Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde
Composer John Barry was influential in getting the folk-pop duo of Chad and Jeremy a recording contract and developing their sound. The duo enjoyed their greatest success with hit records and concert tours was in America between 1963 and 1968. After taking separate roads in their music and acting careers, Chad and Jeremy would reunite in the 1980s and then again in the 2000s. Chad Stuart is now retired and Jeremy Clyde tours with Peter Asher of Peter and Gordon.
We are returning to the 1960s when the classic send-up Batman was "new" and guest stars, like Chad and Jeremy, were a great treat for regular viewers.
Chad and Jeremy met while students at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. While the work in these television programs didn't stretch any acting chops, they ably played "themselves" as quirky British musicians.
BATMAN
The Cat's Meow
Wednesday, December 14, 1966
Written by Stanley Ralph Ross
Directed by James B. Clark
Catwoman has perfected a machine that steals voices (Holy Ursula the Sea Witch!). She has stolen the voice of morning television host Harry Upps (Peter Leeds) framing Penguin, Joker and the Riddler. The jig, however, is up when the too-sure-of-herself CW makes her presence and intentions known when she steals the voice of our beloved Commissioner Gordon himself!
Stafford Repp, Julie Newmar, Neil Hamilton
Millionaire Bruce Wayne has offered Stately Wayne Manor as the perfect stopping place to protect the British imports from their over-zealous teenage fans. Aunt Harriet played by Madge Blake is a little anxious due to the rowdy reputation of rock musicians and Alfred played by Alan Napier is none too keen on this "modern" stuff, but they perform their hosting duties diligently and find the boys to be pleasant company, even if they don't get their jokes.
Catwoman's attempt to case Stately Wayne Manor in the guise of a not so graceful dance teacher eventually led Batman and Robin to her dance studio hideout, and her frontman played by Joe Flynn. It is there the caped crusaders find themselves trapped by the special guest villainess and imprisoned in an echo chamber with a million times amplified refinement on the Chinese water torture. Their brains will be scrambled and Batman will belong to the lovestruck Catwoman!
Julie Newmar, Burt Ward, Adam West
ZOUNDS! WHAT SOUNDS!
WILL BATMAN BE REDUCED TO A HANDSOME ROBOT FIT ONLY TO SERVE CATWOMAN?
IS ROBIN TO BECOME LITTLE MORE THAN A CUDDLY TEDDY BEAR FOR EENIE?
THE ANSWER TO THESE AND OTHER EAR-SHATTERING QUESTIONS TOMORROW!!
SAME CAT-TIME!! SAME CAT-CHANNEL!!
BATMAN
The Bat's Kow-Tow
Thursday, December 15, 1966
Written by Stanley Ralph Ross
Directed by James B. Clark
Batman brilliantly comes up with a plan to affect his and Robin's release. "Every room has its sympathetic vibration. A note that will shatter glass like the great Caruso did with his voice. The note for this room should be F-sharp above high C." And, of course, it was!
THEFT!
Catwoman has thus far been unable to enact her true plan, stealing the voices of Chad and Jeremy to hold for ransom to the British government. Her opportunity presents itself at the Police Benevolent Society Concert where "thousands" of teenage fans keep Batman and Robin from pursuing the thieves.
Burt Ward, Adam West, Steve Allen
Both crimefighters and criminals are stymied in reaching their goal by official British channels as represented in Gotham City by Sir Sterling Habits played by Maurice Dallimore. The word from Harold (Wilson, Prime Minister) regarding Chad and Jeremy, "Millions for their records, not a cent for their ransom!"
Don Ho visits Gotham City
Mr. Oceanbring's salon is in the middle of a Bat-Cat fight
Lovesick Catwoman cannot bring herself to vanquish Batman when the opportunity is presented. However, she does try to wrangle a date for when she next gets free from prison. Robin interrupts a smooch (Holy Mush!) cementing the Boy Blunder's place in the Catwoman's bad books.
Judy Strangis and thousands of screaming teenage fans
Madge Blake
Aunt Harriet: "Very hep, Alfred."
Dick Grayson: "It's 'hip', Aunt Harriet. They changed it."
OF NOTE:
Jeremy Clyde as Lord Buckingham in The Musketeer, 2001. One of the hundreds of movie and television credits listed on his IMDb page.
The Jungle Book has been a favourite of mine since childhood. These days my special needs son can imitate all of the characters. His only problem is trying to use his one voice to sound like all the vultures singing in harmony!
