May 12, 2022
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:
Discuss the scripts on the '66 Message Board
Here Comes Batman clip from the movie Creature of Destruction