Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

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.

SUPPORT "To the Batpoles!" and DeconstructingComics.com via Patreon!

  1. All Episodes
  2. #184 “Hizzoner”: A Good Script? It’s debatable

#184 “Hizzoner”: A Good Script? It’s debatable

May 12, 2022

Debate scene

Stanford Sherman’s Hizzoner the Penguin is a bit hard to reckon with. Satire on Batman is not in line with Lorenzo Semple Jr’s vision for the show, and the 1966 political references date this arc much more than many others. And yet, it has some brilliantly funny moments. This time, we take a look at Sherman’s treatment, first draft, and final script for Hizzoner to learn about the development of the story, possible reasons why Sherman was unhappy with the result, and previously unnoticed moments that suddenly stand out - for good and ill.

Also, Scotty McKay’s Here Comes Batman (a song that’s also related to the show by three degrees of separation), Adam West on The Merv Griffin Show, and your reaction to our episode on Assistant Director Reuben Watt.

"Hizzoner the Penguin" scripts:

Treatment

First draft

Final

Discuss the scripts on the '66 Message Board

Here Comes Batman clip from the movie Creature of Destruction

The full record of Here Comes Batman