The Joker Goes to School (1) - S1-E15
Continuity mistake: As Batman goes to cuff the Joker, the Joker holds up his right hand. In the close up, his left hand is raised.
The Penguin's a Jinx (2) - S1-E4
Revealing mistake: Robin deals with the Penguin henchman in the elevator, then suddenly jumps on the counter, watches Batman conk heads (in a real fake way) and starts laughing like a slightly demented person. In all that, the guy in the elevator was still standing and looking like he was waiting for his cue. He is just suddenly KO with no explanation in the full view of the room a moment later. (00:21:50)
Continuity mistake: Batman and Robin are being summoned by Commissioner Gordon, but are still in civilian clothes, so it's time to get to the Bat-cave. Bruce presses the switch and the bookshelf begins to slide open. Pay attention to the white books in the third row and the red books on the top shelf. In the close-up that follows there are fewer white books, their cluster aligned with the last of the red books, a different proportion from the previous shot. The name tags on the bat-poles are also misaligned in the wider shot and perfectly at the same level in the close-up (which is a reused shot from the pilot episode). (00:05:10)
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)
Continuity mistake: Despite his lackadaisical pitching, the Joker manages to eliminate a series of batters. In particular, there is one elimination before and after the warden tells O'Hara about the joys in life, when Joker didn't really have time to throw the ball 2 more times. (00:01:55)
Other mistake: The Joker's escape is so cartoonish and ridiculous you wouldn't even know where to start; besides the fact that the explosion somehow engulfs instantly the whole baseball field, the guard on top of the wall is following his movement with the gun, so he sees the Joker, therefore the smoke screen is useless, not more effective in any way than the mere surprise of a coil suddenly springing up from the ground.
Revealing mistake: Right at the end of the obligatory Bat-rope climb scene, look at Robin's cape; the wire that is used to keep it in place (aka sticking out to make it look like it is subjected to gravity and drapes down) loses position too soon, so the real gravity causes the cloth to go towards the wall the dynamic duo is supposedly walking vertically on. (00:11:30)
The Penguin's a Jinx (2) - S1-E4
Other mistake: In the pre-credits recap of part 1 of the episode we see Bruce awake and staring in horror (with actually a super hilarious face) at the furnace. It was not part of the previous episode at all and in fact Bruce wakes up only in this second episode.
Continuity mistake: The Joker sends a doll crashing through the window of Commissioner Gordon's office. O'Hara is holding in close-up the doll in a different way from the wider shots, and the jester cap of the figurine is also blatantly folded in a different fashion. (00:18:30)
The Penguin's a Jinx (2) - S1-E4
Other mistake: Penguin is able to follow from his office the unconscious Bruce Wayne on the conveyor belt. Considering the angle and how it keeps perfect close-ups of the moving target, it would mean he has a security camera in the back of his shop that is pointed on the conveyor belt and is mounted on a dolly (and he is not doing anything to control it). Definitely wins him Evil Overlord points. (00:02:40)
Fine Feathered Finks (1) - S1-E3
Revealing mistake: When Penguin pulls the lever, Adam West assumes the position to receive the net dropped on his head a couple of seconds early and as if Bruce/Batman knew beforehand that something was coming from the ceiling, in that spot, passively accepting it. (00:22:10)
Smack in the Middle (2) - S1-E2
Continuity mistake: After the Garbo joke, the various extras begin to pass out from the gas with multiple inconsistencies between shots. In the shot that follows the joke, the woman with the red and black dress is fainting, but she's back up in the next, in which the policeman goes down, only to be up in the one later, etc. (00:19:35)
Smack in the Middle (2) - S1-E2
Revealing mistake: Batman tosses the Batarang at Riddler after bursting through the door and yelling "Surrender, you rat." Such is Adam West's physical prowess and the strength he puts in the athletic gesture, that the mere touch of his foot moves the heavy cement block lying on the floor. That or it's made of plastic (same one he picks up later in the scene tossing it at the 'bulletproof glass'). (00:14:30)
Smack in the Middle (2) - S1-E2
Continuity mistake: Riddler wakes Robin up, and the Boy Wonder does not waste time in his tongue lashing. During the scene, the lighting on set is very noticeably different; with the camera positioned between the two, Frank Gorshin's jaw casts a shadow; with the camera behind Burt Ward, it's him casting a big shadow on the green unitard. (00:03:40)
The Penguin's a Jinx (2) - S1-E4
Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the big fight with Penguin, everyone is doing some fencing with the umbrellas. The guy with the caveman face on the left switches stance depending on the camera angle; he's lunging forward waving his umbrella with one arm in the frontal views, and he's in a guarded position in the overhead shots. (00:21:20)
Revealing mistake: To free himself from the Joker's goons, Batman throws a gas capsule on the floor. Two things; first, the Joker is instantly asphyxiated by a lot of smoke, but when the henchmen let Batman go in the next shot, the puff of colored fumes has barely started to rise, and the Joker is further away. Second, the capsule that Adam West throws with panache on the ground and that should generate the noxious cloud can be seen actually bouncing back up after his energetic toss. (00:15:30)
Continuity mistake: Arriving at the museum, the dynamic duo is greeted by some rabid Robin fans; when they start screaming and cheering for him in a close-up, there are men passing by behind them that were not there in the wider shot with the Batmobile approaching. (00:09:40)
Fine Feathered Finks (1) - S1-E3
Revealing mistake: In the close-ups of the basket filled with umbrellas at the bank, the asbestos blanket is continuously bumping up and shaken not by the 'explosions' of the booby trapped parasols, but rather by the thin wires you can make out at the top of the frame. (00:15:10)
Fine Feathered Finks (1) - S1-E3
Revealing mistake: The trademark vertical rope climb of this episode is done on the handle of a huge umbrella. The umbrella though is at an angle in the various wide shots, and Batman is climbing a perfectly vertical handle. (00:18:30)
The Penguin's a Jinx (2) - S1-E4
Continuity mistake: Robin jumps on a table, dodges a swing and gives a (really weak) kick to his adversary. Cut, and he is nearly tripping over two umbrellas on the table he is standing on, suddenly appeared out of nowhere. (00:21:40)
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 ★