Smack in the Middle (2) - S1-E2
Revealing mistake: While Riddler is with the unconscious guests at the Moldavian exhibit, in the basement of the Moldavian Pavilion the Mole Hill gang blow up the ceiling to create an entry to the exhibit, on the floor above. They lean two tall ladders at the side of the hole and climb up. When Riddler makes for an escape Batman follows him down below, and now we can see long metal brackets bolting the ladders to the floor for safety. (00:20:20 - 00:22:00)
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.
The Joker Goes to School (1) - S1-E15
Revealing mistake: Batman drives out of the batcave alone. The first bit of stock footage of the car leaving the cave does indeed show him alone in the batmobile. But the very next stock shot of the car speeding down the dirt road shows us Robin sitting in the passenger seat. (00:05:25)
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.
Surf's Up! Joker's Under! - S3-E10
Revealing mistake: While Batman and Robin are being processed into the foam surfboard blanks, they are lying on two wood workbenches. When Riptide and Wipeout begin adding the coat of resin to both foam blanks, just as Riptide announces both blanks are smoking, we can see under Robin's wood workbench the fallen wired smoking apparatus used in the stunt. (00:13:05)
Nora Clavicle and the Ladies' Crime Club - S3-E19
Revealing mistake: When Robin calls Chief Linseed to get her to mobilize the entire force, Linseed and the others are useless, and in the two closeups of the mice scurrying on the rug in front of the desk, a few stunt wires are visible. (00:18:50)
Nora Clavicle and the Ladies' Crime Club - S3-E19
Revealing mistake: When the crime fighting Trio are playing the tune on their toy flutes and reach the docks, in the wide shot the stunt apparatus (a bar) is visible, and in the closeups of the mice procession their wires are visible as well. (00:20:50)
Revealing mistake: After Shame and his baddies steal Bruce's limo. Bruce shows Dick and Alfred that he had the remote control unit keep the Bat-cycle (with Alf-cycle) following them at a safe distance. In the shots facing the Bat-cycle, attached to the front wheel there's a rope pulling it. (00:17:05)
The Purr-Fect Crime (1) - S1-E19
Revealing mistake: In the last shot of the episode, when the tiger exits the small room in the flipped shot, right at the end of this shot as the tiger jumps up, at the top of the screen we can see that the camera has been positioned under a platform for this tiger stunt. (00:24:15)
The Penguin's a Jinx (2) - S1-E4
Revealing mistake: When Penguin uses the large umbrella on his penguin line to slide across to Dawn's penthouse terrace, as he says, "Who says penguins can't fly," we can see the glistening of the crew's wire at the top of the pulley wheel, as it moves. (00:13:45)
Fine Feathered Finks (1) - S1-E3
Revealing mistake: At the start, Penguin's henchmen give out booby trapped umbrellas to everyone outside the House of Ali Baba. When they all enter the jewelry store those umbrellas explode with fireworks, gas, confetti, etc, and the stunt wires holding up the umbrellas are visible, at the top of the screen. (00:01:20)
Hot Off the Griddle (1) - S2-E3
Revealing mistake: During the fight in the museum, one of Catwoman's henchmen slams into the wall beside a window. The set wall buckles and caves in, leaving the bottom edge of the window bent and jutting out. A few shots later, though, both wall and window have repaired themselves. (00:14:00)
A Horse of Another Color (2) - S3-E5
Revealing mistake: Ethel Merman just can't keep a straight face amidst Batman's campy silliness. Here and in the previous episode, she can be seen cracking up in several of her scenes with Burgess Meredith. (00:05:00)
The Greatest Mother of Them All (1) - S2-E9
Revealing mistake: When Ma Parker activates her jet-propelled wheelchair, the much younger stunt woman's face is visible as the chair speeds down the hallway toward Batman and Robin. (00:09:15)
The Penguin's Nest (1) - S2-E27
Revealing mistake: When Bruce, Dick and Aunt Harriet get into what's supposed to be an elevator, there's solid concrete under the sliding doors where there should be a break separating the lift car from the building's floor. It's visible again in Part 2, when Batman and Robin use the same elevator. (00:04:30)
Batman Makes the Scenes (2) - S1-E34
Revealing mistake: While Batman and Robin are being held in Penguin's vacuum room, some of the stunt's dark squibs attached to the balloons become visible during this scene. We can even see a squib spark on the last pink balloon. (00:02:15)
The Penguin Declines (3) - S2-E39
Revealing mistake: At the Batcave, when Penguin is up on the atomic pile scaffolding Batman grabs hold of him just as Pengy uses his umbrella to float down, and the stunt wire attached to the umbrella ferrule is visible while the duo descend together. (00:21:05)
The Great Train Robbery (2) - S3-E22
Revealing mistake: At the Batcave, when Batman programs the skywriter drone and switches it on, the two stunt wires are visible as it heads out of the Batcave. (00:15:40)
Revealing mistake: When Batgirl hands Batman the rope, just as he tells her to concentrate on the Indian fakir command, above Batman's head we can see the glistening wire that will be used in the stunt. Then, after Batman and Batgirl have escaped the dungeon Robin rushes up and asks how they did it, and when Batman reiterates the Indian fakir command for Robin, we can see the wire attached to the rope. (00:15:55 - 00:18:05)
The Joker's Hard Times (2) - S2-E38
Revealing mistake: When Joker pays another visit to Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara, Joker's holding his wand, and in the shots from outside the GCPD office window we can see the wire cable dragging behind Joker, which is attached to the wand and providing its power. During these shots, the actors' small white tape markers are also visible on the rug, beside the Batphone table. (00:03:00)
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 ★