By Michael Lyons
Dark, brooding, gritty. All words that have been used to describe director Matt Reeves' highly-anticipated The Batman, the latest film incarnation of the DC superhero that arrives in theaters this week.
However, if your preference for Batman is something somewhat lighter and a little more retro, you may consider binge-watching the classic 1960s Batman TV series. It would help not just to satiate the need for all things Batman that's now gripping everyone, once again, but it would also serve as a lighter...much lighter... alternative to the new film, The Batman.
As anyone who has casually watched the 1960s TV version of Batman knows, the series which famously starred Adam West as the Caped Crusader and Burt Ward as Robin had a tone that was equal parts campy and equal parts parts fun.
The series also had an incredible cast of recurring, traditional Batman villains and actors who guest-starred, playing them, including The Penguin (Burgess Meredith), The Joker (Cesar Romero), The Riddler (played by both Frank Gorshin and John Astin, in different episodes) and Catwoman (portrayed by both Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt, in various episodes and Lee Meriwether in the feature film).
There were also a number of other, memorable, non-traditional Batman villains. Each of them came with an offbeat, interesting, sometimes eyebrow-raising, villainous intent or power, and all of them were portrayed by an impressive roster of guest stars (the series was so popular that many actors and actresses were happy to be a part of it!).
Only the original Batman series could have gotten away with these criminal personalities. Talk about light-hearted, at times comical, and as far from the tone of 2022's The Batman as you can get, these villains added so memorably to this classic TV series.
It's the perfect time to look back at just some of them.
Portrayed by Art Carney (yup, Ed Norton from The Honeymooners), who played the role of a villainous Medieval archer living in modern times. He threatened Gotham City with his marksman skills and a Robin Hood-like outfit. He also speaks in "Olde English"-like language, which Carney peppers with a Norton-like tone.
No, it wasn't Scarlett Johannson, it was none other than Hollywood legend Tallulah Bankhead as this villainess, who attempts to use giant spiders to off the Dynamic Duo. As cool as that sounds, the full-throttle, throaty performance that Bankhead delivers is the best part.
Roddy McDowall, of Planet of the Apes fame, is this bespeckled bad guy, who sports thick glasses, a headlamp, and incorporates books, or famous sayings, into all of his dastardly deeds. Each one read with true, over-the-top relish by McDowall.
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This flamboyant, piano-playing villain was played by Liberace, who portrayed...well...Liberace, as a villian.
Horror movie icon Vincent Price goes for it in an egg-shaped bald cap and egg-colored suits as this villain, who somehow incorporates eggs into all his nefarious actions against Batman. Ridiculous? Yes. Amazing to watch this actor in every campy scene? Absolutely!
A mild-mannered Yale professor, who thinks he's King Tut? Of course, he's a villain and played with great theatricality by talented character actor Victor Buono.
A villainous florist played to comedic perfection by Milton Berle. He is also a gangster who wears a lilac-colored suit, and his minions are called "Flower Children." Oh, how '60's and oh how fun!
Inspired by real-life criminal figure Ma Barker, this jailbird matriarch, played by Shelly Winters, plans on using prisoners to take over Gotham City. Ironically, the character seems like a close relative of Lena Gogan, the villainess she would play in Disney's 1977 film Pete's Dragon.
A parody of the famed film western, Shane, Cliff Robertson plays a wild-west cowboy committing crimes in modern-day Gotham City. He is also has a henchman, a Mexican gunman who, for no reason, speaks with a British accent. The best part of this villain is that Batman gets to deliver the line, "Shame on you, Shame."
This villainess has the power to sing a song at such a high note that men are forced to do what she says. However, the best part is watching actress Joan Collins vamp it up in what seems like an audition reel for her later work on Dynasty.
These are just a few of the unbelievable villains that appeared on the Batman TV series. Some of the others included the Mad Hatter, Lola Lasagne, Colonel Gumm, and Zelda the Great.
Their menace is nowhere near that seen in Paul Dano's Riddler and Colin Farrell's Penguin currently in The Batman, but the fun that these '60s-era TV villains and the Batman show provided cannot be denied.
So, look to the cartoon Bat-signal in the sky, shout "Holy tongue-in-cheek, Batman!" and "Pow!" you can make these villains part of your celebrations of all things Batman.
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