Batman in the 1970s Jumbo-Sized 50th Anniversary Issue!: July and August 1977

by Peter Enfantino

& Jack Seabrook

Batman 289 (July 1977)

"Sign of the Skull"
Story by David V. Reed
Art by Mike Grell and Vince Colletta

Cosmo "Skull" Dugger suffers from a condition that prevents him from experiencing joy. He has created a machine to steal joy from other people and uses it on a baseball player, an award-winning actor, and a lottery winner; unfortunately, an unexpected side effect is that they all fall down dead the moment the gizmo's beam hits them. Dr. Faye Somers calls Batman to look at the latest victim's forehead--it has a small skull imprinted on it. Moments later, Batman stops some crooks from stealing the body of a man undergoing surgery. Batman finds Dugger's lair and hooks himself up to the machine that puts the joy back into his brain; however, he hooks the wires up backwards and discovers that every twinge of joy he feels is replaced by one of pain. Dugger kills another man to experiment on his body to try to figure out why his victims are dying. Batman slowly falls into a catatonic state, unable to move or speak without pain.

PE: A really silly story, even when you compare it to the other really silly stories we've had to endure with this title. A madman who steals joy via a Cerebro-type gizmo? Three men, all in good shape, drop dead of a heart attack, all three mysteriously have a skull emblem on their foreheads, and doctors and police see nothing strange about the pattern? Admittedly one of the world's great detectives, but are you going to tell me that me that he could pull Dugger's image out of a crowd of thousands at a baseball game? Why does the appropriately nicknamed Skull Dugger (you see, his last name is Dugger and the kids used to make fun of how smart he was and there's the whole skull on the foreheads thing...) feel the need to dress like Adam Strange?  Dugger's origin is told in such a way that I thought for sure he was a villain in another DC title previously but, mercifully, this two-parter was his only appearance. Great cover though.

Jack: I enjoyed this story, mainly because of Mike Grell's art. I did not think that the authorities were ignoring the skulls on the foreheads--it seemed more like a cover-up by the medical examiner to me, something I hope we'll learn about next issue. Once again, with DC Comics of this era, the house ads and text items by Jenette Kahn and company are nearly as interesting (you might say more interesting) than the story. Kahn writes a column in January 1977 about how she knows a price hike is coming because of increased printing fees, but she admits that she doesn't know what the price will be on the comic we're reading. This sort of honesty is still very refreshing. There is also another profile of a DC Comics creator--this issue it's Bob Haney, who wrote tons of comics over his long career. These half-page profiles were very unusual at the time, in the days before the internet gave us instant access to everyone's biography.

Detective Comics 471 (August 1977)

"The Dead Yet Live"
Story by Steve Englehart
Art by Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin

Boss Thorne decides that Batman is a liability to his operations and must be dealt with. He gives orders to his men to take down The Dark Knight. Meanwhile, still reeling from the radioactive burns received from his tussle with Dr. Phosphorus (in #469 and #470), Bruce decides he needs to seek medical help or it will only get worse. He checks himself into the Graytowers Clinic and is immediately made to feel welcome. He's locked into his room, goes into a deep slumber and when he awakes he's told he's not in a clinic but, rather, an asylum. Turns out the joint is run by one of Batman's oldest arch-enemies, Professor Hugo Strange who, with the aid of a deadly Green Mamba, gets the jump on Batman. Not wanting The Dark Knight to go out without a protracted battle, Strange injects anti-venom into our hero and out go the lights. When he awakens, Batman is mortified to find out that Strange has unmasked him!

PE: Absolutely first class in story and art. Engaging and suspenseful with a kicker of a finale, this story would have elevated the art of Frank Robbins (okay, I'm exaggerating) but, luckily, it's graced with the wonderful art of Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin. There's a short interview with Terry Austin about the difficulties of working with Marshall Rogers (and editor Julius Schwartz) in Michael Eury's The Batcave Companion (TwoMorrows, 2009), an indispensable guide to the Batman eras of the 1960s and 1970s. Anyone obsessed with The Dark Knight (as I am) probably already owns this volume but, if not, you owe it to yourself to pick it up.

Jack: This is definitely a thrilling issue! The art is top drawer and the story matches it. I was a little surprised to see one of the guys at Boss Thorne's meeting compare Gotham favorably to New York City. For some reason, I always thought they were one and the same!

PE: Love the decidedly non-CC approved pillow talk between the very sexy Silver St. Cloud (Marshall Rogers was the 1970s master of GGA, methinks) and Bruce:

Bruce (on the phone): Silver? Hi, this is Bruce! Listen, I have to cancel out on tonight! I'm going into Graytowers--ah, you've heard of it? No, nothing major! Just some tests!

Silver (in a very revealing negligee): Well, after the other night, darling, I'd hoped you'd at least be suffering exhaustion! I know I am!

Jack: What about Magda, the nurse at Graytowers? Hotcha!

PE: More comic book creator name-dropping. This issue we learn that there's a Finger Alley in Gotham and one of Wayne's friends is named Jerry Robinson. The idea that this group would shut Bruce Wayne into an asylum and leave him with his suitcase stretches the credibility factor a tad. The return of Hugo Strange brings up some interesting questions (similar to those raised out at the Marvel University blog now and then) about comic book timelines. The last appearance of Strange was way back in Detective Comics #46 (December 1940) so one wonders how long he's been gone in the DC Universe scheme of things. And why, getting back to the real world for a moment, would it take so long to resurrect one of Batman's original Rogue's Gallery members? Strange will go on to be a recurring guest villain from here on out. Was the good Professor the first super-villain to discover that Bruce Wayne and Batman shared the same undergarments?

