‘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.)
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.
How To Go From 'Nasty Woman' To 'Fucking Bitch' In 10 Years
Last week, a masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent executed Renee Nicole Good in her car. Her last words were “That’s fine, dude. I’m not mad at you.” After shooting her in the face, the ICE agent’s first words were “fucking bitch.” We know this because Good’s murderer, Jonathan Ross, recorded the fatal encounter on his cell phone and willing…
Then I shared my thoughts about theatre legend Tina Packer, who sadly passed away last Friday.
Tina Packer, A Woman Of Will
A bad week got worse on Saturday when I learned that acclaimed theatre artist Tina Packer had died at 87. Tina co-founded Shakespeare & Company in 1978 and served as its artistic director until 2009. The organization’s first home was The Mount, Edith Wharton’s former residence in Lennox, Massachusetts.
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.
I also wrote about Jon Stewart, Donald Trump, and haunted houses. Yes, it’s all connected.
Trump’s Fascism Is The Haunted House Certain People Want To Ignore
Someone on social media this week shared an article from January 2025 reminding us that Jon Stewart had warned Democrats against calling everything Trump does fascist.
That’s it for this week. I’ll see you on Tuesday.
I watched Adam West's "Batman" in glorious black and white 60 years ago! Why? Because we only had one TV, and it was black and white. Sometime between the debut of "Batman" and the debut of "The Brady Bunch" in 1969, we got a color TV, so I got to watch Greg Brady in living color. Oh wait, that was on ABC, and NBC had living color. So I watched Greg Brady in plain old color.
Tomorrow is my birthday, and I turn 65! Senior discounts here I come! Actually, some places start senior discounts at 60 or even at 55, so I'm getting them some places, but tomorrow, it should be everywhere that has them.
Julie Newmar and Frank Gorshin also guest-starred on the original Star Trek series. They were fantastic.