100 on a dvd set (and $150 on a blu) but do they really remember this show and its low quality factor? I'll admit that just the brief ray of sunlight given during this arc forced me to award it an extra bat and a half. I can't wait 'til John and I get done with this and head back into quality territory. Coming Summer 2012: The Annotated Love, American Style. Truer than the Red, White and Blue!
I'm with you Clifton. I really struggled to get through this one.
ReplyDeleteOf course, everyone is entitled to his opinion and there can be reasons not to like Batman. But if you find THIS series formulaic, illogical, and hard-to-swallow, are you really going to enjoy Kolchak?
ReplyDeleteWhat's so illogical about a reporter who happens to stumble upon every supernatural entity in town? You're right, LJS, but to an extent, every TV show is formulaic, illogical, or hard-to-swallow. And that goes for The Wire, Mad Men, The Shield, The Sopranos, and all those other highly-praised TV shows the critics always loft up on a pedestal, right? I see our blogs as serving two purposes: sifting for the gold nuggets (and Batman's had those gold nuggets now and then) and gathering enthusiasts around the campfire for a chat while roastin' marshmellers. As for our next adventure, I haven't seen a single episode of Kolchak since they aired. My fingers are crossed though.
ReplyDeleteP. E.: "Coming Summer 2012: The Annotated Love, American Style." Pardon me while I slit my wrists. No. No. Repeat: It's only a TV show.
ReplyDeleteExtreme work duress has forced me to fall behind in Bat-viewing, but I'm glad to have a brief respite and be able to rejoin you fellas for the Green Hornet episodes. Enjoyed your commentary, as usual. Hey, John & Peter, are you guys up for Green Hornet-a-day before moving on to Vegas in the 70s? "To Protect the Rights and Lives of Decent Citizens" might be too cumbersome for a blog title, though.
ReplyDeletePerhaps some background on (or love for) Green Hornet is needed to be able to appreciate these episodes. I love the rivalry between Bruce and Britt. I thought the cowl comment from Britt was hilarious, and maybe a bit of a dig at Adam West, who claimed the cowl was terribly uncomfortable.
I guess I never get tired of the overplayed joke of Season 2 that nobody ever figures out who these masked crime fighters really are, no matter how obvious. Britt Reid just happens to be in GC the same time as Green Hornet, but neither the overtaxed Bat computer, nor the super smart Caped Crusaders can put 2 and 2 together.
I also continue to find the ludicrous extremes B&R go to in escaping an inescapable situation, or explaining how GH&K did from the stamping machine here, to be extremely funny. I guess you have to enjoy silliness to be entertained by Batman at this point.
The only complaint I have is that GH & Kato aren't true to character here, as they would never let the villains get the drop on them, so it was unlikely they would have been pushed into that stamping machine. Also, there's no way I'll believe that Robin could connect a punch with Kato, and I was disappointed we didn't get to see Kato seriously kicking some Boy Wonderbutt.
Now, let's get down to the meat and potatoes here. Isn't Britt Reid a total dreamboat? Pampered, pompous Bruce Wayne does not hold a candle to this sharp, handsome devil. That Kato is a babe, too. What do you guys think? Could we get a poll set up on which Dynamic Duo is the hottest?
"Assistant Visiting Hero": can we make that my title over at Marvel Universe? But surely Angelique's greatest claim to fame was appearing opposite John Ashley in the Filipino classic THE MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND. Wow--first reference I've seen to THE MOTHERS-IN-LAW in I don't know how long. Used to watch that myself, and vividly recall The GREAT Eve Arden's visible disgust when she realized that her daughter-in-law would be calling her "Mother Hubbard" (if not much else). Eve was sublime in the likes of MILDRED PIERCE and, along with Groucho's "Lydia the Tattooed Lady," virtually the only asset in AT THE CIRCUS.
ReplyDeleteSome shows are more formulaic than others. BATMAN, KOLCHAK and COLUMBO followed a strict plot structure that viewers came to expect. There is a certain fun to predictability, if legitimate, original creative pleasures are offered along the way. BATMAN, unfortunately, suffered from dishing up the same tired simplistic joke every week ("Did you hear the one about the super-square crimefighter who is taunted and tormented by his wacky, over-the-top adversary?" "Yes, a million times already. Another joke, please! ANY OTHER joke!"). KOLCHAK was ultimately strangled by its limited formula, as well; but at least the subject matter was a good deal smarter, way more imaginative. Some view Universal's credibility-challenging weekly incarnation as a funky, Watergate-era metaphor. Then again, maybe Carl was simply nuts.
ReplyDeleteIn the Dozier Green Hornet preview you embedded, I was surprised to see GH & Kato gingerly move the striped barrier aside, instead of busting through it with the Black Beauty. A sample of the mild level of excitement to come, in the Green Hornet series? Also, the pair's masks look a little different in that clip.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the Moe Green jokes. Was Alex Rocco in this one?
ReplyDeleteI just saw it recently, so that answers the question. Even though he wasn't given a whole lot to do, Alex Rocco was a good choice for a sidekick, right up there with character actors like Cliff Osmond and Ralph Manza.
ReplyDeleteEven though it's taking things much too seriously, I have a small problem with the Pinky character, and it isn't the "vapid heiress" stereotype. It's that in that early scene, BEFORE she knows he's the villain, she gives Col. Gumm that little "Just remember who's boss around here" speech. I know, I know, when a man does that he's called a tough boss, and when a woman does that she's called a ....
So is it just sexism that causes it to bother me a little?
Col. Gumm was basically a throwaway character. He really wasn't a worthy opponent for Batman or the Hornet, let alone both. But then, there was little point in having a memorable villain, since the focus was on the visiting heroes.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was seven, I did think it was pretty funny when Gumm thought he had deduced the heroes' secret identities: Britt Reid as Batman, and Bruce Wayne as the Green Hornet.
Bruce lee THE ONLY STAR THAT went on to make movies in HONG KONG OUT DOING GREEN HORNET AND BATMAN AND T.V. AND BECAME BIG STAR ALL OVER THE WORLD SO WHEN SEE THIS BATMAN STORY THINK OF WHAT BRUCE LEE BECAME AS YOU SEE IT TO.
ReplyDelete