I have already ranked the villains and the heroes, now I am ranking the 15 window cameos. These window cameos appeared mostly in Season 2, but with one appearance in Season 1, and 1 in the Movie. It appears the window cameos were one of many things cut for Season 3.

I have also included a chronological list of the window cameos and included a section on the legacy of the window cameos, including the Batman 66 comics and a couple of other interesting references.

Cyril Lord

Cyril Lord was known as the Carpet King and sold carpets. He had sold some expensive carpets to Producer William Dozier and took payment in the form of performing this window cameo. A short back and forth establishing him as British and as the Carpet King. Bland and boring and unfortunately the last of the window cameos, leaving them on a bit of a dud note.

George Cisar

George Cisar also appeared in Batman and Robin (1949 serial) also in an uncredited role. Only window cameo wherein the performer does not interact with Batman and Robin. Very short even for a window cameo. George’s unnamed character says to his significant other that she was right, there were people climbing up the side of the building.

Jerry Lewis

Another very short appearance, Jerry Lewis realises that Batman must be Batman because he’s there with Robin, says Hi to Robin and then upon being told the caped crusaders are here on official business, responds with “Holy Human Flys!” and then shuts the window. Humourous but simply very short.

Edward G Robinson

A longer window cameo but one that seems a bit out of place for me personally. Edward G Robinson discusses art with Batman and Robin but there is no sense of fun, just Edward G Robinson venting and waxing lyrical on art.

Don Ho

Jovial and friendly Don and the caped crusaders exchange pleasantries and discuss Don’s home of Hawaii.

Dick Clark

A fun cameo where Dick Clark, unaware of Batman and Robin’s reputations/roles enquires as to whether they’re a musical group. Robin realises he’s an out of towner and Batman correctly surmises that he’s from Philadelphia by the way he speaks, “you dipped your dipthong”. Dick Clark seems impressed by Batman’s knowledge.

Jose Jiminez

Jose asks Batman and Robin whom they are, and asks why they are using the side of the building when it has a working elevator! He lets it be known that he is part of a jury and that they’re deciding what should happen to a criminal. Shortly after Batman and Robin are out of frame, we hear that a decision has been reached, Jose asks for Batman and Robin to leave the rope! Quite a dark moment for a funny window cameo.

Colonel Klink

Whilst fun, this window cameo is completely non-sensical as it’s ridiculous but also anachronistic, Colonel Klink’s appearance and dialogue is congruant with his own TV show, Hogan’s Heroes, set during World War II in a German Prisoner Of War camp, yet Batman is set in America in the mid-late 1960s. Also Batman’s responses to Colonel Klink, warning him to avoid Chief O Hara is a little strange. Why would Batman want to help/shield a Nazi?

Art Linkletter

Fairly simple set up but funny nonetheless. Art discusses his old TV show that he used to present with the segment “People do the funniest things”, he discusses that he’s looking for people in weird costumes, with an unusual solution to a problem and/or people with dual identities, and says that he’s “climbing the walls” trying to think of anyone like that. With Batman and Robin just out of frame, Art thinks out loud to himself and then puts two and two together and shouts out with wide-eyed amazement, “Hey, Batman!”.

Sammy Davis Jr.

Sammy Davis Jr. appears excited to see the dynamic duo, offers them to come inside as he’s rehearsing, Batman politely declines as he has to get to crimefighting, they say goodbye and Sammy says that they should check out his act sometime as he digs theirs! Short but sweet cameo!

Suzy Knickerbocker

The only female window cameo. She discusses fashion and society with them in relation to Batman and Robin’s costumes and Bruce Wayne’s perceived stuffiness. Robin gets extremely excited when Suzy suggests that she could put he and Batman in her column. With Batman and Robin out of frame Suzy wonders to the camera who they are beneath their masks.

Lurch

Interestingly, as The Addams Family had already gone off the air by the time this window cameo came around and was broadcast entirely in black and white, this is the first time as an audience we had a chance to see this interpretation of Lurch in colour. The background music climb pre-empting Lurch’s appearance has a distinctive sound to it different from other cameos, reminiscent of The Addams Family but not an exact match for that show’s theme song. Lurch in his famous monotone yet powerful speaking voice tells Batman that he gave him quite a start. Batman tells Lurch that he can return to his harpsichord, and Robin informs they are on official business, Lurch groans and nods and then eerily watches the dynamic duo ascend the building.

Detective Sam Stone

I already discussed this cameo in my ranking of the heroes, in which I said;

“Granted I have never seen an episode of The Felony Squad, so I can only judge based on what I saw in the window cameo. An understandably brief appearance. There seems to be a mutual respect and knowledge of each others’ work between Batman and Sam here, Sam even ensures Batman that he is not “muscling in” on his territory.”

Green Hornet and Kato

An intriguing and odd window cameo. Brilliant because it pre-empts the crossover episodes later in the season, and brilliant because it showcases William Dozier’s other crimefighting show at the time. Odd however in the sense that Batman and Robin are fully aware of The Green Hornet and Kato’s allegiance to the law, and yet in the Green Hornet and Kato’s crossover appearance later in the season, Batman and Robin, much like the rest of the world think that Green Hornet and Kato are villains, as indeed they portray themselves as in order to apprehend villains. I have discussed this before in my blog post, “Explaining away the contradictions.”

