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
Factual error: The mammoth is filled, according to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldavia, with "used postage stamps from ancient kingdom of Moldavia." Postage stamps are a 19th century invention, not something an 'ancient kingdom' would have used. (00:17:20)
Smack in the Middle (2) - S1-E2
Factual error: Nitrous oxide is not flammable. Not to mention, if it were, Riddler would have risked blowing everything up when he shot the gun in the room saturated with it just to give his henchmen the signal.
Fine Feathered Finks (1) - S1-E3
Factual error: The show is obviously full of cartoonish hyperboles; particularly amusing the notion that the "tempering furnace" in the back of Penguin's shop reaches 10'000° (I assume Fahrenheit), which would make it hotter than the surface of the Sun and able to melt any known metal on Earth. Bit of an overkill to temper umbrella ribs. (00:24:10)
He Meets His Match, the Grisly Ghoul (2) - S1-E16
Factual error: Dick Grayson's mini-camera, which is sitting on the bar, takes several shots of the villains from impossible angles several feet away from its location. And though he conspicuously places the camera in plain view, the crooks never notice it. (00:10:40)
Not Yet, He Ain't (2) - S1-E22
Factual error: When the Penguin steals the Batmobile, Batman spies on him from a tiny camera he says is hidden behind the car's fuel gauge. But the picture he and Robin are viewing has been shot from several feet away from the car, not from inside it. (00:11:15)
Factual error: When Bruce, Dick, and Aunt Harriet are looking at the globe, Bruce corrects Dick's mistake about Lima being the capitol of Ecuador and says "No, as you can see, I was right. It's the capitol of Peru." and points to the globe to show him. Based on the position of Europe facing the camera, he's actually pointing to somewhere in northern Canada. (00:02:35)
Factual error: Though he's a bastion of knowledge and a member of the museum board, Bruce Wayne completely mangles Egyptian history - twice. He says that King Tut ruled in the 14th Dynasty, and that the museum's mummy was a 14th Dynasty king who ruled in 1500 BC. Wrong on both counts. Tut reigned from 1336-1349 BC. The 14th Dynasty ran from 1773-1650 BC. Wayne would have known that - and so would his well-educated colleagues, none of whom points out the error. (00:13:00 - 00:15:00)
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 ★