R.I.P. Lorenzo Semple Jr.: His 5 Greatest Bat-Episodes

Fans think of Adam West, Burt Ward and William Dozier, but it was Lorenzo Semple Jr., as much as any of them, who brought us Batmania: A special GOTHAM TRIBUNE tribute.

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Semple died today and you can read a full obituary here. He had a pretty cool career but for someone like me, his name is synonymous with what we now simply call Batman ’66.

Officially, he was a script consultant on the show. Unofficially, he was one of its prime visionaries. So here’s a tip of the cowl to the great Bat-satirist, whose scripts were the best mix of high adventure and high camp.

These are his 5 Greatest (credited) Bat-Episodes:

5. The Penguin’s Nest/The Bird’s Last Jest

This is the one where the Penguin owns a restaurant and keeps trying to get himself thrown in jail as part of an elaborate forgery scheme. It doesn’t have the greatest cliffhanger — who really cares if Chief O’Hara drowns — but it does feature probably the best Batshield moment … when the Dynamic Duo boldly walk into gunfire.

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4. Fine Feathered Finks/The Penguin’s a Jinx

Semple had a particular handle on the Penguin and this first outing is stellar, based on Batman #169. The Penguin bugs Batman with a transmitter, hoping the Caped Crusader will inadvertently give him his next great criminal idea. The giant umbrella! The Bruce Wayne fiery deathtrap! Dawn Robbins! Burgess Meredith at his best!

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3. The Joker Goes to School/He Meets His Match, the Grisly Ghoul

Man, this episode kills on so many levels. The Joker “gimmicks” vending machines around school to give out silver dollars — a nefarious scheme to lure students into a life of juvenile delinquency. There’s also an attempt to fox a high school basketball game. And Dick Grayson tries a cigarette. The episode features one of the great traps — the electrocuting slot machine — and one of the great molls, Donna Loren’s head cheerleader Susie, to whom the Joker gives luxe gifts like huge bottles of Mexican perfume.

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2. Hi Diddle Riddle/Smack in the Middle

The episode against which all others are generally measured: The pilot that started it all. Yes, Frank Gorshin steals the show, but Semple defined a character who heretofore had only recently re-emerged in the comics. The episode features the series’ only lasting death — Jill St. John’s Molly — and … wait for it … the BATUSI.

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1. The “Batman” movie

Four villains, four vehicles, a love story, a plot not only to take over Gotham, but the world! Oh, and these immortal words:

 

 

 

 

Author: Dan Greenfield

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