Revealing mistake: Most of the first season's episodes follow a standard outline where, after the opening credits, Batman and Robin arrive in the Batcave via the Batpoles, run and enter the Batmobile and drive off, along the winding, dusty roads toward Gotham, then arrive in front of City Hall, exit the car and run up the stairs. But very quickly it becomes obvious that every bit of this is the same footage used over and over. As they get in the car, it's on a black platform which vanishes as the car starts moving. The same cloud of dust appears as the car's rear heads into the distance on the winding road, and the same crowd of people are in front of City Hall, nearly every episode.
Revealing mistake: The Batcave was a stage set with no real exit for the car. So in many episodes where a shot is looking into the cave from the darker tunnel as the Batmobile approaches and passes to our right, the rear end of the car jumps upward and tire skid marks appear on the floor as the driver slams on the brakes to avoid hitting the studio wall that is out of the shot, while the audio suggests the car is still accelerating.
Deliberate mistake: The Batmobile's Bat-turn lever is located at the center upper console, between the driver and passenger seats. Whenever the Bat-turn lever is used while the Dynamic Duo are in the Batmobile, the same closeup always faces the passenger seat and shows Batman's gloved hand pushing the Bat-turn lever, but the problem is Robin vanishes in this closeup - the passenger seat is empty. Episodes S1xE3 "Fine Feathered Finks", S1xE29 "The Bookworm Turns", and S2xE38 "The Joker's Hard Times" are three examples of the Bat-turn lever being used.
Continuity mistake: When the Batmobile comes in, there's a turntable it parks on to turn it around. Sometimes it's seen for a moment as Batman and Robin get in, but then it's suddenly gone with no evidence of its existence a moment later.
Continuity mistake: The Moldavian host calls attention on the national treasure before the cake is brought. In the wide shot, just before the cut you can spot the man in white uniform turning his head to his right. In the next shot he is turning towards his left. (00:01:05)
Continuity mistake: The cake exploded and the ambassador is on the floor, his back to the tent. In the wide angle shots and in the close-up, the position is quite different; just look at the golden filigree draped over the tent. (00:01:30)
Revealing mistake: As the Batmobile exits the Batcave, if you watch the exit closely, you see the shadow of the back end of the car come to a stop, meaning that it was at the wall of the set. (00:05:10)
Continuity mistake: When Robin moves away from the window of the art gallery, the shadow he casts is completely different between shots. (00:09:00)
Other mistake: The photo of Riddler's arrest shown in the news has the same angle as what we saw, which is the polar opposite side of the corridor Riddler's hired photographers came from. (00:10:10 - 00:12:10)
Continuity mistake: When Riddler hands Batman the lawsuit, he is holding the parchment either one or two handed. Robin also goes from being on his knees to standing, head well above Batman's. (00:11:30)
Revealing mistake: Riddler laughing maniacally after handing Batman the lawsuit turns around and leaves, not before tipping a vase over. There is a crashing noise as if the vase shattered, but the vase is tumbling in a full 360°, undamaged. (00:11:50)
Continuity mistake: Alfred is removing the tray from the table, and Dick leans against the fireplace; between shots, Burt Ward is holding the glass at different heights (look at the mantel decorations). (00:12:45)
Continuity mistake: When Robin has the idea that Riddler placed two other riddles hidden in the legal documents, Robin holds the papers up with his raised right hand, but in the next shot the documents are being held up in Robin's left hand. (00:13:45)
Continuity mistake: Dick waves the lawsuit in front of Bruce telling him it might contain the other 2 clues, prompting a "Great Scott." He is holding it with hist right hand, then the left. (00:13:50)
Continuity mistake: At the secret HQ of the Mole Hill Mob, Molly is wearing a ring on her right hand and many bangle bracelets as she dances, but in the closeup when reaches into the caviar jar the ring and bracelets are gone, then it all reappears. (00:15:00)
Continuity mistake: When Robin parks the Batmobile while Batman heads into the disco, Robin raises the radar antenna on the hood to spin and provide a good signal. But in the shot from behind Robin, as he lifts the dash Batscope cover, the radar antenna is still in its original position and hasn't been raised, but the Batscope visuals are working perfectly. It happens again, when Robin watches on the Batscope as Batman begins to collapse from the spiked OJ, the radar antenna hasn't been raised at all. (00:16:50)
Continuity mistake: In the cliffhanger, Riddler is putting a vice around Robin's head and cranks it; in the close-ups he turns the mechanism between his fingers, while in the shot from behind Robin's head he is turning a little handle. The height the vice is placed at is also different. (00:24:20)
Continuity mistake: While the unconscious Robin is being carried away from the Batmobile by one of Riddler's thugs, his cape loosens and appears to completely fall off just before they exit the frame. In the next shot, Robin is still being carried away but his cape is securely back in place.
Factual error: A fictional country is shown in this episode, with the name "Republic of Moldavia." It is portrayed as a south-eastern Asian country (the exterior shot shown was from the Thailand exhibition at the 1964 New York World Fair), but it's quite an odd choice to use as fictional name a name of a principality that historically did exist, in a completely different part of the world, where the current Moldova is.
Smack in the Middle (2) - S1-E2
Continuity mistake: Riddler just sent Molly to make the mask. As he sprays Robin, the strap across his chest is fastened in a different way in the close-up. (00:03:20)
Answer: It's wasn't unusual for multiple actors to play one character on this show. The villains on the TV Batman were played by guest stars, not regular cast members. George Sanders, Otto Preminger, and Eli Wallach played the part at various times. They may simply have only wanted to play the part once or twice, or they were later tied up with other projects, making it necessary to cast someone else. Other characters, like Catwoman, were also played by more than one actress.
raywest ★