Smack in the Middle
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"Smack in the Middle" is a first-season episode of ''
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
''. It first aired on ABC TV Thursday January 13, 1966. It is the conclusion of the two-part series pilot, the first being titled "
Hi Diddle Riddle "Hi Diddle Riddle" was the first half-hour length episode of '' Batman'' to air, first broadcast on ABC, Wednesday January 12, 1966 and repeated on August 24, 1966 and April 5, 1967. It marked the first appearance of Frank Gorshin as The Riddler. ...
", which aired on the previous Wednesday night January 12.


Synopsis

Picking up from the previous night's episode in the Batcave,
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
's attempts to contact
Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...
are met with futility; alerted by Alfred Pennyworth about
Aunt Harriet Cain Calamity King Calamity King (E. Davis Ester) is a superhero from the 30th century in the DC Universe. He first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #342 (March 1966), and was created by Edmond Hamilton and Curt Swan. Within the context of the ...
's having a fit on noticing their beds weren't slept in, Batman tells him to put her at ease by saying they're spending the night at his uncle's house. Meanwhile, the
Riddler The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in ''Detective Comics'' #140 in Oc ...
's "operation" on Robin involved only the making of a
plastic surgery Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofa ...
cast from Robin's masked face, used to make a perfect "Robin" disguise for Molly. After enticing Batman with a couple of clues, Riddler and Molly (as Robin) lead Batman on a chase outside the abandoned turtle mill at Orleans Cove before their Rolls-Royce is damaged by the Batray. The Riddler makes his escape as Molly tricks Batman into taking her into the Batcave. However, on the way, Batman spots the defect in the mask caused by the straws they gave Robin through which to breathe and discreetly disables Molly's gun. An unmasked Molly, after making an unsuccessful attempt to shoot Batman, tries to escape; Batman chases her to the top of the
atomic pile A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat from nu ...
(used to power the Batmobile), where she lets go of Batman's hand and falls to her death. Batman rescues the true Robin and tells him that Molly is dead, but the Riddler manages to escape to the Moldavian Pavilion, where a gathering will honor the famous
Mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...
of
Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
, which is stuffed with used, yet priceless Moldavian postage stamps. The Riddler plans to steal the mammoth, and so he drenches the pavilion with
nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or nos, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula . At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, and has a ...
, dresses in a green and pink tuxedo costume and elephant mask which conceals his
gas mask A gas mask is a mask used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Most gas mask ...
, and entertains the guests with a few jokes until everyone has fallen unconscious from laughter. The Riddler and the Mole Hill mob blast a hole through the floor and make ready to steal the priceless pachyderm when Batman and Robin leap out from inside the elephant and subdue the mob, whilst The Riddler runs for the man hole and leaps into it. Batman leaps after him, and Riddler shoots at him, misses, and hits a tank of noxious oxide causing it to explode, but not before Batman takes cover. The Riddler's body isn't recovered, so it's assumable he will live to plague Gotham City another day, but not if Batman and Robin can help it.