Not your average four-color femme!

Jack: It seems like Batman gets unmasked every few issues, but the person doing the unmasking is blind, or it's dark, or Batman has an amazingly lifelike mask on under his mask, or it's one of the triplets, or . . .and as for the timeline, what about the comment at Thorne's meeting that Ra's al Ghul tried to frame Batman for murder last year? That story arc ended over two years ago.

PE: Then, following that timeframe, Hugo disappeared approximately 19 years before. Again, pushing Bruce Wayne into, at least, his forties.

Batman 290 (August 1977)

"Skull Dugger's Killjoy Capers!"
Story by David V. Reed
Art by Mike Grell and Vince Colletta

Skull Dugger claims another victim when a gambler wins big. Bruce Wayne finds himself unable to enjoy anything without feeling pain, a problem that also extends to his efforts at crime fighting as the Batman. Batman fails to stop Skull Dugger from killing a man who comes into a large inheritance. Finally, Batman puts on a disguise and visits Dr. Tzin-Tzin in prison, where he tricks the magician into giving him an hour without pain. Batman confronts Skull Dugger, whose attempt to restore Batman to normal and then kill him only half works. Dugger is killed when Batman throws him into his machine. Bruce Wayne is now free to enjoy Alfred's cooking.

PE: This joke of a story continues to escalate in its inanity. Bruce Wayne orders Alfred to make his food taste terrible as that's the only way to enjoy it. Alfred has Bruce come in from outside because "it's much too pleasant" outside. It's like some superhero version of The Addams Family, only not so funny:


Bruce: Dreadful Alfred--thank you! Everything I dislike--half-cooked and unseasoned--perfect!"

What's amazing is that Dugger doesn't even try to be subtle or fade into the shadows. He's right there with his zapper box when a victim drops dead and even wears a purple cape to the reading of a will (where he poses as a reporter!). By the time I got to the climactic battle I was too confused and disinterested to care how it would play out. Something about reverse-joy machines. Mike Grell's pencils seem to have gotten steadily worse as well. Sure, his Bats looks good enough but the rest of the characters are lifeless and bland. This is easily a front-runner for worst story of the year and, as God is my witness, I hope it wins. I couldn't take reading something worse.

Pay no attention to the bald skeleton-like guy
with the laser beam and the purple tux.

Jack: This is a pretty weak conclusion to the two-part story. Skull Dugger is so weird-looking that it strains credibility to suggest he could melt into any crowd, especially when he gets right up front and points his box at someone's forehead and a laser beam shoots out! And what about the return of Dr. Tzin-Tzin? This guy has super-duper magic powers! Finally, it should be noted that Batman kills Dugger at the end and has a big grin on his face. This is a far cry from the Batman of only a year or two ago who broke into a sweat when someone tried to put a gun in his hand.

There was also a one-shot published during the Summer of 1977 called 5-Star Super-Hero Spectacular that featured "all-new" stories starring various DC heroes. In this case, the tales featured The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, The Atom and our favorite crime fighter. The 17-page Batman story ("The Dead on Arrival Conspiracy" written by Martin Pasko and illustrated by Mike Nasser was originally scheduled for the never-released 8th issue of Kobra (what would have been June 1977). 5-Star was conceived as an annual dollar comic featuring "the mightiest heroes of all time" but was quickly retitled DC Special Series and was actually published bi-weekly for a couple months before settling into a nine-times a year schedule. We'll tell you more about this series when we come to their 15th issue in the Summer of 1978.

Holy bargain, Batman!

Batman in the 1970s Part 49: May and June 1977

by Jack Seabrook

& Peter Enfantino

Detective Comics 469 (May 1977)

"By Death's Eerie Light!"

Story by Steve Englehart

Art by Walt Simonson and Al Milgrom

Alfred has been struck down by a mysterious ailment and when Batman calls for an ambulance he discovers that Alfred's not alone. Several others in Gotham have been stricken with the same malady. Delivering his faithful butler to the hospital as Bruce Wayne, he quickly finds a deserted broom closet and exits as The Dark Knight--just in time, as he literally runs into Commissioner Gordon, who gives him a rundown on the new plague befalling Gotham. The epidemic is the work of a Dr. Phosphorus, who warns that the citizens of Gotham will pay for their sins. While meditating, The Dark Knight hits upon how the virus has been transmitted to the people: through Gotham's drinking water. As the method becomes apparent, a phone call interrupts his thoughts: Gordon ringing to let The Batman know that he, the Commissioner, is the latest victim. Heading down to the Gotham water reserve, our hero is confronted by the one and only Dr. Phosphorus, a glowing skeleton whose body gives off deadly, burning phosphorus. The two battle to a standstill and Phosphorus escapes, vowing to return to finish the job.