A SUMMER SONG - LIVE
As much as I’ve seen the 60’s TV show, it remains difficult for me, someone who grew up thinking of Batman as the Dark Knight, to really appreciate what a pop culture phenomenon the Adam West version was. It’s like discovering Clint Eastwood used to be a game show host before making westerns.
ReplyDeleteDidn't anyone ever tell you about Clint? "Roping for Dollars" Ha-ha.
DeleteI can understand that feeling. They can make a hundred (and probably have) versions of Little Women, but the first one I saw (1933) will always be the standard bearer and favourite for me.
1960s Batman just finished a run on local television and I had such a ball really enjoying the perfection of the fun production. Talk about a character that stands the test of time and interpretation.
This sounds like one of the wackiest episodes in a show that was designed to be perpetually wacky. I could never really quite get into the show, maybe just because it's a bit too silly. Which of course is part of its charm.
ReplyDeleteBoth Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt were great kitties.
One thing though I'll never forget is when Batman and Robin park the batmobil on the street, they never forget to put 10 cents into the meter, no matter how bad the emergency is!
Yes. You have to give yourself over to the silliness. Well, it's that way with anything. We have to accept the world in which the movie is placed. Sometimes it is a place so dark, you think you'll never see the light; the streets you inhabit. Sometimes it is in primary colours with big signs.
DeleteBetween Julie and Eartha, Lee Meriwether brought her charm to the Catwoman. Gals with great genes!
Regarding the comments made by RICH that makes me think of actors that start out in a completely different genre than they will be known for. DON KNOTTS who was great at comedy started out on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW. ERIC BRAEDEN has played VICTOR NEWMAN on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS for 40 years now! Earlier in his career he guest starred on GUNSMOKE as 3 different characters. By the way, Don and Eric both were in the DISNEY movie HERBIE GOES TO MONTE CARLO with DEAN JONES. Dean did a BONANZA ep before he began his DISNEY association. P.S. Eric did an ep of MURDER, SHE WROTE and Dean did two eps. Eric also played the murder victim in PERRY MASON-THE CASE OF THE WICKED WIVES which was the first one without Perry and the only one with PAUL SORVINO.
ReplyDeleteI grew up watching Dean Jones in his Disney films, but once I learned of his Broadway career, especially Company, that is the first thing that comes to mind when I hear his name.
DeleteSpeaking of LEE MERIWETHER she did two eps of PERRY MASON and 3 of MURDER, SHE WROTE. She is a classy and elegant lady. She received two lifetime achievement awards in 2013. They were both from film festivals. One was in CALIFORNIA and one in SEDONIA, ARIZONA. I have liked MISS MERIWETHER since I was a kid watching BARNABY JONES where she played the daughter-in-law of Barnaby(BUDDY EBSEN). She was nominated for an EMMY and two GOLDEN GLOBES for that role. Lee greatly deserves those two special awards! P.S. She is the ex-wife of FRANK ALETTER and she was a classmate of BILL BIXBY.
ReplyDeleteI want to correct an error. That should say SEDONA, Arizona. Also NEIL HAMILTON guest starred on PERRY MASON. He did 7 episodes. Lets hear it for PERRY MASON(and RAYMOND BURR)!
DeleteI watched Barnaby Jones as well. I really liked all of Quinn Martin's programs.
DeleteMy favorite Catwoman!! Thanks for everything, Julie Newmar! Always loved when 60s pop stars would do guest shots on TV, and this is one of the best, to me second only to when Serena wrote a hit song for Boyce and Hart on Bewitched!
ReplyDeleteJulie Newmar set quite a bar for the Catwomen who would follow. They had to bring their own personalities to the character.
DeleteOh my! Serena and Boyce and Hart. What fun! I've got to go YouTube diving.
https://youtu.be/8hydnv1XSBA
DeleteHoly Coincidence! This is my favorite Catwoman episode too, although the Julie Newmar episodes were all good. She's another actress that should have had a bigger career. Its amusing to see "Seven Brides" and there's Catwoman. Anyway, faith and Begora these old Batman shows always bring a smile to my face.
ReplyDeleteI adore the show. Sometimes I think three seasons was just right and sometimes I think "they were clever folk and could have stretched it."
DeleteIt is always a treat when Chad & Jeremy pop up in a TV show. And they popped up in a few! They were also on The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Patty Duke Show, and, of all things, the Western Laredo! Of course, they weren't the only pop stars to appear on Batman. Paul Revere & The Raiders did as well ("Hizzonner the Penguin"). And, of course, Lesley Gore played Catwoman's sidekick Pussycat in "That Darn Catwoman"/"Scat! Darn Catwoman." Anyway, this is one of my favourite episodes. Aside from Chad & Jeremy, it is fun watching Catwoman steal people's voices. I am guessing the episode was inspired by the phrase "Cat got your tongue?"
