Batman TV Milestones Of The Week

[AaronHandy3]

MARCH 9, 1966

"True or False-Face" (prod. #8713-Pt. 1) first aired @ 7:30p.m. EST on ABC as the 17th episode of Batman.

Malachi Throne (False Face) was credited during the submain titles and end credits of "True Or False Fase" and the submain titles of "Holy Rat Race" with a "?", much to his displeasure. Only in "Holy Rat Race"'s end credits is his full name finally established; this was corrected at his insistence so that his full name was listed and he received proper credit. TV Guide, however, listed Throne's credit on both evenings.

The late Bill Finger created False Face in Batman #113 (February 1958); this episode was based on a June 1958 comic book story featuring The Protean Plunderer. Gary Owens (TV Announcer) was later the comical ear-cupped announcer for Rowan And Martin's Laugh-In (NBC, 1968-73). He would later provide the voice of the 1950s Batman in the October 10, 1998 "Legends of the Dark Knight" episode of The New Batman Adventures!

Malachi Throne's real face can be briefly glimpsed. When he is "disguised" as the armored car guard, that's actually Throne's real face (although he's wearing a presumably fake mustache). Although Finger's original creation hasn't reappeared in recent times, the animated Batman Beyond series revived the idea of a villain named "Falseface" for its episode Plague. Malachi Throne did not do the voice of the character, although he was involved with that animated series (in the episode Speak No Evil.

That's Billy Curtis as Burns. Arguably one of the most famous "little people" in Hollywood, he is probably best known and widely seen as The Mayor Of Munchkinland in that classic movie The Wizard Of Oz (MGM, 1939). False-Face was a more substitute version of Two-Face, who Bat-creator Bob Kane patterned after the 1926 horror film The Phantom Of The Opera starring Lon Chaney. Two-Face's name was Harvey Kent, but changed to Dent. Two-Face wouldn't be back until the early 1970s because of a 1954 book written by Dr. Fredric Wertham called "Seduction of the Innocent", Wertham also thought that Batman & Robin were homosexuals (because of his own homophobia he decided to take it out on The Caped Crusaders) but there was no proof,that's why from 1955 to today reader would see a comics code in every issue.

MARCH 10, 1966

"Holy Rat Race" (prod. #8713-Pt. 2) first aired @ 7:30p.m. EST on ABC as the 18th episode of Batman.

Malachi Throne (False Face) later provided the voice of The Judge in the October 31, 1998 "Judgement Day" segment of The New Batman Adventures and voiced Fingers in the November 4, 2000 "Speak No Evil" segment of Batman Beyond. He is best known to Trekkies as Commodore Jose Mendez/Voice: The Keeper in the 2-part "The Menagerie" episode of the classic Star Trek (NBC, 1966-69) and as Senator Pardek in the 2-part "Unification" episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (Syndicated, 1987-94).

During the scene at The Bioscope Movie studios in which Chief O'Hara drives up to The False Inflatable Batmobile, look carefully in the rearview mirror. You can see cameraman Howard Schwartz in the car's back seat!

The late Myrna Fahey (Blaze), a runner-up in both the 1952 Miss Maine beauty pageant and in the 1956 "Miss Rheingold" (the beer company) beauty contest, played Kay Banks Dunston on the short-lived sitcom Father Of The Bride (CBS, 1961-62). At the ending epilogue of this episode, in the living room of Wayne Manor there is a meeting of two cast members from Elvis Presley's movie "Loving You" (1957). Myrna Fahey (Blaze) was the 3rd girl in "Loving You" and Madge Blake (Aunt Harriet) was the Hired Agitator in "Loving You". Take the first letters out of the 2 words Hired Agitator (H A) then switch them around (A H) They stand for Aunt Harriet.

MARCH 8, 1967

"King Tut's Coup" (prod. #9755-Pt. 1) first aired @ 7:30p.m. EST on ABC as the 87th episode of Batman.

Lee Meriwether (Lisa) portrayed The Catwoman/KITKA in the 1966 Batman motion picture. And many of you Trekkies will recognize Grace Lee Whitney (Neila) in her role of Janice Rand on Star Trek (NBC, 1966-69).

Lisa Carson is seen wearing the exact same dress previously worn by Ziva Rodann in her role as Nefertiti in Season-1 episode #8729-Pt. 2, "The Pharoah's in a Rut" (April 14, 1966).

MARCH 9, 1967

"Batman's Waterloo" (prod. #9755-Pt. 1) first aired @ 7:30p.m. EST on ABC as the 88th episode of Batman.

Not quite hidden in the background of Tut's hideout is a cardboard box with a question mark on it! It was obviously left over from a previous Riddler episode.

The name of "Lisa Carson" was the real name of writer Stanley Ralph Ross's wife. The name "John E. Carson" is, naturally, based on Johnny Carson, who presided over 4,531 episodes of NBC's Tonight Show between 1962 and 1992.

For the first time in the series, Commissioner Gordon discusses his daughter Barbara Gordon with Batman, a precursor to her debut in the third season as Batgirl, potrayed by actress-ballerina Yvonne Joyce Craig.

This is one of the few times millionaire playboy Bruce N. Wayne kisses anyone on the show.

MARCH 7, 1968

"The Entrancing Dr. Cassandra" (prod. #1722) first aired @ 7:30p.m. EST on ABC as the 119th episode of Batman.

Look carefully at the villains which Dr. Cassandra springs from prison in this episode, and you will notice that Cesar Romero, Frank Gorshin, Burgess Meredith, Vincent Price, Victor Buono, and Eartha Kitt are not in their regular roles! All were unavailable, so stunt doubles filled in for them.

The late Ida Lupino and Howard Duff were husband and wife between 1951 and 1984. They even took some time to star in a sitcom, Mr. Adams and Eve (CBS, 1957-58).

This was the final appearance of the late David Lewis as Warden Crichton. The Batman makes use of a Portable Batphone in this episode--something which is undoubtedly a precursor to today's cellphone! (Holy Avant Garde!)

The late G. David Schine (seen here as Himself [Floorwalker]) became infamous in the 1950s as an aide to disgraced, anti-Communist demogogue Sen. Joe McCarthy and his assistant Roy Cohn.