Jack: It looks like it's reboot time again, since a note on the splash page states "Presenting the Batman You've Been Waiting For." The brief period in which Detective returned to bi-monthly status is over; now it will be published eight times a year. Steve Englehart has come over from Marvel as the new writer and Walt Simonson returns after a long absence to take over the pencilling chores, with art by Al Milgrom. The final product is not bad, but it's a far cry from the top-drawer Batman tales of O'Neil/Adams or Marshall Rogers. Simonson's art seems hurried and not as striking as it did on the Manhunter series. Englehart's writing is solid, though at 11 pages it's hard to get much of a story going. I'm looking forward to seeing were these two take the Dark Knight next!

PE: If quizzed without credits, I'd never have guessed there was Walt Simonson in there anywhere! Like you say, Jack, it ain't bad but it's cartoony at times. Nice to get a new villain even though he's a bit sketchy and his powers reminiscent of other villains (Marvel's The Molten Man and Molecule Man come to mind). I like that Englehart has Bruce Wayne enter the hospital with Alfred in arms as "Bruce Wayne gets the best wherever he goes" and then notes that Wayne's words may be callous or arrogant but that we shouldn't "judge him too harshly!" Indeed, this is the guy who probably donated the money to build the hospital. He should get preferential treatment.

"The Origin of Dr. Phosphorus!"
Story by Steve Englehart
Art by Walt Simonson and Al Milgrom

Dr. Phosphorus reveals to Gotham surgeon Dr. Bell just how he became an evil menace through a series of bad breaks and worse investments.

PE: A rushed but satisfactory origin tale but I'm curious as to why the parties in charge chose to split this from the main feature. Why not make it one long story? Here we get our first look at the influential Boss Thorne, an underworld mob leader who was, more than likely, the basis for Jack Palance's Carl Grissom (in Tim Burton's Batman). Thorne will come to play a major part in the title in the months to come.

Jack: I don't think we've ever seen a backup feature in Detective that was a supplement to the lead story! It's neat to get the origin story of the villain, although it's basically just another atomic energy accident, and I like the way it ties in with the lead story and looks forward to next issue's tale. A final note says that, as of next issue, Batman stories will be full-length. I think we can agree that this is a development that was long overdue. The sales figures report that Detective was selling an average of 146,000 copies per issue.

PE: Well, I'm jumping for joy that we don't have to read any more execrable tales of The Elongated Man (and Frank Robbins seems to be in our rear view mirror as well) but this is not the end of the back-up feature. It's just a respite.


Batman 287 (May 1977)

"Batman-Ex--As In Extinct!"
Story by David V. Reed
Art by Mike Grell and Bob Wiacek

Bruce Wayne attends a posh museum reception until he has to intervene as Batman when a giant mechanical Pterosaur bursts out of a statute of Napoleon. Batman deduces that the Penguin has returned. The Feathered Fiend strikes next at a movie theater, where an Archaeopteryx bursts through the giant screen. A Diatryma suddenly appears at the Gotham Docks. Batman puts all of the puzzle pieces together and makes it to the next crime scene in time to confront the Penguin, who manages to escape with motorized umbrellas. What is the Penguin's dastardly plan? Stay tuned!

The Case of the
Missing Nose

Jack: The less-than-exciting return of the Penguin makes me wonder if editor Schwartz was paying attention to his own notes over in Detective heralding the Batman we've all been waiting for. Here in Batman, it's the same old thing, as David V. Reed presents another by the numbers tale featuring a member of the Rogues' Gallery. Bob Rozakis, in the letter column, writes that Ernie Chua has left DC and that Mike Grell will be the new regular artist on Batman, which is good news, though he has a problem with noses at some spots in this issue. The sales figures report that Batman  was averaging 178,000 copies sold. More interesting (to me) than the story is the editorial by Jenette Kahn, who explains that the time from when a script is assigned to when sales figures come in was a staggering 11 months! These comic book publishers were really working in the dark. This proves that when Stan Lee wrote that a new comic was a smash hit he was almost certainly making it up!

The Penguin does not
have the same problem.

PE: Not even Mike Grell can save this soggy slop. The Penguin's inexplicable plan based on numerology, famous figures, and Gotham addresses seems better suited to The Riddler or possibly a new villain (The Numerologist?) but I can't make heads or tails of the story nor, half way through, do I want to. Reed shows he can't craft suitable stories using the Rogues any better than Frank Robbins or any of the other previous Bat-writers, so we're left to wonder if these villains ever actually starred in any good comic stories at all. Not that a man dressed like a penguin seems like much of a menace anyway.

Batman was aiming
at a juvenile audience.

Detective Comics 470 (June 1977)

"The Master Plan of Dr. Phosphorus!"
Story by Steve Englehart
Art by Walt Simonson and Al Milgrom

While breaking up a robbery, Batman is issued a subpoena to appear before the court, courtesy of the Gotham City Council and Boss Thorne. Meanwhile, Dr. Phosphorus continues his reign of terror by taking control of Sprang Memorial Arena, an indoor music venue, and pumping poisonous gas into the crowd of thousands. Eventually, Phosphorus and Batman duke it out at a power plant where the mad radioactive genius falls to his death.

