Batman 1966 Casting Call: Judge Madison, Vicki Vale and Jack Ryder

The Batman is a Gothic creature of the night. He is The Dark Knight. He is also the Dark Knight Detective.

After the cruel murder of his parents, Bruce Wayne what every normal, rational individual with tons of money and a lot of free time would do. Become a revenge-seeking costumed vigilante. Dressed like a bat.

For three seasons, two nights a week, on Wednesday and Thursday nights on ABC, Batman was the "Caped Crusader". He fought the good fight in broad daylight. On occasion he went out after dark. He was not scary, and neither were the rogues he fought. As ground-breaking and landmark a series as the 1966 live-action Batman television show was, the producers still played it safe. The show was a half-hour program two nights a week; but really, it was a sixty minute program broken up into two half hour segments that hinged on a cliffhanger. Producers didn't want to scare younger viewers, or alienate adult viewers watching with their children, so Batman became campy, and played for laughs. Gone were the Gothic, scary, thriller elements - and characters. Two-Face, The Scarecrow and Clayface were nowhere to be seen on the series. The Joker, instead of the insane psychotic we all know and love, was more clownish than terrifying like he was in the early comic books. The 1950's had been unkind to comic books. German-American psychiatrist Frederic Wortham had concluded in his 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent that "comic books were a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency". Wortham had become a "Harold Hill", his "pool" were comic books. Twelve years later, in January of 1966, Adam West and Burt ward took the country by storm when Batman debuted. Batman was a show EVERY body wanted to be on.

Instead of characters like Two-Face, The Scarecrow, Clayface, Poison Ivy, viewers were treated to Bookworm, Egghead, King Tut, Lorelei Circe, Louie The Lilac, Marsha Queen of Diamonds and Zelda The Great.

Interestingly enough, immediately after the series had been cancelled, The Batman returned to his Gothic, suspense roots with stories by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams, like, The Secret of the Waiting Graves.

Batman was still campy in cartoons, though.

In 1989, The Batman returned to theaters as a dark figure of the night with Michael Keaton as The Batman.

 But, what if? What if YouTube videos were true? What if fan-made videos and films were what the original producers had accomplished with the 1966 series? Over the passed couple of days, I've wondered aloud who I would like to see added to the cast, here and here.

Along with Adam West, Burt Ward, Alan Napier and Neil Hamilton, I would add Lyle Waggoner as Gotham City DA Harvey Dent, Jessica Walter as Dent's fiance Pamela Isley, Raquel Welch as Bruce Wayne's fiance Julie Madison, Meredith MacRae as Kathy Kane and Donna Reed as Dr. Leslie Thompkins.

On top of that I would cast the late Raymond Burr, best known as Perry Mason and Ironside as Julie Madison's father, Judge Madison. Like Chief O'Hara and aunt Harriet Cooper, the judge would be a completely original character created solely for the series. Batman would have access to Commissioner Gordon, DA Harvey Dent, Dr. Leslie Thompkins and Judge Madison. Bruce and The Judge would be social friends, because of his engagement to Julie. Like Harvey, The Judge would be a resource for law. But, The Judge might not be one hundred percent sold on The Batman as a Caped Crusader. More as a Dark Knight. One of the weaknesses of the series was that Jim Gordon and the Gotham City Police were reduced to incompetence around Batman. Instead of trying to arrest and unmask a costumed vigilante, he's been "duly deputized"! Instead of the urban myth that helps promote his war on crime and inspire fear in criminals, Jim Gordon has a hotline under glass in his office to summon the savior of Gotham.

Next, I would add news photographer Vicki Vale, Batman's version of Lois Lane, with fashion model-slash-actress Lauren Hutton. She could be the original Kim Basinger. Vicki would be obsessed with revealing this urban legend and unmasking Batman. Of course, Bruce Wayne would be fascinated by her photos. Nothing like Corto Maltese; more along the lines of portrait, landscape and scenery.

And then there would be Jack Ryder. Much like Vicki Vale, Jack would be obsessed with proving that The Batman is a vigilante and a menace to Gotham City. This would be tricky. Crusading television newsman Jack Ryder is the alter-ego of The Creeper. If The Joker could have a "martian" in an episode, (episode 118, "The Joker's Flying Saucer") then certainly Batman could face Jack Ryder's "Hotseat" program, while teaming up with The Creeper; along with Meredith MacRae's Batwoman, Cyd Charisse's Wonder Woman and Peter Lupus' Superman.

I would invite James Darren, from Gidget, The Time Tunnel and T.J. Hooker fame to join the Batman cast as Jack Ryder.

This is all fantasy casting. If there were no limits. What if? What if each one of these celebrity actors and actresses were available and agreeable to appearing on the series.

Jeff Parker expressed the desire in a recent interview at Comic Book resources to introduce Killer Croc to the Batman '66 comic book he is currently producing for DC. He expressed the desire to base the character on Ted Cassidy, who played great characters on The Addams Family, Star Trek and I Dream of Jeannie. I started wondering - what else could be possible?

What if?           