ReplyDeleteThat's it! Well, it must have been. "Cat got your tongue?" Yes.
DeleteI considered "Rob" and "Laredo", but I'd forgotten about "The Patty Duke Show" and am ashamed. I hope it's on YouTube or something.
Its too bad Newmar didn't do the Movie, but Lee Merriweather was quite good. Better known as Kitanya Irenya Tatanya Karenska “Kitka” Alisoff of the Moscow Bugle. Side note: I think the supporting regulars didn't get enough credit, they add so much to the show, Neil Hamilton, Madge Blake, and especially Alan Napier:
ReplyDeleteMy agent rang up and said, 'I think you are going to play on "Batman,"' I said 'What is "Batman"?' He said, 'Don't you read the comics?' I said, 'No, never.' He said, 'I think you are going to be Batman's butler.' I said, 'How do I know I want to be Batman's butler?' It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard of. He said, 'It may be worth over $100,000.' So I said I was Batman's butler.
I will confess that as a kid I had a mad crush on Neil Hamilton. Don't tell anyone.
DeleteAlan Napier was so grand as Alfred. I'm glad the money sealed the deal.
JOE FLYNN was in some DISNEY movies including THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK with DEAN JONES. Dean had a part in an ELVIS movie JAILHOUSE ROCK. P.S. Did you see Joe in all of his Disney movies? He did at least 5 of them. I have never seen MCHALES NAVY with ERNEST BORGNINE, TIM CONWAY and JOE FLYNN.
ReplyDeleteMcHale's Navy was a favourite of mine but I haven't seen it in years. As a Disney kid I saw all of the classic character actors in those movies. Joe did voice work for The Rescuers which I consider a true classic.
DeleteI remember when Chad & Jeremy were on BATMAN! Their two-parter was almost as fun as your review. Another pop star that guest-starred on BATMAN was Lesley Gore, who played one of Catwoman's minions.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI remember Lesley singing on the show. Hey, if you've got Lesley Gore, you get her to sing. The time capsule element of the program means more to me as the years go by.
Your blog is always a treat, and I think this review is one of my all-time faves.
ReplyDeleteAs for Chad and Jeremy, what a thrill it would have been back in the day for fans to see them on this show. I didn't realize they had such long musical careers.
I adore this old Batman series. In fact, it has ruined every successive reboot for me.
Their record Willow Weep for Me was one I would listen to on a loop back then.
DeleteI thought I loved Batman the series when it first ran, but I get greater joy out of it now. The show has legs.
This was such an enjoyable post - the 1960s Batman was fluff, but it was cool, snarky, hip (or maybe hep) fluff, and the shows were always tongue-in-cheek fun. I was surprised to learn that Julie Newmar played a clunky dancer in this episode, as she was a talented one in real life. I also love that F-sharp above high-C method as a way out of a problem - the writers of this show must have had many a late caffeine-filled night coming up with solutions to their Dynamic Duo traps!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteI've always felt that Batman really "fulfilled its mandate." The show was everything the producers planned from the casting to the sets, to the wild scripts. I don't think I really appreciated Julie in my younger years but I certainly do now.
Other than the main four villains who are some of your favorite guest stars? Also were there any episodes that you thought were kind of boring?
ReplyDeleteI got a great kick out of Olga (Anne Baxter) and Egghead (Vincent Price), Marsha Queen of Diamonds (Carolyn Jones), and the three Mr. Freeze (George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach) - in descending order.
DeleteDavid Wayne, Roddy McDowell and Van Johnson are favourite actors so I enjoyed Mad Hatter, Bookworm and The Minstrel. Looking back, Bookworm was the first villain/episode I remember watching.
I thought the Lord Fogg and Lady Peasoup (Rudy Vallee and Glynis Johns) idea was good but didn't need to be three episodes long. Much as I like Cliff Robertson, I thought Shame was stupid and would give his episodes a pass.
CHAD STUART is the father of JAMES PATRICK STUART who plays VALENTIN CASSADINE on GENERAL HOSPITAL. James was born in June 1968-the year that BATMAN ended. Later this year he and his wife JOCELYN will be married 20 years! Earlier he played WILL CORTLAND on ALL MY CHILDREN. Will was the nephew of PALMER CORTLAND(JAMES MITCHELL). (James Patrick was the second actor to play the role. LONNIE QUINN was the first.) Will married HAYLEY(KELLY RIPA). Hayley was the daughter of ADAM CHANDLER(DAVID CANARY). Palmer and Adam were enemies. Speaking of James Mitchell he had a dance background and was in OKLAHOMA(1955).