PE: When we get a look at the "new" Batcave, it sure looks like the old one. How does Julie Schwartz justify large pennies and fake dinosaurs when presenting "the new Dark Knight" for the umpteenth time? This, along with the sudden reappearance of Chief O'Hara (last seen wearing beach clothes on the set of the ABC series) and the Batboat give me a sneaking suspicion that, for some reason, Julie was getting nostalgic for a decade earlier when Batman was all the rage. Love him or hate him, Christopher Nolan wisely ignored the campier aspects of The Caped Crusader and gave us a hero only the 1966 crowd disliked. First appearance by Silver St. Cloud, a future love interest of Bruce Wayne's who will, one day, learn his deep, dark secret. Amazingly, the issue's biggest set piece, the Sprang Arena attack, where thousands are in jeopardy, is dismissed with a caption box that reads "we need not detail the ensuing pandemonium" and a one-liner from Chief O'Hara to Batman on the phone. How could Englehart have brushed aside what could have been a chilling sequence, perfect to emphasize the grave danger that faces Gotham should Phosphorus be left to roam the streets? Equally, the climax is rushed after a few panels of battle. After setting us up with a nice first chapter, Steve drops the ball here. Of course, the real culprit, as always, is the page limits. This easily could have been stretched to a three-parter without much filling.

Jack: Lots to like this issue--the changes are all good. Following last issue's brief scene where Bruce Wayne revealed that he had moved some of the furnishings from Stately Wayne Manor into his place in Gotham City, this issue shows that he has built a new Batcave below the city streets on the site of an abandoned subway tunnel. Chief O'Hara is also back, as are page numbers (which disappeared when the page count dropped to 17). The story is not terribly original and it looks like Simonson is being held back from being as creative with his layouts as he was in Manhunter, but the series seems to be on the right track. There is a nice nod to the past with the Sprang Memorial Arena; Dick Sprang was one of the great Golden Age Batman artists, who retired in 1963 but lived till 2000. The story is 17 pages, eliminating the need for a backup feature. Most interesting is the Publishorial by Jenette Kahn, who explains the history of Batman and gives credit (as we have in the past) to O'Neil and Adams for breathing life back into the character.

Uh oh! Warning! Danger! Warning! Look at that cover! Another price hike, this time to 35 cents! This is getting alarming. I may not be able to keep buying comics much longer at this rate. Or I may have to get a part-time job after school!

PE: Cripes! The price has more than doubled just since we've been on watch. I say we bail.


Batman 288 (June 1977)

"The Little Man's Hall of Fame!"
Story by David V. Reed
Art by Mike Grell and Bob Wiacek

The Penguin is confident that he will anticipate Batman's next move and defeat him. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is still being followed by journalist Chester Cole for a magazine profile. Batman interrupts a robbery in progress but is tripped up when Cole suddenly enters the room. The Penguin puts Batman and Cole at the bottom of an empty chemical tank and sends a pair of mechanical vultures to kill them. The Caped Crusader beats the birds and uses the parts to fly himself and Cole out of the pit. He surprises the Penguin in the middle of another act of pilferage and ships him back to jail.

Jack: The story is still dopey but Grell's art is better this month, looking more like his work on "Heart of a Vampire" from January 1976 and the Calculator stories from more recent issues. One thing that always struck me about his art is that so many characters seem to be sporting what we used to call "flare" pants--it looks very '70s. There is a nicely drawn fight sequence near the end that features some dramatic layouts.

"Hoo-Hah"?

PE: Another weak Rogues' Gallery tale by David Reed redeemed, as Jack has pointed out, by some nice graphics by Mike Grell. The standout being the panel (reprinted below) of a Hawkman-like Dark Knight ascending with reporter Chester Cole in tow. Worth the read for that panel alone.

John Collier on TV Part Two: Alfred Hitchcock Presents-"Wet Saturday"

by Jack Seabrook

The second episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents to be adapted from a story by John Collier was "Wet Saturday," which was the first episode of season two, on September 30, 1956. The story upon which it was based had been published originally in The New Yorker on July 16, 1938.

This very British tale, which has been described as a satire of family life, begins on a rainy day in July, as Mr. Princey speaks to his assembled family: his wife, whose name is never revealed; his "hulking" son, George; and his "cloddish" daughter, Millicent. Princey feels little love for any of them but saves especial scorn for Millicent; he thinks that her "features were thick, her jaw heavy, her whole figure repellently powerful." It is her physical power that has led to the current situation: Princey's "austere pride of position in the village, his passionate attachment to the house" are threatened because Millicent has killed Withers, a man she loved, in the family stable, and his body lies there waiting for Princey to decide what to do next. Withers had stopped by on this rainy Saturday to tell Millicent that he, a curate, had heard from the bishop that he was to have the vicarage and could now marry. When he told the young woman that he planned to marry someone other than her, she hit him over the head repeatedly with a croquet mallet.

Into this scene of familial discord stumbles Captain Smollett, who walks in just as the discussion rages. Princey and George ask Smollett to accompany them on a visit to the stable, where Princey tells Smollett what happened. Holding the captain at gunpoint, Princey forces Smollett to incriminate himself in the murder by leaving evidence; ostensibly, this is to ensure Smollett's silence.

After returning to the house, Princey tells his family that they can rely on Smollett; after the captain departs, Princey telephones the police and asks them to "send someone at once" because "something rather terrible has happened up here." The implication is that Princey will frame Smollett for the crime, thus preserving his family's position in the community and shielding his daughter from being punished for her crime. (Read the story here.)

