‘Holy Diversionary Tactics!’

This week's writing

The classic Adam West Batman TV series turned 60 this week. Its first episode — “Hi Diddle Riddle/Smack In The Middle” debuted on January 12, 1966. Frank Gorshin’s performance as the Riddler remains definitive. (Enjoy below.)

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West’s Batman is often dismissed as “campy” or an outright comedy. It might’ve veered heavily in that direction later in its run, especially during the third season when one of his arch enemies was literally feminism. However, the first season deftly balances the tongue-in-cheek humor with fun derring-do. West plays the character straight as a board, and his Batman is so energetic, he almost bounces off the screen. I’ve observed that West plays Batman the same way a kid would when playing with his friends.

It’s probably not a surprise to reveal that my favorite first season episode is “The Purr-Fect Crime/Better Luck Next Time” featuring special guest villainess Julie Newmar as the Catwoman. (Watch below.)

In her first appearance, Newmar is straightforwardly sinister — more in line with how Lee Meriwether would play her in the Batman movie from the same year. During the second season, Newmar’s Catwoman is more comedic and flirtatious with Batman, who doesn’t seem to mind. After the success of Tim Burton’s first Batman film in 1989, the TV series aired in local syndication and I made a point of saving on VHS every Catwoman episode.

I can clearly recall the first Batman episode I ever saw on a Saturday morning in the mid-1980s. The cliffhanger involved a giant clam swallowing Robin (Burt Ward). You might call that camp. I call it brilliant. (Watch below.)

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This week, I wrote about the government’s execution of Renee Nicole Good.

Then I shared my thoughts about theatre legend Tina Packer, who sadly passed away last Friday.

I was a guest on the Fine Beats And Cheeses podcast with my friends Leslie and Lynn Streeter. We discussed the politics of Wicked. You can listen here:

Political consultant Kaivan Shroff joined me for a friendly debate about the Maine and Texas Senate races. Here’s where I request that you hop over to YouTube and subscribe to my channel.

For Public Notice, I made what I consider a reasonable argument for why Democrats should refuse to fund a fascist government that’s executing women in broad daylight.

Democrats need to shut down Trump's terrorist government

I also wrote about Jon Stewart, Donald Trump, and haunted houses. Yes, it’s all connected.

That’s it for this week. I’ll see you on Tuesday.