Sunday, February 20, 2022

Robin in Catwoman Goes to College (2/22/1967) & Batman Displays His Knowledge (2/23/1966)

 



Robin the Boy Wonder is the eager, youthful sidekick of Batman, the Caped Crusader, the vigilante crime-fighting alias of millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne.  Introduced in 1940 as orphaned acrobat Dick Grayson in the DC comic book series Batman, Robin was played by Burt Ward in the 1966 television series on ABC.

As played by Burt Ward, Robin has a cute, boyish face, clean-cut, brown hair, and a compact, athletic physique which fits perfectly with his character's acrobatic background.  His colorful outfit, with his dark green mask, gloves, and booties, his bright, red shirt, his shiny, yellow cape, his tight, green panties, and his form-fitting, flesh-color leggings, certainly catches the audience's attention.

Due to his youth, inexperience, and smaller size, the Boy Wonder is clearly the weak link in the Dynamic Duo, which their opponents often seek to exploit.  Robin is also cocky, enthusiastic, and overly eager to prove his independent crime-fighting abilities, especially to Batman.  He is often in trouble and in need of rescue.

This week's villain is Catwoman.  

In the first episode, while feigning submission, Catwoman sprays Batman and Robin with a sleeping drug from her atomizer.  The Dynamic Duo find themselves in a giant coffee cup into which a giant pot of acid will pour.






In the next episode, Batman positions his rope to catch the first drop of acid, frees his hands, uses his boomerang to turn off the pouring mechanism, and then unties Robin.

Favorite shots:













There are a few good moments of Robin peril in this pair of episodes.

In the first episode, during a rooftop fight, Robin is pushed to a ledge by a couple of Catwoman's henchmen and needs Batman's help to keep himself from being thrown off the building.  The Boy Wonder cries for the Caped Crusader, who answers the call.

In the second episode, Batman positions his rope to catch the first drop of acid from the pot, frees his hands, uses his boomerang to turn off the pouring mechanism, and then unties Robin.

Later in the episode, during a fight, Freddy the Fence repeatedly pummels the Boy Wonder and is able to press his advantage until Batman catches the falling Robin and propels his young sidekick into a successful counterattack. 

This blog is intended to promote the appreciation of Burt Ward's portrayal of Robin in the 1966 television series "Batman".  You may purchase both episodes at the following link:


Previous blog:  

Robin in Joker's Last Laugh (2/15/1967) & Joker's Epitaph (2/16/1967)

Next blog:  Robin in Piece of the Action (3/1/1967) & Batman's Satisfaction (3/2/1967)


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