"Wet Saturday," like "Back for Christmas," was published in a popular magazine (The New Yorker) where it would have received a great deal of exposure. It was adapted for radio and performed three times in the 1940s on the Suspense series: on June 24, 1942, starring Clarence Derwent; on December 16, 1943, starring Charles Laughton; and on March 20, 1948, starring Dennis Hoey. Follow this link for an interesting article on the radio adaptations that includes links that allow one to download and listen to each of them.

The producer of Alfred Hitchcock Presents chose "Wet Saturday" to adapt for television. The teleplay was written by Marian Cockrell and the show was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. This episode was rehearsed and filmed over a three-day period from August 22 to 24, 1956; it was broadcast just over a month later on CBS on Sunday evening, September 30, 1956.

Crazy Millicent stuffs sandwiches in 

her mouth as her father pontificates.

If one ever wondered how long a short story should be in order to fit a twenty-four minute (approximately) television slot, one would find the answer in "Wet Saturday," because the television show is as faithful an adaptation of a story as I have ever seen. From start to finish, the teleplay follows what is on the printed page, with very minor changes. As usual, in television programs from this era, characters are more physically attractive onscreen than their descriptions on the page warrant; George Princey is more handsome than hulking, and Millicent, his sister, is pretty, though actress Tita Purdom portrays her in a way best described as a basket case. One notable change that probably results from a decision that American audiences would not understand British terms is that Withers is changed from a curate who has just been assigned to a vicarage to a schoolmaster who is out hunting butterflies. It is also possible that the television adapters thought the murder of a schoolmaster might be more palatable to television audiences than the murder of a clergyman. "A white rat in a dog collar" becomes "a knobby-kneed clown with a butterfly net," removing one of several references to rats from the TV show.

John Williams as Captain Smollett

Sir Cedric Hardwicke plays Princey in a manner that suggests that he is an attorney, going over every fact and analyzing every detail. The implication that Princey may be a lawyer in his work life is not made in Collier's story; it may be a decision by Hardwicke, though it is never spelled out explicitly.

The only real addition to the story in the televised version is a scene where we see Princey and George in the stable. George hides the body while Princey wipes Millicent's fingerprints off of the handle of the croquet mallet. Princey inspects the sewer grate (a piece of flagstone in the story) and sees a rat scurry across the floor, giving him an excuse for having gone out to the stable (he later tells Smollett that they went out to shoot a rat).

There are a couple of humorous moments added to the show, both courtesy of John Williams, who plays Captain Smollett. The first is a brief bit when Princey tells Smollett to finish his drink and Smollett says he will finish it later, then looks into his empty glass and mutters a disappointed "Oh!" The second is when Smollett decides to leave and announces that he will "go along now--it's stopped raining," yet through the windows behind him the pouring rain is clearly visible. The indignities to which Smollett is subjected are amusing, from being punched in the face twice by George to allowing the young man to pluck two hairs from his head to plant on the body. The droll manner and expressions of actor John Williams provide the perfect setting for these scenes.

One minor problem with "Wet Saturday" is the use of stock music phrases to underscore surprising or humorous events; this occurs throughout the early seasons of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and can be either charming or annoying, depending on one's point of view.

Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Princey

As in "Back for Christmas," the subtlety of Collier's story may have been thought to have been too difficult to grasp for 1956 television viewers, necessitating an added final scene with dialogue where Princey explains his plan in detail to his family. Millicent stuffs sandwiches in her mouth, much to her father's annoyance, as he sets out the story that they will tell the police. This scene is unnecessary but does not harm what is, overall, a strong episode of the series and a second faithful adaptation of Collier's work. Hitchcock's concluding remarks add a humorous twist; he states, tongue in cheek, that Millicent later re-enacted the crime for the benefit of the police, this time using the croquet mallet on her overbearing father.

George and his father address Captain Smollett

Marian Cockrell (1909-1999), who adapted "Wet Saturday" for television, was a novelist who wrote books for children and adults. Shadow Castle (1945) is considered a classic fantasy for young women. Ms. Cockrell wrote eleven episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents as well as four for Batman. Her career in television lasted from 1955 to 1966. Her husband, Francis Cockrell, had adapted Collier's "Back for Christmas" for the Hitchcock series earlier in 1956 and would write many more teleplays for this show. Her daughter, Amanda Cockrell, is also a novelist; her website includes a mention of her mother (access it here).

Alfred Hitchcock directed "Wet Saturday" and appears to have added very little beyond his usual flawless staging and camera placement. There are no trick or showy shots as there were in "Back for Christmas"; his influence is chiefly felt in the choice of story and in the casting of Sir Cedric Hardwicke and John Williams, actors with whom he had previously worked. Articles on "Wet Saturday" that attribute its themes to Hitchcock ignore the fact that it is a very close adaptation of its source story by John Collier.

Jerry Barclay as George

Sir Cedric Hardwicke (1893-1964), who portrays Princey, had a long and distinguished career on stage, appeared in films from 1931 to 1964 (along with a couple of earlier appearances in silent films) and was seen on television from 1949 to 1964. He was knighted in 1934 and his films include Karloff's The Ghoul (1933), Laughton's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), Chaney's The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), The Lodger (1944) with Laird Cregar, and Hitchcock's Suspicion (1941) and Rope (1948). He appeared in two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents as well as one each of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits.