ReplyDeleteAt least once a year, General Hospital fans are treated to James Patrick Stuart's singing. He plays a bad guy, but oh, when he sings!
DeleteJames Mitchell did a lot of interesting things at MGM including two of my favourite films, Devil's Doorway and Stars in My Crown.
These next two actresses each did a movie with ELVIS. I think they would have been good as a guest villain on BATMAN. ANN-MARGRET who is a powerhouse performer. TUESDAY WELD played some bad girls in her time. I know you don't care for VIVA LAS VEGAS that Ann-Margret was in but did you see WILD IN THE COUNTRY? It had Tuesday and also HOPE LANGE. Interestingly that same year-1961-Tuesday took over the role of SELENA CROSS that Hope had played. Hope-PEYTON PLACE and Tuesday-RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE. Both Hope and Tuesday were nominated for Oscars. Hope for Peyton Place and Tuesday for two later movies. Plus Hope won two EMMYS for THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR. I don't know that show. I first saw Hope in THE NEW DICK VAN DYKE SHOW. P.S. I liked WILD IN THE COUNTRY and the entire cast especially Elvis, Tuesday and Hope.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that ALAN NAPIER, who played ALFRED the butler on BATMAN, also had a part in WILD IN THE COUNTRY. P.S. JOAN BLONDELL also did an ELVIS movie and Im sure she would have been a great guest villain. By the way, Joan did a TWILIGHT ZONE ep with WILLIAM DEMAREST and HE also did VIVA LAS VEGAS where he played the dad to ANN-MARGRET.
DeleteThere is something sweet about Ann-Margret that is very appealing.
DeleteI don't remember seeing Wild in the Country. A few years ago I caught Dobie Gillis on YouTube and it was fun to see young Tuesday Weld.
I like your idea of Ann-Margret and Joan Blondell as Batman villains. Perhaps if they had gone on for more than three seasons.
Another actress that would have been good as a guest villain is AGNES MOOREHEAD. She was playing ENDORA on BEWITCHED at that time. BATMAN and BEWITCHED were both on ABC. Also they could have had a story where a relative or friend was visiting HARRIET COOPER(MADGE BLAKE) and needs help from BATMAN. Some good choices for the role would be MARION LORNE(AUNT CLARA on BEWITCHED), LURENE TUTTLE, MARY WICKES, KATHLEEN FREEMAN and an absolute favorite of yours-BEA BENADERET. Do you know Bea best from THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, PETTICOAT JUNCTION or THE GEORGE BURNS & GRACIE ALLEN SHOW?
ReplyDeleteJohn Beradino of General Hospital had a bit on Batman at Gotham General Hospital, so there's no reason other shows shouldn't have crossed over.
DeleteI am a huge fan of Bea Benaderet. I probably became familiar with her first on Petticoat Junction, but the other shows quickly followed, plus The Flintstones and her radio work (always enjoyed old time radio) and Warner Bros. cartoons.
LESLIE PARRISH is 85 today. She guest starred on 3 episodes each of MANNIX, PERRY MASON and BATMAN. She played DAISY MAE in LIL ABNER that JULIE NEWMAR was also in. Leslie also guest starred on PETTICOAT JUNCTION and THE BIG VALLEY. She played the girlfriend/wife to LAURENCE HARVEY in THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE where her father was played by JOHN MCGIVER. (JAMES GREGORY was also in the movie and he was a frequent guest star on THE BIG VALLEY.) Of course THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE also had ANGELA LANSBURY, FRANK SINATRA and JANET LEIGH. Speaking of SINATRA, I either read or heard that he wanted to guest star on BATMAN.
ReplyDeleteLeslie Parrish was one of the hubby's big crushes. I think Daisy Mae had a large part in that, but her beauty and persona was evident in all her roles.
DeleteLovely fun and quirky post and giving Batman the review treatment that it deserves. Thanks for joining (as always) and take care and stay safe!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed this contribution to your blogathon. I got quite a kick out of writing it.
DeleteI had no idea they voiced the vultures in The Jungle Book! I know these were supposed to be a sort of parody of The Beatles. Your brilliant review reminds me that I must watch more of the Batman episode. There were so many great guess stars in those!
ReplyDeleteBatman is so much fun, and absolutely true to its satiric mandate. Perfection.
Delete