Batman '66 Casting Call: Harvey Dent with Pamela Isley

My first exposure to super-heroes was Batman. My first exposure to Batman was through reruns of the 1966 live action Batman television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward. Growing up outside Chicago. I caught Batman first on WGN, Channel 9 and later on WFLD, Channel 32. The show was awesome. I loved it! of all the actors that have played or voiced Batman, including Ben Affleck - just cast to play The Dark Knight in the sequel to Man of Steel - I think Adam West is my favorite, because he was my first.

Now, I have to admit that there are other fans like me that are probably more passionate about the show than I am. The Bat-blog is just one of many, many sites devoted to Batman and the 1966 series. Jim Beard's Gotham City 14 Miles is another cool look at the series. Wally Wingert is a huge fan. I loved his version of "Wild, Wild West", Adam West!

   
Chris Mason is a Batfan. So is John Mogan "Bat" Neal. One of my favorite sites to visit is The Lost Issues, which boasts an archive chock full of The Brave and the Bold team-ups with The Batman. Other than maybe Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson, or the maybe the late, great Mike Parobeck, Ty Templeton is probably closest associated to the character in comics now. Yeah, there are other, "better" artists; like say, maybe Jim Aparo, but I mention Templeton, because he's been involved in a lot of the Batman tie-in books, like the current Batman '66. Jeff Parker is writing the book and Jonathan Case is the primary artist, but Templeton just nailed the main story in issue two featuring The Penguin (Burgess Meredith) and Mister Freeze (Otto Preminger).

 

Parker said in an interview that he would like to have Killer Croc base on Ted Cassidy who played Lurch on The Addams Family, as well as characters on Star Trek, I Dream of Jeannie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Six Million Dollar Man. He was a voice actor as well lending his voice to cartoons. One of the final things he did was narrate the opening to The Incredible Hulk television series.

Every one wanted to be on the Batman television series.

That got me thinking. Why weren't characters like Two-Face, Clayface, The Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Julie Madison, Vicky Vale or Kathy Kane on the show. Producers created Chief O'Hara for the series, and he had never appeared in the comic books. Circus performer Dick Grayson was given an Aunt Harriet, one of the few female roles on the series, as a way to balance out the boys club. If Bruce Wayne was such a ladies man, why didn't he have a steady or semi-regular girlfriend or fiance like he did in the comic books?

That got me thinking.

For grins and giggles, I'd love to re-cast the 1966 Batman television series.

So, we have Adam West as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Burt Ward as Robin/Dick Grayson. The legendary Alan Napier as Wayne family butler Alfred Pennyworth and Neil Hamilton as Commissioner Jim Gordon. Now, if we can't undo the casting of Stafford Repp as the stereotypical Chief O'Hara, then I would certainly limit his appearances and make him a recurring character. A couple of characters that were created later might not have been bad to introduce.

Madge Blake's Aunt Harriet is something else entirely. Instead of an Aunt Harriet for Dick Grayson, I would go modern and introduce Dr. Leslie Thompkins. The young woman who was there immediately after the Wayne's were murdered, and with Alfred, were there for Bruce as he grew and developed.

I would develop a romantic triangle between Bruce's fiance, Julie Madison and the adventurous Kathy Kane. I would also introduce news photographer Vicky Vale, who is bent on unmasking Batman and revealing his true identity. I would also add Jack Ryder as the crusading television reporter exploring the Batman phenomenon. I would also have Lucius Fox as part of the series as the Wayne Foundation administrator.

But before getting to any of these changes, the first regular cast member I would add would be Bruce Wayne's good friend and Batman's most fiercest adversary, Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent.

Although legend has it that Clint Eastwood would have been a news anchorman who became disfigured by an exploding television to become the gruesome Two-Face; and some fans have pitched actors like Warren Beatty for the role, I would suggest Lyle Waggoner. Waggoner famously lost the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman to Adam West. He was a regular on The Carol Burnett Show and later played Steve Trevor on the '70's series Wonder Woman.

I would have Mr. Waggoner, as Harvey Dent, a part of the series from the start. I would have him there in place of Chief O'Hara. When Batman is served by Frank Gorshin's The Riddler in the premiere episode, I would have him as Batman or Bruce consult his friend Harvey for legal advice. I would have Harvey around to break up the formula of the show. Harvey would give the series some variety. I would also transform him into Two-Face by the end of the first season. Another nod from the future Batman: The Animated Series, I would have the late Natalie Wood from West Side Story as Harvey's long-suffering fiance Pamela Isley. She would be revealed midway through the first season as the vixen, Poison Ivy. Julie Newmar's Catwoman stands out as the one recognizable rogue from the comics. Some, if not all of the other female rogues were fairly obscure. Wood's film schedule may have prevented her from appearing, maybe Jessica Walter would have been more available. Walter might be better for the role, later starring in Play Misty For Me, opposite Clint Eastwood, and several on-screen roles as a villain. One of my favorite performances is on Quincy, where she murders her doppelganger and assumes her identity.

Okay, so, we have the Dynamic Duo, Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner Gordon; along with D.A. Harvey Dent and his fiance, Pamela Isley.

Stay tuned as we look at who should be on board as Dr. Leslie Thompkins, Julie Madison and her father, the honorable Judge Madison. 

If you have suggestions, or feedback, I'd love to hear them in the comments below.