John Williams returns for a second time in an adaptation of a Collier story, following his starring role in "Back for Christmas." Norman Lloyd called him "the definitive Hitchcock actor . . . the underplaying, the subtle humor, the indirect approach that he had" appealed to the master of suspense.

Tita Purdom plays Millicent; she appears to have had a brief career, with credits going only to 1959. A news article dated February 20, 1956, says that she was 27 years old and about to file for divorce from actor Edmund Purdom.

This publicity photo depicts Tita Purdom in 
a scene that does not occur in the episode.

Jerry Barclay (1930- ) plays George; his career ranges from The Man With the Golden Arm (1955), in which he played a junkie, to Whore (1991), in which he played "dead trick in car." His portrayal of George is quite amusing.

"Wet Saturday" can be viewed online here or purchased on DVD here. It was remade as an episode of Tales of the Unexpected starring Fritz Weaver; it was broadcast on July 7, 1984, and may be viewed online here.

Sources:

Collier, John. "Wet Saturday." 1938. Fancies and Goodnights. New York: Bantam, 1961. 84-90. Print.

Grams, Martin, and Patrik Wikstrom. The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion. Churchville, MD: OTR Pub., 2001. Print.

IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012.

"Wet Saturday." Alfred Hitchcock Presents. CBS. 30 Sept. 1956. Television.

"Wet Saturday." The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2012.

Batman in the 1970s Part 48: March and April 1977

by Peter Enfantino

& Jack Seabrook

Batman 285 (March 1977)

"The Mystery of Christmas Lost!"
Story by David V. Reed
Art by Romeo Tanghal and Frank Springer

Dr. Tzin-Tzin escapes from jail by hypnotizing and mobilizing a horde of ants. Once free, he uses his sorcery to wreak havoc on the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at City Hall Plaza, where Batman fights an imaginary bear high in the branches of the Christmas tree. Tzin-Tzin swears to Batman that he will rob Gotham City of something precious and intangible. The Dark Knight soon discovers that everyone but he is unable to concentrate and cannot remember that it is almost Christmas; the intangible item Tzin-Tzin stole was the knowledge of the holiday! Batman confronts and defeats Tzin-Tzin, thus saving Christmas just in the (Saint) Nick of time.

Jack: I have made no secret of my affection for Christmas tales, but this is one of the weakest we’ve seen in the 1970s. The art is passable at best, with Dick Grayson suffering the most from the drawing style. Dr. Tzin-Tzin seems to have almost unlimited power, yet Batman never has much trouble beating him, despite Batman’s belief that he barely prevails against the villain time and again. The scene where Batman fights the bear high up in the Christmas tree is almost laughable.

PE: Couldn't agree more, Jack, though I'd argue the most laughable aspect of the story was the ants eating through the prison cell wall in no time flat. I don't have to tell you that it brought back very bad memories of Ant-Man's adventures in Tales to Astonish. The whole thing has a Rankin-Bass vibe to it as if it was to be adapted into a "How Tzin-Tzin Stole Christmas" holiday cartoon. Dr. Strange Tzin-Tzin remains an uninteresting character. Not a good story at all.

Dr. Tzin-Tzin's brilliant plan
was foiled by a can of Raid.

Detective Comics 468 (April 1977)

"Battle of the Thinking Machines"
Story by Bob Rozakis
Art by Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin

A time capsule containing the original "$24 in trinkets used to purchase Gotham" has been dug up on a construction site in Gotham. The Calculator, fresh out of jail for the sixth seventh eighth time  again, decides he just has to have the booty but Batman proves to be one step ahead of the computer whiz and sends him... back to jail. Soon after, Batman attends a meeting of the justice League in their satellite headquarters orbiting 22,300 miles above the Earth. It's here that he delivers to his JLA partners the unlikely news that Commissioner Gordon has just sent him...the Calculator has broken out of prison. All six JLA members (Batman, Black Canary, Elongated Man, Green Arrow, The Atom, and Hawkman) head back to Earth to capture the evil genius but all six, one by one, are defeated. The Calculator reveals that each time one of the heroes captured him and sent him to prison, he developed an immunity to their powers. Beaten but not bowed, The Dark Knight concocts an ingenious twist to The Calculator's powers to turn them against their user. The Calculator fittingly lands behind his own bars, hopefully for good this time.

PE: Writer Bob Rozakis must have thought every kid that read 'tec also read Justice League as there are no little asterisk boxes to explain things like how Batman gets up to the JLA satellite. Does he take a rocket? Does it blast off from the Batcave?

Jack: At last, Rogers and Austin tackle Batman! This is really worth getting excited about. The art is crisp and inventive and it really elevates the story. Throw in a cover by Jim Aparo, and you have a very strong issue of Detective. This is also a full-length Batman story (17 pages), making it (I think) only the second time in 468 issues that this has happened; the first time was the conclusion of the five-part Talia story in Detective 448 (June 1975).

PE: The art's great but I'm just glad we're done with this silly Calculator arc. Did we really need six stories (seven if you count this one) with the exact same outline? So Calc could only develop immunity from the heroes by being captured and sent to jail? Batman gets beat by Calc and then changes clothes for a day of work at The Wayne Foundation? With this multi-part "epic" out of the way, maybe we can get down to some good stuff delivered by Steve Englehart.

