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Like many who grew up in the '60s and '70s (and perhaps even '80s and later), Tim and Paul had the course of their lives changed by the 1966 Batman TV show, from the types of play they did growing up to their present-day interests.

In this series, they discuss the show's allure and its failures, the arc of the show from satire to sitcom, its influences (the '40s serials and the comic books themselves) and the things it, in turn, influenced.

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Dec 21, 2017

 

At first glance, Stanford Sherman's draft script of Pop Goes the Joker doesn't seem to vary much from the final. A few minor oversights of Sherman's were fixed (Oh, there are signs on the Batpoles?), and there were the usual cuts to lines to keep within the allotted time. But look a little deeper, and there are places where decisions by director George Waggner hurt or helped the arc, some interesting removed bits that we would've liked to see (and a stage direction we're glad wasn't taken literally!), and some subtle but important changes in how Baby Jane Towser was portrayed. Tim and Paul explore the development of this surprisingly good late season two episode.

PLUS: A possible reason for why Stanley Ralph Ross "hated" Dr. Cassandra, the Garry Tallent version of the theme, and a heaping helping of your mail!

"Pop Goes the Joker" PDF script

"Pop Goes the Joker" thread on the '66 Batman message board

"The Joker Goes to School" PDF script

"The Joker Goes to School" thread on the '66 Batman message board