Santa

The most fun of the window cameos. Batman and Robin and Santa seem very happy to meet each other and are more than eager to interact. Santa enquires as to the location of the batcave and turns to camera and says “if you can’t trust Santa, whom can you trust?”, Batman informs Santa that he can’t tell him here but will telephone him at the North Pole. Santa promises to get to the batcave even if it means using a batpole rather than a chimney. The caped crusaders then wish Santa a merry Christmas, Santa reciprocates and then wishes the audience at home a Merry Christmas when he looks at camera and bellows “Merry Christmas Everybody”.

Window Cameos In Broadcast Order:

1. Jerry Lewis (Season 1 Episode 29: The Bookworm Turns, 20^th April 1966)

2. George Cisar (The Movie, 30^th July 1966)

3. Dick Clark (Season 2 Episode 1: Shoot a Crooked Arrow, 7^th September 1966)

4. Green Hornet and Kato (Van Williams and Bruce Lee) (Season 2 Episode 7: The Spell of Tut, 28^th September 1966)

5. Sammy Davis Jr. (Season 2 Episode 11: The Clock King’s Crazy Crimes, 12^th October 1966)

6. Jose Jimenez (Bill Dana) (Season 2 Episode 14: The Yegg Foes in Gotham, 20^th October 1966)

7. Detective Sam Stone (Howard Duff) (Season 2 Episode 21: The Impractical Joker, 16^th November 1966)

8. Colonel Klink (Werner Klemperer) (Season 2 Episode 26: It’s How You Play The Game, 1^st December 1966)

9. Lurch (Ted Cassidy) (Season 2 Episode 27: The Penguin’s Nest, 7^th December 1966)

10. Don Ho (Season 2 Episode 30: The Bat’s Kow Tow, 15^th December 1966)

11. Santa Claus (Andy Devine) (Season 2 Episode 32: The Duo is Slumming, 22^nd December 1966)

12. Art Linkletter (Season 2 Episode 49: Catwoman Goes to College, 22^nd February 1967)

13. Edward G Robinson (Season 2 Episode 52: Batman’s Satisfaction, 2^nd March 1967)

14. Suzy Knickerbocker (Season 2 Episode 53: King Tut’s Coup, 8^th March 1967)

15. Cyril Lord (Season 2 Episode 59: Ice Spy, 29^th March 1967)

 

The Legacy of the Window Cameo: Batman 66 Comics

Used only 3 times, the window cameo is used in the Batman 66 comics main run (2013-2015).

Dracula

In Issue 1, Dracula makes an appearance at first concerned that Batman may be competition but Batman alleviates those concerns and Dracula compliments his choice of cape.

Interesting fact; it was revealed on Twitter by Jeff Parker (Batman 66 writer) that the original intention for this first window cameo was Louis Armstrong.

Dr. Smith

In Issue 14, we see Dr. Smith from Lost in Space. It is a different sort of window cameo as in this issue Batman has developed a Bat-Robot to take on many of his duties, Dr. Smith is expectantly irritated by the Bat-Robots noisy feet on the wall, and eager to embark on space travel, establishing this appearance as prior to the start of the TV show Lost in Space.

Perry White, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen

In Issue 30 we see Perry White, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen of The Adventures of Superman, I have discussed this before in my Superman: The Batman 66 Connection post in which I said;

“As Batman and Robin scale the side of the Greene-Way Studio Office Building, so that they can get a good look over the movie studio where all Gotham’s criminals, except the Riddler, are holding a Criminals’ convention, three people from Metropolis’ Daily Planet pop out of the window.

These Daily Planet employees are Perry White, Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane from The Adventures of Superman TV show. They are amazed by Batman and Robin and offer to help where they can. Batman and Robin ask that they simply continue to honestly and impartially report upon the news.

Lois laments that it’s “Too bad Clark had to stay in Metropolis to cover another story””

Some of the window cameos detailed above helped to inform my The Batman 66 Connected Universe blog post, whilst understandably the ones listed below, did not.

The Legacy of the Window Cameo: Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt

In Return to the Batcave, a biopic of sorts, we see Betty White appear in a window cameo. An interesting choice as she would’ve been around to appear in the Batman TV series but clearly wasn’t. She implores them to keep quiet as it’s “enough to drive you Batty”.

The Legacy of the Window Cameo: Futurama

Though there’re possibly numerous references and/or hints towards the window cameos if I wanted to go down the rabbit hole of searching for them all, this one felt worth mentioning.

Futurama: Season 7 Episode 22: Leela and the Genestalk

As Fry and Bender climb up the side of a tower they encounter the heads of Adam West and Burt Ward (voiced by Adam and Burt themselves), there’s a bit of back and forth between them where Adam and Burt realise that the duo they’re talking to aren’t dynamic!