Batman 286 (April 1977)

"The Joker's Playground of Peril!"
Story by Denny O'Neil (with help from Julie Schwartz and E. Nelson Bridwell)
Art by Irv Novick and Bob Wiacek

The Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum yet again, this time killing his psychiatrist by shrinking him to the size of a doll. Having heard that the Joker is on the loose, Robin motorcycles home from Hudson U. to help out his old pal. Together, they trail the Joker to an amusement park, where they are distracted by his attorney, who has disguised himself as the fiend. Batman figures out the Joker’s disguise and confronts him in a hall of mirrors, disarming him and sending him back to jail.

Jack: A Joker story by Denny O’Neil and Irv Novick is a welcome sight after so many issues of crime bosses, Underworld Olympics, and Dr. Tzin-Tzin. Despite the fact that Robin has now been away at college for about seven years, it’s nice to see him team up with the Caped Crusader to fight their old foe, and Novick’s art is a welcome sight as well. This is not one of the best Joker stories I’ve read, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless.

That chin looks awfully familiar!

PE: I get the feeling that whatever insight Denny O'Neil had into the character of The Joker has musta got lost somewhere between 1973 and 1977. Mind you, O'Neil only had the one shining moment with the character (for those just tuning in, it was "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge" way back in Batman #251) and subsequent attempts to mine similar magic left us with pans brimming with fool's gold. The villain is barely in this adventure, save the brilliant opening where The Joker literally shrinks his psychiatrist! For a few panels, that psychotic, sadistic, fun old chap was back. He's quickly dispatched in the climax,  to be forgotten again until someone realizes it's been a while since they used him. As a follow-up to Jenette Kahn's introductory letter last month (reprinted below), this month sees Jenette's no-holds-barred explanation for the DC One Dollar Comics line. Since newsstand dealers (remember them?) would only make pennies on a thirty-cent comic, orders (and thus sales) were dwindling. In an attempt to grab hold of what little room was left at the stands, DC started up eighty page (all new material) one dollar comics on some of its titles. It'll be a rather short-lived experiment and we won't get a taste until December 1978's Detective Comics #481. By that time, the page count has already dropped to 64 pages.

I don't know who he is behind that cape
and cowl, but I know that we need
him, and we need him now!

Welcome, Ms. Kahn!
(from Detective 468)

Batman in the 1970s Part 47: January and February 1977

by Jack Seabrook

& Peter Enfantino

Batman 283 (January 1977)

"Omega Bomb Target: Gotham City"
Story by David V. Reed
Art by Ernie Chua


A magnesium crash helmet allows Batman to survive being shot in the back of the head at point blank range as he pilots a plane. He prevents a crash and dispatches the shooter and his partner, then decides to change course and head back to Gotham, certain that someone is tracking his every move. He arrives just in time to read a threatening note: a ship anchored in Gotham Harbor carries a nuclear bomb that will be detonated if one billion dollars’ ransom is not paid! The Caped Crusader boards the ship and defeats the crooks only to discover that there never was a bomb—the nuclear physicist who was kidnapped refused to help build it.

PE: I refuse to believe that David V. Reed, perpetrator of a whole lot of bad Batman stories (including the comic book equivalent of Fonzie riding that shark, "The Underworld Olympics"), could have come up with such an exciting adventure as this two-parter. If this had been published post-1981, I'd have said it was Reed's attempt to cash in on Raiders of the Lost Ark. The reveal that not only was there no bomb, but that Batman played an unwitting part in the whole affair (in fact, if he had not survived the plane crash, the bad guys probably would not have stood a chance of convincing the "best scientific minds in the country" that there really was a bomb!) was an ingenious twist (nope, I have no idea why the leader sent his henchmen to kill Bats if he needed him alive in Gotham). I won't hold my breath waiting for the next stellar Reed story, sorry. I'm a bit of a pessimist.

Jack: I'm surprised you liked this story so much. I thought it was okay, but not particularly strong in comparison to the other Reed stories. Chua's art continues to be uneven. I can't read a note trying to extort "one billion dollars" without hearing Mike Myers/Dr. Evil's voice in my head.

PE: The idea that 1/Alfred would suggest to Master Bruce that he wear a chromium crash helmet while flying a plane and 2/that Master Bruce would listen to anything Alfred said outside of "Dinner is served" is laughable. What good will a helmet do if the plane crashes? Are we to believe that Alfred has some kind of precognitive power that told him Batman would be shot in the head while on the plane? Lucky the bad guys didn't aim lower. It's amazing that all the "best scientific minds in the country" all dress in the same white lab coat. This was Ernie Chan/Chua's last Batman story.

Detective Comics 467 (February 1977)

"Pick-Up on Gotham 2-4-6!"
Story by Bob Rozakis
Art by John Calnan & Vince Colletta

As Batman slips through a window into Wayne Manor, he spies a shadowy figure sitting on a couch, waiting for him. When the man calls out to him though, Batman seems to know the guest. As they wait for Alfred to bring a bit of breakfast, Bruce relates to his friend the adventure he had just been on. Attempting to bust up a Gotham gambling ring, The Dark Knight shadows two-bit thug Sneaky Danton into the subway and, just before boarding the train, dons the disguise of alter ego Matches Malone. The train experiences a brief blackout and, once the lights come back on, Batman is amazed to see...another Batman. Danton has donned the garb and forced the driver to stop the car so that he can get off. After a brief struggle, Danton is electrocuted on the third rail and Batman deduces that the man handed off his booty to the motorman before exiting the car. The gambling ring is quashed and Batman turns his attention to breakfast with Carter (Hawkman) Hall.

