In this blog post I will be looking at projects where someone is portraying an actor from the Batman TV Series.

A project’s inclusion here is not an endorsement of its presentation of fact, simply that it includes an actor from the Batman TV series as a character.

To avoid this blog post getting overly long, I have decided against including projects that focus on Bruce Lee, this is for a few reasons

1. Bruce Lee’s interpretation of the Kato character originated on The Green Hornet TV series, not Batman

2. There are countless projects that include Bruce Lee as a character

3. Within these countless projects it gets very difficult to determine what would be considered a “proper” film, a fan film, a biopic, or a fantasy film and all in-between!

4. I very rarely discuss Bruce Lee on this blog anyway as there is already so much out there on him that will have done a more thorough job writing about him than I ever would, or could do.

 

Surviving Gilligan’s Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History (14th October 2001)

Eric Allan Kramer as Alan Hale Jr.

This made for TV focuses on the making of the sitcom Gilligan’s Island, told from the perspective of 3 of the actors who were alive at the time, Bob Denver, Dawn Wells, and Russell Johnson. No focus is made on Alan Hale Jr.’s guest appearance on Batman from, Season 3 Episode 8: The Ogg and I. In that Batman episode Alan portrayed a Chef whose name was, appropriately, Gilligan, a reference to his role as The Skipper on Gilligan’s Island.

 

Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt (9^th March 2003)

Adam West as Himself

Jack Brewer as Adam West/William West Anderson/Batman/Bruce Wayne

Lyle Waggoner as Himself/Narrator

Uncredited Actor as Lyle Waggoner/The Other Batman

Burt Ward as Himself

Jason Marsden as Burt Ward/Bert Gervis Jr/Robin/Dick Grayson

Erin Carufel as Yvonne Craig/Batgirl/Barbara Gordon

Jim Jansen as William Dozier

Frank Gorshin as Himself

Curtis Armstrong as Frank Gorshin in disguise as Jerry the Butler

Brett Rickaby as Frank Gorshin/The Riddler

Tony Tanner as Burgess Meredith/The Penguin

Bud Weston as Cesar Romero/The Joker

Julie Newmar as Herself

Julia Rose as Julie Newmar/Catwoman

Quinn K Redeker as Vincent Price/Egghead

Given its subject matter as a part-fiction/part biopic style look at the Batman TV series understandably various Batman TV series actors are portrayed here. In addition various crew and non-cast of varying relevance to the production of the show are portrayed too.

 

Behind The Candleabra (21^st May 2013)

Michael Douglas as Liberace

Liberace portrayed Chandell aka Fingers and Chandell’s twin brother Harry in the two highest-rated episodes of Batman, on original airing; Season 2 Episode 15: The Devil’s Finger & Season 2 Episode 16: The Dead Ringers. This biopic however does not focus on Liberace’s appearance in Batman at all as its focus is from 1977-1987

 

Drunk History (USA): Season 6 Episode 11: Fame (2^nd July 2019)

Tessa Thompson as Eartha Kitt/Catwoman (Body)

Nicole Byer as Eartha Kitt/Catwoman, Batman, Batgirl (Voice)

3 Uncredited Actors as Batman, Robin and Batgirl (Bodies)

The second of the three segments featured on this episode discusses Lady Bird Johnson getting Eartha Kitt blacklisted from Hollywood. Two supposedly drunk hosts discuss this with various actors, including Tessa Thompson as Eartha Kitt, lip-sync to what they’re saying. Whilst most of this segment discusses Eartha Kitt’s blacklisting, we do see some focus on Batman with uncredited actors as Batman and Robin, and an uncredited actress as Batgirl tied down in a visual reference reminiscent of Season 3 Episode 14: Catwoman’s Dressed to Kill.

 

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (26^th July 2019)

Mike Moh as Bruce Lee

Emile Hirsch as Jay Sebring

Whilst most of the film is set in a fictional 1969, we do see Mike Moh as Bruce Lee, in his Kato costume in a break from filming the Green Hornet (1966-1967) in a flashback scene.  As the film features some scenes relating to the Manson murders we also have Emile Hirsch as Jay Sebring. Jay Sebring would portray a parody of sorts of himself, called Jay Oceanbring in Batman: Season 2 Episode 30: The Bat’s Kow Tow. Jay Sebring would also sadly be one of the 5 people murdered over the 9^th and 10^th of August, 1969 by the Manson “Family”.

—I had initially incorrectly referred to the Bruce Lee scene as taking place in 1969, however a Facebook user brought up that that was incorrect, whether this was me misremembering or making incorrect notes, either way this error has now been corrected 

I Wanna Be Evil: The Broadway Fringe Eartha Kitt story (30^th July 2019)

Jenelle Lynn Randall as Eartha Kitt

As a live performance that has appeared on TV as a TV movie I decided to include it in this list. From reviews and information I have found online it appears that Eartha’s time on Batman was not focused upon in this.

 

Autopsy: The Last Hours of… Season 11 Episode 11: Adam West (14^th June 2020)

Georgie Woodford as Young Adam West

Various Batman Actors represented by Uncredited Actors

Aired recently on the “Reelz” channel, this series looks at celebrities deaths that are sudden or otherwise unusual.

 

(Potential) Upcoming

(Not Yet Titled) Eartha Kitt Biopic

Keesha Sharp as Eartha Kitt

Actress Keesha Sharp has brought the film rights to the Eartha Kitt biography,America’s Mistress: The Life and Times of Eartha Kitt. She intends to Produce and star in a film based on the book.

“However, Kitt’s only daughter Kitt Shapiro told ESSENCE in a statement that neither the film or book is authorized by herself or Kitt’s estate “in any form or fashion.”- Essence.com

Given that production has not yet started and that it already seems to have problems, it is not yet clear whether Eartha’s time on Batman will be focused on, or quite frankly, if the project will see the light of day.

 

(Not Yet Titled) Joan Collins and Jackie Collins Biopic Mini Series

Not Yet Known as Joan Collins

The producers behind The Crown (a biopic series focusing on the British Royal family) will be bringing us, a six part series focusing on Joan Collins and her Sister Jackie Collins. It is not yet clear whether Joan’s appearances on Batman, as The Siren, will be focused upon at all in this mini series.

 

Next Week (1st-7th July 2020) will be Green Hornet Takeover Week;

Here on Batspray.blog, (Blog Post on the 1st)

on the Batspray.blog Facebook Page (Daily Green Hornet Based Posts for the 1st-7th)

#batman66merchmonday on my Twitter

#batman66merchmonday on my Instagram

#batman66thespianthursday on my Twitter

#batman66thespianthursday on my Instagram

 

Sources

TV and Film

Behind The Candelabra

Drunk History (USA)

I Wanna Be Evil: The Broadway Fringe Eartha Kitt story

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt

Surviving Gilligan’s Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History

Websites

essence.com

facebook.com

goodhousekeeping.com

IMDb.com