Notes

* The episode begins with a re-cap of the previous episode leading up to the cliffhanger. Here, still shots of the action are used, as also is the case in episode four. From episode six, the re-cap sequence consists of moving clips from the previous episode ended by freeze frame, occasionally featuring a different camera angle or a few seconds' extra footage cut from the night before.Batman at 45: A Milestone Tribute to Pow, Bam and Zap! (2011), Gould, Chris https://www.amazon.com/Batman-45-Milestone-Tribute-ebook/dp/B005YNPHCO * William Dozier originally auditioned people to narrate the series, but when none of them seemed to fit, he decided to do it himself. * For the first two seasons, a tag preview of next week's villain followed every Part 2 episode, except the pilot. * This is the first instance in the TV series of a villain escaping apprehension. The only other main villain to escape apprehension was
Catwoman Catwoman is a fictional character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Debuting as "the Cat" in ''Batman'' #1 (spring 1940), she ...
—twice — once by falling down a bottomless cavern and once by falling off a warehouse roof into a river. * The series reveals that Bruce Wayne has an uncle who is never named. In the comics, Bruce's uncle Philip Wayne raised him after his parents' murders. * The exterior shots of Wayne Manor were actually footage of 380 South San Rafael Avenue,
Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...
, CA. * The "Moldavian Pavilion" in this episode and the preceding one ("
Hi Diddle Riddle "Hi Diddle Riddle" was the first half-hour length episode of '' Batman'' to air, first broadcast on ABC, Wednesday January 12, 1966 and repeated on August 24, 1966 and April 5, 1967. It marked the first appearance of Frank Gorshin as The Riddler. ...
") was actually the
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
Pavilion at the New York World's Fair. In reality, Thailand is a Southeast Asian Kingdom and not a European Republic, but elephants (albeit not mammoths) do play a significant role in Thai culture. * The original script had a grimmer Batman, who "allowed" Molly to fall to her death.
DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
rejected the scene and it was shot with Batman desperately trying to save Molly. * In future episodes, it is explained that everybody who is taken back to the Batcave must be given the "bat-gas" sedative so as not to spy the Batcave's location and deduce Batman's identity. Yet, in this episode, although Batman guesses Riddler's moll has disguised herself as Robin, he takes her back to the Batcave without bat-gas. Even though she must have seen the Batcave's entrance underneath Wayne Manor, she makes no reference to this in the subsequent scene.Batman at 45: A Milestone Tribute to Pow, Bam and Zap! (2011) Gould, Chris https://www.amazon.com/Batman-45-Milestone-Tribute-ebook/dp/B005YNPHCO * The scene of the Batmobile leaving the Batcave to race the remaining 14 miles to Gotham was filmed at Bronson Cavern in
Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...
. This cave was used in many horror films including '' Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' (Allied Artists, 1956). The problem they ran into when filming the scene was that The Batmobile was just about the same width as the cave entrance. To keep from ripping the fenders off George Barris' creation, they undercranked the cameras so it could come out slowly and then later speed up the film to give the illusion of speed. * In most scenes of the villains hideouts, the camera is shot at a
Dutch angle The Dutch angle, also known as Dutch tilt, canted angle, or oblique angle, is a type of camera shot which involves setting the camera at an angle on its roll axis so that the shot is composed with vertical lines at an angle to the side of the f ...
. If the camera is crooked and Batman is in shot, the chances are that something bad will soon happen to him, as is the case in the Go-Go Bar scene of the first episode of this adventure. * The Batmobile's ever-popular Emergency Bat-Turn Lever is put into use for the first time in this episode. * For the 1966 Emmys, ''Batman'' was nominated as Outstanding Comedy Series while Frank Gorshin was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy ("Hi Diddle Riddle"). A third nomination was made for editing. * Lyle Waggoner was second choice for the role of Batman and filmed for a test reel. Waggoner later on played Major Steve Leonard Trevor on ''
Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
''. * This is one of three episodes of Batman in which characters die; the second is Episode #8705-Pt. 2, "
A Death Worse Than Fate "A Death Worse Than Fate" is the tenth episode of the '' Batman'' television series in its first season. This episode was first broadcast on ABC February 10 and rerun on June 23, 1966, and continues and concludes the story of Zelda the Great, a m ...
", wherein the gunmen, intending to drill Batman and Robin full of bullets, shoot each other to death as the Dynamic Duo dodge them, aided by Zelda The Great (
Anne Baxter Anne Baxter (May 7, 1923 – December 12, 1985) was an American actress, star of Hollywood films, Broadway productions, and television series. She won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, and was nominated for an Emmy. A granddaughter of Fra ...
). In "Instant Freeze" a butler (played by
John Zaremba John Zaremba (October 22, 1908 – December 15, 1986) was an American actor most noted for supporting roles on science fiction films and television series. The Chicago-born Zaremba was a journalist for the ''Grand Rapids Press'' and ''Chicago T ...
) is frozen and shatters into pieces. Ambiguous episodes are "Green Ice" in which a policeman is frozen solid; in "The Penguin's Nest" a policeman is shocked; in "The Bookworm Turns" a henchman of The Bookworm — disguised to look like Commissioner Gordon — is shot and falls off a bridge. This is the only episode in which a female character unambiguously dies (Catwoman appears to die several times, but survives). * The Riddler's maniacal high-pitched giggle was inspired by the character Tommy Udo (portrayed by Richard Widmark) in the
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
20th Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
crime film-noir ''
Kiss of Death Kiss of Death may refer to: * Kiss of Judas, Judas's betrayal of Jesus with a kiss identifying him to his executioners * Kiss of death (mafia), a Mafia signal that someone has been marked for execution Film and television * ''Kiss of Death'' ...
''. * During the chase scene where Batman is racing from the Batcave to save Robin, one very brief clip of the Batmobile passing by on the road shows the car's original paint scheme; matte black with white striping. This is the only footage of the car with this early paint scheme that appears in the series, although several black and white stills showing the car in this form exist.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smack In The Middle 1966 American television episodes Batman (TV series) episodes