PE: An immensely forgettable installment (in fact, to write the synopsis, I had to reread it twice) existing only, it seems, to provide the big surprise at the climax. Batman's net is getting wider and the fish are getting smaller if he has to bust gambling rings now (and would a better written Caped Crusader really think it was worth the death of Sneaky?). Isn't The Joker or Catwoman up to no good somewhere? The art of Calnan and Colletta is serviceable other than the fact that Bruce and Carter look like the same man (they actually both look like Superman!). Get used to Calnan though as he'll be back to settle into the role of regular Batman artist by the end of 1977. Unless he works on his civilian characters, that doesn't bode well.

Jack: I enjoyed the art in this story, if only because it gave us a break from The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan. The subway scenes were pretty neat and the story as a whole had a nice dark feel to it. What concerns me most is the fact that, as of this issue, Detective Comics has returned to bi-monthly status without any warning! What happened? It was of better quality than Batman in 1976, although it was selling fewer copies. As usual, the market trumped art.

Speaking of birds, it
looks like Bruce Wayne
was flipping the bird
to Hawkman in this
panel!

"The Man Who Skyjacked Hawkman!"
Story by Bob Rozakis
Art by Marshall Rogers & Terry Austin

When an atomic energy plant overloads, there's only one person in the United States who can keep it from exploding and he's on a 747 right now. Pressed into duty, Hawkman boards the plane in flight and grabs who he thinks is Dr. Mark Peiken, atomic savior, but when Hawkman leaves the plane and opens the protective bag Peiken should be in, out pops The Calculator. The evil genius is determined to watch the atomic plant go critical. He clamps Hawkman's wings but our hero manages to break his bonds and return to the plane to get the real Dr. Peiken. Tragedy is averted!

Forget the story... check out the art!

PE: So, according to Hawkman, The Calculator's plan all this time was to fight Batman. That would account for the five previous arrests and jailbreaks we've had to endure these last several months. Surely, this could have all been done in one boring 14-page story, couldn't it? On the plus side, we get the fabulous pencils of Marshall Rogers, who'll be treated to more of very soon. Can...not...wait.

Jack: The round-cornered panels and pop-art sound effects are something new as we move into the late '70s Batman period, when new artists (some from fandom) break into the mainstream and infuse new life into tired characters.



Batman 284 (February 1977)

"If There Were No Batman...I Would Have to Invent Him!
Story by David V. Reed
Art by Romeo Tanghall & Frank Springer

After Dr. Tzin-Tzin levitates the Sphinx and drops it in the sea, he heads off to Gotham City to create more mystic mayhem. Batman is dealing with grouchy Chief Inspector Maddox, who is filling in for the vacationing Commissioner Gordon. During a parade held to open the annual convention of the Ancient Order of Explorers, Bruce Wayne saves a little girl from being run over and has to fight off the crowd that suddenly turns violent under a spell of Dr. Tzin-Tzin. Batman brushes up on his knowledge of Tibetan magic and defeats Dr. Tzin-Tzin at Gotham Stadium, which the mystic was in the middle of levitating in order to steal it. The story ends with Chief Maddox promising to read some books on Tibet.

PE: A very strange story with a few elements I liked and some I very much disliked. In the comics, unlike in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Commissioner Gordon may just as well be a faceless character. We know nothing about him after all this time other than he's Batgirl's dad and he serves only one purpose: a sounding board for Batman. I believe we'll have to wait until Frank Miller's brief tenure on the title before Gordo becomes more than just a joke. Having said that, he's a well-oiled machine next to the buffoon acting in his place this issue, a character played for laughs but not receiving any. Dr. Tzin-Tzin, an obvious rip-off of both Fu Manchu and Marvel's The Mandarin, is an honorary member of The Rogues' Gallery with a nasty psychotic edge to him. The murder of his "secretary" and casual dumping of her body over the ocean has a sadism to it that's lacking in most of Batman's adversaries. There's a spotlighted ceremony where Tz-Tz calls forth three supernatural entities, Towos (eater of men's brains), Thas Yang (demon fire-tiger), and Changchub (mystic master of magicians) and Batman constructs a "Tsam Khang," a small structure built so that Batman can "empty his mind." Both are intriguing concepts but only the "Tsam Khang" is used to further the plot. The three entities are introduced and then forgotten. Perhaps the thread will be picked up in the conclusion next issue.

Didn't we see that little girl in an
Elongated Man story not too long ago?

Jack: I really have no idea what happened in this issue or what you just wrote, Peter. I thought Dr. Tzin-Tzin was Ra's Al Ghul until I figured out that he was just a poor substitute. It seems he first appeared in Detective 354 (August 1966), then in Detective 408 (February 1971). That second appearance was covered way back in part 9 of this blog series, and it was a terrific Neal Adams story! He next appeared in Adventure Comics 418 (April 1972), where he fought Supergirl of all people! As I read this story, I got a strong feeling that David V. Reed had just finished reading a book on Tibet and wanted to share his weird thoughts with all the ten year olds reading Batman.

Ebay, here I come!