Walk the Straight and Narrow
| "Walk the Straight and Narrow" |
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"Walk the Straight and Narrow" is the 36th episode in the Batman television series' second season, originally airing on ABC September 8, 1966 (the same evening which saw the debut of Star Trek on NBC) and repeated June 1, 1967.
Plot synopsis
From the last episode, just as the Dynamic Duo (Adam West and Burt Ward) are about to be impaled, they activate Batsprings hidden in their boots, which catapult them out of harm's way. Rather than go back after the unshiskebabed superheroes, the Archer (Art Carney) and his "merry malefactors" opt to beat a hasty retreat to their new hideout in the basement of police headquarters. Next, the Archer and his men hijack an armored car carrying $10 million, which the Wayne Foundation plans to donate to the destitute Gothamites. The truck is later found abandoned not too short a distance away with the cash left untouched, so the ceremony commences as planned. Whilst Alfred Pennyworth (Alan Napier), in disguise as Batman, and Robin bear witness from across the street, Bruce Wayne attends the ceremony, where it's learned that the Archer has substituted the money in the truck for counterfeit currency bearing the Archer's picture.
Batman deduces that Alan A. Dale, one of the Wayne Foundation's directors who was responsible for the money's well-being, is one of the Archer's malefactors, and they are planning to escape by boat to Switzerland in the international waters of the Atlantic Ocean, where they feel they'll be forever protected from the law...or so they assume. The Dynamic Duo chase the villains by Batboat and rout the Archer, Crier Tuck (Doodles Weaver), Big John (Loren Ewing), Maid Marilyn (Barbara Nichols), and Alan A. Dale (Robert Cornthwaite) before they get the chance. Later, Bruce, Dick and Alfred perform archery on their front lawn.
Notes
- Doodles Weaver (Crier Tuck), well remembered at Stanford for his many pranks and practical jokes as well as a varied acting career (including his spoonerizing character for Spike Jones' radio show ["Professor Feitlebaum"]), was the brother of NBC-TV executive Sylvester "Pat" Weaver and uncle of actress Sigourney Weaver.
- The heisted truck from the Trojan Hearse Company which appears in these episodes is also heisted from season-1 episodes #8715, "The Joker Goes to School/He Meets His Match, The Grisly Ghoul".
- The character of Zoltan Zorba was originally known as Alan A. Aardvark, but when Sam Jaffe was selected to portray the role, it was changed to Zorba as a sort of takeoff on his role of Dr. Zorba on the 1961-66 ABC medical drama Ben Casey.
- The better part of the previous segment had Maid Marilyn supply the Archer with a special audio machine, which was purloined from "a castle of a television producer who makes alleged comedy programs," and emitted applause every time the Archer committed an act of treachery. Maid Marilyn accidentally smashes the machine to smithereens at the beginning of this episode.
- The footage of the Dynamic Duo driving the Batmobile to a secluded Batpier and switching to the Batboat is edited from the series' 1966 theatrical version, Batman.
